Big Big Big Changes Coming SOON!

Been a long time, I know.  Busy as you are too I am sure.  But....here is what is going on and what is fixing to happen.

I have been preparing for my Gastric Sleeve weight loss surgery.  I am just a lil over a week away.  This week has been all protein shakes and non calorie drinks as will next week.  On the 6th of January I will finally get to have this surgery done.

I do want to take this moment here to personally thank Shaklee for providing me the protein shakes I am having to drink.  They did this in a program I did with them a little while back.  Shaklee did not know why I asked for the Cinch at that time but it was in my plans for this preparation.  This is not endorsed, paid for or even known to the company.

What happens during the surgery?  (Taken from the Obesity and Bariatric Surgery website)

• An incision is made in the stomach, and through this operation, the size of the stomach is considerably reduced.
• The stomach is stapled laparoscopically, meaning that a number of small incisions are made as opposed to one large incision.
• The majority of the stomach is removed. The remaining part is left shaped like a sleeve; it is sealed with surgical staples.

According to Complete Obesity Surgery Guide, a website dedicated to educating people about surgical procedures for obesity, people who have undergone a gastric sleeve operation have lost about 30-50 percent of their excess body fat (on average) within one year.

This is something that I have been fighting for my whole life.  Also it is a surgery that I have given a lot of thought into.  As a matter of fact I have been preparing for this particular surgery for 3 years.  And it is not a quick whim for me at all.

At 19 when I went on birth control I gained 60 lbs in 6 months.  It was horrible and I could not get it off.  Now at 19 I was a very active woman and did not eat a lot.  My husband (at the time) and I had a group of friends that we went dancing with every Friday and Saturday night.  Now being young we did not have much money so we would go before 9 p.m. (no cover charge) and drink water.  So it was not for lack of activity.  I also worked a full 40 hour week along with my daily chores.  It was not a sit on the couch and do nothing life for me.

Fast forward 31 years and it has not really changed.  My weight in the last 10 years has kept inching up and up putting another 20+ lbs on me.  But I am still fairly active.  I can overeat as I think all of us can at times but I do not make a practice of it.  Nor do I eat much fried foods.  Of course I will admit to a love of bread.  I am not saying I have nothing to do with this but it is not all from over eating and not trying.

This is the stash of weight loss
pills, drop and sprinkles
I have been using for the last year.

I have been on every diet out there, used all kinds of pills and did the exercise programs that I could.  Yes, I am a Weight Watchers, Curves, Alli loving fool.  And personally I love each of these programs.  They did help in many ways.  But it would not help me get the weight off where I need to be.  Not even close.  I have never ever been able to lose even down below 220 lbs in all these years.  Thus I am now going to do the only thing I feel is left to me.

Now why do I want to do this?  Well it is for my health.  I am not currently horrible.  I do have rheumatoid arthritis which plays hell with my joints especially my knees.  I am bi-polar and it should not be effected by my weight but who knows.  If I can move better and more I should also be creating endorphins that should make my moods improve.  I am already having some of that horrid age bladder leakage and hopefully with the weight off it will improve too.  But mostly I am trying my best to keep away from having high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes that is so common with overweight and age combined.  My highest weight was 268 lbs and it was last recorded on June 2013 (yes this last summer!)  I am currently at 239 lbs.  This is a combined effort of Weight Watchers, exercise and now also the liquid protein pre-op diet.  I have dropped 29 lbs in the last 6 months.  I have also lost and gained 10 of those lbs back and forth during that time too.  My BMI (body mass index) is now at 39.8.  It was over 40 before my pre-op liquid protein diet which is listed as morbid obesity.  Normal weight BMI is 18.5 to 24.9 which equals out for me to a weight of 145 lbs at the top. That is another 94 lb drop I have to go.  A total of 123 lbs of weight loss from my heaviest weight.  Yes, a whole person.  As a matter of fact this is just about the size of my daughter at 26 years old. (Photo below of her.)

This really puts it in perspective. 

Now here is the hardest part and you may wish to stop right here.  I am going to be brutally honest about what I look like.  No I am not bashing myself.  I am serious in that I want to have documented proof of where I am at so I can see as I (pray) lose this weight.  I need to know what changes are happening.  So I am posting my before weight photos.  These were taken the first day of my 2 week liquid pre-op diet.  Really you don't have to look.

Here I am at my heaviest of 268 pounds.

Okay here I am CLOTHED!

Weighing in at 245 lbs.

I have to say from the front and with my The Girls pants on it helps hide some of my weight.

But all the damage is there on the side view.

Here is the BAD photos of me in bra and panties.

Front (thank god for Granny Panties) showing my legs with lots of cellulite.

Oh it was everything for me not to try and suck in what I could of my stomach.  This is not a view I want to see or show.

And yes the horrid back fat too!

Okay that is the worse of it.  I am praying that as time goes by it will just get better and better.  So what else do you want to know?  I am sure this has been way too much information already but I am making sure I see the steps I am taking.  

Well, I just wanted to update you.  Scared yet?  No....good, I am not either!

Oh and no one has paid me or endorsed any of this.  I just wanted to share what I used, where I have been helped and what is coming up next.