Holy Cow. That was hard.
I was hungry all day, but that wasn't the worst part.
Have you ever tried to eat bite 30 times?
No? Try it.
Have you ever tried to not drink anything while you eat?
No? oh my word. choke fest.
And then to not drink anything 30 minutes before and after your meal. Difficult.
Oh, and we must not forget that we have to eat our meal in 30 minutes. I'm a slow eater anyway... but that's crazy.
Small minor annoyances. We'll get through it.
I did weigh myself today and lose 2.5 lbs between yesterday and today. I'll take that ;o)
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
and so it begins...
Today we went for our "Initial Nutrition Appointment." I don't know what I was expecting but I don't think it was that. But that's not a bad thing at all!
This class was taught by Amber, the Bariatric Coordinator and Nutritionist. There were about 15-18 of us in there.
We learned nutrition 101 and were given 3 weeks of homework. Yep-- 3 week diet to see if we're ready for life after surgery. (And by the way- once a surgery date is scheduled, then I start another "Pre-Surgery Diet" that consists of primarily liquids for 3 weeks.) If anyone dare says to me that I'm taking the "easy way out"... I just might bust 'em one in the nose ;o)
(ah, Hungry Sharks is a game for winners.)
For the next 3 weeks, we will be following our new "lifestyle" of eating. We'll be counting the number of carbs we consume, protein, and fat. As well as limiting our sugar intake, cutting out all sodas (including diet soda), drinking 64 oz of water each day, and exercising 3 days a week. We have to write it all down and it must come with us to our appointment on Nov. 16th (3 weeks from tomorrow)
(me saying "Rich, did you take my picture?" ha!)
This class was really informative, and I enjoyed learning. BUT because we weren't expecting a "lifestyle change" so soon... tonight was a hodgepodge dinner consisting of pizza, sausage biscuits, and hashbrown casserole. **I knew if I left that pizza in the freezer, I'd be tempted to bake it in the next 3 weeks... so that's actually Rich's lunch tonight. Rich bought sausage (which we rarely have) and I didn't want it to go to waste. I also didn't want the temptation of the hashbrowns in the freezer-- those I had never even had before, until Rich bought them to fix for breakfast last week so they were left over.
Anyway... that was our "Last Supper"
I'm ready for this. SO ready for this.
{we got a little bored waiting for it to start so here are some random pictures I took while playing with my phone}
This class was taught by Amber, the Bariatric Coordinator and Nutritionist. There were about 15-18 of us in there.
We learned nutrition 101 and were given 3 weeks of homework. Yep-- 3 week diet to see if we're ready for life after surgery. (And by the way- once a surgery date is scheduled, then I start another "Pre-Surgery Diet" that consists of primarily liquids for 3 weeks.) If anyone dare says to me that I'm taking the "easy way out"... I just might bust 'em one in the nose ;o)
(ah, Hungry Sharks is a game for winners.)For the next 3 weeks, we will be following our new "lifestyle" of eating. We'll be counting the number of carbs we consume, protein, and fat. As well as limiting our sugar intake, cutting out all sodas (including diet soda), drinking 64 oz of water each day, and exercising 3 days a week. We have to write it all down and it must come with us to our appointment on Nov. 16th (3 weeks from tomorrow)
(me saying "Rich, did you take my picture?" ha!)This class was really informative, and I enjoyed learning. BUT because we weren't expecting a "lifestyle change" so soon... tonight was a hodgepodge dinner consisting of pizza, sausage biscuits, and hashbrown casserole. **I knew if I left that pizza in the freezer, I'd be tempted to bake it in the next 3 weeks... so that's actually Rich's lunch tonight. Rich bought sausage (which we rarely have) and I didn't want it to go to waste. I also didn't want the temptation of the hashbrowns in the freezer-- those I had never even had before, until Rich bought them to fix for breakfast last week so they were left over.
Anyway... that was our "Last Supper"
I'm ready for this. SO ready for this.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Dr. McNatt & the cute PA
Today we went for our 1st appointment with our gastric bypass surgeon. The PA came in first, and about 1/2 way into the questions about me- Dr. McNatt came in and took Rich to the next room. Some take aways from this appointment:
1. Stepping up on a scale that looks like a forklift is intimidating.
2. I'm 5'7 and 1/4" tall. {Way to go 1/4th! Woot!)
3. Most embarrassing moment of the day went something like this:
"Mrs. Snipes, if you will hop up on that table for me, I'll take a look at your belly." - the PA. I ever so gracefully lift up my shirt to expose my belly... then I realized I had to roll down my Spanx. The minimizer I had poured myself into this morning had to be peeled off... in front of the PA. Nice.
4. Bummed that Dr.McNatt said it will be December before surgery BUT I'm still excited about what's to come.
5. I have to wait 2 years before we start trying again to have a baby. This is so my weight will be stable and I won't have to battle maintaining wait if I'm growing a baby inside. Good news about all that too... I have researched this to some extent. There's overwhelming evidence that mother's who have GBP do better during pregnancy than mother's who are obese. This is so good!
1. Stepping up on a scale that looks like a forklift is intimidating.
2. I'm 5'7 and 1/4" tall. {Way to go 1/4th! Woot!)
3. Most embarrassing moment of the day went something like this:
"Mrs. Snipes, if you will hop up on that table for me, I'll take a look at your belly." - the PA. I ever so gracefully lift up my shirt to expose my belly... then I realized I had to roll down my Spanx. The minimizer I had poured myself into this morning had to be peeled off... in front of the PA. Nice.
4. Bummed that Dr.McNatt said it will be December before surgery BUT I'm still excited about what's to come.
5. I have to wait 2 years before we start trying again to have a baby. This is so my weight will be stable and I won't have to battle maintaining wait if I'm growing a baby inside. Good news about all that too... I have researched this to some extent. There's overwhelming evidence that mother's who have GBP do better during pregnancy than mother's who are obese. This is so good!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Insurance??
I still have a little over a week before I go in with my 1st visit with Dr.McNatt (my surgeon.) I won't find out until after this appointment if my insurance will approve me for surgery. I'm getting nervous about it... really nervous.
I don't think there's any reason they should deny me, but that's not saying much. They can be having a bad hair day and say that's the reason I shouldn't be approved. Ugh. I don't like not having control of this. I'm just praying it all goes well... and quickly...
I don't think there's any reason they should deny me, but that's not saying much. They can be having a bad hair day and say that's the reason I shouldn't be approved. Ugh. I don't like not having control of this. I'm just praying it all goes well... and quickly...
Monday, October 4, 2010
I'm NOT crazy :o)
Had my 4 hour... err... 2 hour psych appointment today with Dr. Smith. I passed.
I was interested to learn that research shows that only 8% of people who are moderately overweight (meaning 20-50 lbs) actually lose weight on commercial diet plans and keep it off. EIGHT PERCENT. That's low.
It's so low actually that the Federal Government has NEVER done or attempted mass research on people who are 100+ lbs overweight. (Thinking about it, these guys want to keep their job and if you only have 8% success in moderately overweight people, then you're not likely to have a fraction of that for obese people.) Oh stats. They intrigue me.
Poopy fact: Dr. Smith is the only psychologist I'm allowed to see in the WFU Bariatric Center Program. He does not take United HealthCare (aka: my insurance) so my appointment today was out of pocket. Psychologists don't discount. Boo.
All in all though, I had a pleasant experience at my Bariatric Psychologist Appointment. I had to fill out a bunch of questionnaires on paper and a really long one on the computer. Questions like "Are you suicidal?" were thrown in with "Do you pray daily?" and "Do you overeat?" Oh and my favorite question was, "Have you in any way made yourself seem healthier than you are in answering these questions?" Funny.
I think an hour of the time was spent on me, and an hour of the time was spent on him :o)
Dr. Smith said that I should expect to lose approx. 95 lbs in about 12-15 months, with 1/2 of that occurring in the 1st three months after surgery. That gets me excited! I'm so ready to do this!
2 weeks from today... I meet my surgeon. Dr. McNatt.
I was interested to learn that research shows that only 8% of people who are moderately overweight (meaning 20-50 lbs) actually lose weight on commercial diet plans and keep it off. EIGHT PERCENT. That's low.
It's so low actually that the Federal Government has NEVER done or attempted mass research on people who are 100+ lbs overweight. (Thinking about it, these guys want to keep their job and if you only have 8% success in moderately overweight people, then you're not likely to have a fraction of that for obese people.) Oh stats. They intrigue me.
Poopy fact: Dr. Smith is the only psychologist I'm allowed to see in the WFU Bariatric Center Program. He does not take United HealthCare (aka: my insurance) so my appointment today was out of pocket. Psychologists don't discount. Boo.
All in all though, I had a pleasant experience at my Bariatric Psychologist Appointment. I had to fill out a bunch of questionnaires on paper and a really long one on the computer. Questions like "Are you suicidal?" were thrown in with "Do you pray daily?" and "Do you overeat?" Oh and my favorite question was, "Have you in any way made yourself seem healthier than you are in answering these questions?" Funny.
I think an hour of the time was spent on me, and an hour of the time was spent on him :o)
Dr. Smith said that I should expect to lose approx. 95 lbs in about 12-15 months, with 1/2 of that occurring in the 1st three months after surgery. That gets me excited! I'm so ready to do this!
2 weeks from today... I meet my surgeon. Dr. McNatt.
Friday, October 1, 2010
what a weird call!! (but good!)
it's 8pm on Friday night, and I just received a call back from my gastric bypass psychologist...
at 8pm.
it gets crazier! He said he has a cancellation on MONDAY... as in 60 hours from now! So I'm going in to be assessed on Monday morning, 10/4 at 8am. WOW. I'm nervous as heck now. Just called our friend Kevin to get the low-down on Dr. Smith. I'm freaking out (a good freaking out!)
more on Monday....
at 8pm.
it gets crazier! He said he has a cancellation on MONDAY... as in 60 hours from now! So I'm going in to be assessed on Monday morning, 10/4 at 8am. WOW. I'm nervous as heck now. Just called our friend Kevin to get the low-down on Dr. Smith. I'm freaking out (a good freaking out!)
more on Monday....
Appointments!!!
Rich and I BOTH have all our nutritional appointments set now. WOOT!
Now I am just waiting for the psychologist to call me back with an appointment and we'll be set. (He's in the clinic yesterday and today. Boo.)
So now as it's set, our appointments are:
Oct. 18th Dr.McNatt
Oct. 25th Amber (Nutritionist)
Nov. 16th Amber (Nutritionist)
I've decided to document my (our) journey online, because this is something that I have personally battled all my life. It seems crazy to me that I wouldn't give anyone a glimpse at what is going on in the process of changing my life. {This is not something that we are ashamed of or feel like needs to be kept secret. If anything, we're excited to share what God is doing in our lives as we lose weight.} We also live an hour from family, who we see as often as possible, but it's not weekly. I feel like Richard and I both would benefit from the support, even if it's from a distance. So as the time grows closer, I'll be posting pictures, possible videos and such to document our gastric journey.
Now I am just waiting for the psychologist to call me back with an appointment and we'll be set. (He's in the clinic yesterday and today. Boo.)
So now as it's set, our appointments are:
Oct. 18th Dr.McNatt
Oct. 25th Amber (Nutritionist)
Nov. 16th Amber (Nutritionist)
I've decided to document my (our) journey online, because this is something that I have personally battled all my life. It seems crazy to me that I wouldn't give anyone a glimpse at what is going on in the process of changing my life. {This is not something that we are ashamed of or feel like needs to be kept secret. If anything, we're excited to share what God is doing in our lives as we lose weight.} We also live an hour from family, who we see as often as possible, but it's not weekly. I feel like Richard and I both would benefit from the support, even if it's from a distance. So as the time grows closer, I'll be posting pictures, possible videos and such to document our gastric journey.
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