My Journey In Pictures...The First 6 Months

October 4, 2010...day before surgery

Okay, I have no idea why my pictures ended up so staggered this way, but at least I have them up here, right?  LOL  So, just a quick rundown of my sizes/stats and I'm outta here so you can scroll thru the pics.  I started out at 302 pounds and am currently down to 222.4, which is about 79 pounds gone in 6 months.  I was wearing size 26/28 pants and am into an 18 (buying non Lane Bryant stuff ROCKS) and my shirts were a 26/28 also down to an 18 (Old Navy and I are becoming really good friends).  My bras were a 48DD (holy sh!t) and I'm now into a 42C.  So, those are my stats...I love my RNY!!!!!  I'm having more and more cravings, but I'm working thru them better than I thought I would.  Right now I'm in hot pursuit of Sugar Free Root beer barrels and wouldn't you know it, Amazon has them!  They have everything!  I'm back to drinking diet soda, not my proudest moment, but I refuse to go back to my Diet Mt. Dew, so that's a major victory in itself for me.

One Month Post-Op

2 Months Post-Op

3 Months Post-Op

4 Months Post-Op

5 Months Post-Op

6 Months Post-Op

I Feel Pretty Good About Myself After Yesterday

Yesterday was my 1st Thanksgiving since RNY on October 5, 2010.  I had to work from 10am to 10pm and I thought it was going to be a breeze.  I was completely wrong!  We had a potluck at work, on top of having the traditional Thanksgiving meal at lunchtime.

I pretty much ate my way thru the entire day, but I made sure the eats were high protein "meals" and I was very careful to make sure I got extra fluids in, paying close attention to our drinking rules:  No drinking 1/2 hour before, during or 1/2 hour after a meal.  

I started out with my breakfast being a slice of cheese and a slice of salami.  At lunch I had a little bit of turkey with gravy (I couldn't pass up the gravy), 1/2 of a deviled egg and 3 small bites of mashed potatoes with gravy.  Later in the afternoon I had another slice of cheese and another slice of salami.  Dinner was a small amount of homemade baked beans with Lil' Smokies (WLS friendly recipe) and a snack before bed of a deviled egg. 

I was really upset with myself for eating so much yesterday, especially since we're not supposed to snack at all, we get 3 meals all day, that's it and I broke the rules.  But when I look back at it this morning, it wasn't all THAT bad.  Everything was high protein and very small portions and best of all, the scale didn't move up at all!  After mentally beating myself up for yesterday, I got to thinking...yesterday only happens once a year.  I haven't been eating like that for the last 7 weeks and one day isn't going to make or break me for my weight loss journey.  I didn't over do anything, I didn't have any pumpkin pie, I didn't have a ton of sugar...I enjoyed my day at work, I enjoyed my holiday and given the choice, I would do it again!

I Love Cooking Again!!!

Yep, that's right...I love cooking again!  LOVE IT!  Before my RNY I would cook things here and there.  But found like many of you, it was just easier to run thru a drive-thru or have food delivered.  There were never any leftovers and the clean up was easy.  Pretty simple life except for one thing...that fast food lifestyle was making me HUGE!  I can't believe how much money I have been able to save by not going back to my old habits.  I've been able to put that extra cash towards fun kitchen utensils and a couple of new clothing items.

But thanks to my friends over at Pouch Party and the beyond talented Eggface (AKA Shelly) they have made me realize that even though this was a life style change, it wasn't a food death sentence.  They have made food fun, wonderfully tasteful and shopping for recipe ingredients fun for me again.  Now, I will NEVER be able to throw recipes together like these cooking queens, but I can actually cook up some of their yummy creations.

I love having leftovers now and am excited to take some to work tomorrow in my Bento Box (thank you Shelly) and see what all I can make with my leftovers or can freeze for a later date.  My parents are really liking my new found love for cooking as they are getting to sample just about everything I have made so far.  It hasn't been much, but it's always been enough so my mom doesn't have to stop quilting to make dinner, which is the least I can do for the both of them (they were great, beyond great, during my surgery and recovery) and it's nice to have dinner with them during the week.

So, if you're looking for new recipes, some great inspiration and just good reading in general to make you happy, I highly recommend you check out the above ladies.  They deserve more credit than they get and many, many thank yous from me and my pouch!  Thank you ladies!!! 

My First Lunch Out With My Mom

Today was a pretty big day for me!  I am officially just over 3 weeks out from my surgery and so far I have lost 30 pounds and I have gone down a shirt size and a pant size!  It has been an incredible feeling and I LOVE it!  But also equally exciting was going out to lunch today with my mom and doing some shopping.

We started out by going to a couple of gift shops and wouldn't you know it, I didn't find anything for me, but I found a couple of things for my nieces and nephews.  They always score big when I go shopping with my mom LOL  Then we went to Lowe's so I could pick up a new front light.  We had a really bad wind storm come thru Tuesday and Wednesday this week and it took out my light pole, so I kind of needed to get that fixed.  Then it was off to Super Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann's.

But the best parts were yet to come.  Up next was the quilt shop for some fat quarters.  I'm making my sister and a co-worker these for their birthdays and I hope they like them!  Then, finally after starting our day out at 10am it was time for lunch!

There aren't many choices for someone that is just over 3 weeks out who is just adding deli meat and cheese sticks to their diet, so we decided on Panera Bread hoping to find something with a broth.  To my surprise, they had a creamy tomato soup that I thought sounded pretty darned good.  Their soup comes with HUGE croutons and your choice of an apple or chips.  I asked for mine to go, without the croutons and with an apple.  I couldn't wait to dig into this creamy yumminess even though I was a little nervous about how my pouch would handle it.  Good news!  It went over GREAT!  I didn't eat much and of course didn't touch my apple (I'm hoping to save it for next week when I get my fruits back) but now I lunch for tomorrow too.

As my mom and I were sitting there, I made the comment how amazing it was that after a few bites of this soup, I felt full and it was a good feeling.  Not that horrible, after Thanksgiving, I'm going to hurl feeling, but a feeling that made me proud.  I knew I couldn't finish the whole thing when I ordered (hence the to go bowl) and was perfectly happy with the small amount that I had eaten.  Every day, I find out something new or figure out something new about my pouch and I love it.  I've had more good experiences than bad and I'm so glad I decided to take this huge step in my life.  Everyday I'm doing a little better, feeling a little better, but most importantly, I'm living a lot better!

Getting My Toes Wet

I think the time has come for me jump on the Torani Sugar Free Syrup wagon and start spicing things up a bit in my post RNY world.  I am quickly growing tired of plain old vanilla and orange protein shakes and it's only been about a week...this is not looking good for the future LOL

I looked at my local grocery store and they only had one SF syrup and it was Hazelnut...no thank you.  So, I called over to the next city and they have SF caramel and SF chocolate.  I think I might pick up the caramel one and then possibly order some others online.  Anyone have any suggestions?  I'm thinking I want a pumpkin spice type flavor and a peppermint type flavor as well.  One thing I'm really going to miss is the Peppermint Mocha creamer this winter and am hoping to re-create that in a protein shake, which could interesting.  

I have heard though, once you buy one, you don't stop there and that your collection keeps growing and growing and growing.  Is this true?  And if so, am I going to have to add onto my house or would it just be a better bet to start looking for a new house now?

I Made It Thru Surgery!!!!

That's right!  You read it right, I made it thru surgery!  I had surgery October 5 (last Tuesday) and got to come home that Thursday.  It's been a bit of a challenge, but I haven't had any major regrets so far.  My mom and dad were at my side the whole time and a couple of friends took time to stop down and see me too!  I received some really pretty flowers and lots of balloons from friends and family as well.  My nurses and techs were wonderful people and made my recovery that much easier.

I had an upper GI today down in Des Moines.  That is one test I'll never have again if I have a say in it LOL  That contrast was horrible and made me gag, but I made it thru it.  I went back up to the 4th floor to drop off thank you gifts to my nurses and techs and then we headed back home.  I'm pretty tired, but very proud that I walked the entire time, not one single ride in the wheel chair.  I have another appointment tomorrow in Des Moines and hopefully get my drainage tube removed so I can really be on the mend.  I also meet with the dietitian and go over my new meal plans and get to start soft foods on Saturday as long as everything from today's tests come back okay.

I know this update is short, but it's time for me to sip, sip, sip, walk, walk, walk, and sleep, sleep, sleep!   Thank you for all of your well wishes, thoughts and prayers!!!!!

Well....This Is It!!!!!

I just started my surgery prep, so there's no turning back now!!!! I had to drink that lovely bottle of magnesium citrate followed by 2 glasses of water.  I decided to get the grape flavor and have it over ice.  I mean, how bad can it be, right?  It's grape!  WRONG!!!!  It was worse than the original lemon-lime flavor, if that is possible.  Guess what, it's possible!  It was so sour it made my cheeks pucker and they actually hurt from the sourness.  I suppose now the fun starts.
 
Actually the fun does start, because after tomorrow, I will be on my new journey.  Onto a new me, a better me...a skinnier me!  I think for the first time, I am actually excited.  Excited and truly happy.

Getting Ready For The Big Day!!!

Well, the big day is almost here!  I can't believe it...October 5th will be here before I know it.  So, to keep me busy and my mind off of surgery I have been cleaning like a mad woman with my mom since yesterday morning.  So far we have tackled the kitchen, the dining room and living room.  We rearranged the pantry and went thru all of the plastic storage containers.  We also did the floor in the kitchen and we just got done cleaning the carpets in the dining room and living room.  Up next is the bathroom before tonight and then I think I'll be done until tomorrow.  Tomorrow brings me the real excitement though...mowing the yard, doing laundry and straightening up my bedroom, 3 things I hate.  After that is done, I can finally relax!  But by then it will be Monday and I will have to prep for surgery.  This weekend is going by fast, but it's nice to know that when I get home, I won't have to do anything at all but get better.

Finally After 10 Days...

It's been no secret that I've been on my liquid diet for the past 10 days for surgery.  And finally today the scale moved down...not up!  I had gained a pound starting this darn diet and today I lost that pound plus another 4!  It's beginning to make the diet tolerable and now that I'm seeing results, I think I can really do this!  I didn't think this diet would get any easier, but for the last 2 days, it has been a breeze.  Now, maybe its because I've been at work all day, or maybe it's because my head and stomach are finally getting it.  But whatever it is, I'm pretty darn pumped, even if it is only 4 pounds.