stacyval
=========My Story from my Old Profile ===================
4/23/2006: CURRENT WEIGHT - 210 lbs.
Well I just had to come give a brief update. I had my beautiful daughter on December 8, 2005. Her name is Nyaa Asantewa. She has been a joy the past 4 months.
As you can imagine I haven't had much time to visit the website often with being a new mother, wife, and starting a new job back in January. I am working to get these last pounds off. I lost 30 lbs. since having the baby which is about 10 lbs. less than I was before I got pregnant. Right now, I am on the journey for some plastic surgery. I have a huge abdominal hernia which just got worse since having the baby and of course my tummy skin is rediculous. Hopefully I can get that done.
11/16/2005: CURRENT WEIGHT - 240 lbs.
It has been AGES since I last updated my profile. I am so sorry but I have been busy living. To sum up my 2005 in a nutshell, I am expecting my first baby in just a couple of weeks!! I was married on September 8, 2005; graduated with my Master of Arts from NYU in May 2005; and having been enjoying every moment of this year. Since I've been pregnant, I gained 15 lbs. and I hope that it will all come off after the birth. Well, I will be back next week to list more in my update, but for now, I wish everyone the best!
1/5/2005: CURRENT WEIGHT - 225 lbs.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Wow, what a whirlwind year 2004 was... and I loved every up and down moment of it. I am closing in on my graduate date from NYU. As of May 12, 2005, I hope to be in possession of a Master of Arts degree in music. I just got back from my 10 day vacation in Florida. I went to Disneyworld and had a ball.. went on every ride, visited every attraction, and walked practically every square inch of the park with little effort. I really enjoyed seeing my family that I hadn't seen in years. Their response to my weight loss was priceless. I will put up one of my most recent pictures from disney as soon as I can get them downloaded. Otherwise, I want to wish all of those who are considering surgery or have had surgery all the best for continued success in 2005. Next stop - plastic surgery...
7/27/2004: CURRENT WEIGHT - 230 lbs.
Ok, so sue me... my weight loss has been slow I know and my window is slowly closing. But you know what? I could give a rats ass what anyone else's idea of a "successful surgery" is because I feel GREAT!! I am now wearing size 16 and 18s... which is great except I am going to be in the poor house the way I go through clothes. Of course I am in serious need of some reconstructive surgery, but for the moment, padded bras and girdles are my best friend. Ok, so you wanna know what I can do now that I couldn't do 222lbs. ago?? Here are just a few:
1. Unbuckle my bra without having to twist the clasps around to the front
2. Have a nice, relaxing bath in my tub without my thighs sticking to the side
3. In a day, I can work 8 hrs, teach for 2 hrs, sit through a 1 1/2 hr boring lecture, AND THEN still go home, clean the house, cook a nice dinner before relaxing in front of the TV.
4. Smile and mean it
5. Walk up 3 or 4 flights of steps without losing an extra ounce of breath
6. Take my clothes to the cleaners to be taken "in".
7. Wear 2" or 3" heels all day!!
8. Conceive a child when I'm ready
9. Look damn good in a size 16 dress. :)
10. Go on a job interview with sheer confidence
11. Buckle an airplane seatbelt
12. Walk up to someone I haven't seen in a while and enjoy their expression when they have NO idea who I am... LOL
more to come...
As far as my eating habits - bad, bad, bad. I will admit. However I do still take my vitamins religiously because I am so scared of having some crazy ailments down the road. In regards to food, I went back to eating carbs (GASP!!! Yes I eat carbs) first before the protein. But I am better and getting back on track with that one. I don't take any supplemental protein, but am wondering if I should. I have had no time to exercise since February, but that will change. I really want to lose another 50-60lbs so I am definitely going to get my ass back in weight training mode. Well that's all for now. I probably won't update again until my 2 year anniversary, unless something really big happens. Take care everyone. :)
01/23/2004: CURRENT WEIGHT - 265 lbs.
Happy New Year!! Wow, it's been about 3 months since my last update and so much has happened. Although I've only lost 15 lbs. in weight, I have gained soooooo much in life, energy, reaching my goals, and other things that I never thought would ever be possible for me. I am 13 lbs. away from entering the double century club and I can't wait. I have put my weight loss into overdrive. I slacked off on my exercise for a while because of school and life changes, but I am taking a Tae Kwon Do class, and a weight training class to help get me back on track.
On another note, I recently ended my 2 yr. relationship/1 1/2 year engagement. My ex-fiance is a great person, but he just made poor decision when it came to certain things. Things that I as a worthy, beautiful, black woman should not have to settle for. I won't lie and say that my weight loss has nothing to do with it, because the fact is, that at 452 lbs, I probably would have lived with it. Sad, but true.
Otherwise things are great, I am finishing up my 2nd semester in a graduate program at NYU, teaching on faculty, and also doing some technical consulting to supplement my income. Well, I will update once I've lost 200 lbs. Take care and God Bless!
10/21/2003: CURRENT WEIGHT - 280 lbs.
Weight loss is extremely slow these days. I am almost 1 year out and have lost 172lbs. I will update my pictures soon.
7/22/2003: CURRENT WEIGHT - 308 lbs.
It's been slow with the weight loss, but I am losing inches like crazy, so I am happy. I have lost 140 lbs. to date and I can wear size 18/20 for tops and 22/24 for pants and skirts. I cannot believe that less than a year ago, I was busting out of a size 34/36! I just had my first labwork done and everything is in order except my iron and Vitamin A are a little low, so I have started to take supplements of that. I am so grateful for this surgery and if anyone has questions or suggestions, I am always open to them.
6/29/2003: CURRENT WEIGHT - 315 lbs.
Ok, I have been on a serious plateau from hell. I have tried EVERYTHING to get the scale moving again. I am thrilled to be only 16 lbs until I am in the 200's, but whoa, I've been going through this since April. If anyone has any ideas, I'd be open to them... Maybe I should increase my exercise by another 1/2 hour a day?? I currently eat little to no carbs a day, LOTS of protein, and lots of water, take my vitamins, and still am stuck... *sigh*
4/20/2003: CURRENT WEIGHT - 338 lbs.
Well I don't know if I'm on a plateau, my weight loss is slowing down or if I am just not eating the way I should be, but my weight loss was considerably slow this month. I've lost 12 lbs and that was just in the last week and a half. Because of finances in paying for my wedding, I can't afford the gym anymore so that could be part of it. But I need to get myself into a place where I am exercising more regularly, and also I think I need to cut down on my eating. I don't eat unhealthy now, but I have to be doing something wrong. I will update again in a few weeks.
3/21/2003: CURRENT WEIGHT - 350 lbs.
I did it!! I have made it into the century club!! I just came from my follow-up appointment with Dr. Nicastro and I couldn't believe my eyes to see the scale at 350 lbs.!!! I know most people would think Im crazy for being soooooooo happy to be at 350 lbs, but I know I am on my way to a greater and more fabulous me!!! All the early mornings at the gym, watching my food intake, and believing in myself is truly paying off. I feel like crying because the DS gave me my life back in so many ways:
NO BACKPAIN
NO SWOLLEN FEET AND ANKLES
NO KNEE PAIN
NO SLEEP APNEA
I CAN WALK FOR MILES
I CAN EXERCISE
I CAN WEAR MY SHOES AGAIN
I CAN FIT INTO SEATS I COULDNT FIT BEFORE
MY SEX LIFE IS GREAT AGAIN
I AM CONTENT WITH WHAT I CAN EAT
I EAT HEALTHIER
LIFE IS MAGNIFICENT!
3/4/2003: CURRENT WEIGHT - 360 lbs.
This journey has been wonderful. So far, I haven't had any complications or problems. I visit the gym 3-4 times a week and am enjoying losing weight. I can walk for miles with no back or knee problem, climb stairs without feeling like my heart is going to jump out my chest, and I can wear clothes and shoes that have been collecting dust in my closet for years! I don't regret my decision for one bit and hope to continue to reach my goal.
1/27/2003: CURRENT WEIGHT - 391 lbs.
Happy New Year everyone. Its been a while since I last posted and wanted to let everyone know that I am now down 61 pounds! Yes, I'm happy but I know I need to exercise more and really watch the carbs so I can get to my goal.
12/17/02: CURRENT WEIGHT - 410 lbs.
I'm down 42 pounds since surgery!! I am happy about the loss. I have never loss more than 10 pounds in my life. BUT, I know I could have done better. I ate carbs which are my enemy. I didn't take in enough protein and definitely not enough water. I'm still learning here, especially since I couldn't get my surgeon to do surgery on my head at the same time... LOL I am getting better with food choices and know that I will succeed in this battle.
11/19/02: CURRENT WEIGHT - 434 lbs.
I made it! I finally am on the other side... still feeling some pain but just wanted to let everyone know that Im ok. No complications so far, still workin on liquids and pureed foods for now. Will update when Im in a little less pain.
11/10/02: STARTING WEIGHT - 452 lbs.
Well, the moment of truth is here. At 6am tomorrow morning I report to the hospital. My Mom and Fiance are coming with me to support. I don't think words can even describe how nervous, excited, scared, anxious, and glad I am to get to this point. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I hope it will bring me to a point where I can finally take control of my life and live it to the fullest extent. Thank you all for your support over the last two years of my researching. I hope to see you on the "other side." Smooches!
11/8/02
It's been a while since I updated, but so far all is a go for Monday. This past Tuesday I had pre-admission testing where they took blood, urine, ekg, heartbeats, and checked my glads. I also had to go for x-rays and fill out a bunch of paperwork. On Wednesday I went to meet with Dr. Macura's assisting surgeon, Dr. Nicastro, where he reviewed the procedure, the risks, and complications. He also informed me that they found "something" on my chest x-ray that is probably nothing, but that I had to go for more extensive testing. Of course, I was nervous as hell and scared that my surgery would be postponed or cancelled. So, I called the office yesterday and his secretary told me that the report said nothing was found, but the doc would call me and confirm that. I hope to speak to him sometime today. I also learned that I gained 12 pounds since June!! That really sucked but the doc said that this is normal before surgery. Other than that, I am scared as hell. My stomach has been turning like crazy all week. I hope that I will have the courage to get there on Monday. We'll see...
10/17/2002
Well tomorrow I will be 30 years old and I couldn't have asked for a better gift. I finally have been scheduled for my surgery. It will now be NOVEMBER 11th!! Ok, Im happy and scared again but at least this is final (I hope). Now, time to prepare everything. Any tips or suggestions, please email me. I will need all the help I can get.
9/21/2002
I couldn't be happier! After weeks of phone tag and unreturned phone calls from CIGNA, they finally sent my approval letter for surgery!! Yay! I was so worried. It took about 6 weeks and everything is a go. Right now I need to wait for pulmonary clearance since I have been on the CPAP machine now for about 4 weeks.
9/11/2002
My thoughts and blessings go out to anyone who has lost a loved one last year. Living in NYC, there have been many memorials throughout the city and my employer was gracious enough to offer us the day to spend it as we wanted. I basically reflected on last year's events and listened to people read all 2,801 names of those who died at the World Trade Center. This day last year, changed many of our lives...
8/13/2002
I had my consultation with Dr. Macura and even though I was nervous, he put me at ease immediately. It was a great consultation. He informed me of the risks, mortality rate, and reaffirmed everything that I learned along in my research. Even though he was busy with other patients, he took the time to answer my two pages of questions. I look forward to having him perform my surgery... now, for the wait...
8/2/2002
I've completed all of my testing except for my upper endoscopy which is scheduled for 8/7. My surgery consultation is scheduled for 8/6 and I couldn't be more excited!! During my testing I have been diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (which I knew I had) and also have low vitamin D levels - so I need to start a CPAP and also take extra vitamins. I am looking forward to starting my new life. On another note, my sweetheart asked me to marry him last month. Of course I said YES!! We are having an engagement party in our honor at the end of the month.
6/4/2002
I met with Sandra this morning who is the nutritionist for the Obesity surgery program at Staten Island University Med. Center. She seemed alright, but I thought she misrepresented the reality of bariatric surgery. But I guess since she is not a surgeon, she can't really touch on those things. I'm just glad I scheduled all of my appointments ahead of time becaue basically she told us things I already knew. But what I did NOT know what that I put on more weight since my last visit to my PCP. That sucks!
5/30/2002
I originally had a surgery consult with Dr Herron at Mt. Sinai for the beginning of June. I got a call today from his office saying they don't take Cigna anymore so I just wasted 4 months of my life waiting for this appoint to find out 6 days before that they cancelled me. What assholes!! So, after much researc and talks with post-op friends, I decided to make an appointment with Dr. Macura at Staten Island University Hospital. I loved the fact that they have a COMPLETE WLS surgery program, from the first visit to years post-op. I've scheduled my initial nutritional consultation on 6/4 at 8am. I have also scheduled all of my appointments for the Pulmonary consultation/Sleep Study, Echocardiogram, Psychiatric consultation, Blood Tests and Upper Endoscopy for the week of June 24th. I pray that all goes well. In the meantime, I am just beginning to research post-op foods, protien shakes, etc.
3/25/02
Hi everyone. My name is Stacy and I am 29 years old, 5'9" and weight roughly 440 lbs. WOW! Just writing that is embarrassing!!
About a year ago I became seriously interested in Weight Loss surgery after a good friend of mine had an Open RNY and lost over 100 lbs. I totally was always against anything like a WLS because of risk and I felt it was basically mutilating our bodies. However, a year and MUCH research later, I am more open to the possibility that this surgery would be an essential tool to help me reach my weight loss goal.
I'm scared to die on the table or from complications, but Im more scared of living morbidly obese and having to watch life pass me by. Right now I suffer from sleep apnea, crippling lower back pain, frequent leg cramps, and general uncomfortability.