Body Transformed
A Journey of Surgical Weight Loss

37 Pounds Down
August 16, 2004

Today I saw my primary care physician. Because I live so far from the facility where my surgery was performed, all postsurgical follow-up will be done by my local doctor. Communication between the surgical team and my doctor has been great. The lab tech drew about eight vials of blood last week in order to check several things: hemoglobin, protein, vitamin levels, cholesterol, and fasting blood sugar. Everything came back within normal ranges, so apparently I'm eating the right things.

Getting enough protein is a challenge. Because gastric bypass patients can't eat very much at one time and because 25% of our small intestine has been bypassed from the digestive process, it is essential that we eat our protein first. I am eating eggs, tuna, and a lot of peanut butter. I still have no appetite, so I keep a close eye on the clock in order to make sure I eat when I should.

I've lost 37 pounds now, and my clothes are beginning to get loose. In fact, some are downright baggy! It's pretty exciting to go from feeling squeezed into a pair of pants to constantly hiking them up because they're falling off your backside.

My face seems smaller to me. I'm being diligent about moisturizing morning and night. It's common to develop wrinkles as a result of losing facial fat, so I'm doing all that I can to avoid looking old before my time.

Ed is so incredibly supportive. He mentions my weight loss every day, bolstering my ego and crediting me for all of my efforts. At the same time, he doesn't play "food cop." It's very frustrating for anyone trying to lose weight when the people around them monitor everything they eat and everything they do. Ed seems to instinctively understand where the line between support and annoying lays.

I'm walking every day, and it feels really good to feel my body tightening up. It is essential that I develop a healthy lifestyle if this weight loss is going to be successful in the long term, and I'm determined to make this work!

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Making the Decision

07/14/01: Making the Decision

08/23/01: Leaving Bill

09/18/01: No Job

09/20/01: Just That Quick

The Family and Friends Plan

09/19/02: Why Not Me?

12/26/02: Comparisons

03/22/03: Jumping on the Bandwagon

05/20/03: How I Met Ed

08/18/03: The Big Squeeze

11/06/03: New Body, New Husband

Seeking Approval

02/04/04: Time to Get Approved

03/12/04: Journey Begins

04/26/04: I'm Approved

06/13/04: Pre-Op Testing

06/20/04: In the Waiting Line

Making the Cut

07/10/04: Saying Goodbye

07/11/04: Sleepless Night

07/15/04: The Surgery

Strange Changes

07/22/04: Yummy Water

07/30/04: Smaller Tummy

08/16/04: 37 Pounds Down

09/07/04: My First 50 Pounds

10/31/04: Different Food, Same Love

New Body Countdown

11/07/04: 67 Down and Counting

11/12/04: Melting Away - 73 down

11/20/04: Breaking 200

11/26/04: Giving Thanks - 83 pounds

Holiday Madness

12/08/04: Slowing Down

12/15/04: Fortune 100, and Counting

12/27/04: Weight GAIN?

Quiet Rewards

01/06/05: Jeans Older Than My Kids

01/19/05: No Lap, But I'll Take the Luxury

01/28/05: A Most Unusual Revelation

02/07/05: Body and Sole

02/14/05: Flowers in the Mirror

Ready for Summer

03/31/05: Batwings and Tummy-Tucks

A New Life

12/15/05: Finally