dbracero
August 2005 - This is where I started my weight loss surgery journey. I wasn't always heavy, but after puberty, I started gaining weight. Obesity is a big problem in our family, so I know it has to do with our genetics. My mother died when she was only 38 years old and she also had a weight problem. I can't help to think that if she wasn't as heavy, maybe she would be here today. But I know that God has a purpose for everything.
I'm currently at my highest weight, 248 lbs! I 2 stepchilden and a 2year old. I'm 28yrs old so I've been thinking a lot about my health, my future, and how I would like to spend the rest of my days with my family. The one thing that I fear the most is not being able to live long enough to see my baby grow up. I really want to do this for my health and to be a good example for my family in regards to healthy eating habits.
I'm a patient at the TUFTS New England Medical Center. I have started their WLS program and hope to have a date for surgery before the end of the year.
1/1/06 - I have a date! My surgery will be on Valentine's Day 2/14/06. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I know that this is going to be a life changing experience for me and that I will never be the same. That scares me a little, but I have faith that God is with me through all of this. My husband is very surpportive and that helps. I have my pre-op testing at the end of the month. I will write after my surgery.
Post Op 3/9/06 - So I'm sitting here today, on my birthday thinking about how much my life has changed already. I had WLS (Lap Gastiric Bypass) on 2/14/06. On the day of my surgery I weighed 233 lbs. I managed to lose 16 lbs. before surgery. I have to say that while I was in the hospital, I was not feeling good at all. But once I left the hospital and went home, I felt much better. I got better and better as each day passed. I returned to work about 3 weeks after surgery and felt very tired during the first couple of days. I'm already exercising and I'm on Stage 4 of foods (soft foods). Next week I'll be moving to the next and final Stage 5. I can't wait. So far I have lost about 19 lbs and feel great. I have more energy and have been able to tolerate everything I've eaten with the exeption of Red Meat. God Bless Everyone and talk to you all soon.
3/21/06 - Hi everyone. My primary care physician saw me yesterday and my current weight is 207 lbs. Wow, that means that I have lost 25 pounds in about 5 weeks. I'm really happy and I'm looking forward to the weeks, months, and years to come. I also went to the monthly post-op group yesterday from the hospital I go to. It was great, the WLS pros had a lot of information to share and all of these sucess stories are amazing! My next goal is to reach 200 lbs by April 1st.
3/27/06 - Current Weight 203.5. Although I'm positive, I don't know if I'll reach my goal of 200lbs by the end of the week. Wish me luck! God Bless you all.
4/5/06 - I'm now on my 7th Post Op week. My current Weight is 199 lbs. Yes, I'm not sure if I reached my first goal on April 1st, but today I'm under 200 lbs. and feeling great. I'm glad I had this surgery. Yesterday I was looking at some pictures from last September, and Wow, I didn't realize I let myself get as big as I was. Everyday I think about the decision I made of having surgery, and everyday I feel more positive about making healthy eating and exercise part of my life forever.
4/10/06 - Current Weight 196.5 lbs. Here is a recap of my wightloss so far.
August 2005 - Started my weightloss journey @ 248 lbs.
Feb. 14, 2006 - Day of Surgery 233 lbs., -15 lbs.
March 21, 2006 - 207 lbs. -41 lbs. lighter
April 10, 2006 - 196.5 lbs. -51.5 lbs. lighter, 8 weeks post-op and feeling great!
4/17/06 - Hope everyone had a great Easter. I had a nice weekend. I felt like I was eating a lot, but I know I really wasn't. I'm still trying to drink as much water as I can. This is my biggest problem, and trust me, I'm trying. On Saturday I went out and bought a brand new outfit for Easter. I couldn't believe it when the size 18 I picked was too big. The size 16 fit perfect. I got a lot of compliments and it felt so good. My current weight is 192.5 lbs.
4/24/06 - Current Weight is 190 lbs! Weight is coming of slower now, but I'm totally happy with what I've achieved so far.
5/2/06 - I am 2 months and 2 weeks out. My current Weight is 188 lbs. I am doing good. I am loving and getting used to making healthy choices. I do forget to eat every now and then, I have to keep reminding myself to do this. I'm still strugguling with drinking water, I don't think I'm drinking enough. I have noticed that I am able to drink bigger gulps now. I hope this doesn't stretch my stomach. This is my #1 fear, that I will gain all of the weight I've lost. I'm looking forward to a Post-Op meeting I have tonight.
5/8/06 - I'm only 4 days shy from beign 3 months out. I weigh myself this morning and I was surprised to find out that I'm 185.25 lbs. On Saturday I colored and cut my hair. My hair color is kind of redish. I've been getting lots of compliments from everyone. People tell me that I look like a different person now. Someone this weekend even told me that now that I've lost weight you can see how pretty I am. I don't know if that was a compliment or not. But I'm trying to get past this and trying to focus more the new me. I haven't sent in a picture to the OCC yet, but I will later on this week.
5/16/06 - Well, I hit my 3 month anniverary last week, Congratulations to me! I'm feeling great. This past weekend I went out and bought a new outfit a slim size 14 for Mother's Day. My husband took me out to an Italian Restaurant (he did most of the eating), and he wouldn't stop complimenting about how good I looked. Today I weigh 182 lbs. My eyes couldn't believe the scale. This means that since surgery I've lost 51 lbs, and a total of 66 lbs since last December when I was at my heaviest, 248 lbs. I really love the new me. I thank God because he's the one that has helped me along the way. This journey is not easy, it is actually very difficult. I'm strugguling right now with the reaction of some of my family and co workers. They are not really saying much about my weightloss, not sure why. I really wanted to do this to start living a healthier life for my kids, for me. I want to be around for my little one and grow old with my husband. God Bless and best wishes to everyone on this journey.
5/22/06 - Current weight is 181 lbs. Only 1 pound lost in the last week. I wonder what I did wrong? I know...I didn't exercise enough and I also ate a lot of candy last week. Got to get back on track...Talk to you next week.
5/30/06 - Current weight is 178.75 lbs! Yes!!!!! I was trilled to find out about the 2.25 lbs loss this week. I have to say that it wasn't easy though. I exercised almost every day and tried very hard to make healthier food choices. It paid!!!!
6/5/06 - Current weight is 177 lbs! I am quite excited about my progress so far. I'm still working on trying to eat and drink enough liquids. I went out this past weekend and bought 3 capri pants and 3 shirts. It felt so good to try on clothes that fit and are not baggy. I'm still a size 14 and I'm thrilled to be a size 14. My husband has been all over me. I can tell that he is happy with the results so far. I also cleaned out my closet this weekend, gave some of my big clothes away and put everything else in a bag for a family member. Some of it was brand new too. I'm less than 40 pounds from goal, will I make get there before the end of the Summer? I guess we'll find out.... I'll keep you posted.
6/19/06 - Current weight is 172 lbs. I just turned 4 months post-op last week (6/14/06). Yesterday was Father's Day and we had a great time. I also discovered that Fried Seafood does not go well with me. I used to love Fried Seafood, but I won't be eating it any time soon. I felt so sick, didn't throw up, but just sick. It's a feeling that I can't explain. I'm officially a size 12, that feels good. I bought a tan color skort this weekend to wear for Fathers' Day. I have to say that my husband loved it. He hasn't seen me wearing "nice" clothes like this in years. I have a Post-Op Meeting tonight, and I'm looking forward to it. I hope to see friends that I met at the pre-op meetings.
6/26/06 - Only 1 lb. loss this past week, but I'm not complaining. It feels like I'm eating more than what I'm drinking. I really need to try to drink more water. Yesterday, I only had about 1 cup of water, bad, bad girl. I've also been thinking about starting to drink protein shakes. I think I'll start that this week. I'm a bit nervous because we are going away for the long 4th of July weekend and we are going to be eating out every day for 4 days. I will bring some healthy snacks for the road snce we are traveling 5 hours to our destination. It should be a fun time and I will try not to focus so much on food.
7/24/06 - I am extremely happy today. My eyes could not believe the scale when it balanced at 164. I have lost very little weight and was at a plateau for about 3 weeks. What did it? Exercise. I have been walking a lot, sometime walking for about 1 1/2 hours which is equivalent to about 4 miles. I feel great, clothes feel so much better, and my self esteem has improved a great deal. I haven't posted pictures of myself yet on this website, but will do it soon. God Bless, and talk to you soon.
7/31/06 - This was a wonderful weekend. Found out that my bathing suite which is a size 14 is a little too big. Wow, I can't beleive that, but it is true. There are 2 months left to the summer, so I think I'm going to have to buy another one this year, a size 12 or 10. Last year in September I was wearing a size 24 and it looked like a dress, and black. I was so embarassed to wear it ... but that was then, and I'm extremely happy with the results of this surgery so far. I go to a small support group that I attend to on the 1st Tuesday of each month at the hospital where I got the surgery done. I look forward to that meeting each month. I think support is so, so important. God Bless and I will post an update next week.
9/5/06 - I'm 6 months and 3 weeks out, and I'm 92.50 pounds lighter than what I was last year. I feel great. I'm now a size 10 from a 22-24. This journey has not been an easy one, but I'm sure it will get better. I'll update next month and hopefully send in pictures for all of you to see.
10/2/06 - I finally broke that plateau, and I'm happy to say that I'm only about 7lbs to reach my goal weight. Today I'm 7 months and 2 weeks out and I really think I'll reach my goal before my year.
11/7/06 - How exciting!! I'm only 1/2 lb. away from my goal of 145lbs. I have to say that lately, it hasn't been easy. I have noticed that I can eat a lot more than I used to. I have to try to stay away from sweets. I love candy and chocolate, but I have to stay away from those. I don't want to fall into old habits. I have received many compliments lately, it feels good. I went out this weekend and bought my self a brand new winter jacket. I didn't have one and was using a windbreaker that was like 4 sizes too big, it looked a bit ridiculous. I bought a size L junior. I could have bought a size M, but I wanted a larger one to allow room for sweaters. I'm always cold and need to wear several layers.
01/02/07 - Wow, time has really gone by fast. I'll be 1 year post-op in February. The holidays have come and gone and I'm still managing to lose weight. I'm currently at 141 lbs. My goal was to be at 145lbs. I am not exercising as much and I'm still losing weight. I don't want to get too thin, so I don't know what to do to stop losing. Maybe my body still thinks I need to lose weight. I have increased my calories to about 1,300, and only exercising about twice a week. I have been having these weird dreams about eating. In my dreams I'm stuffing myself with food. Why???? Why am I having these dreams? Well, I hope everyone had a nice Christmas holiday and best wishes to all for the new year!
04/18/07 - Not much going on really. My weight has pretty much stabilized at 140 lbs. I'm not complaining, I don't think I would want to lose any more weight. I'm happy with the way I look, the size I wear size 6-8.
05/23/07 - Wow, keeping track of your weight is very helpful. I have been the same weight since January 2007. I don't weigh myself every week, but every other week. I don't want to become obsessed about my weight. I would like to lose another 10 lbs, but I don't know how to do that. I think my body has pretty much stabilized.
07/26/07 - Hi, things are well. I'm still at 141 lbs., but the weird thing is that I am a size smaller. Now I'm between a size 6-8. I have a wonderful friend, her name is Julie and she has donated a lot of her clothes to me. At first I was like, size 6 and 8, that is not going to fit me. But to my surprise everything that she has given me fits. I feel wonderful. There are times when I struggle, but somehow I make it through another day. I'm trying to enjoy the most of the Summer months and can't wait to go on a cruise vacation I have planned for September to the Bahamas. We'll be staying in Orlando to see my husbands' family who the last time they saw me I was a size 22-24 and weighed close to 250 lbs. Today, I'm 140 lbs., size 6-8. Life is good.
10/09/07 - Hi - Wow, I didn't realize that the last time I updated my profile was in July... I'm feeling good. I came back from vacation a week ago. It was my first vacation since I had gastric bypass surgery. I was so scared that I would gain weight, but I tried to walk and exercise as much as I could. I'm happy to say that today I'm actually about 2 lbs lighter than when I left on vacation. The scale read 138.50 lbs. this morning. I got my vitamins this weekend. It had been a bad girl by not taking them in the past 3 months, but I'm back on track. I'd like all of you of faith to pray for me as I've applied for my dream job and I'm only steps away from getting it. Please keep me in your prayers.
God Bless!
11/12/08 - Wow, time really flies. It has been over a year since I haven't updated my profile. I moved to Atlanta, GA earlier in the year and reside in the city of Austell. I love it here. I have not found a support group yet, and I'm looking for one. I uploaded new pictures today. Ironically my weight has stabalized for the past year, but my size has gotten smaller. I now wear a size 4. I exercise 3-4 times a week and have put on muscle. I feel great and to date have not had any complications.
PRE-SURGERY:
01/01/06 .. 248 lbs.
02/14/06 .. 234 lbs.. (Date of Surgery)
POST-SURGERY:------------------Weight Loss to Date
03/21/06 .. 207.0 lbs..- 41.0 lbs. ** 62.0 lbs. from Goal
04/17/06 .. 192.5 lbs..- 55.5 lbs. ** 47.5 lbs. from Goal
05/22/06 .. 181.0 lbs..- 67.0 lbs. ** 36.0 lbs. from Goal
05/30/06 .. 178.75 lbs..- 69.25 lbs. ** 33.75. lbs. from Goal
06/5/06 .. 177 lbs..- 71.00 lbs. ** 32 lbs. from Goal
06/12/06 .. 175.50 lbs..- 72.50 lbs. ** 30.5 lbs. from Goal
06/19/06 .. 172 lbs. -76.00 lbs. ** 27 lbs. from Goal
06/26/06 .. 171 lbs. - 77 lbs. GONE FOREVER!! ** 26 lbs. from Goal
07/05/06 .. 168.5 lbs. - 79.5 Down ** 23.5 lbs. from Goal
07/10/06 .. 166.75 lbs. -81.25 Down ** 21.75 lbs. from Goal
07/17/06 .. 166.50 lbs. -81 Down ** 21.50 lbs. from Goal
07/24/06 .. 164 lbs. -84 Down ** 19 lbs. from Goal
07/31/06 .. 162.5 lbs. -85.5 Down ** 17.5 lbs. from Goal
08/14/06 .. 159 lbs. -89 Down ** 14 lbs. from Goal
08/21/06 .. 158 lbs. -90 Down ** 13 lbs. from Goal
08/30/06 .. 157.25 lbs. -90.75 Down ** 12.25 lbs. from Goal
09/5/06 .. 155.50 lbs. -92.50 Down ** 10.50 lbs. from Goal
09/11/06 .. 154 lbs. -94 Down ** 9 lbs. from Goal
09/18/06 .. 154 lbs. -94 Down ** 9 lbs. from Goal
09/25/06 .. Nothing Different from last week - Plateau for 3 wks.
10/2/06 .. 152.25 lbs. -95.75 Down ** 7.25 lbs. from Goal
10/9/06 .. 150.25 lbs. -97.75 Down ** 5.25 lbs. from Goal
10/20/06 .. 147.5 lbs. -100.5 Down ** 2.5 lbs. from Goal
10/30/06 .. 147.5 lbs. -100.5 Down ** 2.5 lbs. from Goal (No Change since 10/20/06)
11/7/06 .. 145.5 lbs. -102.5 Down ** .5 lbs. from Goal
11/27/06 .. 144.75 lbs. -103.25 Down - **GOAL REACHED**
01/02/07 .. 141 lbs. -107 Down
02/14/07 .. 139.5 lbs. -108.5 Down
02/28/07 .. 140.5 lbs. -107.5 Down (a pound up???, not worrying)
04/18/07 .. 141 lbs. -106.5 Down
05/10/07 .. 141 lbs. -106.5 Down
05/25/07 .. 141 lbs. -106.5 Down
07/26/07 .. 141 lbs. -106.5 Down
10/09/07 .. 138.50 lbs. -109 Down
11/12/08 .. 138 lbs. - 109.50
05/02/12 .. 163 lbs. -85.00
