1 week down...2 to go!

Hey everyone! I wanted to check in and let everyone know how my diet is going. I had been on the 3-week diet for 1 week yesterday (Tuesday), so I decided to weigh. I was super excited to see what progress I had made, so first thing Tuesday morning, I dragged the scales out of its hiding place, and stepped on. Imagine my surprise when I saw I was 13.4 pounds lighter!! In one week! I actually stepped off and got back on the scales, thinking they were wrong. The most I've ever lost in a week is right at 8 pounds (on Weight Watchers). Seeing this much of a loss has given me new motivation and drive to push through the tough days. I know the weight loss will be less each week as my body adjusts, but this was exactly what I needed to make it through the next 2 weeks!

Today, mom and I went to the bariatric nutrition class held by my nutritionist, Amber. She's awesome! Very down to earth and realistic of the dramas of dieting. There were about 8 people in my class, plus a few support people. She gave each of us a bag with chewable vitamin samples and some extra protein shake samples...yum! I was the youngest person in the class, and probably one of the smaller ones. Imagine that! All of these people are in different stages of the process, but most have surgery dates for Sept 1 and Sept 15. It was nice meeting people going through the same thing as me...it made me feel somewhat normal for how I've been feeling the last week because they were all going through the same emotions! During the class, Amber taught us how to eat after surgery in order to let the band and our stomach heal. Thank goodness Mom was there to ask questions I hadn't thought of! Good news...I will still be able to chew gum after surgery!! I'll give more detailed updates on eating after the lap-band as I'm doing it.

Thursday night will be the first support group I've been to. Post-op lap band patients meet for 30 minutes before the group, while the bypass patients meet after the meeting. I'm excited to meet other post- and pre-op patients!

Hope everyone is doing well! Thanks for keeping up with my blog and supporting me!

Love, Molly

Mom always said, "If you can't say anything nice..."

"Don't say anything at all", right? Well, that's about how I've felt the last few days, so I've been a little distant from the computer...remember I promised to not be a negative nancy!

So today is day 5 of my 3 week diet...only 16 days left! The first few days were rough...it's hard to ration out so little food. It's also very tough adjusting to a new "full" feeling. Being chunky, I've always thought that "full" was a "OMG, I may puke, but I'll just unbutton my pants for now" kind of feeling. How wrong I have been! I'm finally starting to understand the difference between being satisfied and stuffed. It's been a huge change, mentally, but I feel like I'm making progress. You will all be glad to know that I have not cheated on my diet! The only caffeine I have is 1 cup of coffee in the morning, and I've completely cut out all soft drinks (diet and regular) and sweet tea (AHHHH!!!). I do feel a little bad about that last part...I keep thinking about all of those Mickey D employees that will be let go since I'm not keeping up their business anymore! I was feeling particularly hungry this morning when I got to work, and of course...in the break room, there were mini butterfingers, left over bday cake, and chips with helluva good dip! I threw my puny piece of chicken, veggies, and protein shakes in the fridge and high tailed it out of there!! So no cheating for me...I'm really proud of myself.

Next time I blog, I will post how much weight I've lost so far. Look for it around Tuesday! I'm only going to weigh once a week, so that I won't get discouraged and be tempted to slip on my diet if I gain .2 pounds one day.

So that's how things are going on this end! Thanks for everyone's support, prayers, and words of encouragement. I feel so blessed to have all of you as my support group!

Much Love, Molly

Here goes nothing...

Hey everyone! I've decided to blog about my experiences with my upcoming bariatric surgery...including everything that's included in the process! I guess the best place to start is the beginning:

I have always struggled with my weight. Numerous diets, weight loss programs, and nutritionists later, I am no smaller than when I started. Quite the opposite, actually! I have always been "ok" with my weight...tending to ignore it, or use it as a crutch or excuse not to do things. After seeing pictures from my 28th birthday, however, I was absolutely shocked into reality. I'm freaking huge! I know what you're all thinking..."we still love you", "you're a great girl", "weight doesn't mean everything"...I've heard all of these things. I appreciate everyone's support, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm morbidly obese. I had to figure this out for myself though. It was very easy for me to ignore it or blame it on my environment/schedule, but after looking at those pictures, I was completely shocked!

(Don't mind my face...I'm sure I was impersonating Nancy Grace)

So basically, my whole life I've been the funny, fat girl that everyone likes. I'm great with being the funny girl in a group, but I've finally decided I've had enough with being the fat girl. After talking with my doctor, we decided bariatric surgery would be my best option. The process leading up to surgery is a long one; filled with nutritionist, psychiatrist, doctors, and nurse practitioners...not mentioning insurance companies and a mandatory 6-month weight loss program (YUCK!). Now that it's all said and done, I am finally scheduled for lap-band surgery: September 8, 2009.

Tomorrow starts what is called the "3 week diet". It's a specialized diet which will help jumpstart my weight loss, shrink my fatty liver, and hopefully get rid of any other problems which can be a challenge during surgery. To prepare, mom came over this past weekend to help me clean out my pantry and fridge of all things bad. No reason to have it in the house if I can't eat it, right? Starting tomorrow, my diet will be limited to (with NO substitutions): 1 packet of oatmeal, 4oz sugar free jello, 6 oz light/nonfat yogurt, 3 oz fresh fruit, 2 cups raw OR 1 cup cooked veggies, 3 oz lean white meat, and 2 protein shakes (made with 8oz skim milk). Whew! I'm hoping these next 3 weeks will fly by!

So I'm sure you're all wondering why I want to blog about this. First of all, I want to be able to keep everyone updated. My family is so large (no pun intended), it's hard to remember who knows what. I want to keep this as hopeful, upbeat, and optimistic as possible. I promise not to use it only to vent...feel free to remind me of this promise if I become a Debbie Downer! Second, I want to keep this as new memories are made and old boundaries are crushed. I hope to have awesome before and after pics, measurements, and weights to share with you all. I think having a huge support group will help me push through hard times. Lastly, I hope to encourage other people. I am finally feeling comfortable about sharing my weight loss struggles, and would like to share my knowledge and should've/would've 's with others who also struggle.

So that's it for now. I will definitely have more information in the coming weeks before my surgery. Keep checking back, and thanks in advance for all of your prayers and love!