Great Site!

Ok this one is not WLS related but had to share it with everyone. It's a website called ebates. They pay you to shop!  Right now they have where if you sign up you get a $10 gift card. ( I got mine for target so that I can have some money towards new clothes!) Just click the link sign up and shop your favorite stores through this site!


http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=r7S8C9GBK8nRlvW6oXucuQ%3D%3D

A much needed update.

Ohhh so I know it's been awhile since I've updated, sorry bout that, but the updates will start coming more frequently now.  On Monday August 27th I started my two week liquid diet for surgery. I though it was going to be pure hell but here I am starting day five and it's not so bad. The main adjustment I had to deal with was all this time I was expecting to be able to have broth and cream of soups and sugar free jello and sugar free Popsicle. Well nope, they must have just recently changed their requirements because now all we are allowed to have is the protein shakes and non caloric beverages.  It's been rough, I'm not gonna lie but after getting on the scale yesterday it gave me a new found energy for this whole liquid diet. On Monday at the doc office I weighted in at 389, then a few hours later at the hospital it was 386, yesterday while I was at my grandmothers house I weighted myself and it said 375.6 that means about 13 pounds lost on this liquid diet. It's kinda funny because at my last appt with Dr. Glembot he said he wanted me to lose 10-15lb i was joking around and said I'll give you 20, well at this rate I'll be giving him 20 and then some.I go back to the office on Wednesday (the 5th) for my video consent and my final appt before surgery. As of right now I have a tentative surgery time of 10:20am!! which means I think i need to be at the hospital at like 8-8:30!! Watch out losers bench, ya better make room cause I'm coming!!!!


highest weight 404
weight starting wls journey 396
weight starting liquid diet 389
current weight  375

Finally a date!

Woohoo so so very exciting! On July 17th, i got approval for my surgery and then today I got the greatest call ever!! I have a surgery date! I will be having surgery Sept 10th!!!! On the 27th of Aug I start all my bariatric vitamins, and my liquid diet. On that date also have my pre-op education classes and pre-register at the hospital. Then on the 5th I got back to the doc and meet with the surgeron on last time before surgery! I am so excited and it feels like such a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that I have a date. Let the countdown begin!   45 days!!!!

Waiting!

Let the waiting begin. Have a long struggle and fight with healthy roads( I was apparently not enrolled in the right program and hat whole going back and forth with them about whether or not what I had done already would count.) I am finally done jumping through insurance hoops. My stuff was submitted to Cigna for approval yesterday morning around 9am. Now I just have to sit around and wait for the approval so that I can get my date. I am back to looking at August/September for surgery. I am so very close and getting so excited. Oh on another note I am no longer getting a Vsg Dr. Glembot thought that I would do better with the bypass ( but would still support my decision to stay w the sleeve if I wanted to) so as of June 18th ( my final surgical consult) I am now a gastric bypass patient! So letting the waiting game begin!!

Tears!

OMG I AM SOOO IN TEARS RIGHT NOW!!! and good tears! My surgeons office called and apparently my insurance company has changed their requirements! They no longer require a 7 month diet they only require a four, which mean I am done my diet!!!! I just need to get a letter from my doc and finish my healthy roads calls (i just did wk 3 of 8) but i have a final surgical consult appt JUNE 29th at 9am!!!
I just can't believe this, this also means the appt I had schedule for tomorrow I do not need anymore since I am done with my diet. I have my classes that I have to take tomorrow, and I have an appt with my primary care doctor on June 6th to get a letter from her giving the go ahead for surgery. Then as soon as I get done with healthy road woohoo!!This is soo beyond exciting and I just cant wait to get this new chapter started!

April Update

So let see where should I begin.....  Well I am off crutches, still not 100% better but I'm getting there. Physical Therapy is doing well, she is very impressed with my progress. I am trying not to let the injury throw my exercise off track. I try to walk at least 20 mins a day even if it is just up and down the hallway. Yesterday I started doing Pilates, I'm going slow but I'm doing something.

Mmm now onto doctors appointments, met with Pam again. She has cleared me for surgery! Woohoo, check that step off my list, I do not see her again until one month after surgery. I tell ya its a great feeling to have an after surgery appointment to look forward to. This month I also met with Dr. Harden-Mack again, I didn't lose anything this month but I also haven't gained anything either. With the injury to my ankle, that is an amazing feeling, however I am not more determined to "make up for lost time". I haven't had any kind of soda in two months now, and I have upped my water, I think I am averaging 10 glasses a day.  This month I am trying to focus on cutting back the complex carbs and white flour. I've done pretty good so far, have done some awesome swaps, instead of mashed potatoes I did mashed cauliflower. Instead of of scalloped potatoes, I did augratin cauliflower. We have tried swapping out spaghetti for spaghetti squash, and I think my next spaghetti swap is going to be julienne some zuchinni and using it in place of the pasta.

While I was at the appt with Dr. Harden-Mack I asked them to check my list of insurance requirements, other then finishing my diet all I had left was getting a letter from my pcp, not a problem since she had suggested it to me before, that's just a phone call away. The other thing was something called Healthy Roads Weight Management, its an eight week phone counseling thing, Cigna does not require it, Newell Rubbermaid (my husbands employer) does. I called today and enrolled, first phone call is tomorrow at 2:10pm.

It's getting closer and closer and I just can not wait to be on the losers bench!

Surgery Checklist

I also thought I would share the check list I have for leading up to surgery. I will continue to check it off and post it as I knock things off the list!

March update

So it's almost time for my April appts and here I forgot to do my march appt updates. So lets start with the appt in March. Dr Harden-Mack was very pleased with my progress, I lost 1.5 pounds. Slow and steady but I'm getting there. My next appt with her is the 27th of April! Also in this past month I was supposed to have my mammogram. I show up for my appt the woman brings me back and after looking at my age and the fact that I have no symptoms calling for the mamao she said did not feel comfortable doing it. She called Dr.Glembots office and stayed on the phone till she was able to get an answer from him. He said to cancel it, that I did not need one, so woohoo I officially have all my pre-insurance approval things completely except for my diet. I've been trying to be more active but as of Monday I am officially out of commission. I slipped down the last two stairs Monday morning and sprained my ankle. Crutches are really not fun but ugh I swear just walking around on them is a work in its self.  I have two appts coming up, April 17th with Pam for more of the mental health eval and then an appt with Dr Harden-Mack on the 27. As far as the steps to my surgery I am officially half way in those steps!! It's getting closer and closer and I just can't wait!

Month two

So yesterday I went tony appt to start month two. I am happy to say I have lost 6 & 1/2 lbs. doc nurse& dietician all said I was doing awesome and I was going to rock my sleeve. They all told me just keep doing what I am doing. I have just been tracking what I'm eating and have switched from regular soda to diet soda. I Am in the process of weening myself off of soda since I will not be able to have it after surgery. I have also been trying to up my protein. I can't believe I am one month down already, that's just one more month closer to surgery!

Protein

So I've been trying to get used to lots of protein in my diet and cut back the carbs but wow oh wow. Almost everything that has protein in it has carbs in It, heck even my protein shake has more carbs in it then protein ( 29g carbs only 10g protein ). I would love it if anyone has more protein packed food ideas with a lot less carbs. The 6 month insurances or mandated diet is going pretty I go back to the doc on the 21st to start month two. I can't believe a month has gone by already. Other then my mammogram I think I have all my pre insurance things taken care of. I also need to call and set up the eight week phone thing I have to do through healthy roads. I will fill in more after my appt on Tuesday.

A life saver

These lil things have become a life saver for packing my lunch at work. I found them at Food Lion on sale for 10 for $10. I am about to start a crazy hectic two weeks at work with 79 hours one week and 69 hours the next. Gotta love tax season. These things will be so easy to grab one grab a bottle of water something sweet and something crunchy. I've been using my fitness pal to track my food for the 6 month diet and with my iPhone I can easily just scan the bar code and it adds it right away. If anyone had any lunch friendly tips they wanna share I am totally open!

A new Journy

So I have started a new journey in life. I am first of all finally a HOGAN!!! yep that's right i went and got hitched. The big journey now is really back to getting healthy and losing weight. I have made a huge decision that will greatly impact my life. I have started the journey towards Baratric surgery. Yes that's right I said it. On Monday I started my insurance mandated 7 month physician supervised diet. Right now I have to track anything and everything that passes my lips. I go back to her on the 20th of February and will go over what I am eating and then after that I will meet with the dietitian. My Fitness Pal has been my best friend the last couple of days seeing as how that is my food journalism place of choice. I am not telling anyone/everyone yet about surgery, well except for those who happen to stumble upon this blog. There is a lot of hard work and doctors visits in my future but I can not wait. I am so excited ! My surgery of choice you ask, I will be having a vertical sleeve gastronomy when all said and done. I know they first thing your thinking, oh shes having weight loss surgery shes taking the easy way out. Let me just tell you it is by far not the easy way out. Like I said I have a 7 month insurance mandated diet, I have several tests that I have have had to and will have to have done. So far I have had a EDG, a massive blood work up done, including stool sample, a sleep study. I still need to have a mammogram dont and some other testing. Yes i know i"m only 27 and getting a mammogram and that is because they want to check everything and make sure you are as healthy as you can be before you go under the knife. Right before surgery I make had a two week liquid diet (sounds fun and easy doesn't it),I will be in the hospital for a minimum of two days when I do have surgery and after surgery I will have to give myself a daily shot of Lovanox (a blood thinner) for two weeks (again I say, sounds fun and easy doesnt it). I will go through a series of of diet stages. I will start with clear liquids then go to full liquids and then to mushies, and then slowly work my way back up to solid foods. I will be posting my monthly weight loss and maybe hopefully even pictures!!