Finally, an update!

Well, I apologize for not blogging!  It's been crazy. I started working full time October 4th so blogging has not been a priority.  I'll start this one with an update about Brian.

He's done remarkable!  So far to date he's lost 61 lbs! His clothes are just hanging on him.  He had his first upset stomach about 2 weeks ago.  He made the mistake of taking a sip of tea right after he'd put food in his mouth. That's a major no-no.  When there's no room for the food and liquid something's going to come back up! And it did. He was sick 3 different times in about 30 minutes.  He learned his lesson and now doesn't even have a drink on the table when he's eating.  Waiters and Waitresses think he's crazy when he declines a drink when we're out to eat.  He waits and asks for a to-go water at the end of our meal. So far it's worked really well.  He had his first saline fill on October 12th and has done really well getting used to his new "full" feeling. For instance 2 chicken nuggets fill him up instead of 4.  All of his clothes are just hanging on him. His belts are on their last notch.  He's down to 312!!!

I FINALLY had my surgery on October 22!  What an experience that was.  I truly felt like I'd been hit by a mack truck when I "came to".  When Dr. Bagnato started my surgery he discovered that I had a Hiatal Hernia.  Apparently they're genetic...thank you mother!  My mother has one and apparently her mother had one as well.  Dr. Bagnato suggests that I was born with it. None the less, it is very common in obese people and it's equally as common for them to be completely unaware of it.  So his normal procedure is to repair the hernia and then place the band. He took a picture of it so we can see it as well as sends one to the insurance company.  I will try to scan it later and put it on the photos page if you care to see it.  It was about the size of a quarter I'd say but it's all stitched now.  I had 4 incisions; 2 on my upper tummy, 1 in my belly button, and one on my lower tummy. Of course I had 1 on my Upper Left Arm pit area for my port.  Being a woman, the port site has been the sorest.  Gravity on the "ta-ta's" makes this area a little more tender than for the men!  I've have very very little if any nausea at all.  I took pain meds until Sunday night and the managed with Children's Ibuprofen on Monday and none there after. I went back to work Wednesday only and did ok until I realized when I got home around 5:30 that I felt so crummy because I was HUNGRY! I think it was the first time that I'd felt true hunger and it took me a little while to figure it out.  So I now know that for the time being I should eat every 2 hours and that keeps me pretty stable.  I'm loving the way clothes fit me now. I'm already pulling things down from the top shelf in our closet! I fit back into the jeans that I wore on our rehearsal dinner night 7 years ago this November and they're big on me!!!  I've lost total 31 lbs since July 29th.  So that's 11 lbs since surgery.  I'm down to 230 from 261!  Love it!  This week I'm on "full liquids", protein shakes runny grits etc and so far so good.  I'm so looking forward to pureed chicken salad!! It's the small things in life you  know!  That's all for now! I'll try to keep up with the posts better in the near future! Thanks for reading!

He weighed...

This morning Brian finally weighed! Drum Roll please.........................324 lbs!!!  He's lost 51 lbs in 9 weeks!!!  32 lbs in 4 weeks since Surgery!! Unbelievable!! After his first fill on October 12th it's possible that he'll lose 20 lbs in about month or so we've heard! We shall see soon enough!!  Thank you all for your support, encouragement and prayers!!!

Life as we know it...now

Well, today I'll start with an update about me :-)  I am down to 245.4 lbs.  from 261 on July 29th! I'm happy about that! I haven't been faithful on sugar busters the entire time but for the last 2 weeks I have been pretty strict.  I also received word today that I've been approved to have the surgery and we're just waiting on the hospital financial information to proceed with scheduling my pre-op appointments and surgery dates!  That being said, some of you may not know that I've accepted a full time, four days a week, job at an incredible dental practice in Valdosta that I'm starting this coming Monday October 4th! So lots and lots of changes.  I'm hoping to be able to have my surgery on a Friday so I don't have to take any time off.  We shall see.  So that's the scoop on me for now. Stay tuned!

As far as Brian's concerned he's been a little frustrated lately.  He has seemed to camp out between 330 and 326 lbs.  He's not even weighing this week. He's going to wait and weigh this weekend.  Part of his hang up has been making smart choices with his food when we're eating out.  For example, thinking soft, mush foods has led him to have french fries with grilled chicken strips.  The chicken's great but the fries aren't. He orders off of the kids menu all the time and only eats 1/3 to 1/2 of the kids meal.  So portion control's not an issue but his choices are. So that's been one thing he's had to fix.  Also, he's not exercising yet but is planning on joining a gym this week.

In my last post I mentioned his 'saline fill'.  The Lap-Band is an adjustable band that has a saline band core if you will.  When they place the band it's simply slipped around the upper portion of our stomach. Then 6 weeks after surgery, you go and receive saline that is pushed into a port that is located by your pectoral muscle and is connected to the band which then constricts the band even more around your stomach thus restricting the amount of food consumed.  Brian has a 10 cc band so I'm assuming that each fill will be 1-2 cc's but we'll know more on October 12th when he goes for his first fill.

A lesson learned

Fortunately there haven't been any consequences from this lesson however the error of his ways has been revealed to him! I say all of that with a smile on my face. Let me explain.

Brian started on real food last Friday....not even 2 full weeks post surgery!  While it was nearly a divine experience for him to have texture in his mouth we talked to the nutritionist today and she said it was a "no no"!  There is a rhyme and a reason for the diet plan that we gave him. He should be on phase 3 of the diet plan which includes runny grits, pureed eggs, pureed chicken or chicken salad or egg salad etc. NOT HAMBURGER AND FRENCH FRIES!!  Yes he ate 1/3 of a hamburger and 5 french fries at the Braves Game last Saturday. He's had chicken fingers, shrimp, mashed potatoes, even roasted Fillet Mignon!  He's had VERY small bites and very small amounts of food. For instance, he had one shrimp and made 5 bites out of it and the Fillet he only had 2 small small bites. It was velvety smooth and tender so it was very easy to eat.  Now, I'm not tattle tailing on him, just being honest. He's not had the first problem eating! No nausea, no cramping,  no food getting stuck etc. It's been great. A lot of people have difficulty with meat and chicken so it's been incredible the success he's had. He's really learned how to take very small bites and chew and chew and chew!

So, unfortunately, he's back on protein shakes and pureed foods for a couple more days and then we can progress to phase 4 on the plan.  So Phase 1 was clear liquids, Phase 2 was thick/creamy liquids, Phase 3 is pureed meats/eggs runny foods etc.  You live and learn or in this case EAT AND LEARN!!  He's not very happy about this but he'll survive.

He's down to 328...28 lbs lost in 2 weeks since surgery....47 lbs lost since Pre Op Appointment July 29th!!

First Plateau

Brian's had an interesting week. He got really frustrated earlier in the week because he didn't lose any weight from Tuesday to Thursday.  He stayed at 334 lbs.  It really had him discouraged.  We tried to go for a walk last night but the gnats were horrible and it was ridiculously still hot at 7:30! However as of this morning he'd lost another 2 lbs! He was thrilled!  He just couldn't understand why he was stalling out when he was hardly eating anything! He's still on thick liquids. This week he can "upgrade" to soft solids like pureed eggs, runny mashed potatoes, runny grits, pureed chicken or even egg salad finely mashed :-) However he's still only allowed 1-2 oz. That's 4 tablespoons of food!  Unbelievable but it truly satisfies him! He's come to LOVE applesauce and pureed brunswick stew!  We'll see what this coming week holds for him!  He knows now that his body has to balance out or equalize after such rapid weight loss and then it will kick back into gear.  The doctor told him at this check up on Tuesday that between week 5 & 6 just before he gets his first saline fill that it's possible that he'll gain a few pounds because he will be eating more regular solid foods.  He was beginning to think this week that he needed his fill early!  His first fill will be on October 12th, probably a day or two before my surgery! So much for doing this at the same time :-)  At least I have a good idea of what to expect!

I'm back...

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day.  We took it pretty easy.  Brian's feeling great and since he's been eating more protein the last several days, he has a lot more energy.  Believe it or not, we went to the Gator Game on Saturday and he did really well.  He made the mistake of not eating any protein for breakfast or lunch so he was dragging by the time we got home.  He's really been enjoying soup instead of broth!  We've even been able to get really creative when we eat out. For instance, at Cracker Barrell, he asked for a small cup of the broth/soup from Chicken and Dumplings. Today at The Smokin Pig Bar B Q he had brunswick stew and we brought home his left overs and he pureed them and it was delicious!  He wasn't able to eat a lot of it because it wasn't very soupy at lunch but he enjoyed it for dinner.  

One challenge he's had is staying hydrated. He's often been thirsty but isn't able to drink a lot. He has to take sips all day long and after being in the heat that's frustrating.  The other predicament is that he's to wait 30 minutes to an hour after eating before he can drink anything as well he's to stop drinking 30 minutes prior to his meal. So if it's salty or spicy he's out of luck. One sip won't hurt but as he starts eating real food, it's important that you not fill up on water as well as being important to not wash the food and nutrients through your stomach too fast and then risk eating too much because you're not feeling as full.  

He has had some emotional issues. For instance, one night last week, he said he was wishing he could just sit down and eat. He was actually missing eating. Today, he mentioned that at lunch he really wanted to order some ribs and wings. He then said, I can admit it, that 'person' has not left me yet.  He said he wasn't hungry but he could've eaten it!  That's part of the frustration early on in the life style change. It's a must! We can no longer physically eat like that.  So it's been interesting to listen to his perspective and struggles.

For those of you who don't know, my surgery was postponed due to insurance requirements. I won't go into all of the details but the bottom line is I will be able to have mine the first or second week of October! I'm very excited.  Watching Brian go through all of this has been good for me.  He's had a remarkable recovery!   He led worship yesterday and has pretty much returned to regular, routine activity.  No fever or nausea at all.  It's been incredible!! I uploaded a picture of us from Saturday.   

Ok now what everyone wants to know....he's down to 334 lbs!  41 lbs lost since July 29th.....22 lbs lost since surgery day last Tuesday August 31st!!! It's just falling off of him!!!

Surgery Day

I'm not sure where to start. We woke up around 4:00 a.m....I'd say he was a little anxious/excited :-)  We got to the hospital and they took him back to the operating room around 7:30 a.m. and then the wait began. He was finished with surgery and in recovery by 9:15 a.m.! It was so fast.  Our surgeon came out and told me that he did great and the surgery went perfect.  He told Brian that he could not have asked for a better surgery!  We are so blessed!!  By 10:00 a.m. he was back in his changing room and eating ice chips.  By 11:00 a.m. he was sitting up with his legs hanging over the side of the bed and  asking to go to the bathroom.  We got home at 12:40!  It was truly Outpatient Surgery!! We had no idea that it would go so smoothly!  He slept the entire ride home and went straight to bed and slept until 4:00 p.m.  He took some pain medication at 4:00 p.m. and again at 9:30 p.m. last night and that's it! We even walked down the hill to our neighbors house, stayed for about 45 minutes and walked back!  All his idea!  As we were walking to our friend's house he said, 'I can't believe this. I can't believe that I had surgery this morning.  This is incredible. Thank you Lord."

He woke up this morning on his own just before 6:00 a.m.  He took some children's Ibuprofen at 7:00 a.m. and had 1/3 a container of green Jello-0.  No more Lortab!!  He just said "I feel like I could go to work today!"  I've uploaded his surgery pictures and his before pictures like from The Biggest Loser so look at your own risk :-)  This is a remarkable thing! I'm sooo excited to have mine done.  I know this is not the most interesting post but I thought the last 24 hours would be quite telling as to his recovery and how the procedure went.

Late Night Cravings...

It's SOOO HARD!!  For now, when we're hungry it's SO tempting to go wherever and get something!! Anything!! Sweet, salty, savory, something of substance! However reality is that we can't!  We went to a high school football game tonight that didn't get over until 10:15 or so. By then, dinner was gone. So on the drive home, Brian said, what are you thinking about?  You guessed it! FOOD!!  All of the billboards were just tempting me like crazy...Ice Cream..SubWay...Steak 'n Sheak...Sonic!! Ahhh!! It's so hard! But instead I came home and had some celery with ranch dressing! Oh yeah... wouldn't you just kill for that snack at 11:00 at night!  Well, the hard work always pay off!  If surgery was not in our immediate future cheating would be a whole lot easier...of course only until we stepped back on the scale.  When losing weight it's like 2 lbs off....5 lbs on.  At least for me it always takes longer to "re-lose" what I gain back after losing it the first time. Hope that makes sense.  Well, the football team lost by 3 points.  Hopefully the boiled peanuts I had won't make me gain 3 lbs!!  Lots of water tomorrow to flush the salt out for sure!  Good Night everyone! I shall sleep while my celery digests!

Grocery Shopping

As I was putting away our groceries today, I was noticing the differences in my refrigerator.  For instance, the drawer where there used to be Dr. Pepper and Coke now contains Sugar Free Jell-0 and Sugar Free Pudding!  Instead of potato chips we have almonds.  Chicken Broth and Beef Broth, Whey Protein for smoothies etc.  Lots of changes.  Brian will be on clear liquids all next week for 4-5 days after surgery.  Each phase of re introducing foods and  re learning swallowing will last 4-5 days.  2nd Phase is what they call Full or Thick Liquids.  For now, Breakfast on Wednesday will be 1-2 oz of Jello...any flavor he wants! Haha...no more bacon and eggs...well he can have eggs in 3 weeks! Wonder how good they'll taste the first time he has scrambled eggs again!  Long road ahead with exciting outcomes!!

I'm back

Sorry that I haven't written in a while!  We've had a busy week or so.  Last weekend was our birthdays so we had company and celebrated!  We had hamburgers, green beans and sweet potato fries!  It was delicious but certainly not like any other birthday meal we've ever had.  We didn't deprive ourselves completely so we did have a very small piece of cake that a friend of ours brought and we enjoyed it!  Back on track on Monday.  We have had something every night this week so eating out or eating at the functions has been challenging but we just try to stick to grilled chicken salads or fish if it's offered.  I've lost 12 lbs and Brian's down 21 lbs. He gained a couple last weekend but he's down again this morning. So, we're T minus 5 days.  Surgery is on Tuesday morning. We'll find out the exact time on Monday.  We watched the DVD our surgeon gave us today as well as an information session that they enrolled us in online.  Both were very enlightening and informative regarding pre and post surgery instructions, risks, benefits etc.  They gave us a little more piece of mind.  Discipline, Discipline Discipline is going to be the key! We're going to have to be patient and focused and attentive to everything we put between our lips.  We went to GNC today and got the Whey Protein for our smoothies.  I have a feeling we'll be going there frequently.  I'll post as we taste them and discuss which flavors we like best!

I had my final visit with my general physician today and they were supposed fax everything to Dr. Bagnato's office so that they can go ahead and get my pre approval from our insurance company so I hope to know my surgery date sometime next week! We're so excited!!  Stay tuned.... We'll have our before pictures up next week before Brian's surgery!

Sunday Lunch

While we longed to have fried chicken and mashed potatoes, we instead had baked chicken, steamed broccoli, sautéed zucchini, squash and onions and a salad.  Neither one of us finished our salad and we were both full. One thing to point out is I was able to get 5 pieces of chicken from 2 breasts! They were very thick and so I sliced through them long ways so they'd cook faster and be a smaller serving. Portions are KEY to our success! They say that meat in general, chicken etc should be 3 oz / serving, in other words the size of a deck of cards or should be able to fit in the palm of your hand.  So it's a big switch for my man who's always ordered the biggest sirloin at Longhorn's!  I've always ordered the smallest steak which is usually 6 oz which is twice as much as I should have. So, we're getting closer. If i had to guess I'd say today our chicken was about 5 oz each.  Our salads were delicious with a little boiled egg, green pepper, green onion and toasted almond slivers.  They zucchini, squash, onions and mushrooms were sautéed in a little EVOO (olive oil) and garlic cloves.  Delicious and healthy! I marinated the chicken in a little light Italian dressing...quite tasty! I cooked the broccoli with a little water ( I don't have a steamer pan) seasoned it with a little Mrs. Dash seasoning, strained it and then sprinkled it with some low fat shredded cheese. We both had water to drink as well. So, I think all in all, we could've done without the salad but it was a good lunch. I gave Emma a small piece of chicken with a few pieces of broccoli with no cheese and a small bowl of applesauce. Everybody cleaned their plates!  Well, she's the only one that finished everything but for her to eat all of her broccoli was a miracle!  We've really been watching her portions and it's getting easier to tell her no.  Hopefully this life change NOW will prevent her from struggling with her weight as her father and I have our entire lives and ultimately prevent her from ever needing a surgery like this!

Another test...

Well, we had a busy Saturday. Started the day at the breakfast where we could enjoy none of the food and ended the day at a cookout where we could have sausage, hamburgers and or pork chops! None of the sides were suitable for us but that's ok.  So we managed with the meat and then went to some friends house. On the way, I suggested we go see if our local yogurt/health food store sold sugar free yogurt and Brian agreed to go.  They were CLOSED!!! Brian's next comment was "Would one milk shake hurt us?" Well, no not really but is it worth it?  We can cheat as much as we want to but we're only hurting ourselves.  So he then said, "if I'm going to cheat, I'm going to enjoy a piece of Kelly's Strawberry Cake w/Cream Cheese icing!"  So, we fell off the wagon for just a brief moment and enjoyed a piece of cake with a glass of milk! Guilty!!!  Surprisingly, Brian even got a coke out of the fridge and drank about 3/4 of it. He said it wasn't even that good! It's too carbonated and definitely doesn't quench my thirst like water does now!!! I couldn't believe it! The man who has loved coke and loathed it this week probably won't even miss it!! Miracles do happen :-)  Well, back on track today...baked chicken and broccoli for lunch! Yummo!!

A true test!!

Wow, what a hard morning! For anyone who loves food and I mean really loves food, you'll truly appreciate this blog.  This morning we attended our church's annual Acteen's Breakfast. They served Breakfast casserole, potato casserole, huge cinnamon rolls and fruit slushy that's to die for!  Everything casserole had potato's in it! I originally asked for our plates to not have cinnamon rolls but then was informed that everything else had potato's in it so...we couldn't eat any of it.  So hard!! We shared a very small glass of Orange Juice which is not really allowed and drank water.  All of the teenagers kept trying to give us a plate and we had to continuously graciously say no thank you.  We succeeded!  We had a great time and enjoyed the fellowship. They made all of the ministers participate in the Northside's Got Talent show and then I even had to get up and sing "I'll Fly Away" in opera style! It was a good time had by all. We left there VERY hungry and went to Cracker Barrel. I had a grilled chicken salad, no croutons, dressing on the side and Brian had Trout with green beans and carrots.  I know the carrots are not allowed but he had no carbs in the Trout so he still did good.  We of course drank water as well. Shew, we made it but it was definitely not easy!

Current Weight after starting sugar busters on Monday...6 days...

Brian: 358 lbs
Leslie: 252 lbs

Week 1

We started the mandatory sugar busters diet this week.  http://www.sugarbusters.com/ is a great resource for anyone who's looking for new dietary habits. Even if you're not wanting to diet, this really is a healthy way to eat.  Brian's lost 9 lbs so far and I've lost 8 lbs this week with no exercise. NOW, this is probably a lot of water weight etc but none the less it's combined 17 lbs in one week. For the skeptics out there, some have suggested that if we can be successful doing this diet why have the surgery? Well, it's a good question. The surgery is not a quick fix. In fact it's not a fix at all. We have to continue being disciplined and eating right. The lapband surgery is a tool to help us stop eating but we are still in control of what we eat. The biggest difference is that we will have immediate consequences if we eat more than we should or eat something that we shouldn't.  The consequences will be painful and miserable; more so than the disappointment of stepping on the scale and gaining a pound!  Cheating can be very detrimental!  Therefore, unless we want to be sick we will not touch it and we will stop as soon as we're satisfied, not full and not stuffed.

So here's an idea of a day of food for us:

Breakfast:  Eggs and Canadian Bacon and Whole Wheat toast with sugar free Strawberry jam

Snack: String Cheese and an apple

Lunch: Pork Chop with Asparagus, Squash and Zucchini

Snack: Almonds

Dinner:  Shrimp in butter and garlic and Asparagus Frittata

Desert: A Sugar Free Popsicle

And water, water, WATER!!