9 Months Out - Before and After Photos

Surgery Day February 5, 2009. 306 pounds



9 Months Out November 5, 2009. 298 pounds

Surgery Day Side View February 5, 2009. 306 pounds

9 Months Out November 5, 2009. 298 pounds

Things are going remarkably well. They weight loss has slowed down significantly but it is still coming off steadily and I cant complain. I am very happy being under 200 pounds. I feel good. I look much better than before and I am able to DO so much more. I have no regrets about my RNY. I only wish I had been ready sooner than age 45 to do it. So many wasted years, when I could have been healthier and more active. I cant feel too bad about it though because I simply wasnt mentally ready to try surgery. I have a lot to be thankful for these days. There have been so many changes that it is difficult for my mind to keep up. Just looking at before photos and photos of me now is amazing to me. I dont look or feel like the same person I was then. I am down a total of 125 pounds. I have 38 pounds still to go to get to my goal. I've lost a total of 64.5 inches from my waist, hips, bust, thighs, upper arms, and neck. I gone from a size 38 women's to a size 18 pants and a size 16 tops. I still have a way to go, but I feel I have madea good start and I'm looking forward to moving on.

More later.

Sunshine

A Lovely Day

It's that time of year again. Today was my 46th birthday. It has been a wonderful day and I thoroughly enjoyed it, even if I did have to get another year older. I spent the morning sleeping in and then later in the afternoon, Dail took me shopping at The Dress Barn, my favorite store at this point in my life. I got a new pair of black dress slacks. They look really good. I got a maroon stretch lace blouse with a camisole already sewn in. I got a purple satin jacket/blouse with a separate camisole. I will take photos later in the week for my 9th month surgiversary and post them then. I also got some matching jewelry and a new purple handbag to go with all my purple outfits. Love it all! Dail made it a very special day.


We had to nix our trip to Atlanta for financial concerns. I'm really disappointed but I agree that it would really put us in a bind. So, no trip. However, Dail will be taking me to my surgeon's support group meeting on Friday evening so at least I will be able to get together in real life with some other weight loss surgery people. That will be a real treat.


We had a small family Halloween Party last night. Just Nick and Dail and I. Bethany and Brandon had too much to do to be able to make it out here and Kailee was working. Nick and Dail chickened out of dressing up but I still put on my full costume for the Trick or Treaters. We have a lot and they were all well-behaved and polite kids. This is a great neighborhood for this kind of thing. Lots of people in the holiday spirit. I have a couple of photos to share.

I'm not smiling because Nick was taking forever to snap the shots and I was getting impatient. I had cookies in the oven.

Had some wow moments at The Dress Barn. I've gone down more sizes than I realized. It was very pleasurable to be able to buy the smallest sizes I've worn since high school. I bought size 18 pants and size 16 shirts. I find it unbelievable that they actually fit and look nice. I'm so thankful for my RNY.

Getting late so I'm going to stop now. I will try to update more soon.

Sunshine

Onderland!

I am finally below 200 pounds and into onderland. It is a great feeling. Now I'm only a couple of pounds away from the "overweight" category as opposed to the "obese" category. Unbelievable. Feeling good today and pleased with my progress.

Maybe more later.

Sunshine

The Prodigal Returns

So sorry I havent been around to blog in a while. Real life has been busy with a lot going on and I am feeling a little overwhelmed. At my last psychiatrist appointment I was diagnosed with SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is a seasonal depression usually caused by lack of sunlight. It has been a rainy dreary summer and I didn't get myself out in the daytime much this year. So I am feeling down and tired and have a very low energy level. I'm also getting a little reclusive again. Just not feeling like getting out much. I intended to spend the fall beating the streets for new Avon customers but I just havent been able to make myself do it. I'm very concerned because I seem to be slipping in all areas, including the housework. They place is a mess and I just cant seem to get myself up and moving, which makes me feel even worse. My psychiatrist raised my Prozac back up to 20 mgs but this is a dilemma for me. As the weight has come off the medicine affects me more and causes sexual dysfunction, as in inability to reach orgasm. I cant describe the frustration I feel to get all worked up and just not be able to find release. It leaves me moody and irritable and unable to sleep. I'm still trying to work out what the best thing to do is. I'm not scheduled to see Dr. Gyurik again until next month. I've depended on Prozac for many years but maybe it is time to try something new. In the meantime, I'm not taking it like I should but things seem to be going down hill. More on this issue when Peninsula returns my phone call.

Things are going okay with the weight loss. It has slowed down a bit since I passed the 6 month mark. I'm sitting at 200 pounds right now, just on the verge of Onderland. I will probably stall now and be driven crazy with anticipation. A few more pounds and I will also be out of the obese category and into the overweight range. I'm sure that will go a long way to helping me feel better about things.

I know this is a very brief update but I just dont have the emotional energy to post more. I will try to check in more often though.

Sunshine

In Loving Memory

An old school friend of mine passed away today. Her name was Linda Brown Fox. We were in school together all the way from elementary school through high school. We were good friends all that time. We frequently picked her and some of her sisters up to attend church and Bible School with us. I remember when she accepted Christ into her life. She was a beautiful, sweet lady and she will be greatly missed. I heard from her sister that life had not been kind to her over the past few years. She battled mental illness and never found the right meds to keep her stable. She was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, similar to my diagnosis of Schizoaffective Disorder, but her condition was much worse. A couple of years ago, she lost her husband to a massive heart attack. I was unaware of this. I thought of her often and wanted to get in touch but wasnt sure how. I have deep regrets that I never followed through with tracking down her number and giving her a call. I've been terribly reclusive and was embarrassed to let old friends see how heavy I had gotten. Evidently, the psych meds had the same affect on Linda and she gained a lot of weight on them. She was always wonderfully thin in school and I'm sure the weight gain had a major effect on her self-esteem. Tonight, I am thinking "There but for the grace of God, goes I." I thankful for all that God has done for me and brought me through, but I cant help but wonder why Linda was allowed to suffer so. She evidently had the flu and waited to long to seek treatment. By the time she went in to the ER, she already had pneumonia. It was too late for testing to determine if it was the regular flu or the swine flu. The pneumonia moved into the other lung and she lost her battle this afternoon. I'm feeling really bad that I didn't check on her and offer her my love and support. Too often, we lose touch with people who once meant a great deal to us. I hope I can learn from this. That next time I have someone on my mind, I follow through and get in touch. When God puts someone on our mind, maybe there is a good reason. We wont know until we make the call.

My prayers go out to Linda's family. Her husband preceeded her in death and there are two teen daughters who are left behind.

Sunshine

Before and 8 Months Out

February 5, 2009. Surgery Day. 306 Pounds.


October 5, 2009. 8 Months Out. 204 Pounds.

February 5, 2009. Surgery Day. 306 Pounds.

October 5, 2009. 8 Months Out. 204 pounds.

So, things are going great. (For, Syl...this is one of my new sweaters from the Dressbarn. I love the neckline especially. The jeans came from Walmart.) So I'm down a total of 118 pounds. Down 103 since surgery. I weighed in at 203 this morning. So happy that things are moving again. I"m very pleased with my pr0gress so far and I'm starting to be more sure that I will actually get to my goal of 160 pounds. I'm very pleased. I also took my measurements last night and I've lost a total of 66.5 inches. Love my RNY.

More later from the homefront.

Sunshine

Peaceful Friday

I'm having a very relaxing day at home today. Yesterday was busy and tiring but fun too. Bethany came over for a while and we worked on some Avon stuff. She has decided to be a rep and I'm going to get her signed up officially on Monday. We are going to go out prospecting together and then split all the orders. It will be great fun. It is also neat that I have started my own downline by signing her. We drove out to the bank so I could make an Avon deposit and start Nick's SSI account for direct deposit. I love our bank. It is so convenient to have all the accounts linked so that I can handle all of then online. Love the way it works. After the bank we spent the rest of the day at Bethany's apartment. It was fun to spend time with Chase. A good day.

When Dail picked me up after work, we drove to west Knoxville to meet a couple of ladies from the Obesity Help Rants and Raves board. I love these ladies and was so looking forward to meeting them. We had a wonderful dinner at Calhoun's and truly enjoyed getting to know each other in real life. Both are lovely, sweet ladies. I hope we can get together again sometime. It was so much fun. Even Dail and Nick enjoyed it. Afterward, we did our weekly grocery shopping. It ended up being a late night so we are all tired but nothing planned for today so I'm resting and relaxing. I'm sure Dail is having a hard time at work, though. It has been a long haul for him this week. Nick got up, had lunch, and then went back to bed. Typical male teen.

Had a few minor issues here this morning. My wireless isn't working so Nick had to run a cable from the living room into the bedroom so that I could get online. Hoping Dail will feel up to working on it when he gets home. Also, out little kitty, Stormy has gotten out again. She is just a baby but likes to run out the door as soon as it is open. She is safe under the house and is enjoying playing under there but she wont come to us. Maybe Dail will have more luck when he gets home.

I did have some happy events today, though. My checks for my new Avon account arrived and I'm loving them. I chose the Breast Cancer research motif for my checks and checkbook cover. They are fairly expensive but it is what I wanted. Avon is a big supported of the Breast Cancer and Domestic Violences causes and I thought these checks would be appropriate. It also fits in with the Breast Cancer pink and black briefcase and office items I am using for my business. I like to be coordinated and also, I love pink. I'm very happy with the way things are going.

Not much more news, really, other than that the scale has moved a lot this week. I'm down to 204 pounds as of today. 5 pounds until onderland. I'm very pleased and hoping the scale will continue to move at this rate for a while longer. If and when I get below 200, it will be the smallest I've been since my junior year in high school. That will be a great feeling.

Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Sunshine