Getting to Oct 9th ...

So the first thing they told me last week when they called to officially schedule my procedure - is that I needed to immediately start my "pre-surgery" diet.  This consists of 2-3 protein shakes a day and 1-2 small meals consisting of no more than 6 oz of lean meat and no more than 1 cup of green veggies and 1 cup of fruit (except bananas - no bananas).  Well, the best part of that was that I had dinner plans the night they called!  So I told the woman on the phone that I promised to start hard core the very next morning!! :) (and I enjoyed eating my dinner out that night!)

But then morning came ... and it was time to get serious.  I had a protein shake for breakfast (it actually wasn't THAT bad), 5 oz of turkey breast lunch meat and an orange for lunch, a protein shake a couple of hours later and then 5 oz of turkey breast lunch meat for dinner along with 1 c of grapes.  Can I just tell you - THAT IS NOT MUCH FOOD!  At least it's not when I've been eating full meals 3 times a day for years - and usually in those 3 meals, there are carbs!!  But I did it ... and I survived ... and I actually wasn't hungry for anything else.  I survived Friday as well and had made sure there was nothing in my apartment that would tempt me throughout the weekend ... but then I found myself in a dilemma ...

My cousin from Georgia messaged and said she was in town and would love for us to all get together Saturday night ... at a Mexican food restaurant!!  My initial reaction was to tell her I couldn't go - to let her know that I really wanted to see her, but that being in a restaurant (especially one with free chips & salsa sitting right in front of me!!!) would be too difficult for me right now.  I thought over it (and did lots of texting with my mom & 1 of my sisters) and eventually decided I'd just suck it up!  There will be lots more dinner invitations (or I hope there will be!!) in the coming months and I've got to be able to survive sitting there and making the right decision when looking at the menu.  So ... I went ... and it was actually not that bad.  I had a great time with my cousins and grandma and parents & sisters & their families (17 of us in all - which I know the restaurant just LOVED!!!)!!  And I actually found something on the menu that I could eat.  I avoided the chips and salsa completely (not without difficulty, but I managed!), I ordered grilled fish tacos - and only ate the fish (I gave the rice & beans to my niece!) ... and I had brought a snack baggie full of green grapes (which my niece kept calling little apples! haha).  Temptations squashed - totally survived what I felt like was my first really big test!!! YAY!!

I made it through the whole weekend and today ... no problems!  I won't say that it wasn't hard  ... especially when I was a little bored last night and REALLY wanted to go get Chinese food!!! ... I just found something else to occupy my mind.  I know I wasn't hungry - I was just bored - but that does not mean I need to eat (even though that's been such a go to for me for years).  That's a big thing in my life that I know I have to change ... baby steps, right?

Anyway ... these are the steps I'm taking to get me to November 9th!! ... oh, and all this being strict on myself is showing already ... since Thursday morning - I've lost 6 lbs!! :)

The First Steps

A little over six months ago, I took the first step to changing things in my life.  After many years of being overweight - I decided to take a big step to change that.  I went to a consultation for the lap band surgery.  It was a free consultation - nothing had to be done - I wasn't even sure I wanted to do it for sure.  After 30 minutes of talking with a weight loss advocate, I knew I needed to make this decision.  Once a month since the beginning of April, I've visited with a dietitian and medical staff to help prepare me for the next steps.  On the 25th of September, I got the phone call that told me that insurance had approved the surgery.  My questionable visit I made half a year ago is now becoming my reality.  On October 9th - I will be having the lap band procedure and the beginning of a very new life for me will begin.

I didn't want to post this on a social media site like Facebook, I don't know that I necessarily want the entire world to know every single thing about this journey.  However, I also know that taking this journey without any one else - will be impossible.  I don't have a husband or kids watching me through every step and I don't see family members every day to help keep me accountable.  What I do have, though, is a whole network of friends and family all across the country that I've been able to stay in touch with over the years through the internet.  So while this isn't my normal way of communicating - I'm hoping some of you will read my blog and go through this journey with me.  Once I have the surgery - I'm going to post my food diary, exercise journal and every now and then, pictures of my progress.  I'm sure it won't be the most exciting or interesting blog to read ... but if you know me, you know I'll have extra commentary through the whole thing! :) 

So - thanks for reading ... hope you'll stop in every now and again to see how this new adventure in my life is going.  Thanks for the support and encouragement too - it means more than I could ever tell you!!

~~ Lisa ~~


-- to start it all off, I will post the picture I hope soon will very much be a thing of the past ... I don't want to look like this any more.  This is my starting point ...