My favorite blogs.

I have been researching creative ways to keep my protein up and not get board with my food choices and I came across a blog called The World According to Eggface Click Here. Shelly the blogger had Gastric Bypass in 2006 and she is so creative with food. I love that she has ideas on making protein ice cream and she shows you what she is eating. I'm not having Gastric Bypass surgery, but the principles are the same, protein first.

I also love Lap Band Gal's blog Click Here. Lap Band Gal had, can you guess? Lap Band surgery in 2009. She went from a size 24 to a size 6! I find her very motivating, because she always seems to be working out. I really hate working out! I know that I need to do it and she motivates me.

What's your favorite blog?

Coffee, coffee, coffee

I was having a cup of coffee at work and I reached into my desk drawer to get my hazelnut powered creamer and I flip over the bottle and see that there is a lot of carbs per a serving (I don't measure I just pour). I know that I'm going to have to find an alternative way to drink my coffee. I did find some good ideas, like heavy whipping cream and sugar free syrups.  Than I go to the Starbucks website and look up the carbs in my favorite drink, non-fat cafe mocha, yeah that number is like 44 grams of carbs and I don't like the taste of the skinny mocha. I might just be saving my money on coffee. Anyone else have this issue?

The Things That I have Learned This Week

So, I have learned a few interesting things over the last few weeks.

1. People with Lap Band shouldn't swallow gum. Not that I make a habit of swallowing gum, but it's interesting to learn that gum could block the band. Does this mean that other things the same stick, chewy texture like taffy cause the same problem? 
2. It is incredibly hard to make an appointment with a physicist. I have been playing phone tag with one for almost two weeks and finally I got my appointment made for April 4th. I need a psychiatric evaluation for my insurance to get approved for my Lap Band.
3. It is really stressful throwing birthday parties for 1 year olds.  My little boy turned 1 over the weekend and I had a little tiny melt down an hour before the party started. It ended up being fine and everyone had a blast.

I have my finial visit with my PCP this week, the appointment with the hard to get a hold of physicist April 4th, and the last visit with the dietician on April 9th. Hopefully I'll get my approval by mid April and have my surgery by the end of May.

The Dietician

I went to the Dietician this week. For some reason I was surprised that she was really skinny and really blonde. A few minutes into our hour long session we were down to business. She wants to see me again in a month. She said in her experience, the insurance company wants to see that you can follow a diet. She gave me a low carb diet plan where I'm to have no more than 30 grams of carbs each for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and 2 snacks with no more than 15 grams of carbs. There are lots of vegetables and lean meat that count a zero carbs and I can have as much of them as I want. I only have to turn in a food journal for the week before my 2nd appointment with her.

So far I haven't totaled up the carbs on my meals at all. I find counting calories, carbs, fat, makes me a bit compulsive. For the last six months I have been making an effort to eat healthier, bring my lunch to work, and get in my morning protein shake. I'm finding somethings hard to keep up, for instance exercise. I'm better at squeezing in a walk around the lake behind my office, than trying to do it before or after work. I have been really struggling with exhaustion do to the apnea and even a walk around the lake seems like too much.

I'm going to try to blog several times a week to help keep myself focused on my 125lb goal. I have found a few really good blogs about weight loss surgery (WLS) that I read on a daily bases and I'll share those with you (I'm not sure anyone is out there reading my blog) soon.

First Blog

Welcome to my blog. I'm Jane and I have been working toward getting insurance approval for Lap Band surgery for the last 6 months. I'm 31 and married with a 11 month old baby. I have a full time job and spend about 10 hours a week commuting to and from work.      

Today was my 6th out of 7 visits with my primary care (PCP) doctor. I have 1 more visit with my (PCP), a visit with a dietician, and a visit with a psychologist to go before I can get insurance approval for my Lap Band surgery. I have been battling with being over weight for a very long time. I'm currently at my heaviest at 273 (weighed less when I was pregnant), the lightest that I have been in my adult life is 158. I haven't had really any health problems, but recently I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and now my Dr thinks that my blood pressure is high.  I have have been over whelming tired for months now due to the Sleep Apnea and I still have to have a second sleep study before I will get a CPAP or BiPAP machine. Even after I get my machine it will probably still be months before I feel rested. 

The Sleep Apnea has been reeking havoc on my life. I feel like a zombie. I have been have trouble remembering things and that has been causing issues at work and at home. Everyone told me that I was just tired because of the baby, but he has been sleeping through the night for months. I have also been suffering from chronic sinus infections for the last 2 years. So, in a last ditch effort to be able to breathe out of my nose regularly, I asked my PCP to send me to an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Dr. At my first appointment with the ENT Dr he sent me to get a sleep study and a CT scan of my sinuses. I have seen my PCP once a month for the last six months and I have seen my Allergist 2 times in the last 6 months. The ENT ordered the Sleep Study right off the bat, it drives me crazy that I had to suggest going to the ENT to get tests that any Dr could have ordered. On a side note, the ENT doesn't think that I have anything to fix surgically that will help me be able to breathe out of my nose, because my biggest issue is congestion. I have since gone back to the Allergist and I have to get a blood test, but he did prescribe an Allergy med that seems to be working better with the nose spray that I have been taking. Anyway the breathing issue will be a big factor in me being able to wear the CPAP mask.

Things that I'm looking forward too... when I loss the weight (approximately 125 lbs). 
1. Buying normal bras. I'm a 42B, yep this woman doesn't gain weight in her boobs.
2. Smaller feet. Before the baby I was wearing size 11 (not wide) after the baby the size has gone to an 11 wide/12.
3. Not shopping at Lane Bryant. I hate buying poorly made clothes that are over priced. Every pair of slacks that I have bought at LB I have had to fix the hem on them the first time that I wore them. Anything with a button, pants, coats, shirts, I have had to sew the buttons back on within the first few times of wearing the item. How hard is it to sew on a button?
4. Movie seats. Are not comfortable any more, even with the armrest up between me and my husband.
5. Bye, bye, double chin.
6. Buying cute clothes.

I'm sure there are more perks, but it's late and I'm headed to bed.