Cleared!!!!!
Feb 04, 2008
So yesterday I was cleared by the nutritionist for surgery! Woooo! I was 1 lb past what I needed to lose. And believe me, I worked hard to get there. I am so unbeliveably happy. Someone from the office should be calling me in the next 2 weeks to schedule an appointment to meet with the surgeon, during which he will either clear me or not clear me, and if he does, it will be run through insurance at that point. I'm so nervous still about the insurance thing but I've decided to ignore and just keep on going with a positive outlook. No use being afraid of the unknown.
I can't believe I've lost 18 lbs since December.
7 impossible pounds....
Jan 28, 2008
Okay, here's the scoop. My nutritionist appointment was just 2 weeks ago. I have another week until my second nutritionist appointment. I STILL HAVEN'T LOST THOSE DAMN 7 POUNDS!! What's the deal?! Last year I was able to lose almost 30lbs...why is 17 so hard, especially when its so important to me right now?! I'm only about 2-3 lbs away from the 17...which is so frustrating. For some reason i can't get them off and I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I bought a treadmill this weekend though, and you'd better believe I will be walking on that thing like its my job until I get those pounds off. I cannot afford not to be cleared next week. Please, if anyone is reading this blog...cross your fingers for me!!
Funky Scales at Home!!!
Jan 16, 2008
I knew my supposed weight-loss was suspect. Our scales at home are funky. Either that or the floor is uneven and the digital scales are reading weird. Either way I had my first individual nutrition appointment on Friday, Jan 11th. My official weightloss according to the center is 10lbs. Still not bad, considering I was dieting through Christmas and New Years! Now that all the festivities are over and done with I'm back into the swing of things. The only thing I need to do is kick myself into gear as far as the exericising goes. I know thats my weakness.
Anyways, the nutritionist was very impressed with my weightloss and my food journal, there were no criticisms there. The only things I got criticised for, which I knew I was going to, was my lack of practice as far as eating without drinking goes. I knew it was going to be a struggle and I figured, I'll save that for the last thing I do, hold off as long as possible. Well...no more. I also needed to extend my meal time and chew my food better. So there's what I have to work on. No biggie. I am still hoping to be cleared next month. (Please cross your fingers for me!!!!!)
So Monday, Jan 14th I had my psych evaluation which was more or less what I expected it to be. I answered all of my questions appriopriately, I think I showed that I had done a lot of research and preparation as far as the surgery goes, and thankfully I wasn't committed, haha. She said she wasn't going to recommend any further psychiatric preparation for the surgery so I think I'm good to go there. All she recommended was that I find a support group and think about attending a couple of times before surgery, which I will most definitely do. Anyways, there's my update.
Next stop Feb. 4th for my second nutrition appointment where I hopefully will have lost the 7 lbs I need to lose and will be cleared for surgery!
Nutrition Seminar
Jan 02, 2008
I am fast approaching the one month mark since my Nutritional Seminar. I have been dieting and exercising with wonderful enthusiasm (okay I haven't been that enthusiastic about the exercising, lets be real). Get this...I lost weight over Christmas. Go me! Haha. Anyways...I have to lose 5% of my documented weight from that first appointment for lapband surgery. At that appointment I was 341.6 lbs...this morning I weighed in at 324.4 lbs...oh that looks like 5% doesn't it! In only 3 weeks, I am good aren't I? lol. I'm not cocky or anything I swear. Anyways, I have my appointment with my nutritionist on the 11th and my psych evaluation on the 14th. Then my last appointment on Feb. 4th (in which I'm prrrraaaayyyyying real hard I get cleared for surgery). Unfortunately summer time is out for me for surgery. I am a camp director and once it hits June I'm going like a race horse. No opportunity to recoup. Thats why I'm praying to be cleared in Feb. and hope to have a date in May at the latest. Anyways, just wanted to throw my update up here.
Update time!
Dec 12, 2007
Okay, I'm not so good at keeping up on this. I haven't updated in close to 3 months. So I'm doing it now. Here's what my time line looks like:
December 6: I attended my first nutritional seminar at Highland Hospital. I weighed in at a whopping 341 lbs (I had no IDEA I'd gotten that big, I was 326 lbs over the summer). It was a 3 hour long seminar. And so the journey begins.
December 9: Began my official "5% weight-loss diet". I have to lose a total of about 17 lbs, which is 5% of my body weight, in order for my insurance to approve me. 5 days later I've already dropped about 5 lbs so another 12 to go.
January 11: I meet with my nutritionist for the first time and document my "official" weight and discuss the food journal I've been keeping.
January 14: I have my psych evaluation, I guess to determine if I'm crazy enough to actually go through with this (joke).
February 4: My last nutritionist appointment where I am hopefully cleared and can begin the approval process.
Unfortunately I know from talking to a lot of people that most people going for Lap Band are denied the first time around. I swear to God I will freak if that happens. I have to pay for all of the nutrionist appointments and psych evaluation out of pocket which is well over $300 that I don't have because I'm poor! If I am denied I just might have a breakdown. I want this so bad and I'm not prepared to let it go.
Update time!
Sep 12, 2007
I guess its about time for an update. Its been a very hectic and emotional summer for me--losing my father 3 months ago and then going directly into my job as a summer camp director. It was rough. Now I'm ready to get back on track here. On August 30th (just about 2 weeks ago), I went to my informational seminar at Highland Hospital.
When I went into the seminar I was hell-bent on having the LapBand surgery and by the time I left I was very confused about what to do. I still knew I didn't want quite the life-change required by bypass surgery but I wasn't happy with the results quoted by the surgeon about the success of band surgery.
After the seminar I called a friend who is going for the band and he steered me back in the right direction. While results are typically that people only lose 45-50% of their excess weight and it takes a lot longer--those are on average. I have my age and level of activity going for me.
I truly believe I will be successful with the band. I just need to get the ball rolling now. Today I am meeting with a doctor who I hope will take me on as a patient because I was his patient in the past, as a child, and he medically supervised some of the diets I went on as a teenager. I am also hoping he'll accept me and fill out the paperwork today.
Once I get the paperwork sent in to Highland Hospital then they will call me with an appointment to meet with the nutritionist.
I'm very excited. And nervous.
In Memory of My Dad...
Jun 04, 2007
In memory of my dad who died a week ago today I am more determined than ever to do something about my weight. Last December I remember standing in the kitchen eating cookies. My father came in and said, "I thought you were supposed to be on a diet." I laughed at him then and just kind of shrugged my shoulders. Then he said, "You can do it, you can make it down to 115lbs." Of course I laughed even harder at that joke, considering I was 333lbs at the time. Then he smiled at me and said, "You can do it, I believe in you. You just have to believe in yourself." After that my dad became my motivation to lose weight. I starting dieting and made it down to 306lbs in a couple of months. Everytime I thought of giving up I remembered the words my father had said to me. I had never before realized that that was something my dad really wanted for me. Not because he wanted a skinny daughter, but because he wanted me to be happy and he knew I wasn't happy at that weight. Now that my father is gone I keep remembering those words and feeling guilty because I fell off track and have gained some of that weight back. I need this surgery to help me fulfill my dreams. My father won't be around to see it happen but I believe in my heart that he'll know anyways.