Sept. 19, 2000  Well folks my first month being on this side has come and gone.  I have lost 56.2 lbs this first month and am so very happy with myself.  After my long hospital stay, I must say that I was more than a little anxious to leave the hospital, but coming home was the best thing that could have happened for me.  Each day I have felt better and better and now I am faced with this new challenge of what to eat, when to eat, how fast should I eat, am I chewing it well enough and am I drinking enough water.  I really couldn't tell if I was losing weight or not so when I went to see Dr. Murr and found out that I had lost 56.2 lbs (yes I want credit for that .2) I was really surprised.  I haven't had any "food issues" yet.  Nothing that I really miss or feel like I just have to have.  I actually am having a hard time knowing when I am hungry and am eating only because I know that I must eat something.   I have been unusually tired and not motivated to do much of anything.  I'm starting to realize what a major life change this is for me.

10-13-2000   Well I went to see my surgeon on Monday and found out that I lost another 11.5 lbs.  That makes 67.7 in 8 weeks time.  I was sure I was going to lose at least 20 lbs or more, so, I was quite dissappointed.  But, as the week has gone on I guess I am getting over it some.  When I look at my total loss for 8 weeks it looks really good.  Dr. Murr told me I was right on target and was doing just great.  He must know what he's talking about , right?  Well this month has been very difficult for me.  Now that I can eat a little more of a variety of foods, I have been trying new things.  Some agree with me and a lot do not.  I'm still trying to learn to slow down my eating and to chew good.  I'm trying each time to figure out why I vomit when I do (which has been frequent). Sometimes I believe I have ate too fast and other times my food wasn't chewed up good enough.  Twice I drank water right after eaing and lost everything so I don't do that anymore.  I was hoping that by now I could be going to the gym and be exercising but my doctor says no for now.  My gout flared up really bad this month landing me in the hospital again.  I have now gone to the podiatrist and rheumotologist and they tell me I have gout cysts in my feet really bad.  There is one on my right foot that needs surgery but he won't do it until I lose more weight. I go back to see Dr. Murr on the 20th of November which is 6 weeks from now.  I've decided not to set anymore goals so that I won't be dissappointed any more.  I have got to say that this way of losing weight is deffinately not the easy way out.  This month was a very difficult month for me. I still get tired and sleep alot.  Everyone says its better after the fourth month, so I will see if thats true.

11-21-2000    I had my 3 month checkup with Dr. Murr and I am very proud to say that I weighed in at 384lbs and that gives me a total loss of 103lbs.  I am anxious to get below 350lbs so that I can weigh on a regular scale.  I have been over 400lbs for the last 12 years or more.  I can't remember what if feels like to be in the 300's  Right now it feels very good, but I know those 200's are going to feel even better.  This month wasn't as bad as the second month.  I wasn't sure I would survive that second month, but I did.  This month I wasn't sick as much and I guess that I am learning how to eat all over again.  Now, I can walk so much better.  I can walk through the stores and not have to ride the scooters.  I feel like going more places and I don't get as short of breath like I did.  So far my back has not hurt me.  I still have problems regulating my blood thinners and it seems I am constantly at the doctors office getting it checked.  I am so very sick of doctors at this point.  I am now seeing  that losing this weight is really going to happen for me.  I was afraid for awhile that the surgery maybe didn't work for me, that I was going to be the one who couldn't make it work.  But, I am losing and I know now that I will continue to lose.  Thank God for that.

12-18-2000    I have now made it through four months and am very pleased that I have lost another 11 pounds.  that brings my total loss in 4 months up to 114 pounds.  Wow, this has got to be the most exciting thing that I have done for myself.  Its not easy sometimes but the rewards are wonderful.  Just to be able to walk again without being short of breath is like a miracle to me.  I go places now and get out of the house.  My next step is going to be joining a gym in January.  Between now and then I am going to start walking, but I am looking forward to going to the gym and working out.  Boy, I didn't think that I would ever say that.  LOL.  This fourth month has been the best so far.  Occassionally I will get sick on something,  but it is usually meat.  Sometimes its because I eat to much or eat to fast.  But that is getting to be less and less.  The chewing of the food is becoming more and more normal to me.  The last two months I have attended Paula's support group meetings and feel that the support and encouragement I receive is priceless.  I wish we could meet more often.  My measurement loss has been awesome too.  My breast have gone from 71 1/2" to 62 3/4".  My waist has gone from71 1/4" to 62".  Myhips started at 74 1/4" and are now 68".  I have lost 3" off my upper arm, 2" off my thighs and 3" off my calves.  I couldn't be more proud of myself.  Can't wait to see what this next month brings.

01-18-01 Ok,  this has been my best month yet.   So exciting because everything just keeps getting better and better.  I will start with the good news.  I lost 13 lbs this month and I lost 2 inches off my breast, 2 inches off my waist and 1 3/4 inches off my hips.  The really neat part is that I have gone down another shirt size and another pant size.  Whoo hooo!  This month has not been without the difficult times but they were few and I didn't mess up anything that bad.  This is the first holiday season in my 46 years that I actually lost weight instead of gaining over the holidays.  So, with that being said, I will confess that I had a couple of homemade sugar cookies and some homemade fudge.  No I didn't  dump.  Darn,  I was so hoping that they would make me so sick I wouldn't ever try it again, but I didn't get tired, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea or anything.  When I realized what I was doing, I got myself back on track.  I lost more weight this month than last.  Well, I took the big plunge and joined the Shapes gym.  I started water arobics classes and its amazing to me but I made it through the entire 1hour class with no problems.  I'm now loving to go and enjoying the group of people that I have met.   Wow 127lbs.  coooool.

PLEASE SIGN MY GUESTBOOK

02-14-01  It has been three weeks since I posted so I am here a week early, but I had my 6 month check up with Dr. Murr on Monday.  Dr. Murr was very happy to see my progress and said that I was right on target and doing quite well.   It had been 3 months since my last visit and I had lost a total of 32 lbs in those 3 months making my grand total lost 135lbs.  Gosh it seems hard to believe.  Now I have 192lbs to go.  I told him that I was getting worried about being able to lose it all within my 1 1/2 to 2 yr time frame of losing, but he told me not to worry about that, that it would happen.  I went to my pcp yesterday and she had run a lot of blood test on me.  My liver enzymes came back normal and they had been high.  My blood sugar was normal and she said that by the blood test she would never know that I was a diabetic.  But the neatest one was my cholesterol.  When I was 19, I had my tonsils out and my doctor come in my room and yelled at me for having a high cholesterol.  Every since then my cholesterol has been very high.  Well, get this it was actually normal with the bad cholesterol low!  Then last Thursday I went to see my pulmonary doc and he's going to run another sleep study on me cause he thinks that I might have lost enough weight already to have stopped the sleep apnea.  That would be wonderful to get rid of that darn machine.  My blood preasure has been normal too.  Now, my biggest challenge this month has been with food cravings or emotional eating, whatever you want to call it.  As my tolerance for food has improved, I have had more choices to make.  My choices have not all been good and I have found that I can eat larger portions now.  So I am facing those food demons and trying to fight that battle daily.   It seems that I will goof up at times, but then I come back more determined than ever.  Im still losing every month, so I just gotta keep focused on eating the right things in the right quantities.  Im hoping and working towards the day when the right choices come naturally for me.  Im  sure that will happen in time.  I have taken pictures again this month but waiting on film to develop.  Its amazing to me how each month brings something different and another challenge.  Its also amazing how much more I can do and how much more energy that I have now.   I almost forgot, I guess cause it has become so routine for me, but I did start exercising in January and have been doing water arobics at least 4 times a week but usually more than that.  I love the water and it has been good for me to get out of the house and do this.  Im now starting to do some free weight training as well to build some muscle in my legs and abdomen.  It sounds so funny for me to be talking about exercise and not saying Yuk I don't want to do that.  Im actually loving it.  Maybe that surgeon worked on my brain while I was under or something.  LOL   Judy

3-14-01 Gosh, it doesn't seem like it has been 7 months since my surgery.  Time is going by very fast.  Before long I will be having my 1st birthday party. :-)  This month has been much different than the rest.  I am having some of my compulsive behaviors return and it has been very difficult curbing those dang cravings.  I always was a big eater and to eat a whole bag of candy or chips or cookies was nothing to me.  Now, this month I have had days where all I could think about was food.  Of course I still can not eat as much as I used to eat, but I have at times through this month ate more than what I should have.  Not only that, but have ate things I shouldn't have ate.  I guess this is true confession time.  LOL  But, I think that it is important that those of you thinking about this surgery know that this may happen to you.  Only time will tell, but I am praying for the time to come that I will have a better handle on what I am eating.  Now, was I afraid to go weigh, you bet!  I went this morning and I was prepared for anything except losing another 11 lbs.  I couldn't believe it.  I am now down a total of 146 lbs all together.  You can not believe how happy I am.  I think when I lose wt and see it in the numbers that it just gives me the push I need to keep going on.  This month I had a sleep study done and was told that they didn't see any sleep apnea so I am hoping when the doctor gets the results he will take me off the machine.  My challenge this next month is that I will be going to Disney this next week.  I am excited about going, but worried about what I will be able to eat.  Then we have company coming down the following week.  So, I know that those temptations will be there for sure.  Im going to have my sister take some pictures of me over there, so my new pics will be posted in about 2 weeks.

4-18-01 Well folks, I made it through another month that brought some new challenges to me.  The first was my vacation.  I really did quite well and was proud of myself.  I think I probably did better that week than the other weeks because I was so scared that I would really blow it.  But with all the walking I did over there, I actually lost 5lbs while I was there.  Now Easter was another story.  Why is every holiday based around a big meal and candy?  Anyway, I thought I was going to lose at least 9 lbs this month and then Easter happened and I grazed for 2 days after on all the goodies.  So I ended up losing 7lbs this month.  Ok, now I think I have all of Easter out of my system and Im getting back on track.  I started back to the gym last night.  Starting back on my protein drink today and have uped my water intake again.  As for carbs, they are my demons.  Carbs I have cut back on now and hopefully by next month, I will see a bigger loss.  I am so close to being half way there.  I just want so bad to say that I am more than half way.  And weighing in at 334 today, I am looking forward to seeing 299 on the scales.  I measured myself today too and lost another 11/2" off my breast, 1/2" off my waist and hips and 1/2" off my upper arm.  As far as foods that I can tolerate.  Bread gives me really bad gas.   Meat sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.  Other than that I tolerate everything else.  The really good news this month is that I am on my way to getting my entire life back.  I bought a used car, so I have some badly needed freedom.  Then I went to vocational rehab and they are going to send me back to college.  So the only thing holding that up right now is a doctors appointment with the orthopedic surgeon.  It looks like I am going to have to have both my knees replaced.  Thats the bad news.  But, in the long run if I can get around better I will be all that much more happy.

5-14-01 I went to see Dr. Murr yesterday for my 9th month check up and he was pleased with my progress.  So am I.  Since I seen him last, that was 3 months ago, I have lost 22lbs.  Not bad when you look at it like that.  This month though I experienced my first plateau.  I went 3 weeks without losing a thing and the scales fluctuated up and down between 5 lbs.  Well you know I said I would only weigh once a month.  I broke that rule of mine and worried all month long.  So I am going to try real hard not to weigh again until next month.  I haven't been having the cravings as much as before, so that is a good thing.  I do notice that when I drink a protein shake I don't eat as much as on the days I don't have one.  I'm going to be happy as long as those scales keep going in the downward trend.  I got the x-ray back on my left knee and it showed that I have a torn ligament and something loose.  I see the orthopedic doctor on the 25th and hopefully they can do something so I can exercise.  My pcp told me not to exercise, not even water arobics.  This is the time I really should be increasing my exercise so I am disappointed about that.  The support group will be at my home this Saturday.  I really don't know what I would do without the support from those wonderful people.  Im going to have someone take pictures of me on Saturday, although 4 lbs is not going to make a great deal of difference.  I was surprised at my measurement this month.  I lost another 1 1/2 inches off my breast, an inch off my waist and an inch off my hips.  Im not exercising so my calves went down an inch also.   I will be starting school in August, so I am hoping the increase in activity and getting out of the house will help me with my weight loss too.  Till next month.

6-19-01 Wow, can you believe that it has really been ten months now?  It is a wonderful  thing this surgery.  I lost another 8 pounds this month.  That is a total of 165 lbs.  Thats more than  some adults weigh.  Again, I ask myself how I got to the point of weighing 487lbs.  I still don't have an answer. I want to lose at least another 142lbs but 152 would even be better.  Now my next goal is going to be to lose 22 lbs so that I can be in the 200's.  I want so bad to have lost 200lbs by my 1 year anniversary which is August 15th.  I measured myself today and lost another 3 inches this month.  So far I have lost 16 inches off my breast, 15.25  inches off my waist, and 11.75 inches off my hips.  No wonder my clothes are hanging on me.  I don't have a problem getting my water in.   Right now exercise is my biggest concern because I can't walk or do too much with my knees being so bad.  I have had so many people ask me if I would do this again and my answer is always the same.  YES IN A HEARTBEAT!

7-18-01 I'm now down to one month before my year anniversary.  This year has been flying by so fast.  Well the good news is that I lost 13 pounds this month.  The doctor let me go back to exercising again as long as my knees were not hurting.  So I went back into the water and instead of the aroebics I started the water walking and concentrating on my upper body.  I thought it was strange that when I did my measurements that the inches I lost were off my hips and thighs.  I don't really care as long as the inches keep coming off.  My grand total of pounds lost now is 178.2 and my grand total for inches is 58.5.  I still have to work real hard on controling those old behaviors.  Its real easy for me to eat food now and I tolerate most everything.  I even tolerated a small piece of steak.  It still remains so strange though.  One day I can eat a very large portion of a food and the next only a few bites.  Chicken and bread are the 2 things I have the hardest time with. Carbs just slide on down, darn it all.  I'm having my knee surgery on August 1st at 1pm, so please say a prayer for me.  Till next month.

8-15-01 I have had some month!  On the 1st of August I had my knee surgery and that was what seems like a bigger deal than the RNY.  I actually had more pain and more complications from the knee surgery.  I ended up in the ER  3 different times.  It wasn't the surgery that caused the problems but the fact that I have to take a blood thinner.  They ended up giving me too much blood thinner and I bleed behind my knee.  I ended up with a pool of blood behind my left knee and bruising from my toes to behind my upper thigh.  Then the swelling was very bad.  My calf this month measured 2 inches larger this month because of the swelling.  So, I am dissappointed in my weight and measurements this month, but its all undestandable with the retention of fluids from the swelling.  As far as my weight loss surgery goes.....well I really couldn't be happier.  Can't believe that in one year I have lost an amazing 181 pounds.  My life has totally changed and all for the better.  I pretty much can eat any thing I want to eat.  Certain things will give me gas (like bread, cookies, cake, )  Since those things are full of carbs and I shouldn't be eating them anyway, I try very hard to stay away from them.  Meats are different each time I try Chicken is a different story.  One time it will go down good and the next time it makes me sick.   I unfortunately can tolerate sugar pretty good and sure wish that I couldn't.  Ice cream boy, it really gets me good, so I stay away from that too.  Other than those things Im eating pretty normal.  I just don't eat as much as I used to.  I start back with my exercise routine tomorrow and am looking forward to that.  Its been since the first of August since I was able to exercise so Im beginning to feel it.  I did start school on August 8th.  I am glad that I did but maybe if I would have known how much trouble I was going to have after the surgery I would have waited until October to start.  Im getting good grades and really like it .  I have new pictures that Im getting ready to put in the site and am wearing my first 3X top.  Whoo hoo!

WALK THROUGH MY PICTURE JOURNEY OF WLS

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MY STARTING WT OF 487

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FRONT AND BACK VIEWS AT 487 POUNDS

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MINUS 93 POUNDS

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A LOSE OF 114 POUNDS IN 4 MONTHS!

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