Turning 40, Thanksgiving, Insurance Approval and a Surgery Date!

Well, it's been a while since I posted and a lot has happened since then.  I am now 40 years old!!!  I celebrated my birthday with two of my best girlfriends; all thanks to my a big surprise from my husband who treated us all to a night on the town.  I am proud to say that I passed on having any of my birthday cake and was pretty content watching my kids enjoy it!  I am not really a big sweet eater anyway, it's pasta, rice and overall portion sizes that are my problem.  I made it through Thanksgiving as well and I am really proud of myself as I did not gain a pound and overall I have lost 17lbs since I started this journey!! 

I went through a rough patch where my appetite seemed to increase overnight.  I had to get really creative about keeping myself busy and not giving in to over eating.  I had a bit more fat and sugar on Thanksgiving than I had been typically eating and I think eating that caused me to start craving carbohydrates again.  I also think that I am going to struggle with hunger around my "time of the month".  Hopefully I will be more social and more active as I continue to lose weight, thereby giving me something else to focus on besides eating.  Thanks to the new, tiny stomach I'll have, eating smaller portions won't be a problem!!  I experienced my first weight loss stall for about 5 days, but sure enough I started back on the losing track with no problems at all.  I am definitely starting to notice a difference in my clothes and how they fit.  My bra is too big now and a couple pair of my pants have room around the waist.  My family has mentioned that they notice a difference as well.  I have been doing well on my own and I would be fibbing if I said that I didn't consider continuing on my current plan and not having surgery, but after much thought and prayer, I realize that surgery is necessary for me to maintain a healthy weight.  I have been able to lose weight in the past; significant amounts of weight.  However, I have NEVER been successful in keeping it off.  God has been good and everything has fallen into line perfectly to lead me to where I am now.

I met with my surgeon a week and a half ago and I got the call this morning that my insurance approved the surgery and I am scheduled for January 5th, 2012, which is right around the corner!  I have a lot to do to prepare in terms of grocery shopping for the items I will need for the full liquid and puree stage of my post-op diet as well as getting things organized so my husband doesn't want to jump ship (hahaha).  I also have to purchase my vitamins and protein supplements.  If there are no complications, my expected hospital stay is just 1 night...that is unbelievable to me.  I am hoping for 2 nights because I don't deal with pain very well; I am definitely a chicken when it comes to pain!  I had my surgery nutrition instruction so I am all set in regard to what I should be consuming directly after surgery and what my nutritional requirements are in order to stay hydrated and heal properly.

I am excited, nervous and grateful all at the same time.  There are so many things in life that I have missed out on that normal weight people take for granted.  There has been so much anxiety and worry that has gone into thinking about how I could become a healthier person by losing weight and for once in my adult life I feel a real sense of hope that I am on my way to a more active, healthy and enjoyable lifestyle!  Till next time...