Connect * Empower * Create
Good evening! Yep! That’s right! As of today, it has been exactly one year since I had my gastric bypass surgery, and I thought it might be the perfect time to give you my weight loss update! As of today, I have officially lost 99 …
Good evening! I have had so much going on the past week, that I really had no idea where to start. .. So, to keep things simple, I have decided to share my weight loss update this evening!! But, I realized that since I changed …
Good evening!
Today is officially my two week bariatric surgerversary!!! Yes, that is right, it has been exactly two weeks since I had my gastric bypass surgery.Things are going pretty well, I am still at a total 60 pound loss. I am currently plateuing, but am told that that is normal – so I am not going to let myself get too worried about it!! Today is the first day that I am allowed to add some very soft foods to my liquid diet: potato, yam, low sugar instant oatmeal, banana, no sugar added applesauce, and cottage cheese. I know that may not sound too exciting, but I am ECSTATIC!!!! It is nice to have some new food options!! 😉
On to other topics: you know the biggest thing that I have discovered since having surgery, is that being thin is not going to solve my life’s problems!! Surprising, right???? LOL!! No, I have come to the realization that no matter what I look like, I will still be where I end up!! I can not run away from myself!
Thin Christina will still have to pay bills, make decisions, come up against challenges, and still have to figure out what I want to be when I grow up!!! This has really been a revelation to me, and I have been doing a lot of soul-searching the past few days trying to see if I can find my purpose!! Yes, deep, I realize!! Matter-of-fact, I just got home from a long walk through Walmart, because for some reason, I have insanely thought I could somehow find the purpose of my life while perusing the magazine, book, craft, and office supply aisles of my local Walmart. Needless to say, I came up empty-handed!! (THANKFULLY!!!)
You know, I am reading a new book called, “Saving CeeCee Honeycutt” written by Beth Hoffman, which by-the-way is a FABULOUS book, and is going to be added to one of my all-time favorite reads!!! What has really got me to thinking is that there is a discussion in the book where one of the matriarch-type characters says the following:
“If there is one thing I’d like most for you, is that you’ll find your calling in life. That is where true happiness and purpose lies. Whether it is taking care of abandoned animals, saving old houses from the wreckin’ ball, or reading to the blind, you’ve got to find your fire, sugar. You’ll never be fulfilled if you don’t.”
She continues with,
“One day you’ll do something, see something, or get an idea that seems to pop up from nowhere. And you’ll feel a kind of stirring – like a warm flicker inside your chest. When that happens, whatever you do, don’t ignore it. Open your mind and explore the idea. Fan your flame. And when you do, you’ll have found it.”
This little talk she gives has really inspired me to go out and try to figure out what my life’s fire is. I know I have a lot of things that I like to do, but I am not sure if any of those things add up to my actual life’s bliss. I know, now more than ever, that God has placed me on this earth to do something important, I have always known it, even when I was a young girl. I just pray that I haven’t missed my opportunity, and If I did, I guess I will just have to go out and create a new opportunity for myself!! Where God opens a door, He opens up a window!!!
Here is to us all finding our fire!!!
Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉
If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!
Good morning! I know it has been a while since I have posted, and I thought this morning would be a good time to give you an update on how everything is going! I had surgery a week prior to this past Tuesday, and everything …
Good evening! I realize it has been a while since I have last posted. The only reason I can seem to muster is I have been MIA because I have been so focused on getting ready for my gastric bypass surgery! So, I thought it …
Good evening!
It is so hard to believe that the time for my liquid diet to start has come, and I have almost made it all they way through my first day! WHEW!! The start of the liquid diet means, that I have only 2 weeks to go before my big day!! 😉
For those of you who may not know, since the middle of April, I have lost 40 pounds, and have been on a journey toward getting bariatric surgery! A laporoscopic gastric bypass roux en y, to be more exact! It has been a long and sometimes very difficult journey, but I am so close now I can almost touch it!!
I am on a liquid diet for the next two weeks, and on September 4th, at exactly 2:30 pm I will be going in for my procedure! I have done all that has been asked of me, and have received my approval letter from my insurance, so all is ready to go! Well, everything except this two week liquid diet.
Now, I have been getting so many questions, so I thought I would take a moment to answer a few for you, that is if you are curious…
Why if you have already lost 40 pounds, would you still go through with the surgery?
Isn’t bariatric surgery the easy way to get healthy?
I have friends who have had bariatric surgery, and they have gained their weight back. What makes you think you will succeed?
I am so nervous, and yet so excited at the same time! I saw my hubby have the same procedure exactly 4 weeks ago, and he made almost all parts of the process look like a piece of cake!! I really hope that I can make it look just as easy!!
Anyway, this liquid diet lasts for two weeks, and the purpose of it is to help shrink my liver so that when they move it out of the way for my surgery, it doesn’t get injured or damaged in any way!! AND the liquid diet really consists of some foods too: yogurt, skim milk, sugar-free pudding, j-ello, V-8 juice, smooth soups, decaffienated teas, Crystal Light, no-sugar-added cocoa. So, I do have quite a few options!!! 😉
Anyway, it is getting late, and I would like to spend some quality time with my sweetie before bed!! I will make sure to keep you posted of my progress!!
Here is to a FABULOUS evening! 
If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!
Good afternoon! I am very pleased to announce that Jason and I are finally back at home! You know what they say, “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home!” and baby, is that ever true!!! YEAH!! Jason is doing GREAT!!! He is …
Good afternoon! I apologize for the delay in getting this post out, but we have been a little busy! 🙂 Jason is doing extremely well! He is currently napping, but has been up walking, has had his imaging tests, and upper GI that we are …
Good afternoon!
This is Jason playing with his Sophie girl this morning before we headed off to the hospital!
So as for my updated…
WHEW! It has already been a looooong morning of waiting our turn, but Jason has finally gotten in to get his surgery started! He ended up going back about an hour after he was originally scheduled to.
They took Jason back to his pre-op room first and got his IV started and whatnot, more on that in just a minute, but this is Jason totally excited that he has complete control of the remote control to the television!!! LOL!! He is too funny!!
As for the “other prep” they did, unbeknownst to either of us beforehand, they shaved his stomach from chest to groin!! It kind of looked like they had shaved a bear of his sweater!! It is quite a look! 😉 and it makes me laugh thinking about how badly that is going to itch once it starts to grow back in!!! I am sorry love, beauty can be painful!!! LOL!! 😉
He is in great spirits, and was busy making myself and all of the staff he came into contact with laugh!! He is such a charmer!! Even with his surgical hat which makes me think of him having some kind of jiffy-popped head!!! LOL!! Do you remember those?? 😉
Oh, and I can not forget! Jason weighed in this morning as having lost a total of 67 pounds since he first started this journey in April!! Which means he has lost an additional 6 pounds since just yesterday – the stinker!! 😉 I am very proud of him, and I know he has definitely earned his success!!! 😉
Anyway, it sounds like the surgery is going to take between 3-3 1/2, so I will be busy trying to keep myself busy in the surgical waiting room – hoping that time doesn’t just draaaaag on!!! but we will see!!!
My next update might not be until later this evening, but I will make sure to keep everyone posted on how he is doing!!! 😉
Here is to a long, but hopefully a-atypically-patient-waiting-kind-of afternoon!! 😉
If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!
Good morning! Well, we are up and at-em this morning! Just about ready to head out to the hospital!! Jason is feeling “Great!”, but he is pretty antsy!! He even made me breakfast this morning!!! WHO IS TAKING CARE OF WHOM HERE??? 😉 Anyway, his …