So this took a lot of talking myself into it. This is one of those things that a person wants to share to show how far they have really come yet they fear sharing just how bad it really was. It's embarrassing to look back at these pictures but it's amazing to know I will not go back there again. I was fat, I felt gross, I looked awful, I was flat out miserable in my body.
Now don't get me wrong, I am still not happy with my body but I am not nearly as embarrassed as I was all those months ago. Making this video forced me to look back and see just how far I really have come. It's easy to let your mind play tricks on you and make you think you are still that same old fat girl even when you see the scale and the measuring tape move so drastically. But when you look at the pictures, you are forced to see what you looked like and what you now look like.
So after much talking to myself and my husband pushing me to show it, I will share my 4 1/2 month post-VSG results video. Eventually I will get around to taking more body shots but I still tend to hide from the camera and I'm not exactly sure where my camera charger is anyways ;) Oh and I should point out I am now down 74 lbs ;) I made the video last week. 16 more to go!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
WHAT?! How many inches?!
Tomorrow is my 4 month surgiversary. Hard to believe it has been 4 months since I went under the knife again.
So in honor of my weigh-in day I also took my measurements. Apparently I have not done so since 1 month post-op.
Let me just say, the amount of inches lost off my body was shocking.
Now I know I was fat. Even now I am still considered "over weight" by the BMI scales but according to everyone I look like a normal weight now. When the kids and I went to visit my grandparents for their wedding (long story but yes they just got married after 36+ years) she was amazed at just how much I still weigh, she thought I was a good 40 lbs less than where I am. KInda nice to hear. And grandma is not one of those to lie to make you feel better kinda people. I guess I hide my weight well.
So anyways, back to the measurements. I have lost 63 3/4 inches off my body. YES people, you read that number right. What a HUGE number. Part of me is seriously embarrassed over the fact that I have lost that much and yet still have another 22 lbs to go until I hit goal. The other part of me says BOOYAH!! I know my clothing sizes have changed drastically and I know the scale now reads 68 lbs less but still! THat number is amazing.
Once hubby came home from work, I showed him the numbers. At that moment it dawned on me that I have lost my height in inches off my body. INSANE! I am just under 5'4. I stood there just trying to figure out how in the world a person can lose as many inches as I am tall?!
So there it is, out in the open.
The best part is knowing I will not go back to that. I can eat anything I want but in very small quantities. I do not deprive myself. If I want ice cream, I eat it, it's just 1/4 cup verses the 2 scoops I would have eaten before. If I want chips I eat 5 or 6 and I'm full. No longer do I sit and inhale 1/4 of a bag of chips. If I want to go out to dinner, I eat a couple of bites off hubbys plate, not only does it save us money but it also cuts down on his portion size as well.
Though I now take acid reducing meds (hopefully this is just temporary) and I eat less than a toddler, I live a normal life and eat normal stuff just like everyone else.
So in honor of my weigh-in day I also took my measurements. Apparently I have not done so since 1 month post-op.
Let me just say, the amount of inches lost off my body was shocking.
Now I know I was fat. Even now I am still considered "over weight" by the BMI scales but according to everyone I look like a normal weight now. When the kids and I went to visit my grandparents for their wedding (long story but yes they just got married after 36+ years) she was amazed at just how much I still weigh, she thought I was a good 40 lbs less than where I am. KInda nice to hear. And grandma is not one of those to lie to make you feel better kinda people. I guess I hide my weight well.
So anyways, back to the measurements. I have lost 63 3/4 inches off my body. YES people, you read that number right. What a HUGE number. Part of me is seriously embarrassed over the fact that I have lost that much and yet still have another 22 lbs to go until I hit goal. The other part of me says BOOYAH!! I know my clothing sizes have changed drastically and I know the scale now reads 68 lbs less but still! THat number is amazing.
Once hubby came home from work, I showed him the numbers. At that moment it dawned on me that I have lost my height in inches off my body. INSANE! I am just under 5'4. I stood there just trying to figure out how in the world a person can lose as many inches as I am tall?!
So there it is, out in the open.
The best part is knowing I will not go back to that. I can eat anything I want but in very small quantities. I do not deprive myself. If I want ice cream, I eat it, it's just 1/4 cup verses the 2 scoops I would have eaten before. If I want chips I eat 5 or 6 and I'm full. No longer do I sit and inhale 1/4 of a bag of chips. If I want to go out to dinner, I eat a couple of bites off hubbys plate, not only does it save us money but it also cuts down on his portion size as well.
Though I now take acid reducing meds (hopefully this is just temporary) and I eat less than a toddler, I live a normal life and eat normal stuff just like everyone else.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
And another giveaway :)
Loving all these great blogger giveaways today, this one looks really cool too with so many great things up for grabs to make the perfect party :)
http://celebrationsathomeblog.com/2011/06/party-package-giveaway-valued-at-over-270.html
http://celebrationsathomeblog.com/2011/06/party-package-giveaway-valued-at-over-270.html
I'm such a sucker for a giveaway
SO many great giveaways in the blogging world lately. This one is super cute so I had to share http://eyecandyeventdetails.blogspot.com/2011/06/american-luau-collection-giveaway-great.html
Monday, May 30, 2011
3 months and 59 lbs.
Who would have thought in 3 months I would be down 59 lbs?! I am literally only a few ounces from being a full on 60 lbs down. Totally crazy if you ask me. I am only 30 lbs from goal. CRAZY!
Finally I am eating normal again. Tonight I am eating a new favorite from Denny's. Its a grilled tortilla with sauce that taste just like Thousand Island on it, ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese on top of that. So good! So easy to make at home too so that is awesome.
I haven't found anything that I cannot eat, but I have found tastes to be totally different, stuff I loved before, I no longer can stand. Sweet things taste way too sweet. I am not one of those post-ops that completely eliminates real sugar, I cannot stand fake sugar so if I need it, I use the real stuff. Most things I use the normal fat types vs the low fat, tastes gross, with plenty of added junk to make it taste halfway decent.
I also do not measure my foods, I just eyeball it and if it ends up being too much I toss it when I am full. I do not track what I eat either, so many WLS people track their calories, protein, carbs, fat, etc. I just don't do it and it works fine for me. I do eat protein first, fruits/veg next, carbs last.
I am terrible with taking my vitamins too so I was pleasantly surprised at my 3 month post-op appt to find my labs looked fine. My vit D was a little low, not surprising considering where I live. My bad cholesterol was a little high, good cholesterol a little low, and my parathyroid intact was a little high. I will go on a once a week Vit D pill for 12 weeks to take care of that, exercise for the cholesterol and since the rest of the labs look fine there is no concern over the parathyroid intact.
All in all things look fine. I have slowly finding more energy but still dealing with occasional pain daily. Because of the pain I will go in for another scope. The original plan after my hospital stay was to go in for 2 more scopes. One has been done to close the hole in my sleeve and this one was up in the air. Since the pain comes daily the decision was made to go ahead and look to see if there is a stricture. Hopefully this will be the last one.
It's just amazing to see all the changes in my body :)
Finally I am eating normal again. Tonight I am eating a new favorite from Denny's. Its a grilled tortilla with sauce that taste just like Thousand Island on it, ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese on top of that. So good! So easy to make at home too so that is awesome.
I haven't found anything that I cannot eat, but I have found tastes to be totally different, stuff I loved before, I no longer can stand. Sweet things taste way too sweet. I am not one of those post-ops that completely eliminates real sugar, I cannot stand fake sugar so if I need it, I use the real stuff. Most things I use the normal fat types vs the low fat, tastes gross, with plenty of added junk to make it taste halfway decent.
I also do not measure my foods, I just eyeball it and if it ends up being too much I toss it when I am full. I do not track what I eat either, so many WLS people track their calories, protein, carbs, fat, etc. I just don't do it and it works fine for me. I do eat protein first, fruits/veg next, carbs last.
I am terrible with taking my vitamins too so I was pleasantly surprised at my 3 month post-op appt to find my labs looked fine. My vit D was a little low, not surprising considering where I live. My bad cholesterol was a little high, good cholesterol a little low, and my parathyroid intact was a little high. I will go on a once a week Vit D pill for 12 weeks to take care of that, exercise for the cholesterol and since the rest of the labs look fine there is no concern over the parathyroid intact.
All in all things look fine. I have slowly finding more energy but still dealing with occasional pain daily. Because of the pain I will go in for another scope. The original plan after my hospital stay was to go in for 2 more scopes. One has been done to close the hole in my sleeve and this one was up in the air. Since the pain comes daily the decision was made to go ahead and look to see if there is a stricture. Hopefully this will be the last one.
It's just amazing to see all the changes in my body :)
Monday, April 25, 2011
I love giveaways!
I love this site and was thrilled to see an awesome giveaway this morning for a Shaklee cleaning kit. I hate having a million bottles of cleaners, I like to keep things simple and I prefer cleaners without all that gross harmful stuff in them. I have been considering giving this stuff a try so hop on over and check out this awesome giveaway.
http://homesteadinghomemaker.blogspot.com/2011/04/first-ever-blog-giveaway.html
http://homesteadinghomemaker.blogspot.com/2011/04/first-ever-blog-giveaway.html
Saturday, April 16, 2011
So much to cover
So my blog was temporarily deleted and now I am back.
A few weeks ago my husband was off training. Then I started getting these phone calls. Creepy calls. And the caller knew too much about me. I was freaked. My husband was freaked too especially being so far away and unable to do anything to "protect" us. The calls came from various numbers, all local numbers. I called and had the numbers blocked but not much you can do when the numbers are all different. It turns out the calls came from some phone app ugh! AND the calls came from my little brothers friend. I was furious!! Of course I didn't find this out until after I had already filed a police report and changed my phone number as well as deleted any personal information, including my blog.
My brother didn't realize it was as big as a deal as it was. He tends not to realize the obvious. At any rate it had me very scared and now I would like to punch my brother in the nose. Good thing he lives out of state.
So finally my husband came home from his training. During the time he was gone, I was not feeling well, I was having lots of pain, thankfully I made it through until he came home. He came home on a Saturday night, Sunday we went to Church and then out to eat with our Pastor and his family to celebrate my husband and my 9th wedding anniversary. By Monday the pain just continued to get worse. My husband came home early from work and sent me off to the ER.
Because the pain is in my chest I had an EKG, then chest x ray. Then sat in the ER waiting room or 4 hours before I was finally called back. Another EKG, pain meds, labs, constant heart monitering, and a CT, I was admitted.
The next morning I had a scope done to check to see if anything was wrong in my sleeve. I had what is known as a stricture. basicially an area of my sleeve got too tight, they ballooned it open. Over the next few days the pain got worse and nausea set in in a big way. I had another CT, a swallow study (WORST TEST EVER AFTER HAVING WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY!!!), lots of labs, which lead to blown veins and eventually a PICC line being put in), another x-ray, then another scope. This time the scope showed a small hole near the top of my sleeve, they wanted to glue it from the inside to help quicken to healing process. Of course my hospital ran out of the glue that is needed so I sat around waiting for it.
My surgeon wants the most conservative approach taken, Praise the Lord for a good surgeon who doesn't like to take risks. During the whole time I was unable to eat or drink and I swelled up like a balloon from all the fluids.
Yesterday after much begging I was discharged after 12 days in the hospital. I just started being able to tolerate pureed foods yesterday which helped me to get home. I kind of pushed as hard as I could, knowing I would heal better at home and knowing that I needed my family with me. I still have not been glued since it didn't come in on time but the hole is small enough that they do not believe anything is leaking from it or causing issues other than pain. So next week I will be scoped again and a week or two later I will be scoped again to balloon open the sleeve again.
My husband has been absolutely wonderful during this whole thing. He had to take leave from work to take care of the family. He did all his responsibilities plus mine. What a relief to know that I married a man who so willingly took care of everything while I was gone. He visited me daily which was a blessing. It is so lonely in the hospital, even when you are forced to share a room...I started out in a 4 person room and ended in a 2 person room. Hubby even took care of the babysitting responsibilities that I had committed to. He is really an amazing man. I felt terrible not even being home for his birthday last week. A friend made dinner for the family and brought cupcakes that day though so that was a blessing.
I am so thankful to finally be home to recooperate. The whole thing was very trying on my body. My body is weak as it is. So this just made it more difficult.
Thankfully my aunt flew in today to help out and she leaves the day my grandma flies in to help out as well.
Next week hubby has surgery so it will be my turn to take care of him.
Pain meds are kicking in so I suppose I should head up to bed before I crash out on the couch.
A few weeks ago my husband was off training. Then I started getting these phone calls. Creepy calls. And the caller knew too much about me. I was freaked. My husband was freaked too especially being so far away and unable to do anything to "protect" us. The calls came from various numbers, all local numbers. I called and had the numbers blocked but not much you can do when the numbers are all different. It turns out the calls came from some phone app ugh! AND the calls came from my little brothers friend. I was furious!! Of course I didn't find this out until after I had already filed a police report and changed my phone number as well as deleted any personal information, including my blog.
My brother didn't realize it was as big as a deal as it was. He tends not to realize the obvious. At any rate it had me very scared and now I would like to punch my brother in the nose. Good thing he lives out of state.
So finally my husband came home from his training. During the time he was gone, I was not feeling well, I was having lots of pain, thankfully I made it through until he came home. He came home on a Saturday night, Sunday we went to Church and then out to eat with our Pastor and his family to celebrate my husband and my 9th wedding anniversary. By Monday the pain just continued to get worse. My husband came home early from work and sent me off to the ER.
Because the pain is in my chest I had an EKG, then chest x ray. Then sat in the ER waiting room or 4 hours before I was finally called back. Another EKG, pain meds, labs, constant heart monitering, and a CT, I was admitted.
The next morning I had a scope done to check to see if anything was wrong in my sleeve. I had what is known as a stricture. basicially an area of my sleeve got too tight, they ballooned it open. Over the next few days the pain got worse and nausea set in in a big way. I had another CT, a swallow study (WORST TEST EVER AFTER HAVING WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY!!!), lots of labs, which lead to blown veins and eventually a PICC line being put in), another x-ray, then another scope. This time the scope showed a small hole near the top of my sleeve, they wanted to glue it from the inside to help quicken to healing process. Of course my hospital ran out of the glue that is needed so I sat around waiting for it.
My surgeon wants the most conservative approach taken, Praise the Lord for a good surgeon who doesn't like to take risks. During the whole time I was unable to eat or drink and I swelled up like a balloon from all the fluids.
Yesterday after much begging I was discharged after 12 days in the hospital. I just started being able to tolerate pureed foods yesterday which helped me to get home. I kind of pushed as hard as I could, knowing I would heal better at home and knowing that I needed my family with me. I still have not been glued since it didn't come in on time but the hole is small enough that they do not believe anything is leaking from it or causing issues other than pain. So next week I will be scoped again and a week or two later I will be scoped again to balloon open the sleeve again.
My husband has been absolutely wonderful during this whole thing. He had to take leave from work to take care of the family. He did all his responsibilities plus mine. What a relief to know that I married a man who so willingly took care of everything while I was gone. He visited me daily which was a blessing. It is so lonely in the hospital, even when you are forced to share a room...I started out in a 4 person room and ended in a 2 person room. Hubby even took care of the babysitting responsibilities that I had committed to. He is really an amazing man. I felt terrible not even being home for his birthday last week. A friend made dinner for the family and brought cupcakes that day though so that was a blessing.
I am so thankful to finally be home to recooperate. The whole thing was very trying on my body. My body is weak as it is. So this just made it more difficult.
Thankfully my aunt flew in today to help out and she leaves the day my grandma flies in to help out as well.
Next week hubby has surgery so it will be my turn to take care of him.
Pain meds are kicking in so I suppose I should head up to bed before I crash out on the couch.
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