Gina Beana
Welcome to
Gina's Weight Loss Journey
July 9th 2004: I am 29 years old, 5'8" tall and weigh 270 lbs. I have been overweight pretty much my whole life. I was able to lose some weight during my teenage years, but quickly put it all back on and then some after having 4 kids. I am a stay at home mom, and have been married for almost 10 years now. I have been researching this surgery for many years and am excited and hopeful that it will happen for me this time. (I was in the process once before in Texas, but before I could go in to get my bloodwork done, I found out I was pregnant.) I attended the wls seminar with Dr. Clark on June 29th. I called the office back this morning and found out that Dr. Clark had gone over my chart and considers me a good candidate for surgery. (that's good news!) I was also able to schedule my psych eval and appt. with Dr. Reese for July 23rd. I can hardly wait to find out if my insurance company is going to cover this... Wish me luck!
JULY 23rd: Today I had my computer test. It went much quicker than I thought it would. I then met with Dr. Reese. She is a really sweet lady. It seemed like she didn't have any problems with my computer test results. Looks like I will just be playing the waiting game at this point. I am keeping my fingers crossed and trying to keep a positive attitude!
August 5th 2004: Well, today I got a call from Tracie (she is such a sweetie) and she said that she was in the process of submitting my info over to the insurance company. Wow, I don't want to get my hopes up or anything, but I am sure starting to get excited and anxious. I am hoping and praying that everything will come through alright. She said that all she needed was a letter from my PCP letting them know that I had been dieting and had seen a nutritionist. Oddly enough, I had just been to Dr. McCormick (who is an absolute doll) the previous day and we had already discussed this. So, hopefully this won't be a problem. I put in a call to his receptionist this afternoon and hopefully Tracie will get the fax and be able to submit to insurance by tomorrow!
Aug.9th: Since I hadn't heard anything yet on how things are rolling along, I decided to give Tracie a call and see whats up. Unfortunately, she hasn't gotten the fax from my dr.'s office yet, so I give them a call. My dr. is on vacation and they obviously hadn't given him the message in time. So, now I have to wait a whole week, yet again, to get things rolling. I hate waiting.
Aug. 12: Holy cow, I got a call from my PCP's office today and guess what? My doc dictated a letter for me while he was on vacation and the girls were faxing it over to Tracie as we speak. Is my Dr. the bomb or what? Come on insurance, get me approved!
Aug. 16th: I swear, I go through more ups and downs than anyone I know. I checked in with insurance this morning to see how things were going, and they didn't have any record of anything yet. So, I called th WLS center. Tracie was busy, but Cat pulled my chart and let me know that they had recieved the fax on Friday and that Tracie would be calling me to let me know if they needed anything else before they could submit. I just wish to God that this would go through. The waiting is the absolute worst. And to think, I havent even begun to wait for the insurance to juggle it for a while yet. It's so hard to be patient when you want something so badly. I'm not blaming anyone, I am just totally impatient and want it soooooo bad. Just chill Gina, it's all good.
Aug. 18th: Everything has been submitted over to the insurance now, it is in review and I'll be waiting for my approval! Wish me luck!!!
Aug. 23rd: Thank you God, I have an approval and a surgery date!!! The big day is... October 25th!!! Just 9 short weeks from today. I am sooooo excited and grateful, and just in total and complete shock. I feel sooo absolutely blessed!!! I just can't put into words just how ecstatic I really am!!! Thank you God! Thank you God! Thank You God! I feel like the absolute luckiest person in the world. Thank You God!
Sept. 13th: Today I went in to pick my program and put a down payment on the surgery. I also got to get all of my pre-op appointments set up. I am starting to get excited all over again. Looks like I will be pretty busy. I also got my little bag, wls book, and water bottle. It's so cute! Just 6 more weeks to go til my surgery...
Sept. 28th: Completed my 1 hour class. Knocking things out and getting more excited now. Exactly 25 days to go. I can hardly wait!!!
Oct. 8, 2004: This has been a busy week for me. I had my 3 1/2 hr. class on Wed., had my tour of the fitness center on Thurs. and went in for all of my pre-op bloodwork and stuff today. Just a few more things to knock out next week. Only 17 more days until surgery, Oh YEAH!!!!!!!!
Oct. 12, 2004: Went in and had my pre op consult with Dr. Clark today. All my bloodwork, ekg, and chest x-ray came back normal. Looks like I am all good to go and my surgery will be at 10am on the 25th. I will attend the support group meeting tomorrow night, and I have my fitness consult on 10/20 next week. Only 13 days til surgery!!!
Nov. 4, 2004: My how time has flown! I am oficially 10 days post op now! I can hardly believe that its all over with. I would have updated sooner, but we moved and have been getting settled back in. Well, let me try to recount as best I can what happened during the past couple of weeks. I went into the hospital on the 25th at 8am and was apprehensive and nervous for the first time since I started looking into this surgery. My weight as of that morning was 292 lbs. Yikes! My husband and 4 kids came with me and I was disappointed to find out that my kids couldn't come back with us. So, hubby went and took the 3 oldest kids to school and came back with my youngest to see me off to surgery. It went by quick, and after I got my happy injection, I dont remember much. Surgery went great, or so I was told and when I actually remember waking up, I was in my hospital room that I would be in for the next 4 days. The first day was a blur of visitors. I was very nauseous and my back hurt like crazy. The next day was 180 degree turn around. I was up walking around, talking, I put on make-up felt really good. Day #3 was rough again. I had a lot of pressure on my chest and felt like I couldn't swallow anything. Next day was great, had an upper GI,got my one tube taken out (no pain, just really bizarre feeling), all was well and got to go home. I was really tired the first few days after surgery, but it really has gotten better everyday. I feel very fortuanate. I don't really feel like I had a major surgery at all. The pain wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. I havent been sick or had any trouble keeping anything down. My incision is healing nicely and looks awesome. Overall, I am very happy with my decision thus far. My only gripe is that I do actually feel hungry. I am hoping that this will subside when I am able to start doing some pureed foods. This liquid diet gets old quick. I am also anxious to get this other tube out of me. I will update again when I go for that, and to report my 2 week weight loss results. TTFN
Nov. 9,2004: Went in today for my 2 wk. post op check up and all is going well. I got my tube out finally thank God. It was such a pain in the butt. I was ready to pull it out myself. I had healed up around it so good, that they had quite a time getting it out of me, and it was moderately painful. On a good note, I have lost 19 lbs. and am ready to start pureed foods. I also got the clearance for some light aerobics. I can hardly wait. My official weight before surgery was 292. I had put on 22lbs. from June til end of Oct. I was hoping to have taken all of it back off by my 2 week check up, but I got pretty close. My current weight is now 273lbs. I will update again in 2 more weeks. Until then... wish me luck on another big weight loss.
Nov. 23, 2004: Well, today was my one month check up, and I am down 29 lbs. I now weigh 263 lbs. I was starting to get a little nervous because my weight stayed the same for like 5 days in a row. (yes I am one of those psychos who weighs every single day.) Anyways, the scale finally moved. I will be very glad to get out of the 260's though. I was given the go ahead to try different stuff now. Just go slow and be careful. I am very thankful that all has gone so well. I have some problems with certain things feeling like they are stuck in my esophogus, but that is my only real set back from the surgery at this point. I started working out doing some aerobics about the last week and a half now. I am also getting a treadmill tomorrow and am going to start some light weight training. I am hoping to be under 250 by christmas. Wish me luck!
February 14th, 2005: Happy Valentines Day! I havent updated in a while, so I thought I should. I am approx. 3 and a half months out now. I am down 72lbs. taking me from 292 to 220. I am about at the half way point for my weight loss now. I have about 75lbs more to lose. The things that have changed the most for me since having this surgery is not just the way that I eat, but the way that I think about food. I eat a lot of lean meats, fruits and veggies. I can not do breads, pastas, rice, anything very starchy basically. I do not enjoy eating as much as I used to. It is something that I just need to do now. I am exercising about 5-6 times a week. I know that I have lost a lot, but it is still hard for me to see the differences that everyone else can see. I am excited about the prospect of getting under 200 which seems like a goal that is actually attainable now. I dont go back to the doc until my 6 mth. post op check, It is a high goal to set, but I would like to be under 200 by then. Hey, a girl can dream!
march 28, 2005: Well, I am five months out of surgery, and down 91 lbs. already! Taking me from 292 to 201. I can hardly believe that I am 2 pounds away from being out of the 200's forever! My bmi has gone down from 44.4 to 30.6. I am only a few pounds away from not being considered obese anymore, just overweight. I have also gone from a 26/28 to a size 18. I am just truly amazed and grateful for the many blessings that have happened for me in my life! I am relatively problem free. I have noticed what I will call excessive shedding of my hair. I won't say that my hair is falling out, because every time I read that some where, I picture some poor girl with bald patches. It's not even visibly noticeable, my hair just feels a lot thinner than it did. I'm not complaining, I have lost over 90 lbs, I'd say its a fair trade. I am religious about taking my vitamins, and exercise regularly. This past month has been harder than previous months, because my grandpa passed away and exercise hasn't exactly been at the top of my list. I know I need to do better though, and I will. Well... thats all for now, I will update again after my 6 month check up!
April 25, 2005: Well, I am oficially 6 months post op today and feeling really good. I am down 100lbs. and weighing in at 192. When I went in for my 6 mth post op check up, everything was great. All of my blood levels were normal, just on the low side of normal. So, I have started taking iron everyday now too, and upped my B-complex to twice a day. My hair is still shedding quite a bit, and I am contemplating cutting it some. Still not sure. I still exercise regularly, but my skin isnt being very cooperative. Oh well, I'm not going to let it bum me out too much. It's not like my skin looked good before surgery either. There's always plastic surgery if I decide to look into that later on down the road. Right now, I have another 45lbs. I'm looking forward to getting off. I have been very lucky thus far at either meeting or exceeding all my goals. My next goal is to lose another 23lbs. by my 9 month check up, putting me below 170.
It will take hard work, but I think I can do it!
June 27, 2005: I am now 8 months post op and down 119lbs. Putting me at 173lbs. Lets see what can I say about how things are going? Well, I am a much happier and healthier person now. I do lots of things with my kids that I havent done in years. I even did a cartwheel not long ago for the first time in probably 12years. My appetite has increased, which is good and bad. Good because you can only live off of that little food for so long. Bad because I have to make the consious effort to not overeat or eat the wrong things. Ultimately, that is what I need to do anyway, is learn to make the right choices. My hair has finally quit shedding so bad. I never did really cut it, just a trim and some layers. I am in size 14 clothes now, so thats pretty neat. My 30th birthday is just 1 week away, and I must say that I am feeling better than when I turned 20. If I could have an incredible week this week and lose 4 lbs. that would put me at 169 for my b-day. That would be the best present to myself! My brain still hasn't caught up to the fact that my body has changed so much. I still look at chairs and think I wont fit there. Or look at clothes and think no way...but it does fit. It is very hard mentally. I also find that other people think I am a lot smaller than I think of myself. In my eyes, I am still very much a big girl. I was able to go to Busch Gardens yesterday and ride the 2 roller coasters that I couldnt ride last year. It was very cool! All in all, I am VERY glad that I had this surgery. I have to admit that I have not been one of these people who has enjoyed the ride down, because I am so anxious to get to the finish line I havent enjoyed the scenery on the way there. I just hope that when I finally do get there, that I am able to see myself for who I really am, instead of the person I was trapped inside for so many years.
July 4th 2005: Well, I didnt make it to 169, but I am 171 and feeling great! Happy birthday to me nontheless!!!!!!
July 19 2005: Well, I'm almost 9 months out and have finally hit my 1st week of no weight loss out of 38 straight weeks. I guess I can't complain too much! I have lost 124 lbs so far and have about 21 lbs to go. I will update a new pic on my official weigh in for 9 months out. I truly feel sooooo much better!!!
Aug 1st: UGH!!! I am truly stuck in the high 160's. It is very frustrating and aggrivating. I know that some of it is my own doing, as I have slacked off on the exercise a good bit. I am vowing to pick it back up this week and do better. I also know that I have been eating too late in the evening and thats not good for weight loss either. I am only a few pounds away from just having a normal bmi. I am soooo close, and now all this stalling! Hope to have better news to report next week.
August 30, 2005: Well, I am just over 10 months out now and down 130 lbs. So, hey horse, why the long face? I'm not real sure. I have been going through some depression here lately and can't quite figure out why. The weight loss has slowed down tremendously. I know that some of it has to do with poor choices sometimes on my part. The other part is just natural. Your body cant keep losing weight at such a quick rate and I realize that. I am only 16 pounds away from my original goal weight that I set for myself. You would think that I would be excited but I'm not. I still see myself as a big girl, and I compare myself to everyone else and I'm just not happy with myself yet. I hate it, and it makes me feel ungrateful and selfish. I am very obsessed with weighing myself more than once a day. I know that this is not healthy, and I am struggling to quit it. I may look into seeing a shrink and trying to get right with myself. Life is too short to not enjoy every minute of it! At least I realize that, now to just put it into action. Until next time...
Sept 12, 2005: Well, this was one of those weeks where you can do all the right things and still not get any results. I worked out 5X this week. I ran a mile everyday, did weight training 3 times, and cardio twice. I even skated for 2 hrs. the one day that I didnt work out. I felt like I did well on my eating, and still the scale didnt move this week. Very discouraging! I have spent the last 10 weeks in the 160's, and I'm starting to think I may never get out! Well, enough complaining, I guess I need to get off of this computer and go work my tail off so that I can still be in the 160's. Oh I'm sorry, did that sound sarcastic?
Sept. 26, 2005: Well, after a whole month, only 2 lbs. gone. I have been fighting to get under 160 for the longest time. I have really increased my exercise and its just not happening. I am still pressing forward and hoping that the curse of 160 will be gone soon. At eleven months out of surgery, I am down 132 lbs. I am really hoping to be down to 152 by my 1 year anniversary. At this rate, I may still be 160, sigh. I have a plastic surgery consult on the 10th of October, so this should be interesting. What are the odds that the insurance company will cover a tummy tuck? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Oct. 3,2005: Well, I finally made it out of the 160's!!!!! HOOORAY!!!!! After 4 weeks of sitting right at 160, I made up for lost time and lost 4 pounds this past week. That puts me at 156lbs. for a grand total of 136 lbs lost, and 10lbs. from goal! I must say that I deserve it. I have been working my tail off!!!
10/28/05 HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! Well, like most people say, I cant believe its been a year already! I have so much to say and am not real sure where to start, so I guess I'll start with some stats. Last year I topped out at 292 lbs. Today I weigh 156 lbs for a total loss of 136 lbs. I had a starting bmi of 44.4 extremely obese, and today my bmi is 23.7 normal. Its so hard to think of the word normal describing MY weight. I was in a size 26/28 last year, and today I am in a size 11. I have lost over 22 inches off my hips alone. My how things have changed.
Lets talk about eating habits. I never was one of those people who had this surgery and lost my appetite. I was hungry from day 1 out of surgery. I get hungry about every 2-3 hours. I am eating more normal sized portions now and find that the harder I workout, the more voracious my appetite. I sip drink occasionally throughout my meal, but I wouldn't say that I drink more than a couple of ounces during my meal. Anything more is just too uncomfortable. I always feel incredible when I eat healthy. My body definitelly craves the good foods. Thats not to say that I am perfect and stay away from all the bad foods. My body definitely rejects greasy foods and chocolate. I can handle some cookies and fruity candies, but I have to be careful. The old me still wants to eat the whole bag and I have to remind myself that I've come too far to do that to myself. It is a constant battle that I'm sure I will fight for the rest of my life. If there has been 1 rule that I have absolutely adhered to, that would be no soda. I have had a sip or 2 here or there throughout the year, and I felt so sick. I hate carbonation and cant imagine ever drinking anything carbonated again. I drink unsweet tea, coffee, and water. My biggest obstacle to overcome, and something that I still battle with is eating too fast. It is the one thing that will definitely make me vomit. I dont really vomit if I eat the wrong kind of foods, but I will get nauseaus, sweaty, hot...basically miserable for about 30 minutes or so. I have been very lucky to not have any complications at all.
Lets talk skin issues. I have worked out really hard since about 6 weeks out of surgery. I run between 1-2 miles everyday. I alternate days between cardio (a 45min. step aerobic video with weights) and weight training. I really do love to exercise and be active now. While I feel like I really could not have done much more, my skin is a mess! I have tons of skin on my abdomen. It is definitely the worst. My breasts have deflated immensely, and sag pretty bad. I dont miss the size, i just hate how empty they are now. My arms are bad, but I can live with them. My legs look great until you get to the very top of my thighs. I went and saw a plastic surgeon this past week. When he first saw me with my clothes on, he couldn't believe that I had gastric bypass. When he saw my stomach he said "oh yeah, you gotta get this done!" We had pictures done, and am submitting them along with letters from myself, Dr. Clark, and my PCP to try and get the insurance to approve it on the basis of causing skin rashes. I'll keep you posted when I find out. The surgery has been tenatively scheduled for March 15th. He has also scheduled me for a breast lift and arm lift at the same time.
Oddly enough, the hardest thing for me this year has been to accept that I am not fat anymore. For me to accept that I am normal and attractive. I am slowly getting there. I am trying to do things for myself to make me feel better about myself. I am getting lasik surgery next month and saying bye bye to glasses for good. I also love to shop now, which was always a horrible experience previously. I think that overall, I will be much happier when I finally get this tummy tuck done. Overall it has been an amazing year. I am ever so grateful to Dr. Clark who not only saved my life, but gave me my life back! I feel as if I am free now. I am happier than I have been in years! Everyone always asks, and so I'm going to tell you-Yes, I would have the surgery again in a half a heartbeat. I am so pleased with the results, and I hope and pray anyone else out there who may be needing this surgery can get the help they need as well. I know that I said a lot, but so much has happened in a year. I am going to try and update at least once a month now, and will post some new pics soon. Only 10 lbs from my own personal goal now!!!
Nov 28, 2005: 13 months out and Still losing... down another 3lbs. this month. That puts me at 153 for a total of 139lbs. lost. Just 7 more lbs til goal now. In other news, I had prk laser eye surgery on November 9th. No more glasses for me. It is really cool and it has helped to boost my self esteem not having to wear glasses after having worn them non stop for 12 years. In disappointing news, the insurance dosent cover my tummy tuck, as my husbands employer elected to exclude that type of coverage from their benefits. I was also turned down for financing. Oh well, I'm not giving up! We are currently trying to get the benefits changed for open enrollment, and who knows what could happen. I would love to lose 4 lbs this month and be 149 by Christmas. I will check in again next month... Happy Holidays everybody!!!!!
December 24, 2005: Well, Merry Christmas Eve everybody! Just wanted to pop in and let everyone know that I hit my goal weight! I weighed in this morning at 147lbs. I have lost 145 lbs. in 14 months. It has been a truly amazing journey, and I hope that the new year brings half the joy this past year has. I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season!March 6 2006: Wow, it's been a while since I updated. So, what's been goin on around here? Well, after Christmas I got really sick and dropped down to about 145 lbs. It was too low, and my face looked really gaunt. Since then, I was on steroids three different times, and changed birth control to seasonale. All of this put my body in quite a shock, and I got back up to 159lbs. yikes!!! I was pretty worried to tell you the truth. Finally, things have started to even back out some, and I am currently sitting at 154lbs. I am still exercising my butt off. I can actually run 3 miles a day now! I am so impressed. Anyways, a while back I had applied through my insurance for a tummy tuck, and had been denied. I appealed the decision and got denied again. I was also turned down for financing. When all hope seemed lost, my parents stepped in and decided to help me finance not only a tummy tuck, but a breast lift and augmentation as well! All of this will be happening on March 15, just 9 short days away. I go in on Wed. for all of my pre-op stuff, and to pick out implant sizes. I am sooooo excited and cant believe that this is actually going to happen for me. I am learning how to put pics into my profile, and I will be sure to put some before and after of the plastic surgery as well. I have been so down on myself lately because of the way that I look, and I really hope that the ps will give my self esteem a boost. In clothes I look just fine, but naked, I look like a 70 yr. old woman. There are parts of me that look extremely bony, and other parts that still look fat. I am hoping that after ps, I will look a little more evened out. I will update again soon, and let you know how the plastic surgery went. Until then, wish me luck...
April 11, 2006: Well, here I am almost 4 weeks out of plastic surgery now. Everything has gone just great! I have been pretty sore from the breast lift and augmentation, but the tummy tuck was not that bad at all. Everything has healed up so nicely. The scars look incredible for only being this far out. I am still a little swollen through the middle, but nothing too terrible. My breasts came out a little larger than I had originally wanted, but Dr. Vonu is an awesome surgeon, and he could only go so small, because of the extra skin tissue even with the lift. He wound up putting in round, smooth, saline, mentor implants. They were 475 cc implants overfilled to 500 cc. It actually made me a very full D currently. I am starting to get used to them though, and think that eventually, I will be very ecstatic. I am not sure how much skin was removed from the TT, but when I find out, I will be sure to post it. Between the implants and the swelling, the scale has not gone up or down one bit. I cant believe how flat my stomach is, and that the apron of skin that I have had as long as I can remember is finally gone. My skin from beneath by breasts to above my belly button is still a little loose for my liking, and I am waiting to see what happens with that in time. It may have to be revised down the road, but is still a 1000% improvement over what it started out at! Overall, I am extremely happy with my results, and would recommend Dr. Vonu to anyone. I am currently trying to get pics posted, and hope to have them all up by tomorrow.
June 16, 2006: Wow, its been a while since I've updated. I am just over 3 months out of plastic surgery now. Everything has healed up really well, and I look and feel soooo much better. I found out not long after my plastic surgery that I actually have a hernia. I will be having surgery to repair that on June 29th. I am really excited, as we will be leaving on Sunday to go to Disney World. I have never been there before, and I feel like I am probably just as excited as my four kids. I have been procrastinating putting up recent pics, but I promise to get some up today. I am thinking that I would still like to get a lower body lift sometime in the future, but for now I really am enjoying where I'm at. My weight has still been pretty stable in the low 150's. I feel like I would like to lose about 8 more lbs, but everytime I start to take anymore off, it shows too much in my face, and I dont like that. Hope everyone is doing well, and best wishes!!!
July 10, 2006: Well, I had an absolute blast on our Florida Disney Vacation! I had hernia repair surgery just less than a week after getting home from that. The Dr. actually found 2 hernias. He was able to keep the incision along the scar from my tummy tuck, so nothing looks different anyway. I was surprised at how this surgery really knocked me on my butt. I have been extremely soar and took the percocet much longer than I had anticipated. I am feeling much better now though. My weight dropped down to 148 after surgery but here I sit today at 152. My body is just so comfortable right around here. Oh well, I am officially 31yrs. old now. My b-day was a lot of fun. I was still in a good amount of pain from my surgery, but I had a blast nontheless. God has been VERY good to me, and I feel extremely blessed. I can only hope that I will be able to maintain this weight. I really have come to a better point of acceptance with myself, and I finally feel like I really like being me. I was always comparing myself to other people and wishing I was someone else. Now, I'm just happy being me! Where would I be without WLS? Thank you God, thank you Dr. Clark, thank you Dr. Vonu, thank you family for all of your help and support, and last but not least, thank you Gina for realizing that you're worth it!!!
October 20, 2006: I am almost 2 years out today. My actual surgiversay will be on the 25th and I will be celebrating it by getting a revision done to my plastic surgery. I am hoping that this will be my last surgery for quite some time. Today is actually the day that I met my husband 13 years ago. We will be celebrating our 12 year wedding anniversary in 2 days! Hard to believe how time flies. He has been with me through thick and thin, and loose and flabby too. LOL Things are going really well weight wise. I still bounce back and forth between 152 to 156lbs. I have been maintaining right around that weight for more than a year now. I am still avidly exercising and realize that it will be a part of my life from now on. I am eternally grateful for finding WLS and for all that it has done to change my life. I feel truly blessed and am so happy to be me for a change. Until next time...
December 4,2006: Just wanted to make a quick update. I had my revision to my stomach done on 10/25. All went well and looked nice and tight at first, but has loosened up some now and is a little disappointing. In other disappointing news, when my ps was anchoring the stitches up into my ribs, my right implant was ruptured in the process. I am scheduled to get that fixed on the 14th of this month. I am still not real happy with my upper abs. They are way way better than what they ever were, but they just arent what I was hoping for. I am trying to learn to accept that this is just as good as it gets for me. I am real sick of surgery and am ready to be done with this. Just hoping to find some inner peace within myself and realize that I am still a beautiful person despite my saggy skin. I will update again after surgery and let you know how it goes. Happy holidays to everyone.
January 8, 2007: Hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I had my surgery to replace my right implant on 12/14. It was by far the easiest of any of my surgeries. I am very happy with the results. It's nice to be symmetrical again. My upper abs are still a little loose, but I am OK with it and am moving on with my life. I am looking into getting a job right now to try and help out with paying off some of these medical bills. I am nervous as I have been a stay at home mommy for the past 12 years now. The thought of going to work is both exciting and terrifying. I am still maintaining my weight loss and am always amazed with the lasting effects. My goal for the new year was to just continue to stay fit and healthy. I had gotten away from taking my vitamins and am vowing to pick that back up. Also with all of the surgery that I had last year, I had gotten away from working out some too. I am picking that back up as well. I guess I am in the maintenance period now and just hope that I will continue to be successful with that. I will continue to update from time to time with any new news. Best wishes to all for a wonderful 2007!!!!
September 7, 2007: Wow, it has been so long since I've updated! Things are going really well for me. I just recently bought a new house out in Wilson, NC and am absolutely loving that! I am still maintaining my weight loss pretty well. I have been staying around 161 lbs. It is a little higher than I'd like, but nothing about 7 lbs. wouldn't cure. I just had a revision done to my right breast last week. The pocket to the implant had stretched and it was sitting lower than it should. It is already healed and feeling great! I will probably be back to the treadmill on Monday, just 2 weeks shy of post surgery. I decided to put up a new pic as next month I will celebrate my 3 year surgiversary. Where does the time go? I am still ever so grateful to Dr. Clark and Dr. Vonu for helping me through this amazing transformation. I couldn't be happier!!!
November 3, 2008:
Well, last week I celebrated 4 yrs. out of gastric bypass! Amazing!!! Where do i begin?
Things are going really well still. I have been able to maintain most of my weight loss. At 4 yrs. out, I am 12 lbs. heavier than I'd like to be. Overall not too bad I guess. My ideal weight was 154, and I weigh in now at 166. I realize that it is a constant struggle that I will continue to fight for the rest of my life. Overall, I am still extremely happy, very healthy, and just really enjoying life the way that it should be enjoyed.
I still have issues with greasy foods. They are an absolute no no. I will defiinitely be sick if I eat anything greasy or fried. That's a good thing, as it helps to keep me in check. Sweets are another story. They are very iffy. Some stuff I can handle, others not at all. All in all, i probably still eat more sweets than I should, hence the 12 extra pounds. I have found that I still dont eat very much at one sitting even compared to some others who have had WLS long after me. Who knows why, but I'm not complaining. It just doesn't take much to fill me up. I still do not drink soda at all, and stick to coffee, tea, water, and crystal light. My exercising comes in spurts unfortunately. I do really well for a couple of months, and then nothing for a couple. I wish I knew how to be more consistent. My busy life just gets the best of me I guess.
I am still not finished with my plastic surgery journey unfortunately. I still have to have another revision done to my right breast, as it never healed correctly from the last procedure more than a year ago. After my TT and BL/BA, I had no butt for a while lol. It has come back, but maybe just a little too much. The excess weight that i carry is definitely in my thighs, butt, and love handles. I would love to get a lower body lift done, but it is just not financially feasible right now. When I get the revision done to my right breast in a few months, I may get my arms done as well. I still havent made a definite decision on that yet. As always, I am a work in progress. = )
One of the more challenging things to deal with is still seeing myself as an obese person. I still compare myself to others a lot, and still feel quite large compared to other very petite women. While I realize that I am 5'9", it is still hard to be a size 10 or 12 when others can wear a 4-6. Sometimes I look in the mirror and think I look so fat. Then i will see a photo of myself and wonder what I'm so worried about. I wonder if the psychological issues that come from my obesity will ever leave me???
I did a couple of really cool things this year that I never would have done before. I went jet skiing and parasailing! It was awesome, and it's something that i never would have done before if it hadn't been for WLS.
Well, I guess that about covers where I am at, at the 4 year post op marker. My goals for the upcoming year are to stay more consistent with my exercise, eliminate those sweets, and get that extra 12 lbs. back off. I know i can do it, and I will keep you updated as to my progress. I'm posting some recent pics. Thanks as always for reading, and best wishes to all!
My Weight Loss Progress
pre op 292 lbs ( BMI 44.4 morbidly obese)
week 1 -15 277 lbs
week 2 -4 273 lbs -19 total
week 3 -5 268 lbs -24 total
week 4 -5 263 lbs -29 total
week 5 -3 260 lbs -32 total (BMI 39.5 Obese)
week 6 -3 257 lbs -35 total
week 7 -6 251 lbs -41 total
week 8 -3 248 lbs -44 total
week 9 -4 244 lbs -48 total
week 10 -3 241 lbs -51 total
week 11 -5 236 lbs -56 total
week 12 -3 233 lbs -59 total
week 13 -4 229 lbs -63 total
week 14 -4 225 lbs -67 total
week 15 -2 223 lbs -69 total
week 16 -3 220 lbs -72 total
week 17 -4 216 lbs -76 total
week 18 -3 213 lbs -79 total
week 19 -3 210 lbs -82 total
week 20 -3 207 lbs -85 total
week 21 -3 204 lbs -88 total
week 22 -3 201 lbs -91 total
week 23 -2 199 lbs -93 total (1st time under 200 in 11 yrs!)
week 24 -3 196 lbs -96 total (BMI 29.8 overweight)
week 25 -1 195 lbs -97 total
week 26 -3 192 lbs -100 total ( Century Club OH yeah!)
week 27 -3 189 lbs -103 total
week 28 -1 188 lbs -104 total
week 29 -4 184 lbs -108 total
week 30 -2 182 lbs -110 total
week 31 -1 181 lbs -111 total (weigh < hubby 1st time ever!)
week 32 -1 180 lbs -112 total
week 33 -3 177 lbs -115 total
week 34 -2 175 lbs -117 total
week 35 -2 173 lbs -119 total
week 36 -2 171 lbs -121 total (Happy 30th B-day to me!!!)
week 37 -3 168 lbs -124 total
week 38 -0 168 lbs -124 total (1st stall in 38 wks :( )
week 39 -1 167 lbs -125 total
week 40 -0 167 lbs -125 total UGH!!!!
week 41 -3 164 lbs -128 total (BMI 24.9 NORMAL BABY!!!!)
week 42 -0 164 lbs -128 total
week 43 -2 162 lbs -130 total
week 44 -0 162 lbs -130 total
week 45 -2 160 lbs -132 total
week 46 -0 160 lbs -132 total
week 47 -0 160 lbs -132 total
week 48 -0 160 lbs -132 total (ARRRRRRRRRGGHHHHHHHH!!!!)
week 49 -4 156 lbs -136 total (FINALLY!!! Only 9 lbs. to goal)
week 50 +1 157 lbs -135 total
week 51 -1 156 lbs -136 total
1 year out 156 lbs -136 total!!!
13 months -3 153 lbs -139 total
14 months -6 147 lbs -145 total
16 months +7 154 lbs -138 total
About Me
Before & After
rollover to see after photo
