Becoming Thin… And Staying That Way

08.28.2001
(-31 pounds in 4 weeks)

I still feel like I look pregnant.

I’ve lost 31 pounds… 86 to go…

Whew. I did it. I’ve now lost 29 pounds. I wanted to have lost 29 pounds by August 21st, but I’m 4 days late. Today I got rid of my size 26/28 and 3x clothes. I am now wearing a size 22/24 and 2x. I weigh 223 pounds. My next goal is to lose another 10 pounds by September 4th.

Well, I was hoping to have hit my next goal today. I wanted to be at minus 29 pounds. I need to kick it in gear, I don’t want to fall behind!!

08.21.2001
(-26 pounds in 3 weeks)

Well, Gang… I can’t believe it. I’m 2 weeks post-op! The time really has flown by. I’ve been super busy updating my website and posting TONS of pictures.

Thank you to Laura for being my Angel and posting to everyone how I was doing. Thank you, also to Terri #2 for checking on me. Those two are so incredibly sweet.

As Laura told everyone, they did a have a little trouble with my surgery because my liver was enlarged. Let me be the person to warn you… DO NOT GO ON A CARB-FEST BEFORE YOUR SURGERY!!! Apparently if you eat many carbs in a short period of time, it will cause liver problems. eeeek. They said I should have laid off the carbs for a month or more before my surgery. I did not know that and I have my husband as a witness that I was not told that at my consultation. Oh well, live and learn. Anyway… they said that probably caused me to be in a little more pain than I normally would have been, and bought me an extra day in the hospital. But that’s ok.

So here I am, 2 weeks (and 1 day) post-op. I weighed in at 252 the morning of surgery. I lost 18 pounds in the first week, and at my 2-week anniversary, I’ve lost 23 pounds. That is just incredibly unbelievable to me.

I’m here to tell you that drinking water is sooooooooo important!!! After the 18 pounds in 1 week, I didn’t lose anything for 4 days. I started to worry that was all I was gonna lose. (I know we all think this at our first plateau, but I didn’t think I’d hit a plateau only a week out.) Anyway, I upped my water intake to 100 oz. per day. At first that seemed like an impossible thing to do. But I have some ozarka water bottles that I fill with filtered water, that are 16.9 oz each. I drink 1 before breakfast… 2 between breakfast and lunch… 2 between lunch and dinner… and 1 after dinner. It’s really not that hard. If you need a boost, I highly recommend it. Also, I’ve found that if you get tired of drinking water, add a capful of lemon or lime juice and 1 equal packet. Tastes like limeade or lemonade. Pretty good stuff.

So I’ll quit rambling now.

I’d like to thank everyone for being the best support group in the entire world!!!

08.14.2001
(-23 pounds in 2 weeks)

08.08.2001
(-18 pounds in 1 week)

I did it! I met my first goal of losing 15 pounds! I wanted to lose 15 pounds by August 14th, and I met my goal a week early! =) Today I got rid of my size 30/32 clothes. I am now wearing a size 26/28. I weigh 237 pounds. My next goal is to lose another 14 pounds by August 21st.

Wish me luck!!

I did it! I made it through the hospital stay! Can you believe that other lady wanted to be released that day, too! Uuuggghhh. I really wonder if she’s gonna handle this life altering change well.

My dad came that day to see me and take my mom home to Austin. My husband and I would rough it together at the hotel until Tuesday. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a drug store to get the liquid Tylenol prescription filled. I knew I didn’t want to take it, but we wanted to have it on hand just in case. I never did end up taking any of it.

We got back to the hotel room and I wanted to lay down. Lemme tell you… laying down on a flat bed is ENTIRELY different than laying down in a hospital bed. Getting comfortable took about 6 pillows and didn’t last. We tried to rent a recliner (which is what I would recommend to anyone out there waiting to have the surgery)… but the soonest they could get it to us would be the day we were leaving. Sigh… Oh well.

This was the day I was originally going to be released from the hospital. They started me on soft foods in the morning. I had half an ounce of scrambled eggs in the morning. Dr. Wongsa wants his patients to eat mostly protein, then vegetables, then fruit (in that order of importance). A half ounce of food 3 times per day. That’s it. Sounds incredibly small. You wouldn’t believe how full you can get off a half ounce of food! How small is a half ounce, you ask? You know those medicine cups on Pepto Bismol? HALF of that. Amazing. Later that day, the stupid cafeteria workers actually brought me lasagna, salad and chocolate cake! My husband FREAKED! He took it out to the nurse’s station… “SHE CAN’T EAT THIS!” They sent up some chicken salad instead. But get this… the lady next to me got her tray of liquids that day. She started eating the popscicle! I told her that we were not supposed to have sugar, and you need to watch what the cafeteria brings you. We started discussing how you shouldn’t have to second guess what the cafeteria brings you. You think you’d be on a Doctor’s prescribed diet. How odd is that?

By that night I was doing well taking care of myself. Luckily so, since I wouldn’t have anyone there to help me. I had the hardest time sleeping through the night. The lady next to me didn’t, though. And the funny thing was that I was walking ALL THE TIME. She walked ONCE. You’d think I would be tired from all the exercise I was getting. She never had to pee in the night either. I was thinking she was not doing well at all. Not peeing enough and not walking at all. Tisk. Tisk.