Still plugging away...

I am down 5 1/2 lbs since my visit last tuesday! YEAH! I am drinking over 100 oz every day, with the exception of yesterday when i went to Syracuse with mom and didn't want to have to pee alongside 81 every 30 miles, LOL. I'm doing very well at limiting the carbs. So far i havn't had too many carb cravings, so that's good. I find keeping my hands busy with sewing or knitting really helps a lot too. As well as having my full water bottle within reach at all times.
Havn't heard anything on my approval, but didn't expect to this quickly. I assume late this week at the very earliest and even then i would be surprised. Maybe next week is my hope, we shall see.

Getting a good start...

I'm really getting a great start on this month...I can totally do this...
Yesterday i drank 104 oz of water, that's right 104, holy moly. I sure did spend a lot of time in the potty, but that's okay with me.
In the last 3 days i've lost 4 lbs, yup 4 lbs...isn't that AWESOME...i can do this!!!!

94 ounces of water...

Yesterday i drank 94 oz of water. I am having a lot of success getting in lots of water by using the Crystal Light flavor packets. They are sugar free, no calorie and what not, but because they have splenda (or some form of fake sugar) in them it really tricks your taste buds into thinking you are having a sugary drink. I dilute them in twice the water as the directions though and they are still super sweet.
Anyway my goal is 64 oz a day but would like to keep above that if possible. So after my morning coffee it's water, water, water.....

Letter is being submitted to insurance...

Okay so i've met all the requirements, had all the consults and testing done so the letter is being submitted to my insurance company for approval, YEAH!
My dr wants to try and really lose some weight this month though, she really feels i need to focus on what my diet will be like after surgery - meaning high protein, very low carb. She feels i am just not mentally there yet, and i do agree with her. So it's on like donkey kong, so to speak and the carbs are going by by, for me anyway.
I have my next presurgery thing on June 7th which is the nutrition review class, where we go over in detail the first month post surgery and what we can eat, need to eat. My approval may come before that meeting, and if it does then the surgeon's office will call me and book my surgery date. I'm crossing my fingers for sometime in June, however since they don't deal with my particular insurance often, they have no idea how long it will take to get my approval. She said some insurances it's short and only a few days, some it's weeks before the approval comes through.
So for now I am focusing on 3 things with regard to my diet - #1drinking minimum of 64 oz of water per day #2 Thinking protein first at every single meal #3 lowest possible carbs and those that i do eat need to be whole grain type carbs .....
I really have to stop having the mentality of "well i'm not going to eat this post surgery so i might as well have it now"...in the weight loss surgery "community" that's called the "last supper syndrome".
So here we are, waiting for insurance approval and adapting to my post surgery diet while i wait.
I'm still nervous and excited all at the same time!

Tomorrow is my "last" appointment

My last appointment before we submit to insurance for approval that is.
As the time is drawing nearer to surgery, i do admit i have some fears, but I'm also excited about the prospect of finally being able to control my weight and be healthy.
I keep reminding myself this is the best tool i can get for permanent weight loss, to be healthy, happy and active. I remind myself i'm doing this for myself, my daughter, my husband and my whole family, so that I will be here for them for as long as possible. I do not want my life complicated by medical issues that are most certainly on their way. I do not want to be morbidly obese forever.
I have been thinking a lot lately about one thing in particular. I have no idea what it's like to not be fat. Really in high school i was fat, sure nowhere near where i am not, but i was most definately overweight. Even then i didn't do the things i wanted to do many times because of my weight. So what's it going to be like? I just have no clue, but i sure am looking forward to finding out.
I've started a mental "bucket list" of things i want to do once i lose the weight, kind of a check off list to see how much i've accomplished.
Riding a bike.
Riding the said bike to my mom's house and back.
Climbing the Bear Mountain outlook trail at Cranberry Lake.
Sitting in booths at restaurants without having to squeeze into them and be horridly uncomfortable squished up against the table.
Running after Faith in games of tag, without being winded.
Shopping for clothes in regular stores, for sizes that don't include the word "PLUS".

That's just a few of them :-) I have a LOT!!!!!
I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow for sure, be on the look out for many more posts now that things are getting close.

April Update...almost there...

Had my appt and meeting for April. Things are moving right along. My next and "final" appointment for the pre-surgery stuff is May 11th. That will be the final appt needed to submit to my insurance for approval. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.

March Update

Saw Karen (NP) on the 9th. I did gain a lb, i need to go back to writing down what i eat, that helps me stay on track a lot better. Still down overall so i guess that's what matters more.
Results of sleep study were in, no sleep apnea, i just sleep like crud, um duh already knew that. But thankful i will not ever have to do that again!
I have 2 more monthly appointments before they can submit to insurance, they expect no issues with approval, i hope so *fingers crossed*. Next month i have a weight check and class about behavior modification w/ a nurse that has had the DS (duodenal switch), i'm looking forward to that.
Not really much else to report, just trying to work on understanding what my diet will be and making steps to reduce drastically the amount of carbs i eat.

Sleep Study = :(

It stunk. Being hooked up to all those leads & wires wasn't really uncomfortable but trying to sleep with them sure was. Honestly the bed was comfy and i was tired, so i don't know if it was anxiety, or the wires, or what but it was awful. At 5 am the guy comes in and says "well you didn't sleep good at all"...ummm no really? Anyway i just hope they don't tell me i need to do it again. Other than "you didn't sleep well" the technician didn't say much except the results would take about 3 weeks, whatever....I still don't think i have sleep apnea, i just don't sleep well, never have. I've always been told it's the fibromyalgia that affects my sleep.
I was tired and miserable all day yesterday because of the lack of sleep, so i got next to nothing done. However i slept great last night and hope to have a productive day today :-)

Now i gotta get back at dieting and trying to exercise. I am looking into insurance coverage for physical therapy, my primary care suggested it to help with the fibromyalgia but i need to see if they will cover the costs first, you know how insurance can be.

Saw Dr. H today...

So today i met Dr. Hixson, he's an older doctor and extremely friendly, i liked him instantly. My official weight loss since my last visit was 7 1/2 lbs, darn PMS :( But that's okay cause i wouldn't want to gain next month, so if i continue to do what i'm doing i'm hoping for another few lbs lost next month. Dr. H said he felt i was making a very positive decision in choosing the DS procedure. He reminded me it is the more "risky" surgery with a 1% mortality rate, which i already knew. We also talked about the fact that at 32 (33 next week) I am at a great, healthy place to get this surgery. I am not going in with high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes or any number of other health problems that i will most certainly be looking forward to down the road if i don't get this weight off. Overall a fantastic appointment and Dr. H made me feel really good about my decision and he complemented me about being so educated about the surgery and process, as well as what will be required of me. Made me feel great :-)
Next up is the sleep studay on Sunday night, rescheduled from before when i was sick and then the next time the weather was bad. Hopefully all goes well and i get that out of the way. Then on 3/4 i go see the psychiatrist. March 15th is my next Saranac appointment and i see the nutritionist at that time too.

Down 11 lbs for January

Not too shabby for not doing a whole lot. I totally cut out soda, increased my water intake dramatically. And almost totally cut out sweet treats & junk food. I am also trying really hard to get in some kind of exercise every day, however my fibromyalgia is playing heck with that. On that note i talked to my primary doctor yesterday (when i went in for yet another cold, argh) and she also has fibromyalgia, which is great because a lot of doctors don't "believe" it exists. Anyway she is switching one of my meds for a different one to see if it will help me #1 sleep better and #2 get some relief from my current fibro flare up. She also gave me a referral to a physical therapist, Carthage has one that is doing a reflexology type thing with trigger points and she's heard good things about it and is actually going to be trying it herself.
So hopefully that will help. I have to contact my insurance and make sure they will cover it of course first.
Had to cancel my sleep study on Sunday night because of the weather, i rescheduled it for Feb 14th, so i guess i'm spending my Valentine's night with a stranger sort of, LOL.

One last thing to share, i found a way to enjoy pizza without it being super bad for me. I bought Arnold Sandwich thins (i got them at Walmart, they might have them other places), i bought the multigrain ones but they had other flavors. I put just a bit of pizza sauce on and a small sprinkle of cheese. You could top with just about anything you like on pizza. This way it's whole wheat/grains in the crust and with just a bit of cheese and maybe some veggies it's pretty darn low in fat too, as each Sandwich thin contains only 1 gm fat. That's all for now....