Thankful

The things that I am most thankful for are...

My family - I'm so glad that my parents encouraged me to be my own person and to never compromise myself.

My partner - I feel so lucky and thankful to have a man who loves me for who I am and makes me feel special every single day.

My health - I am so fortunate for the gift of WLS and this chance to heal my body and enhance my life.

My friends - The ones that have known me forever and have been there through thick and thin.. they mean the world to me.

My job - I love what I do and I work with people that value my talents. What a wonderful feeling!

My Sassy Fatty Sisters! - I could not have made it through the last 9 months of my life (pre and post op) without the support, advice and encouragement of this group and others in the WLS community.

For these blessings and so many more, I am truly thankful.

Month two in the life of the future pin-up girl

Many post-ops told me that the first two months following WLS are the most difficult. I would have to agree. I'm beginning to accept my new way of life, both mentally and physically. I'm not obsessing about food..I can go for several hours without thinking about what I will eat next. My body likes what is happening to it - I have lots of energy.. I have zero sugar in my body.. I can move more freely and I'm experiencing less pain. I've come a long way in feeling satisfied mentally when Phyllis is full and I stop eating. I am absolutely 100% happy that I made the decision to have WLS and I do not have regrets. I think the first two months were, for me, about accepting and making peace with that decision. Now that I have, the fun can begin.

I had my first physical therapy session on Saturday. My therapist Sid is wonderful. He spent a lot of time asking me questions about my physical history, my injuries, the kind of pain that I have, and what my physical goals are. I felt like finally someone understood and could really help me. He quickly identified the injured muscle in the right thorasic region (mid-back area) where I hit when I fell down those stairs a year and a half ago. He did some deep tissue work on the muscle and he said he could feel the spasming. He feels that the injury is just in the soft tissue and not a structural injury (very good news!). He's going to work with me on healing the tissue and also working the joints in that area. Sid taught me 4 stretches that I'm to do each morning and evening until I go back on December 2. I'll be going the next 3 Saturdays after that, and then he'll reevaluate me. In the meantime, Chris and I decided to join Bally's gym. I'm going to use the treadmill and start doing some resistance work on my legs and arms to start toning up.

And - saving the best for last...... I weighed in at 249 on Saturday! Woohoo baby.. I'm under 250! I had a 5 pound week and I'm SO glad that the scale is starting to move for me. My clothes are fitting nicely and I'm getting into dressing up again. It's been fun being all girlie again! At my Mom's house, I have a big suitcase filled with all of my "skinny" clothes (sizes 18 and 20) that I can take home with me after Thanksgiving. Can't wait to see what will fit me - I have a size 18 black leather skirt in there that I would love to be in by Christmas.

I'm so pumped up and ready to work hard to make it to my goals. I can already tell that month 3 is going to be fantastic!

It's her time

Today our sassy sister Donna is having WLS! I'm so excited for her and wishing her all the best. She's going to be one amazing WLS success story. Donna originally thought she wouldn't get a date until after the first of the year, but things happened quickly and now it's HER time.

As for me, I'm just plugging along. I lost 2 lbs last week, which is fine. I'm still shrinking which is the most important thing. I went through my closet and pulled a bunch of clothes from the back that fit me so nicely now. It was almost like Christmas! This week I've been wearing my cute plaid wool skirts with tights - a bit of a naughty schoolgirl look. Yesterday I gave all of my slacks and a couple of skirts in size 22 to one of my coworkers. This lady is so sweet - I'm glad that she didn't take my offer of the clothes as an offense. Before my WLS, she and I were the biggest people in the office. Is it weird that I feel like I'm abandoning her?

Women who ROCK

I don't care what your politics are - all women should feel very proud today. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) will be the next Speaker of the House. That's right - a woman will be two seats away from Presidency. That is PROGRESS, ladies! Give 'em hell Nancy!!





"Maybe it will take a woman to clean up the House, and a new speaker to restore civility" Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D)

Could it be? Is that - a neck?..

My skinny jeans

Ok, so my skinny jeans are size 18s - but I got them on, dammit! They're not quite ready for public view.. I'll give them another week or so. And - I'm half way to my first major goal of getting back to 227 - my lowest weight during my Atkins days back in 2002-03. Just 29 lbs to go!

So I had yet another dr. appt today - I saw my PCP and asked for a referral to a physical therapist. My back has been spasming again for about a week or so. I want to get back into the gym REALLY BADLY, but I'm terrified that I'll reinjure my back. So in a week or so, I should have the insurance approval for PT. In the meantime, I got another Rx for Valium (thank goodness!) and I'm looking for a good massage therapist in the East Bay. Despite all of the back pain, I did climb all of the stairs at the BART station today. That felt good - 2 months ago there would have been no way.

The scale is moving for me, though it's a bit slower than I would like. I decided to start taking my Glucophage again to see if it helps me lose a bit easier. Dr. U had left it up to me whether or not I would take it again after surgery (I take it for PCOS, not diabetes). Now that I'm 7 weeks out, I'm giving it a try. I started taking it on Saturday and so far, so good. No major tummy issues with 500 mg., so I'll increase to 1000 mg. next week.

Oh - and a question for all of the post-ops - did you start noticing more restriction at 6-7 weeks out? I've read about people's pouches being "numb" right after surgery - and feeling fuller after a few weeks post-op. I'm feeling much fuller, much quicker now and thankfully, not having to eat quite as frequently. I still try to eat small amounts every 3-4 hours, but I'm not having as many blood sugar issues as before. Hell I don't know - I'm still trying to figure Phyllis out!!

All in the Family

On Tuesday, my cousin Paul had WLS. He's recovering nicely from his lap RNY and should be released from the hospital this afternoon. Paul is now the third member of my family (on my mom's side) to have WLS. I was second. My Aunt Debbie was first. She's now five years post-op and maintaining a normal weight. The unfortunate thing about my family is that not one member is of a normal weight - we are ALL overweight. Actually, I take that back. We're all obese. If there was ever a family genetically designed to outlast a famine, we're it. Of course, there is no famine - so we put that stored energy away for a rainy day in the form of fat. It just makes me wonder about what our future generations will be like. Will Paul's new baby boy, who is less than a year old, grow up overweight? It so happens that Paul's wife is a WLS post-op too. His son will be lucky to grow up with parents who have a different view of eating than ours did. And for myself - will I be dooming my own future child(ren) to a life of obesity, simply by dealing him/her/them a bad hand genetically?