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This journey is so very amazing for so many diffierent reasons. One of the greatest reasons is because its allowed me the opportunity to bond with people I otherwise would never in life have.

 This past weekend the forum from this very website called BAF(Black American Forum)....we all came together and met up in Atlanta, Georgia for a weekend of support....understanding...and most of all fun!!! We laughed....loved...and simply enjoyed fellowshiping with the folx who understood best our struggle within this sometimes tedious journey.

Ok...so I went to see my surgeon yesterday for the 3rd time since surgery. All last week I was so nevrous about seeing him becaus I was thinking that I'd not lost very much weight since our last visit. I even found myself riding that horrid "protien train". That thing is a whole lot harder than it sounds. I'd been feeling so very bloated these past few weeks.....I thought for sure the scale was gonna be going backwards. Drum roll pleassssse!!!! I'm officially down 60lbs in less than 3 months. The only problem is....I really am having a hard time seeing it. Actually I do......but its all in my upper body. This A$$ of mine is gonna be the death of my sanity. It dosent seem to be budging. However I can report that I've gone from a form fitting 34 dress size.....to a lose fitting 26.....looka God showin out, and having his way in my life. My surgeon was saying how proud he is....that on average an RNY patient looses about 15 Lbs per month......I'm averaging a little more than 20. Yaaaaay!!!!

Hey folx...I've been slacking in my progress posting as of late. I'd always vowed pre opertively that once I became a post op I would continue to post just as I did before WLS. 
I had really become stressed out about this whole thing...I had started to think that maybe it just didnt work for me. I thought I wasnt loosing any weight. Anyhow....today I went to the hospital to pick my girlfriend up (she had her gallbladder removed on monday) while I was there I asked her nurse if there was a scale that I could use. I got on, and of course it was set for only kilogram readings, now I took a nursing course or two....but I wasnt exactly sure how to convert. I asked the nurse to do it for me, obviously her math is even worse than mine...cause she started to scribble on the back of a pice of paper 2 or 3 different math problems then finally came up with 330. I started jumping up and down...I was like "Oh Yeah". Then I stoped to realize ...wait a min....if I'm only 330lbs, that means I've lost about 66 lbs since surgery. IMPOSSIBLE. Needless to say my mind wouldnt let me rest with that, so I did the math myself, and also used an online weight converter.....just as I thought, the numbers were dead wrong. I'm 350, bringing me to  a total loss of 46lbs.  It just goes to show....that sterotype about all asian people being very smart.....not compleately true. I guess them Surgeons really did cut my gutts loose!!

By the way should you ever wind up trying to weigh yourself, and the scale only reads kilograms......simply multiply the numbers you get by 2.2 You can even do like I did and just use the calculator on your phone. 

159.1k X 2.2 = 350.02 LBS

On to more depressing news. While I was at the hospital awaiting my girlfriend to be discharged...my car was hit by the vallet parking driver. Damit, I'll be self parking from now on.

Great news yall.....I recently purchased my very first car. How crazy is that...I'm 27 years old, and never before now had I owned a car. Its a really nice one at that. Its a cranberry red 2005 Nissan Altima. It really feels great to have my own set of wheels. What a blessing!!!

I went to see my primary doctor today.....I was so anxious to get on the scale!! I'd not weighed myself since the 31st of Jan...(two weeks ago). My weight is now down to 363lbs...a total of 32pounds lost! At first I was all upset that it wasnt more....but then quickly came back to reality " Shavara its only been 3 weeks, this isnt some magic pill ya know!!" Now that I think about it.....that is wonderful for only 3 weeks!! Bonquisha (my pouch) and I are really bonding....she reminds me every chance she gets what her purpose/job really is. Someone else refered to her as Melda....I said "no no....my pouch's name is Bonquisha cause that heffa shol nuff ghetto.....and she acts up on a dime....so she had to get the "Hot ghetto mess of all names". 

Yall continue to keep me in your prayers.....I'll do the same!!

As of January 31, 2008....8 days out....I was officially 20lbs less than I was before surgery. I dont know the numbers as of now...considering today is Feb 8....however I'm sure I've lost 10-15 lbs more. I'll know on Friday the 15th. Nevertheless I do know that there is progress each and everyday. Today I wore a pair of pants that I purchased a few weeks before surgery...when I bought them, I could not get them past my thighs....today I wore them, and felt ultra sexy. My life is rapidly changing just before my eyes. 

Praise God......As usual....he has shown up.....and he is showing out!!!!

Hey yall...I know that most folks is at home...and wont get a wiff of this post until the workday begins....but I just wanted to check in and say hello. I wanted to let everyone know that I just made it home today.  My surgery was on Wedensday...today is Saturday. Id had a little problem with my blood pressure dropping way too low. Other than than it was all uneventful. 

That dayum gas pain......that is not something you can be prepared for.  Oh my GOD!  I woke up in that dayum recovery room kicking and screaming.  Begging my mom and my BFF to please get me some help. I have never experienced pain like that before in my life.  It takes my BFF to demonstrate to yall how I was wispering and begging "please God...help me". I thought for sure something had gone terribly wrong. It was all in my back.....oh my!!! It took me a while before I actually got it together. I spent that night and until thursday evening in the S.I.C.U .....later thursday night I went to my room. This is an experience I will never forget. 

To my BAF  Sistahs, and Brothas......Thank yall for your continued prayers, support, and even the cyber a$$ whoppings you so freely give. You folx are the BOMB DIGGITY!!!! 

RoRo......my heart forever belongs to you. 

I'm gonna post more during the week. For now I'm gonna scip, scip....sleep, sleep. I found some S/F bomb pops(the red,white and blue ones). they taste like the regular ones. They have become my best friends...along with this diet white tea by a company called "Orient Emporium"......they're Clemetine orange flavored......the bomb. 

All that sent me BL messages....I'll respond whence I can sit up at this P.C a bit longer. I appricieate all of you.

Kisses  Shavara

Alright yall.....my time is really winding down. Today is 1/15/08.  I officially have less than 8 days(1/23/08) before my life changes for the better, forever.  I just got the curtosey call from the hospital reminding me of my Pre Op testing tomorrow morning.  I'm about as happy as a pig in slop!! Tomorrow I begin the dreaded 7 day pre-op liquid diet. I was a little nerveous about it...but thus far I've done all I can to prepare myself for it. I went to Wal-Mart on sunday and stocked up on everything in the  name of "Sugar Free". Not to mention a few 24 packs of bottled water. I also got a bunch of s.f. apple sauce, popcicles, pudding, jello, Fat free cream soups(and herbs to season). I also bought a Juice extractor, I've decided to make my own fruit juices. I got a monkey truck load of fresh fruit, watermelon, pineapple, red apples, grapefruit , papaya, honeydew melon, cantelope,bananna, peaches, tangerines, strawberries, mangos, kewi, starfruit...and my favorite.....carrots. I figure i can sometime use the stuff to make juice...and sometimes blend it in my protein shakes.  I cut up most of the fruit and zip locked it up and put it all in the freezer....all but the water melon....that wouldn taste too good. Anyhow....let the beginning of this very long awaited journey commence!!!!

Alright yall.....Its on and poppin!  I was asleep today when I got a call from my nerve recking neighbor(If you read my post titled Wild goose chase yall know that talking to me while I'm asleep aint wise) Anyhow.....she was babballing about where can she get some nice shoes at a reasonable price for some jahova's whitness convention she attending this weekend. As she rambled on and on an on about where she'd been to already....I just laid the phone down cause my brain couldnt handle this while asleep. After I finally got her off of the phone I had come to a bit more..and decided to check for any missed calls...and sure enough I'd had about 5 missed calls....one of them had come from that same neighbor a while earlier.  Anyhow....I saw this number that looked very much similar to my surgeons number.....now I'm skurred shitless cause they submitted to aetna for aproval this Wedensday. 
Instead of calling them back I simply decided to check my messages....I had 3. The first two were from my nagging significant other screaming about "answa the dayum foam". The third one was from the office manager at the surgeons office "Shavara...this is Tiffany from Dr. Cohen's office. I'm calling to let you know that you've been approved by aetna! My appologies for waking up yall chirren from they naps case I know some of yall in California heard my mouth when I started screaming to the top of my lungs. This was the most nerve racking 48 hours of my life. Not to mention I thought I would be waiting 7-14 business days because thats how long they told me it could take.  

We got gas in the car, so lets go!!! I go for my Pre-Op testing on Tuesday Jan 8. My Pre-Op Educational class on Jan 17, next stop.....The Loosers Bench....January 23, 2008

 I'm really gonna do this. I'm so full of emotions,I really dont know what to say. But thank yall......all of yall.

Ps. To my BAF family.....man o man!!! You folx really know how to show a sista crazy love and super support. I thank yall from the depths of my fat little heart!

About two weeks ago, my BFF and I were contemplating purchasing ipods for ourselves....so that when we exercised we could have music to listen to. Well all we did was contemplate, beacuse we never did purchase them, lately money has been funny...change has been strange....and our credit just wont get it. On December 20 I attended the employee christmas party....(I had a ball). They always do a raffle....I always play, as a matter of fact last year I won big(being sarcastic)....I won a cheap screwdriver set. Personally if its broken...trow that shiot away and go buy a new one.  Now normally I'll put in my ticket and just continue to mingle while they call the names of the winners, I either never win...or I win somethin stupid like those screwdrivers. This time God knew what he had in store for me and wouldnt let me rest until the very last name was called. They announced that the next name pulled would be the winner of a Brand new 16GB ipod touch.  Then they called the name of an individual of whom I'm not familiar with...(someone who works in the kitchen is what I was told) Well that person was not in attendance....so they went on to the next name pulled from the hat. "Shavara Erica Godwin" I'm sure they've never seen a FAT girl move that fast in all their lives. To be honest I really didnt know what I had won, because I thought they had already given the ipod away. Anyhow I just wanted to share this little story to show just how great God is.....espicially when you sit and wait on him, and let him do things in his own time.

Ok... so I went to my third of three required appointments with the surgeon today. I've compleated all requirements. Therefore I'm scheduled!!!!

Surgery date: January 23, 2008

However...this date is only tenative. They will submit to Aetna on Monday, 12/17/07. I'm not too worried.....I'm just anxious.