Getting down to the wire!

I start my 10 pre-op diet in 6 more days! It's crazy! When I think of my time line in those terms, it seems like my surgery is just next week! I've got to go to my Diet Class and Post-op orientation on the 4th. That's an almost all day thing. And I need to run by academy, and get Austin some football pants. Then I start my diet on the 6th. That should be fun. My nieces first birthday party is the 6th. So is Austin's first football game! Busy day for me again! Then I have my pre-op appointment the 8th! I'm so excited! I can't wait!

When I first started telling people that I was having a gastric bypass, I got a lot of negative reactions. I was kind of shocked to be honest, and disappointed to say the least. That's changed though. All the football Mom's know, and they're really supportive. They ask a lot of questions sometimes, but at least none of them act like I'm laying my life on the line to be thinner. One of the other Mom's actually had a gastric sleeve about three months ago! That's a miracle, seeing how there are only a few of us. (I live in a small town of a bout 600 people.) Anyway, they're mostly really supportive, and pretty curious too.

So, I feel like I have the support in place, even when Paul leaves, to be okay. My brother said he'd babysit so I can hit up my support group meetings. They have them twice a month. (He's trying to get the money to buy a truck, he'll do anything for 15 bucks! LMAO) We've still got our fingers crossed that they'll let Paul come home too. If not, I might be up a creek without a paddle. At this point, I'm choosing to have faith in the military system. It's never worked for us before, but I have to believe that it will this time! I'm gonna need his help, and the kids really do need to spend some time with him before he deploys again!

Anyway, it's getting down to the wire now. I'm still not nervous, just getting more excited everyday! I can't wait for the new me! I keep telling myself....this time next year.....!

Happy Labor Day, hope you all have a blast!
Sarah

medical alert bracelets

I bought my medical alert bracelet this morning! It's sooo pretty!



Now I feel completely prepared! I should get it before my surgery. The site said 5 - 10 days. I paid the extra $2.50 shipping so it wouldn't take 2 to 3 weeks. One more step towards the new me!! Only 17 more days and I'm on the "losing" side! I can't wait, I'm so excited!

Hope you all have a fatabulous Labor Day weekend!
Sarah

New favorite snack!

Geesh, I'm blogging a lot today, lmao!

Anyway, I have a new favorite snack. Vanilla Bean Almonds! They're Blue Diamond brand, and I found them at WalMart. 24 almonds is about an ounce. They're a little sweet, but not too much, I think they're just right!

Oven Roasted Vanilla Bean Almonds

INGREDIENTS: ALMONDS, EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, NATURAL FRENCH VANILLA FLAVOR, SEA SALT, CORN MALTODEXTRIN, AND VANILLA BEAN SEEDS. PEANUT FREE. MAY CONTAIN OTHER TREE NUTS.

I love em, cause it's a satisfying snack, but when I'm full it doesn't make me feel like I'm over eating. I love the raw natural blue diamond almonds too.

I know sometimes I just want something a little sweet, and sweet is a kinda a no no after surgery. These are the perfect solution!

Oh, and the back of these little containers have dashes to help show you each one ounce serving! Totally awesome, and they sell a bag with single servings prepackaged, so you can grab one and go. You don't have to count em out! (I've only seen those in the raw natural almonds though!)

OMG, first WLS emotional moment!

I got this web page off Eggface's blog.

Now, I knew going into this that I would lose weight. I knew, that if I did what I was supposed to, that I wasn't going to be fat for the rest of my life. I've been really really excited about it too. I was just thinking this time next year, I'm not gonna be FAT anymore. I might not be thin, and I probably won't be to my goal yet, but I wasn't gonna be fat anymore.

I didn't realize that I didn't have my head quite wrapped around that, like I thought I did!

I went to this web page. Filled out the stupid little BMI calculator.....only this one asked how much of your excess weight you wanted to lose. Duh, all of it! So I typed in 90%. Up pops this little paragraph, that my ideal weight is 138 pounds. If I lose 90% of my excess weight, I need to lose 141 pounds. It says that after bariatric surgery I can expect to lose this weight over the next 12 to 15 months, and then I can expect my weight to begin to fluctuate up and down a couple pounds a month. Blah Blah Blah. I know all that already. Then BOOM, it says below is a graph of how your weight might change after surgery.



This put it into perspective like nothing else had. My first OMG moment! I burst into tears, like an emotional wreck, because this is a possibility for me! I might not lose 90% of my excess weight, I know, but it's possible. If I work on me, and let the surgery work for me, this is an actual possibility for me! It's finally hit me. 18 days til surgery, and I've just now realized I'm NOT doomed to be obese for the rest of my life! I'm NOT going to be the biggest person at Christmas. I'm not going to be the one that has to get off the roller coaster, cause the seatbelt won't fit! I've printed off one copy of this graph to tape to the fridge. I think I'll print off a few more and put them up all over the house! With my "logical" brain this hit me harder than the though of a size 8 pair of jeans. This is gonna be me within the next two years! I'm not gonna be fat anymore! Just looking at this it's hard to get a grip on myself! (What is wrong with me!?!)

Special thanks to Eggface. This page was amazing for me. (I don't know why I can't stop crying! *tears of joy, of course*) I can't believe I almost missed this! My mind is adjusting to the possibilities. I don't know why I couldn't see it like this before! It's amazing, isn't it? I'm sure there were be many many OMG moments after surgery. But I wanted to share my first!

X's & O's
Sarah

http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/information/post+op+planner.php

One....Don't I Look Dumb (from the movie Major Payne)

I gained 3 pounds this week. I am NOT amused. I emailed Tiffany about the AMOUNT of food she was asking me to eat. She said I could lay off the last snack, and make the meals smaller, but I still have to eat at least 5 times a day. She also informed that awesome GNC guy, may have screwed me over. I've been drinking my protein shakes religiously. Now, if you remember a previous post praising said GNC guy, you know that he knew exactly what I was looking for. I told him I was looking for a meal replacement protein powder that I could use after gastric bypass surgery. Well, apparently the man sold me something for weight GAIN! Again, I am NOT amused. I feel like I was taken advantage of! I wasted 48 bucks on the crap, and it doesn't even taste good!

I am officially withdrawing my former kudos to the GNC guy in Stillwater Oklahoma. Bad GNC guy, BAD!

On a happier note....my surgery is only 18 days away, woot woot! I'm going to call said GNC guy back and let him know of the grievous error he helped me make, and see if something can't be done about it. I mean, I still have 3/4 of the worthless crap he sold me. Surely he can do something, right?

Hope you all enjoy your Labor Day weekend!
Sarah

motivation

I should have started exercising already, but I haven't. I feel so bad. I want to blame it on all this food I'm supposed to be eating. It's making me really tired. I can't get rested at night! I'm just gonna have to grit my teeth and do it, I know. I've got lots of house work to do. The kids managed to get into the boxes of winter clothes. I can't just put it back up without washing it all again, so I'll be doing laundry for two days straight I'm sure. I want to do a through cleaning of the entire house before my surgery too. I think I'll rest better that way.

Paul still hasn't gotten me the information I need to send a red cross message. If he doesn't get it to me soon, he's gonna wait to long. If we don't get him home for my surgery, I might be totally screwed. At first my mom said she could take a week or two off work. Now she's saying she'll take off while I'm in the hospital. I thought I had it covered, cause I figured my grandma would come down, which she would, if she weren't flying out to Flordia two days before my surgery!

Anyway, I had a lady that I don't particularly care for, get nasty with me today. Tried to tell me that she knows four people now that have died from WLS. I'm not calling her a liar, but I don't think she's completely honest either. I think she's just trying to scare me out of it, cause she knows how excited I am. She's just mean. I usually don't talk to her, but she over heard me telling someone else that I only had 20 days left before my surgery.

Today has just been one of those days I guess. Does housework count as exercise? I'm planning on doing my Gazelle every night while I watch a movie. I got me three new Netflix movies today. I figure if I watch one tomorrow night, and mail it Friday, but I might have a replacement for it by the time I'm done with the other two. If not, I'll do my biggest loser workout tape. That way I don't get too bored.

Been a tough week for me so far, with the exception of last night. I went to my support group meeting. That was fun. I asked the RN that led last night's meeting, if I had to eat all that food, if I was still getting in my protein. He said it sounded logical, but he would prefer to call and ask Tiffany. I think I'll shoot her an email before I hit the hay.

Hope everyone else is enjoying their week!

protein blues

I've got to get back on track, starting now. I still don't mind my shakes, but after being disappointed with the taste of my Muscle Milk, I've stopped drinking them as often as I should. (Let me take a second to remind everyone, that I'm still PRE-OP!!!) I had a slightly low protein lab, so the dietitian wants me to get it up before surgery. Just 22 days away now! I don't mind the taste so much, I mean I CAN get through the whole shake. I don't know, I was just expecting something better after shelling out nearly 50 bucks! Just kind of a turn off I guess.

The other problem I've been having is eating as much food as Tiffany has asked me too. She wants me to have one shake within an hour of waking up....each isn't a problem, at all! But it's the snacks, and the big meals. It's just too much food! If I could do two shakes, which is ALL my protein, and one snack and dinner, that I think I could handle. It's just too much food! I can't force feed myself, it's harder than telling myself "No, you shouldn't eat that!"

Post-op will be different, I think. I won't be hungry, and my stomach will be small. I won't have to eat much, just eat every few hours. Why can't I do that now? As long as I'm getting in my daily protein goal, why do I have to eat so much food?

MY meal plan:

breakfast:
protein shake

snack:
kashi bar

lunch:
protein shake

snack:
beef jerky

dinner:
whatever everyone else is having, just eat sensibly.

snack:
optional

The two shakes alone will get in my daily protein, and I'll just make good choices for snacks and dinner. Then maybe I can get some exercise in, cause I won't feel full to the bursting point!

Have a good week!
Sarah