I made it!

1) I made this yummy dinner for the family. I merged two recipes from the book Ive been using, Eating for Life. I cooked chicken breast, bell peppers, purple onions, squash in a pan with curry powder, pink salt, cayenne pepper, basil. I drained and warmed up corn with no salt and black beans. Then, we warmed wheat tortillas and put the chicken mixture on top, sprinkled beans and corn with a little cheese, salsa and sour cream on top! So good!


2) I made it to my Nutritionist appointment. Ive been doing most of what she had to tell me! Ive lost 5 lbs and only  few more appointments and Ill be done!

3) I made it through the day after seeing a doctor about my neck pain. Strained muscle was inflamed and pressing on nerves. Steroids and pain meds are making a HUGE difference!

Possible Set Back

Tomorrow Im supposed to meet with the Nutritionist. I dont know if Ill make that appointment as Im suffering with terrible neck pain. I thought Id slept wrong but the pain is worse today and I have a large lump on the back of my neck. (possible pinch nerve?) I also have slight numbness down my left arm. Ill be seeing a doctor tomorrow to see whats going on.

 If Im better I should be doing my sleep study Friday night. I hope this issue wont cause me to get behind on appointments. I have had a rough week! I suffered with a stomach virus Tuesday-Friday and then Saturday was hit with neck pain! 

Praying things calm and settle soon.

two of six

Monday I went to my second pre-op visit for a weight check. It was a short appointment where he asked about my eating habits. I was excited to tell him Ive stopped drinking soft drinks!!! Its been four weeks since I had a soft drink! I drink only water and maybe one cup of coffee a day. I eat the six meals a day ..... example:  yogurt or boiled egg (breakfast) protein shake (around 10m) lunch around 1 which is a salad with egg or turkey in it or a turkey sandwich on wheat bread. around 3 protein shake or bar and then dinner (from the cook book) and many times a light snack like apples and cottage cheese. He said as long as i continue these things Ill do great and lose a lot!

In 1.5 weeks I will see the Nutritionist and then a Psychiatrist and a sleep study.

Only four more visits of weight checks!

Goulash

My doctor recommended that I purchase, read and live by the book,

 Eating for Life by Bill Phillips.

I found it on Amazon for under $5 (and that's with shipping!)

Bill Phillips is a body builder. In this book he teaches to eat six times a day small protein packed foods, including carbohydrates! (from the list he provides) 

The majority of the book is filled with recipes and tonight I cooked American Goulash from this book. I changed is slightly but it was so yummy!

American Goulash

ground turkey, tomato sauce (with no salt) onions, zucchini, green peppers, pink Himalayan salt, chili seasoning, cayenne pepper, fettuccine pasta

 Brown turkey and remove from pan. Cook onions, zucchini and green peppers in a little olive oil. Add back the turkey and can of tomato sauce along with seasonings. heat until hot. Cook pasta and drain. Add a little olive oil. Put a fist size of pasta on plate and pour meat mixture over the top.

On my way

Last week I checked a lot of things off my list when I went to an appointment at the local hospital for and EKG, Labwork, Chest XRay and UpperGI tests.

Next week I see the surgeon for the second time.

I have stopped drinking sodas and increased my water intake. Ive consumed up to 64 oz in a day but thats not an average day.  I consume a very small amount of caffeine and am trying to limit my sugar intake. I now eat six times a day (as instructed by my doctor) in small amounts and a lot of protein.

Making this choice for surgery is not taking the easy way out. Its a lot of hard work, breaking habits, eating a different way, and  exercising, Surgery is simply a tool to help me lose a little faster but with the same hard work!

Review of the past and looking forward to the future

I cannot believe that we are five months into the year 2015. Its been busy thus far but not as busy as 2014.

Last year we started the year by rescuing Lucky-Bear. We bottle fed him every two hours just like a newborn baby! We found and met my husband's son.My children met their oldest brother for the first time. It was an emotional weekend but an amazing time! We cannot wait to see him again in a few months! My oldest child (and only son) returned from Afghanistan safe and sound Memorial weekend (2014) 

My middle daughter, had quite the year as well! She graduated high school and a few short weeks later, after an emergency trip to the ER, she had heart surgery (Ablation) it was scary but it healed her and she is no longer a cardiac patient! She has taken a year off while working part time at a grocery store but will soon begin Cosmetology school! 

Last year about this time we made a drive to Charlotte North Carolina so that my husband and oldest daughter could ride in a real Nascar around the track side by side! Man, those were fun memories! 

I enjoyed a girls weekend with a good friend in the Outer Banks and marked off a few things off my bucket list....  by visiting several lighthouses!  

For so many years Ive battled my weight issues. In 2014 I tried green smoothies. They are actually good and a great way to get greens in but that didn't help me lose weight which is why Ive started this journey in 2015 with the Gastric Sleeve.  While I did make it through a 5K run (walk) in 2014, my goal is to run the entire 5K in 2016! 

If you haven't been  following me for long, you can click on the links above to see my posts from 2014. its was quite the year last year and I think my current journey will compete with last year... but this year its more about "me" about getting healthy, feeling better about myself and losing weight.

Interesting photo/facebook post

I found this photo on Facebook and found it fitting.

My Support System

He supports my decision to lose weight this way and get healthier! 

That means alot! 

 

Dangers in Chicken Keeping

What a weekend! The chicken coup needed a deep clean and I worked on that this weekend. However, when I was in there spreading fresh straw a piece poked right into my eyeball. 

This morning it was still very red and draining. I ended up at the eye doctor before work. After he put a dye in my eye and looked with a special light, he saw I had a scratch on the cornea. 

He put in antibiotic drops and patched it and sent me off to work.

Oh the preschoolers loved that! I was told that I look like a pirate and they asked if my eyeball fell out and all sorts of funny questions. I came home totally drained and with a terrible headache! 

Who knew that chicken keeping could be so dangerous?

My Choice

I know quite a few people who have had the Gastric Bypass. This is where the surgeon cuts part of the stomach out and makes a smaller pouch and then he will reroute or bypass part of the intestines to reduce absorption of nutrients. This is a major surgery and limits the amount and types of foods that you can eat (for the rest of your life) For example, most can no longer eat any sugar in addition to other foods. I DO NOT WANT THIS TYPE OF SURGERY! I don't think I need this one. 

I have chosen the Gastric Sleeve. This is a newer surgery that some surgeons are doing. The sleeve's results are comparable to the Gastric Bypass but its less invasive with shorter hospital stay and shorter recovery time. It also has less side effects. 

After explaining to my surgeon that these were the reasons I wanted the sleeve over other options, he agreed that those facts were correct and that the sleeve would be his suggestion for me as well. 

 

EMOTIONS

Today I had my consultation with the Bariatric Surgeon. I was excited until the moment I left work and drove towards the doctor's office, then I got nervous. (butterflies and all!) I arrived and walked towards the entrance of the office and saw someone I knew.  (The office is located at an Orthopaedic Office) I, then, felt embarrassed. She asked if I was hurt and was that why I was there. I just said no, I'm fine and went on about my way. LOTS OF EMOTIONS!

No sooner than I sat in the waiting room I was called to the back. I was weighed (heavy sigh)  height measured, and blood pressure taken. I was explained all the hoops I have to jump through.... such as talking to a Nutritionist, a Psychologist, having a sleep study, and meeting with a doctor who will monitor my weight and help guide me to a healthier eating habit and style of living.

My Surgeon was amazing! He was friendly and talkative. He wanted to know why I wanted this procedure and he talked to me about the side effects and ways it will change my life. Today was also my first appointment for weight monitoring so I have five months to get all tests completed and submitted to my insurance company before surgery is scheduled.

My husband went with me today. He is nervous about me going through surgery, so he had questions. We talked to our children about the surgery and then I decided it was time to tell the first person (outside of this house) and I called my dad.

He thinks it is a big decision but is fully supportive of it.

Im on my way to thinner, happier, healthier ME!!!!

Why I Don't Want Lapband Surgury for Weight Loss

I am no doctor and I do not know everything about weight loss surgeries. If you need information about these procedures, consult a specialist! I am, however, sharing what I have learned from my research (and may or may not be right about everything I say. I hope what what I'm sharing is correct but keep in mind, I'm no doctor) I have gathered my information from various medical websites online.

When I first thought about weight loss surgery, I was interested in the Lapband. Mostly because I might not need to lose as much weight as many do and because it seemed less invasive and shorter recovery time. (I have since decided against Lapband) 

What is Lapband?
A port is affixed under your skin in the abdomen for easy access. Then, a band filled with a saline solution is placed around the upper part of the stomach. Doctors gain access tthrough the port to add or reduce the amount of saline in the band.  The idea is to lessen the amount of food that can be taken in and to create a feeling of fullness. Recovery time is about 2 weeks for full recover and may be done as an outpatient service or needing only up to a 24 hour stay at a medical facility.

Some disadvantages are that weight loss takes longer, there is a foreign object/medical device placed inside your body, the port can leak and need minor surgery and the band can slip. I know two people who have gotten Lapband surgery and one nearly died when his slipped and rubbed a hole in the stomach causing infection etc...  The other person lost some weight and couldn't lose anymore, That person ended up having the gastric Bypass later.

This may be the right decision for some but I don't think Lapband is for me. Id rather not have a foreign device inside me and face the possibility of erosion or slipping. I also want faster and permanent results.

Setting Monthly Goals

Over the next six months I will be making months goals for myself such as......
drink less soda and then drink no soda, drink more water, reduce sugar intake, stop consuming sugar, and exercise daily. Even though my first appointment with the Bariatric Specialist isn't until Wednesday, I intend to begin my first goal of drinking less soda, on Monday. I don't consume as much as I used to but I still consume soda and that has to stop!

Ill soon be taking my "Before" photo

In the past Ive taken so many before photos only to not lose weight and feel horrible about myself later.

 Last year I completed the Dirty Girl Mud Run.

 It was difficult but I did it. I had this grand plan to lose weight and be able to run the entire thing this year....... guess what? Not happening! Ive gained weight and don't think Id even be able to complete the run this year. NEXT YEAR, I WILL FINISH IT AND HOPEFULLY ILL RUN THE ENTIRE THING !  (I have learned that I appear much skinnier when a photo is taken from the front, like the one above)

Y'all don't know how hard it is to publicly post these photos of me but I'm doing it because I know I'm on the road to a thinner and healthier me.

On Monday April 27th (the day that this will post)  I will begin working on my goal to drink less soda (cut back to one a week) and consume more water.

And so my journey begins!!!!!!!!

Spring Formal

 My a baby girl attended her first formal (and with a boyfriend!)

 Her older sister, went to the same formal with her boyfriend.

                                SISTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so proud of my daughters! They are beautiful and smart. I took about 150 pictures that night and while I was not feeling good about myself (and my weight) I stepped in front of the camera for a photo with my girls.

Queen of Delete

I know Im not the only one who hates to see photos of herself. I am the queen of delete. I searched through all my photos for "fat pictures" and these are the only ones i found. (I tend to keep the close up face photos)

 I will be taking my "fat pictures" but it may be awhile before I feel comfortable enough to post them.Until then..... these are the ones I have.... they were taken in 2012.