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Here is a picture taken of me in March for the Bariatric program at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital. I haven't added any photo's recently but I plan do so soon. No more running from the camera! You can click on Inova Fair Oaks Hospital and then again under Weight loss surgery. There I am in a purple cashmere sweater and jeans.
 www.inova.org/inova_fair_oaks_hospital/index.jsp - 22k

I just can't believe that I am 20 months out from my surgery date! It's like I have a new life!!! I do spend a good amount of my time exercising,my healthy new addiction! I still strive to exercise 5 days a week.
 
Let's see what's new?

I got Certified as a Scuba Diver in May and it was an incredible experience! I have always been totally fascinated with the sea and sea life! From the time I was a child I thought it would be so exciting to really be able to swim with the fish and other sea life under the surface without the incomberance of surfacing frequently to breathe!! Whenever I saw people scuba diving on TV, I'd have to stop what I was doing and sit down and watch, wishing it was me in the wet suit with the scuba tank for that magical time under water!!!

Diving was every bit as exciting and fun as I thought it would be and more!!!! I have no regrets and actually I am quite proud of myself for making diving a personal goal once I had achevied my  weight goal!!! My primary care physician, and my family all said, now it's time for you to stop loosing weight. I'd never thought I ever hear those beautiful words!

Back to Scuba, I got certified in Palm Beach with a really cool instructor named Dave. We were pretty much one on one which is a good feeling until you are ready to streach your fins and go as a group but always with a dive buddy. You and your dive buddy are always responcible for each others safety and well being. You always stay within close proximity to your dive buddy because he  or she could potentially save your life and visa versa!!! This is not a sport that you can fudge, the safety rules on!!

My first day I did 2 dives at 30 ft but not before demonstrating the basic slills in the pool so the instructor knew I was a good student and knew the safety rules and under water communications!! We disimbarked on a dive boat with just a boat captain and found a nice reef . I was so excited and my instructor asked me my fear level from 1-10. I said a 2 mostly because of the unknown. I was confident in my skills because my prior instructors were so thorough and I did take to diving unusually quickly having been a  lifeguard and on a swim team as a child.
It was so exhilerating to be underwater and to simply look around and seeing schools of fish going by, sea turtles frolicking, eels with their neon colors peeking out of coral formations,  Neon colored Angel fish the size of dinner plates and Barracuda with their teeth very apparent swimming by! My dive master  gave me the chomp chomp kind of sign with his hand when the Baraccuda came by, so I would know to keep my distance! Then I saw a sand dollar on the bottom the size of a tea cup saucer, it was neary perfect. I found my way down to the bottom and unzipped my wet suit and tucked it in as a momento of my first dive!! Sixty feet the next day was even more thrilling!!! I saw even more brilliantly colored coral and the kind that suck themselves in, they appear like flowers until you try to get near! At this point the sky above was preparing for a storm and when we resurfaced, the sea had chops going from 2-4 feet!! I had to time riding a wave upward to help to deposit me on the dive platform. kind of tricky but I did it without a problem! I also had to demonstrate in the choppy water taking my bouyency  control vest with air tank off compleetly and putting it back on with out assistance in very choppy waters!! Again it was a bit of a challenge, but I did it!!! My new body felt so much more agile and I'm not so sure I could have accomplished all of this so well at my prior weight!! I'm already thinking about my next adventure!!! Scuba diving is most definitely a new skill that I hope to use as much as possible in the future!!

Now my friends are asking me when I am going to jump out of a plane! No plans for that ,although I do love aviation. My father  is a pilot and had a bi-wing plane as a child, that is now owned by the local Flying Circus . I hope to take a ride in it  soon, but I think that there is alot to be said about staying in the seat!!!

Recently I postponed Ziplining at a ski resort  due to photosensivity to a drug I am taking for a tick bite. Watch out for those nasty deer ticks!!! I'll be up for that adventure again soon!!

I hope to persue so many  more of my interests now that I  feel so great. I didn't even realize that I was missing out on so much!

I passed my written Scuba exam Saturday with a 94%! I  was a bit nervous about the written part of the exam using dive tables to figure out how much air time you will have at different depths and figuring in the nitrogen residual that has to dissipate between dives and afterward . I did just fine though! There wasn't a single diving procedure or safety fall back procedure that gave me any difficulty at all! I had the time of my life learning this new sport! A couple of days ago I booked a dive trip to West Palm Beach (A Scuba Club) where I can do my 4 referal dives in the ocean for my certification. I will be visiting my brother who is a photographer and diver for a few days of R&R. It will be fun to actually get some photo's of the new me and in the ocean too ,which has always been one of my favorite places to be!! I just can't wait!!! I had to buy a wet suit to keep from freezing in the pool during my classes so I'm all set with my fins and snorkle and mask. The dive company profides the BC vest and air tanks and dive computer (no one uses those silly old dive tables) although its good to know all of that info. and how to calculate it! I'll get to go out in my brothers boat as well as the dive boat from the Scuba Club so I'll be in my element!  I'll have to really reapply the sunscrean liberally since I am a redhead, but fortunately I do tan. I am very lucky that my brother lives in such a beautiful place! 
I thought I'd mention my Varicose Vein status since I did the last time I posted. I will still need 1-2, most likley 2, more phlibectomy vein procedires and then more work on the spider veins. It takes time when you have a worst case scenario like I do. It all looks better but it's going to take a few more sessions to complete it, sometimes new places pop up they have to be treated too! I can't wait to be finished because of the horribly tight sergical constricting pantyhose you have to wear overnight the night of the procedure and then all day for 7 days afterward. oh well, it will all be worth it in the end but it takes time and patience!!
Well, I'm off to my exercise class tonight at the hospital tonight. I really need it because it's been 3 days since I have exercised and that's unheard of for me! I want to drop 5 lbs before my mini vacation so I have a little wiggle room. I think I'll treat myself to a little shopping and a massage while I'm there and take some good long walks on the beach. I can almost feel the wind in my hair and the sun on my face while thinking about it!

Wow, time flies when you are having fun! I receintly had a physical with my primary care physician and I am sure it sounds silly but it was really fun to see how my body has evolved in the last 16 months. Everything seems to be just as it should be for someone who is in their normal weight range. All my labs were great too.Normal! My primary care physician said stop loosing weight now, you are where you should be! I've never heard that said before!!!! It sure feels great to be considered normal!!

I just finished another round of the Variose Vein surgery. We are going to access the results to see if we are finished with the varicose veins in a few weeks. We'll treat the right leg spider veins then. It's looking much better. I am glad I have hung in there since June complying with the insurance companies changing requirements so I could finally do this. Perhaps by the time I go to Florida for my Open Scuba Diving Certification I will be finished! 

I am excited that my Scuba class starts this weekend, a little nervous about it as well but this is a personal dream of mine and somewhat of a personal challenge too. I'll post again after my class!

I am officially normal now according to the BMI chart!!!! Wow! I am so pleased to finally be here!! I am healthier then I have ever been since my high school years! 8 more lbs. and I'll be my high school weight too!  In celebration, I have decided it's time to work on another one of my goals, other then loosing weight and be healthy, scuba diving. I have signed up for a Scuba Diving class. I am so excited!!!!! I have always felt very comfortable in the water ,having been a lifeguard as a teenager and on a swim team as a child.

I did originally have a tummy tuck planned in March, but that will have to wait. I thought my body was settling at it's desired weight, but I am loosing again, so I think it would be good to give it a little more time before more surgery. I have also decided to add weight lifting and resistance machines to my workout. I was surprised about how much I enjoy my strength training classed sponsored by Fair Oaks Hospital, so now it's time to incorporate something new, to purposefully confuse my body into buring more efficiently.
Nest week I am getting together with a personal trainer to learn how to use the equipment at my aquatic center weight room safely. 

I am also almost finished with Varicose Vein Surgery. It has been a 6 month process with my insurance company, fulfilling their criteria, starting the treatment, discontinuing the treatment after getting a denial after an approval, then waiting another 3 monts fulfilling the insurance criteria and beginning again. Quite a process, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and follow the exact instructions of your insurance company  if you want them yo pay for an expensive yet necessary procedure. It will be such a pleasure to not have any vericose vane discomfort and  to actually look deceint wearing shorts or a skirt shorter then 3/4 length, or a swimsuit!!

Back to work now,  more later about my lovely vein results and my  scuba experience that will be leading up to a diving trip in Florida!

I have saved a particular dress for years that I had warn to a party that was very memorable. My friend Cindy's debutante party. I will never forget the look and comment from my date that night in 1977 when I wore that dress. It was just a little black empire waist spaghetti strapped dress, but I loved it! I felt pretty, better then I had ever felt before in a party dress!

Saturday night, I attended a 70's disco birthday party. Everyone was to wear clothes from the retro 70's era. I figured I'd wear a tie dyed shirt  that my son recently made for me and some bell bottom jeans. Then it occured to me to try on my little black dress that I had worn to my friend Cindy's party in 1977.
I had tried the dress on a couple of times diring the last 11 months because it was my indication that I was back to my high school size. It fit perfectly!!! I was actually able to wear my 1977 dress to a 70's era party in 2007, 30 years later!!! This was a huge wow for me!!!!! The best thing of all, is that I was feeling just as special and pretty in that dress as I did that night in 1977! My husband and my son were so proud! I really felt a great sense of accomplishment, not just because I could wear that dress, but because my life is so rich and full of the things that count the most in life, good health and happiness. I am so glad that I have chosen the path of Gastric Bypass surgery, because of it, my good life has gotten even better!!!

10 months since surgery. Wow,  time has really flown by!! I'm just 15 lbs from goal, which was my weight when I graduated from High School. That makes me a size 8-10. I feel so good! No more hypertension. I haven't been sick in nearly a year too!! Those who are slow loosers, be patient because I'm one of them. If you are exercising frequently you are gaining muscle mass and that makes it seem as though your loss is slow.
I can't tell you how much fun it is to shop now. This I have to curb because it could leave me destitute!!! It's really weird looking in the mirror or seeing a picture of the new me. The brain takes sometime to catch up with your new body immage!
I don't think of myself as skinny but I could be happy If I didn't loose more. People are telling me to stay at my current weight. I just want to continue to try to get to goal and see if i can maintain that. 
Some interesting observations: people do treat you differently when you are thinner. You receive attention that you never did before!! I heard someone say that you are invisable when you are overweight. Sounds funny but I do see some truth in that. All of a sudden people that didn't give you the time of day are interested in what you have to say or how you feel. What a screwy society we live in that this happens! I always will remember how it felt to me 
to be substantially overweight and the limitations it put on me. I didn't even want to acknowledge that being heavy handicapped me in any way, but it did. Everyone should feel as good physically and mentally as I do now!

I am now a devout fan of regular exercise and I get a bit panicky of I am in a situation that can limit the amount of exercise I get. I live in a safe neighborhood, so sometimes I walk my dog late at night! I Swim laps at least 4-5 days a week and take a strength training class through the bariatric program at Fair Oaks hospital once a week. I am not telling you this to sing my accolades but to emphasise that getting the exercise really becomes something that feels great and you actually look forward to it. Who would have thought I would have so much fun and get so much peace of mind from exercising? I guess miracles do happen!
I am more than willing to help anyone that needs to ask questions about the Gastric Bypass experience. So much of your success has to do with your attitude and your willingness to make a lifelong change. If you don't change your mental attitude and realize that regular exercise is crutial to be healthy, your success may not be sustained.Try things you didn't think you would like regarding exercise, you may just be surprised!

I husband and I have just celebrated our 15 year wedding anniversary! This one was a special one. We invited a few friends over and I  baked the same white chocolate cake that our favorite Bakery made for our wedding. I wanted to see if I could actually bake something magnificent and only have a few small tastes. I did it! I managed to enjoy just a few bites without loosing control and binging!! I don't want to tempt fate too often, but now I know that I can still enjoy preparing great food for others occasionally and still maintain control! 

Aside from the food part of our anniversary, I am so thrilled that I really did find the right person to be my husband, best friend, companion and lover. Life is such a joy when you have the perfect person to enjoy it all with!
I have to thank my husband and son again for patiently accompanying me on this weightloss journey. Family meals were not very interesting right after my surgery but since then, I have made a very conscious effort to create meals that we  all can enjoy with a minimum of carbs.,sugar and fat and high in protein. We are definately eating healthier as a family! Foods that are not good choices, simply need to be kept out of the house, except for very special occasions! South Beach protein bars, beef jerkey and fruit are replacing the typical chips, and deadly cookies that used to be there!  

I am surrounding myself with others that are health conscious and very active to motivate myself to stay on track. Speaking of On Track, I am taking a great class offered to Gastric Bypass patients by Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Bariatric program called "On Track." I really love the class and it really helped me to jumpstart my  weight loss again after an awful plateau I was on. There is definately something about mixing up your exercise program to keep your body burming! Tonight my dog and I are power walking with a fellow bypass patient and her two dogs and another friend. I think if you surround yourself with others who are successful, you can't help but to be successful too!

This week I went for a consultation with a Vascular Center to have my hideous vericose veins fixed. I am thrilled to learn that insurance will cover as long as I satisfy their criteria. I will have to spend some additional money to have the spider veins fixed, since that is considered cosmetic, but Ifigure it's all worth it!!! I'm looking forward to wearing shorts and shorter skirts again hopefully in the fall after the treatment is complete! It's just so much fun feeling better and looking better too. I can't even describe how wonderful it is to be conquering my biggest frustration, my weight problem. My greatest wish for so many years has been to get fit and feel more confident about the way I look! It's really happening!! 

Tuesday my friend is having her bypass surgery with my Dr. in the same hospital, Fair Oaks. I plan to visit her and take her my favorite proteins and flowers. I try to do that whenever someone I know is having surgery. It's a scary time for that person and it's so helpful to know that your support system of friends is there for you! I hope her experience will be as positive as mine was and is. I'll be sending her all of my positive vibes! She's a great girl and I'm so excited for her to experience this transformation too!!! My other 2 friends that had GBP came through with flying colors and were truely miraculous in their recovery, exercising and sticking to the plan! Thank God this surgery is available to people like us. It's like starting a new life!

I'm back from a quick weekend trip to see my Dad in Florida. I did hear the words I have been longing to hear for a long time, you look great and I am proud of you! That meant so much to me and it was really great to hear my father say it, he doesn't give out compliments lightly!

I had a wow moment each time I got on the plane, two going to Florida and two coming home. Each time I sat down in my window seat and reached for my seat belt I never had to adjust the prior persons seat belt position, and there was plenty of slack!! Apparently the person before me was just my size. Could that be average? I never thought I'd be so happy to be average!!!! I know I must have been wearing a big smile, all four times I buckled my belt! The tray table had plenty of room and the cute guy beside me even flirted! Walking into the terminal two flight attendants were laughing and one said to me "how about trading places with me?" I said my dad was a pilot and that I always thought it would be great to be a flight attendant, I would definitely  take advantage of the travel! She said seriously , I should apply. I told her my age too and she said that I should still look into it I'd be a great candidate! It sure was a fun thought, that I now could pursue something like that if I wanted to! Seeing the world was always my fantasy and I do travel every chance I get. Now that I'm thinner I can travel far more comfortably and who knows, a position with the airlines may not just be a fantasy!

I've lost 66 lbs. It's still so weird to look at my self and see a different person looking back at me! Weird but good! I am so glad I did WLS,
no regrets and lots of  WOW's. Life just keeps getting better!!!!!!!

I feel great! I've lost 62 lbs from my highest weight. No complications at all! I'm swimming 4 days a week and trying to take long walks or use my Gazelle on the non-swim days. I'm not tortured about what I can and can not have to eat. It's so much easier to make the best choices now because I have a whole new appreciation for fruits and veggies! I've always got a sliced up canteloupe or fresh pineapple in my fridge to add moisture to my meal or if I want a little snack. However, I am finding out that protein snacks are working well too, beef jerkey or soy chips or lowfat cheese.  One of the hardest parts on this jurney was finding protein that I can stand. I have a bananna smoothie in the am and an AchieveOne in the afternoon or a  Dutch chocolate Isopure. 

Everyone is really noticing my weight loss and it's really fun to shop now! I'm a size 14 regular. I took 68 pieces of clothing to the local White Eleplant to consign, so that I can afford to buy sale clothing until I reach my goal. I do take clothing to the Staple Club to help out my fellow GBP's but attendance has been down and I haven't seen too many people there to give my old clothing to. I hope attendance picks up, it's so good to have my peers to talk to regarding my journeys frustrations and exhilarations! It is harder to loose now then it was in the beginning. I really have to keep my nose to the grindstone! 

At the end of the month I'm going to Florida to see my Dad. It's been 2 years and he hasn't seen me this much thinner since my college days.
It's going to be  very emotional. He has always had a big problem with me being overweight and it has put a strain on our relationship. I hope that he can get to know me better and we can have a good time.  It will be great to spend a few days on the beautiful beeches in his town. My dad is getting older now and I really want to have more easy times with him. He was a real tough cookie when I was a child and was often hard to please. I hope things will be different now. I have not lost weight for him, I have done it for me, but I have always longed to have 
my fathers pride an acceptance and if that happens it sure would be great! 

I'll post again when I return. Maybe I'll have some nice pictures to share! For many years I've been camera shy, but after seeing a few from the end of January I think I can now tolerate seeing myself  in a photograph!