weekend blur....

Hi ya'll!!!

This weekend I had so much fun! It was supper busy and I think I managed to eat pretty well the whole weekend! Total shocker I know :)

Here is a recap, oh with some pics!

On Friday afternoon I left work early and was so excited because Anthony also got off work early too! This N.E.V.E.R. happens. We got to spend some much needed time together! We went and ate lunch together at jim n Nicks. Food wise did pretty good. I got a potato stuffed with bar-b-que. I ate maybe a 1/2 of it. Oh, I also ate 1/2 of 1 small cheese biscuit. Drank unsweat tea :) I had been thinking about buying some fruit trees to plant in our yard so we went to Home Depot and I got 2 apple trees and 2 peach trees! So excited about that! We then went to Walmart and shopped a little! We came home and watched the best movie! Just Wright! Has anyone else seen it? It was so good I watched it 2x in the same night!

On Saturday we had to up super early to go help set up a booth for our church at a festival downtown. We had to be there at 8:00 am! We were late of course! We ended up getting there at like 8:30 am. Left about 10:00 am to hurry up and get ready to go meet Kim from Good Bye Fatty McButter Pants! We went to the Alabama football game with her and her Dad! We had such a great time! Seriously Kim, I know I have told you this a hundred times, but THANK YOU! I have some pictures of our day! In these pictures I have lost 33 lbs. and my husband Ant has lost over 20 lbs!! Oh, and I colored my hair black! Let me know what ya'll think!!!! We ended up not getting home till after 2:00 am........so it was a super long day, but totally worth it! Food wise I did ok this day. I didn't have time to eat breakfast (bad I know)! I did a pack of crackers for a breakfast/lunch snack. We had bar-b-que for lunch. I did just the meat and a couple bites of baked beans. For dinner I did 1/2 peice of baked chicken and a couple bites of macaroni and cheese and I think 2 bites of coleslaw. No bread or dessert :) At the game I ate a couple fried pickles......hey it was a football game!!!!! :)

On Sunday it was back to our typical Sunday grind! At church by 9:00 am!!! Even though this Sunday we were a couple of mins late! We had a great church service! One person got saved and several came to the alter!!! Ant preached so good!! I really enjoyed it! I don't know if I have told ya'll on my blog...but I am in charge of the children's programs at our church! One of my jobs is to go pick up some children that leave in a trailer park back behind our church. I went Sunday as usual to pick up the 4 children that always come, and a new family had moved in! I picked up 4 additional children! It was great and I think they all had a great time!!!! For lunch I did some chicken. For dinner everyone was eating subway so I took off the majority of the bread and just ate the meat! :)

Ok, I am going to leave you with some updated pics!

Getting ready for the game.....new hair!!!

Kim and I!!!!!

Roll Tide!


Ant playing on the indoor practice feild!




So much FUN!!!

Me and my sweet husband!

Kim and I!!!!!!

Ant getting ready for the game!

Hope you all have a happy Monday!!!!!

planet mary overload!

Are ya'll ready for this?


I haven't blogged in what may seem like an eternity ;)


life. It just takes up so much time these days!


I am going to do this in bullets and just type till I have nothing left in this little mind!


enjoy.


weight loose.


I am down 33 lbs. Well technically 32 lbs this am, but I did see an all time low of 33 lbs Sunday morning. Why does the scale do this to us? It really is cruel! Of course I immediately get on the phone call my momma, my sister, my grad parents, wake my husband up shouting the news that I now officially weigh less than him, run to church and just about greet everyone at the door with my new weight loss number....to wake up the next day and the scale say, just joking you really have only lost 31 lbs. Since then I have at least managed to get the scale to read 32 lbs down. It only takes a minor adjustment of tilting the scale diagonally to the wall and weighing on it while standing sideways ;) Don't ask! I figure it this way, when I weighed 310 lbs no matter how I stood on the scale it would have never flashed 277 lbs. So, even if I have to stand on it sideways, I'll still claim it ;)


first fill.


hmmmmmm......what comes to mind when I think about my first fill that I just got on the 4th? Oh, I know!!!! Wow, that really hurt! I think I was so worried about the surgery part of this process that I didn't even listen, or maybe no one told me, how bad this little fill would hurt. I was not expecting it at all!!!! I was really in shock! Here is how it went, just in case there is anybody out there just doing research or waiting to be approved! They made me lay on a table and pull my dress up. They came in with a little sonar machine and found my port. It was taking a little long, at least in my mind it was, so I said, "It is in there, right?" The nurse kind of laughed and said, "Yes, it is. It is right here." She marked it with a pen. She left. I was thinking ok cool. Not too bad so far. Then came in another lady. The lady who assisted in my surgery. Not sure what her title is but, I know she is important. She came in and asked me some questions. Nothing major.....can you eat chicken, can you eat fish, can you eat this and that, how much can you eat, how often do you stay full? All of those kinds of questions. Next thing I know she says she is ready to give me the fill, lie back down. And then BAM. No warning, no numbing, BAM. She like literally jabbed me with the biggest needle I have ever seen in my life. She had no mercy. She hit the port first try. I just want to go on record saying this, "fills hurt." Don't let anyone lie to you and tell you they don't! They are manageable, but it is pain! She then tells me to sit up. I say, "like right now, with the needle in me?" Yes, ladies that is exactly what she meant. So I sit up. She says I need to drink water. I should also point out at this point I still have my eyes closed and have not opened them yet!!! While trying to get the water from her, with my eyes closed, I spilt the water on me and her :) I finally drink and everything feels fine! I eventually opened my eyes ;) I layed back down and she took the massive needle out of my stomach! sigh. I ended up with 4cc's. Not too shabby for a first fill. They normally give 5 cc's, but since I had lost a good amount of weight and was having ear trouble (a different post for a different day) 4 cc's was all I got.


clothes.


Clothes these days are a funny subject. Nothing seems to fit right. My 24's are officially baggy, but not out of control too big yet. I have 1 pair of 22 jeans. They fit now :) But, I also feel like maybe they are a pinch too tight. It might just be me? Maybe I am used to my clothes being a bit to big now? I am also having a hard time in telling what size I really am in. All my clothes are really old. Like the 22 jeans I have, they are at least I know 4 years old. So clothes = craziness.


progress pics.


I have got to get some updated pics on here! Ya'll haven't seen me since surgery, that was 30 lbs ago! Promise to make that happen soon!


Kim @ Good Bye Fatty McButter Pants


She is so sweet! Are all of ya'll following her too? Her birthday was yesterday! Happy late birthday Kim! I got to catch up with her the day I got my fill. She came and picked me up at the hospital and we went to lunch and did a little shopping! Awesome time. We are meeting up again this weekend! Maybe I can get some pics that day! We are going to the Alabama Football game this weekend together. It will be a great day for some photos because I have some pics of me last year at an Alabama Football game! Yay!


O.K. I think that about covers all the basics! Really my mind is just like blah and I can't think anymore!


:)

who is in charge of these sizes?

Geez! Who is in charge if sizes these days?

I have great news! After I got on my blog and complained that I wasn't loosing weight anymore....I had a 2 lb. drop! Yay! My new total is official 27 lbs. I am so satisfied with that! I feel great!

Even though I have lost nearly 30 lbs. I am still wearing the same clothes that I wore on any given day when I weighed 310 lbs. :( Am I EVER going to go down in a size? I feel like my clothes fit me fine. My faithful skinny jeans are a little loose...I have to pull them up every time I get up! A lot of butt crack going on these days! But really, in all honesty, my clothes fit fine. It is hard for me to imagine how I squeezed in these clothes when I did weigh 310 lbs. Goodness, now that I think about it, they must have been really tight! ;) Oooopppsss!

Anyway, since I have been thinking about sizes lately I thought I would share this.

I pretty much associate everything in my life with what I had on that day / how much I weighed that day / what size my clothes were that day. Does anyone else do that? Like the day I got married I weighed 230 lbs. My wedding dress was a size 22 that had to be altered down because I lost a little bit of weight before my wedding day! The day my sister got married I weighed 260 lbs. I wore a size 22. The day I meet Anthony I weighed 160 lbs. I wore a size 12 / 14. The day I graduated from high school I weighed 163 lbs. I remember I shopped at Abercrombie and Fitch for my senior trip I bought all sizes 12 / 14's. On our, Ant and I, first year anniversary , cruise to Mexico, I weighed 290 lbs. I wore probably a 22. When we got married, at 230 lbs, I wore a size 20.

Sizes are just so weird. It seems like they are never the same. Like, the last time I weighed 283 lbs. it seems like a size 22 fit with no problems. Today at 283 lbs. - they are a tight fit! Craziness I tell you!

Which brings me to the point that I don't think I really wore a size 24 at 310 lbs. before I had surgery. I think I could squeeze into a size 24 (STRETCH) from Old Navy, but I don't think I actually wore a true size 24. I think I probably wore a 26 or maybe even a 28!

I really hate this vanity sizing thing! It just messes up everything for someone loosing weight, but for someone gaining weight it makes a lot of sense!

august 12, 2010 ... the surgery

So, here is my surgery story and a little update on how I am doing. Hope you enjoy! I have been getting some emails and messages lately from ladies that are in the process of getting the band, or even just thinking about it. It has really been inspiring. I think it so important that I use this blog to post my story and information about me and my band! You never know who is reading! ;)

For me to have lap band surgery was a long long long journey. It all started in late January of 2010. I had thought about having weight loss surgery for years, but always decided against it. I would always think, "I can get this weight off myself, I'll just join a gym or start taking diet pills again." Which, I would do just that, and in a year would realize that in fact I had not lost any weight since the year before. To be honest, I would have probably gained weight. In February 2010, I went to the seminar. I wanted to do this so bad, but I wasn't sure if I would have the courage to go through with it. I was also told, due to my insurance company, I would have to wait 7 months to even get a surgery date. I knew it was going to be hard, but I also knew it was something I had to do. I knew there was a lot I was going to have to overcome, spiritually and physically, and I was the only one that could do it. No one was going to be able to do this for me, except for God!!!

So flash forward to August 4, 2010. 2 days after my 28th birthday, and more importantly 2 days after my 7th and final monthly primary care doctor's appointment. I prayed that morning on the way to work. I pray just about every morning on my way to work. I love to drive somewhere by myself and get alone with God! I prayed that God would give me the perfect surgery date, when it was time. I prayed that it would be a perfect date for a perfect surgery. That morning I called my surgeon's office to find out what my next step was in this long and trying process. I told her that I had completed everything. 7 months of consecutive doctor's appointments, sleep study, blood work, and support group. The only thing I had left was a nutrition class, that couldn't be scheduled until I had a surgery date, insurance approval, and a date. When I was talking to her she asked me how fast I wanted to have surgery? I told her that I would like to have it soon. I explained my reasoning, being that I was extremely nervous about surgery I thought sooner would be better. She said "What about next Thursday, August 12, 2010?" I was in SHOCK!!!! I didn't know what to say! I panicked! It went something like this,"Oh, that soon? Will that be safe for my liver? I haven't been on any kind of pre-op diet yet? Oh, I don't know that is really soon? Are you sure that will be ok?" She finally just told me to think about it and call her back in an hour. I thought about it, remembered what I had prayed, called my family, and then returned her call. August 12, 2010 sounded perfect! I was immediately put on a liquid pre-op diet. Immediately, like had a protein shake for lunch that day. I was scheduled for my nutrition class on Wednesday before my surgery on Thursday. Everything went great at the nutrition class; I also did all my pre-op blood work and testing that day. The only thing that was unexpected was that when I went for my last appointment with my surgeon, the appointment where he answers all your last minute questions and tells you everything is going to be fine, yeah my surgeon wasn't there. He had had a death in the family and was unable to be at the office that day. I had to see his partner instead. They assured me that my surgeon would be doing my surgery on Thursday though. Everything went fine. It would have just been more reassuring if I could have meet with my surgeon the day before he was going to operate on me! I had to be at the hospital at 8:00 am on Thursday. I was so nervous!

Ant and my Mommie drove me to the hospital. I didn't talk much. I cried. I cried almost the whole way there. I cried because I was scared. I was scared about the surgery, about the recovery, and if this was the right decision. It is scary. This whole process is. It is unknown ground. I even thought about backing out, but I knew they wouldn't take me back home! I prayed. I listened to my favorite calming praise and worship songs. I cried. I got a phone call from my sweet Gran Gran, that was on her way to the hospital to meet us. She told me she had heard from God and he said "Rest in Jesus." That gave me peace. I could feel it in my spirit. I new if I could go through with it, everything would be fine. We made it to the hospital and they put me in a room a couple of minutes after we got there. Anthony was allowed to go back with me at first. Then they would allow the rest of my family to come sit with me. They gave me my first blood thinner shot, which I would be on 14 days after surgery and Ant would have to give them to me. I got in my gown and tried to relax. I had my Bible clutched to me! Psalms 91 is what I read over and over. Finally they let my family come in. This is who all came to my surgery. Ant (husband), Mommie, Mandy (sister), Meagan (sister), Gran Gran, Paw Paw, Aunt Judie, Nealey (sweet girl in our youth group), and Carolina (sweet girl in our youth group)! That room was packed! I was so nervous they gave me an Adivan for my nerves. I didn't think it every kicked in, but Ant says I was acting really goofy. He said I kept starring off into space and saying really random things. :) I kept on saying I wish they would give me something else, because this isn't working! I had to wait a long time before surgery. There was a lady in front of me that had some complications. She was having her gallbladder removed and a band installed. Her surgery most have taken longer than expected.

Finally it was time for me to go to surgery. I made it quit the dramatic scene. Mary style of course! When the were wheeling me back I was crying uncontrollably. All 9 of my support team was telling me bye, walking with me down the hall. Everyone was crying. :) Well, maybe not everyone, but it sounds dramatic. Once I got to where they prep you for surgery, I was even more nervous. They put my iv in, and then I just had to wait. I was crying pretty much the whole time. I had asked earlier in the day if I was going to get to speak with my surgeon before surgery. They told me no, that there wouldn't be time. Everyone must have felt sorry for me because I was crying so much! The next thing I know, I looked up and there was my sweet surgeon. He wiped away my tears. Put his hand on my shoulder. Looked me in the eyes, and said this "I am going to take care of you like you were my own daughter. Everything is going to be fine. This is the right decision." All I needed to hear. He stayed with me for a few minutes until I calmed down. He patted my shoulder the whole time. Is that not the sweetest man? The next thing I know They are telling me they are going to give me a happy shot and it is time for surgery. They gave me the shot. I didn't feel anything, at least I didn't think ;) I remember getting on the operating table, them strapping my arms down, putting the heart monitor pads on, tilting my head back, and putting an oxygen mask on me. They told me it was time and to think of a happy place. Boom. I was out.

I remember waking up in recovery. The first thing I said was "Praise God!, Do I have a band?" They assured me the surgery went fine, it had taken 40 mins. I kept going on and on about I just loved Dr. Miles. I even told the nurses he was my best friend! It didn't take long until I was out of recovery and back in my own room. Ant was the first one to get to see me. I kept on saying, "I did it!" "Me and God!" My whole family then came in to see me. Ant said the surgeon said everything went perfect. He said that this band was going to work perfectly for me! He put in a 11cc Realize band. I was up walking around in about 10 mins. I drank my fluids, went to the bathroom, and then I was out of there! I felt great! Really not hardly any pain!

The next couple days are a little blurry. I think the liquid loratab might have something to do with it! I was pretty much off the pain medicine by like the 4th or 5th day out of surgery. I had a little gas, mostly in my chest area and under my ribs. Not anything unbearable. I took gas x stripes for the gas. It seemed to help. I never really had any shoulder pain! Thank God! My should hurt for maybe like 30 mins one day! My incisions are little, I think. I have 4 punctures and 1 incision where the port is. They don't hurt, but the one where the port is is a little tender. I have had a little port pain, but nothing to bad. :) Over all everything is great!

Now for a little update. I am down 20 lbs. since August 4, 2010! I am so excited! I feel great! Today is my first day of mushies. I had 3 oz of egg beaters with a little melted cheese this am. I made 4 oz but couldn't eat it all. It is so weird. Having left overs is a strange feeling. I am so not used to it! Did I mention I feel good? I do! It is a different feeling. Something I really can't explain. A feeling of accomplishment. A feeling of excitement for what's to come. A feeling of security. You see a year ago, I could have gone on this same liquid diet for the same amount of time and lost the same amount of weight. I could have worked just as hard, had just as much will power, and accomplished the same feat. The problem would be that I would eventually gain the weight back. It would have been inevitable. The weight would have come back. Now I have security. When I got on that scale this morning, I now know two things that have never been present before. I weighed 290 lbs. I will never weigh 290 lbs again. I have lost 20 lbs. I will never gain that 20 lbs back again. I have security. What a great feeling!

Here is a pic of my incisions. This is when I still had the staples in, and a little swelling! I will have to get some updated pics!!!!