Randi D.
Sorry, but I had to remove the cursur because I am afraid of causing someone's computer to be infected by SmileyCentral.
My hobbies are cross-stitching, reading, writing fiction/non-fiction, and animals. I have two dogs, a miniature poodle and a toy poodle, and two cats. My surgeon was Dr. Jaruez, and he did an awesome job. I feel great. St. Lukes service is poor. I had to wait sometimes as long as a half hour for help, and the woman who answered the call button was very mean.
3/21/2005
So far I have lost 52 lbs. Am I glad I had this surgery? Yes, because without it, I would still be gaining weight. I am also down to one diabetic medication. I am able to wear 22/24 in pants. I am still waiting to get into a 22/24 shirt. I have a big bust, so that might take awhile. I am also going to the gym three times per week. I go right from work.
3/24/2005
I am still holding at 52 lbs. I know I am losing inches because my clothes are starting to hang on me. I am down two pant sizes, so I must be doing something right. I still cannot eat chicken except in very small amounts. I am starting to add unjury flavorless protein powder in my drinks. I don't think I am getting enough protein.
3/26/2005
This is another picture. I am wearing the same shirt, but the pants are different. I lost another pound today, so I am 53 lbs down. I feel great and can eat tuna fish wrapped in a spinach wrap. Granted, I can only eat a couple of bites, but I am not having pain unless I overeat. Boy, the pouch really is an effective tool in teaching you how to stop eating before you're full.
4/18/2005
I am doing very well for being three months out. I am down 67 lbs. My cloths are falling off of me. I am waiting for new bras because the ones I have are useless. I am so glad I had this surgery.
4/23/2005
I finally am under 290. I have lost 71 lbs. So far I still have problems with meats, but am not giving up on them. Thankfully I am able to eat yogurt again without getting nausous.
5/02/2005
I have finally hit the 75 lb mark as far as loss goes. Yesterday was a rough day. Nothing sit right and then I was sick and uncomfortable the whole day. I am okay now, but I am being careful. Food is really not my friend, so I could take it or leave it. It's funny how that changes. I used to live for food. I enjoyed snacking and now I can't be bothered. This is a good thing though because I am having to go through clothes to see what I can wear. The pants I am wearing now are hanging on me.
5/20/2005
I have lost 81 lbs so far. I am now tolerating chicken much better.
5/24/05
Good news! I had an eye exam because I wanted to try contacts. I found out that my 6 point stygmatism went down to 1 point in my right eye. I am now wearing contact lenses. I feel so naked without my glasses. I have lost 82 lbs so far even with my period.
6/11/05
I have lost 90 lbs so far. I am doing very well with getting my protein and water. I had the Mesquite salad at Applebees and it was excellent. I really am enjoying chicken again. 
6/20/05
I am now 94 lbs lighter. I have a new picture below. 
07/01/05
When I first started my journey, I had a BMI of 64. My BMI after losing 99 lbs is 47.7. I am morbidly obese. I haven't been this weight for over 12 years. I have so much energy, and enjoy walking. The one thing that concerns me though is that I am still wearing 26/28 in some clothes and 22/24 in others. I am wondering when I will be in an 18/20?
07/18/05
I just came back from visiting my sister in California. She hasn't seen me since I lost 40lbs. It was nice to see her and hear her excitement over my 100lb loss. I have lost 103lbs so far. I also had a chance to see my Uncle and Aunt, and I haven't seen them in many years. They were very excited at my success.
09/11/05
Boy am I bad about updating. As of this morning I have lost 116 lbs. I really feel good. I am eating protein bars, so I know that I am getting my protein in. I bought some bars at Sams Club called EAS, and they are very good except the box I bought has bars that have melted a little. I put the box in the refrigerator, so that should help. I able to eat beef, but I eat it sparingly. I like chicken better if its not dry. I won't eat the chicken at work because it is dry, dry, dry.
09/19/2005
As of this morning I have lost 122 lbs. I am very excited about my weight loss thus far. I am half way to goal. I am also interested in making jewelry. So far, I have made several bracelets and some chandelier earings. I have to find a way to take pictures of my pieces, so I can develop a catologue.
10/14/2005
I am now down 130 lbs. I tried on a few pairs of jeans that were in my closet thinking that they wouldn't fit me yet, and lo and behold they did. One pair was so big that they were falling down, so they went into the donate pile. The other pair, a size 26, I am wearing to work today. I looked at myself in the mirror and my but is now the same size as my waist, so I don't stick out anymore. As soon as I take some updated pictures, I will post them.
10/31/2005
I have finally broken the three week stall. I have lost 131 lbs. I was beginning to get super frustrated, but I just kept on drinking my water and eating my protein, and finally the scale moved in the right direction.
11/4/2005
I spoke too soon. I seem to be retaining water. Maybe I am eating too much popcorn. I am going to up my water because I am expecting my period. I know I will get this weight off, but it will take time. It didn't go on overnight, so it will take time. I also think I am eating too much at home after dinner. I find myself snacking. I am supposed to writing a novel, and that is also stalled. I have to get my act together.
12/25/2005
I am horrible about updating my profile. Things have been so depressing for me. Currently I am nursing a cold. It sucks. My job is in jeapardy because I got lazy and stopped doing what I was supposed to be doing. I realize what I did wrong, so now I am taking steps to correct it. I have trying to upgrade my PDA and I got ripped off big time on Ebay. I finally did purchase a good PDA, but I am going to sell it on Ebay. Its not what I wanted, so I ordered one used on Amazon.com. I sent my sister my old PDA, but her boyfriend bought her one, so now I am hoping she can sell it on Ebay. I have finally started losing again. I am now 221, so that will make it almost 140 lbs that I have lost since January 13, 2005. I am hoping this year will be better than last year.
02/03/2006
A lot has happened since my last post. I am now down to 214. I have also lost my job. I have lots of seeds out there, so I just waiting for one to grow. I also adopted a mini poodle as a buddy for my toy poodle. My miniature poodle is 13, so I was afraid that my toy would get very depressed, so now I have Max. He is adorable.
02/25/2006
I am still looking for work. I've had a few interviews, but no offers yet. I am hoping that I get something soon. I have gotten into a 18/20 in pants, so I must be doing something right. My next goal is to get under 200.
04/06/2006
This week has been exceptionally fruitfull as far as job opportunities go. I was offered the position at AAA. It pays pretty well, but it's not too challenging. It would mean just servicing accounts. I had an interview tonight at a local insurance company, and it looks very promising. I have another interview at another office that is further away tomorrow. This would be my second interview, so it's possible that I will be offered a position in this office. When it rains, it pours. I also may get a job at Cox too. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I am also grooming dogs part-time just for extra money. It's fun and I am finding that I don't get tired after completing a grooming. I am now at 200 lbs, so now I just have 40 lbs to go before my surgeon's goal. I renamed Max. He is now Taz because he is a Tazmanian Devil. He gets into everything. I am really glad I got him because he is a good buddy to Dante. Dante is actually losing weight which is good. 
04/23/2006
I am now under 200 lbs, but not by much. I got a job at Allstate, and if all goes well, I will make some good money there. I get a salary as well as commission on anything I write. My previous manager did a number on my head and had me thinking that I was worthless, but I know that she was just playing mind games with me. I know I will do well at Allstate. I am still in training and that is going well. I have renamed Max to Taz. He is into everything, so I am calling him Tazmanian Devil. I have a new photo of him. 
05/3/2006
I am now unemployed again! I am really very disheartened. I am beginning to think that I am not meant to work. I am trying to stay positive, but it's so hard. I was initially hired by AAA, and I turned them down to work for an exclusive Allstate agency. This was a huge mistake. I really should have known better than to work in Snottsdale with a group of skinny minis. I was the only one there with a weight problem. The office manager didn't have the desire nor the patience to train me and she made me feel like a dufus whenever I asked her a question. I am so disappointed because I really needed this job, and now I am in huge financial trouble. I am having to go back to dog grooming on the side. My dad is telling me I should just groom full-time, but I don't know. On a positive note, I am at 198. I don't know if that's due to not eating a proper dinner because of my depression. Whatever it is I will take it.
05/08/2006
I put my resume out on Careerbuilder.com, and I have some responses. I also got a response from Progressive, so I applied for a customer contact position. I am sure I will get something before the end of the month. At least I will unemployment. The mobile dog grooming thing didn't work out. I really don't have the experience with other breeds. I will still groom on the side, but it's not going to be fancy. I am now 196, so I am doing great diet wise. I am still so angry about Allstate. I sent an email to their corporate office complaining about what happened to me. I know nothing will come of it, but it makes me feel better to vent.
5/19/2006
I am starting a new job at Liberty Mutual. I am so excited about this new opportunity. I am set to start on 6/5, but will be going to orientation on 5/22. I can't wait. I am now 194. Unfortunately, I had to go to the doctor. I don't have health insurance, so it was an expensive day.
6/03/2006
This has been a hard couple of days for me. I had to take my 13 year old miniature poodle to be put to sleep on Thursday. It was the hardest decision I ever had to make. She was having trouble walking and I think she had had a stroke the night before because she was running around confused. She couldn't seem to calm down. When I took her out the next morning, she suddenly couldn't maintain her balance. She was holding up one of her front legs, and was very painful when I tried to straighten it out. I have two other dogs, and it helps, but I still miss her. On a positive note, I am starting a new job on Monday. I am looking forward to it. They have great benefits, so I will be able to get my prilosec instead of having to take over the counter stuff.
6/17/2006
The new job is going great. I am learning a lot in training. I am doing much better in regards to missing my dog. I seem to be retaining water so I am at a stall. I keep losing and gaining the same 5 lbs, and today I ate like there was no tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is a new day. I am going to take a walk around my apartment complex just for the exercise. I'm thinking of getting a Gazell. I will have to wait and see how much I will be getting paid to see if I can afford it. I just renewed my cell contract and updated my phone to a LG 5000. The phone is cool. It takes nice pictures. I have already taken a few of my pooches. They are so adorable.
6/24/2006
Liberty Mutual is an awesome company. The more I learn about them, the more I am convinced I made the right decision to take their offer. I am still a bit leary when I hear about them "promoting from within" because every company I have ever worked for has said the same thing. Maybe it's me because I seem to be the exception or I get stuck with supervisors who don't know how to manage. I am looking to be a supervisor because I know I would be a good one. I've had so many losers that I know I won't make the same mistakes. You can't criticize people and expect them to improve. Encouragement is the best means of getting the most from your people. I am losing again. I am down almost 170 lbs. I can't believe the difference. I am able to cross my legs when I sit. I have a lap. My dog, Taz, loves this because he enjoys sitting on it while I'm working. People treat me differently. I get waited on much faster and people look me in the eye. It sucks because it's human nature to disrespect someone who is morbidly obese. I can remember times when I've been overlooked because of my weight. I just think it's a shame to treat someone differently because of something so shallow. I am the same person. I may be thinner and the outer package may be more pleasing, but I am still the little fat girl who used to cry when people picked on her.
09/06/2006
I have been bad about updating because I have lost a lot of my info from a stupid virus that I caught from someone somewhere. You never know where you pick these things up, but Trend Micro really dropped the ball on this one. I just got my computer back this evening, and will spend a while reinstalling many programs because I had to completely format my hard drive to get rid of the adware and spyware. This whole fiasco cost me $180. I have to fax in the invoice to my insurance company so the computer tech can get paid. He did an awesome job because my computer is doing a lot better in addition to running a lot faster. I am now down to 187 and I hope to get to goal within the next few months. Take care and be careful out there. Make sure you don't click on things that shouldn't be clicked on.
10/08/2006
I got on the scale this morning and I lost another pound. So now I am 182. I don't remember the last time I weighed this amount. I am now wearing a size 16 in pants and a size 14/16 in shirts. It's great to see how the weight is still coming off even at 20 months out. I still have the same relationship with food though. I love it. I bought one of those prime rib subs at Quiznos, and before my surgery I would have eaten the whole thing without even thinking about it, but now, I found myself cutting off small pieces and putting the rest away. It is that good. The job is going well. I am hoping that next June I will be able to move to another department. I am undecided where, but the opportunities are there as long as I keep my head down and sewer mouth in check. I try very hard not to get frustrated at things, but sometimes I do. I am now using the word "pumpkin" in place of the F word. I hope this will help me advance. Well, I am off to get my hair cut. I can't stand it right now.
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