One year post op check up! Body Composition Analysis

My doctor, Dr. Stephen Hamn, the stomach slayer!

The pics at the doctor's office when I was approved for surgery

Statistics of the 1 year Body Composition Analyzer

Body Composition Analysis	1/16/13- 2 months pre-op	3/6/14- 1 year post-op
BMI (body mass index)	43.7	25
BMR (energy expanded to maintain normal function at rest)	1968 calories	1476 calories
Fat Mass	141 lbs.	47 lbs.
Fat % of total body Weight	53.70%	31.00%
Fat Free Mass	121.51 lbs.	103.51 lbs.
Total Body Water	89 lbs.	76.01 lbs.

Body Composition Analysis

1/16/13- 2 months pre-op

3/6/14- 1 year post-op

BMI (body mass index)

43.7

25

BMR (energy expanded to maintain normal function at rest)

1968 calories

1476 calories

Fat Mass

141 lbs.

47 lbs.

Fat % of total body Weight

53.70%

31.00%

Fat Free Mass

121.51 lbs.

103.51 lbs.

Total Body Water

89 lbs.

76.01 lbs.

One Year Surgiversary- 365 days and 119 pounds gone for good

Weekend before Surgery

One Year Post-Op

A year ago today I had the gastric sleeve surgery.  It has been 365 days of trying to figure out who I am and deciding who I wanted to be.  I know it sounds ridiculous considering I am 30 years old and that I should have been figuring that out before now but for the prior years of adulthood I have been hiding behind my excessive weight.

Food was my drug of choice.  I used it to celebrate, fight back emotions, and in general cope with life.  As I look at the photos side by side I am amazed at the transformation.  Honestly, until today I have not looked at the pictures side by side.  It is humbling, shocking, scary, heart breaking, and joyous all at the same time.  I don't recognize the woman on the left but I don't see the woman on the right in the mirror.

In this year I have found my own sense of style in clothing that does not hide my body behind layers and larger sizes.  I have worn dangle earrings and cut my hair short.  I always felt like dangle earrings drew too much attention to my face and that super short hair made my face look fatter.  In a year I went from huffing down the hallway at school to being able to complete a 5k in less than an hour with energy to spare.  From insecure of my attractiveness to completely confident that I am worthy of my husband's flattering compliments.  I went from trying to teach from a chair to walking a trench in the carpet around my classroom.

I have learned how to channel my emotions into something other than carbs and sugar.  I have become more open about my past and my present in hopes that I might help someone else along the way.  I took a huge leap of faith and gained so much.

From the bottom of my heart I owe so much gratitude to a multitude of people.  I appreciate God opening the doors and windows through which this was possible.  For my amazing husband who did nothing but encourage me through this whole process.  To my boys who were patient in my transition to healthier eating for the whole family.  My parents have been hugely supportive from my beloved ice cream maker to encouraging words.  My extended family has been so encouraging through this change also.  My in laws have been so uplifting in this desire to change my health.  To My Jennifer, I can't say enough how grateful I am for our friendship.  My school family has done nothing but encourage me through kind words, workouts in my classroom after school, answering random health questions, and in general just flat out loving me.

I went from type 2 diabetic with high blood pressure and cholesterol to a young at heart and smokin' hot bod of a 30 something mother of two boys and wife of a Stud Muffin.  This has been one of the hardest years of my life in dealing with all the demons that made me feel like it was acceptable to hide inside my own body.  I wouldn't change it for the world.  I would wake up every single day and make the same decision to alter my body to get what I have gotten in return.  I have added years to my life and a new sense of self.  For these 365 days and 119 pounds gone I have been blessed beyond measure.

I miss my Swedish Fish...

During this time of year, testing season for my fellow teachers, I rely heavily on a mass consumption of Swedish Fish candy.

There is something magical inside of them that calm me like an addict getting their fix when they have been detoxing.  Its not good.  I recognize that they are VERY poor food choice for me.  Even though they are a fat free food....

I work primarily with struggling learners.  That is my job.  To take the children who are not learning in the traditional environment and tailor an educational plan that is different for them than their peers.  It is a challenging job and one that I love very much.  I wish that differentiation was a thing in the 80's-90's.  I probably wouldn't have hated school so much.  But the pressure of getting those kids to find success on a standardized test is daunting.  I leave it all on the field/court/classroom every day.  To help in my survival I usually have a 5 lbs. bag of Swedish fish to keep me company all spring long (really I have to buy a new bag every week).

This is my first spring without my beloved fish and I am struggling to maintain a semblance of stability.  How do we let food have such a strong strangling, suffocating, consuming hold on us?

Jennifer and I were talking and I think it boils down to this.  Food is a legal and necessary drug for survival.  It can give you highs, lows, and false sense of security.  However, you must consume food to be able to survive.  Ultimately, not choosing good nutritious food will kill you.

It is a constant battle to make good food decisions.  Surgery did not cure the mental aspect of the disease of obesity.  This week I have been reminded that I might not be showing the physical signs of my disease any longer but in no way am I in remission.

5K's for fun?

first 5K, 1 month post op

Walking is a necessity of life for sure.  But for fun?  Yeah right!  That is what my inner fat girls says.  Once I decided to have the gastric sleeve I knew fitness would be a part of my life.  No particularly one of my favorite hobbies but more of a necessary evil.  So almost one month post op I signed up for my first 5K.  My doctor approved me starting early.  From the day of surgery I focused on increasing my walking distance daily.  I suckered my bestie, Jennifer, into signing up with me.  It is a 5K that benefits my school district.  My boss is a marathon runner so he encouraged me relentlessly to sign up.  So I did.  Thanks Matt for the encouragement to take on a huge fear.  I completed the walk absolutely exhausted.  Jennifer got a stomach virus so I walked it alone.  My mom and dad bought me a camel pack so I could stay hydrated.  Since your little sleeve only holds 1/4 cup of anything initially you have to make sure you have water available to you regularly.  It took my tummy about 30 minutes to empty itself of liquid at that point of my first 5K.  I cried when I got back to my car because I was so proud of my accomplishment.

Jennifer and I, 2nd 5K, two months post op

At 2 months post op Jennifer and I signed up to do a memorial 5K for my sweet friend Robby who was killed in Afghanistan in April of 2011. This was his 2 year Angel-versary Run for Our Heroes.  The first year I was too scared to participate.  I vowed that I would never miss another year because of my weight or fear.  We were the last ones to finish the 5K but I did a lot more to honor the sacrifice of my friend on that concrete than I ever did from my couch.  I will be RUNNING it this year!  Maybe not the entire way but I am going to try my very best to run as much as possible.  Too many men and women that defended my rights are not able to run.  I won't take that for granted.

3 months post op, 5K with Tammy and Shannon

I have been so blessed to be surrounded by amazing friends throughout this journey.  In May, at three months post op, I did the Boogie Down Color Run at church.  Joined with my crafty sisters, Shannon and Tammy, and Chum, we conquered that 5K.  We had to ride home in our underwear because we were so messy afterwards.  Next time we are bringing bathrobes with us. We all took turns pushing Chum on his little scooter bike.  At one point I had to carry him on my shoulders.  At the time he was 35 pounds.  By then I had lost a little more than that.  I about died after one block of him on my shoulders.  To think I use to carry that weight around all the time made me realize what I was doing to my body.

8 months post op, Bad Prom

My buddy Tammy has one of the most beautiful spirits.  We met because our husbands started a bro-mance on the golf course the summer before.  Our husbands were convinced we would be good friends because we are both "crafty".  Well the boys were right.  Tammy and I have not been friends for a very long time but she has been such a huge support to me and my family.  She is Aunt Tammy to my boys and one of my favorite gal pals.  So when I saw there was a late night Bad Prom 5K in November I knew that Tammy was to be my Prom date.  My mother-in-law made us matching wrist corsages.  Shannon was suppose to go with us but she got sick.  When you have a good friend to gab with the 3.2 miles fly by.  We were covered in glow sticks and sang and danced through out the night.  Super fun!

The old me would have never ever attempted such activities.  As I continue to shed the weight I feel more empowered to take the challenges with my body to try and reach a higher level of fitness.  I love the butterflies at the starting line and the tears that well at the corners of my eyes at the end of the race.

Side Effects in the Months Post Op

So here are a few of the side effects I have had as a result of gastric sleeve...

1. hair loss-  I have always had short hair but I had to go pretty short from losing a ton of hair.  I started to experience hair loss from about 3 months post op till about 9 months post op.  Now I have all the sprigs of baby hair starting to grown in from where all the other hair abandoned ship.
2. bathroom issues- Because your new diet consists of mostly protein for about the first 6-9 months post surgery you are not getting enough fiber to allow your body to eliminate waste easily on its own.  For that I recommend asking your surgeon how he/she prefers for you to get in some fiber to keep things running smoothly.  I use Benefiber.  One spoonful in my coffee every morning seems to do the trick.
3. extreme fatigue- Up until about till December (9 months post op) I consumed about 600 calories a day.  Not much fuel to raise two boys, be a teacher, and wife to Stud Muffin.  For that there is the wonderful supplement B12!  I get the cheap version at Walmart and it keeps me moving and grooving all day long.  Now that I am getting about 1000-1200 calories a day (11 months post op) I am not nearly as fatigued as I was in the beginning.
4. change in food preferences- I don't like foods that are terribly rich and heavy anymore.  The one food that is coming to mind right now is syrup, frosting, fudge, etc.  One bite for the flavor of it and then I am over it.  Also, smell became super important.  I feel like the mouse of the Disney movie Ratatouille.  With one smell I can tell whether the dish is going to make my tummy hurt before I eat it.  When I have doubted the old snout I have paid the price for hours afterwards.
5. cheese and greek yogurt are incredible-  I have always enjoyed cheese but man alive that is probably 1/3 of my diet daily in some form or fashion.  I get tired of only eating meet for protein so I use cheese as a low calorie high protein option.  I love Greek yogurt as well to give my sweet tooth a fix.  I like Activia's Vanilla Greek yogurt.

Those are just a few of the things I have found through my journey.  Hoping yours is a success as well.  Please share some interesting ways your body has changed since weight loss.

First Day at Home

I was released to go home after two nights in the hospital.  Friends and family sent me beautiful flowers to give me something pretty to look at while I laid about.  I took liquid hydro codeine to help sleep at night.  My stomach muscles and incisions were pretty painful.  Partly because of this... allergic reaction to the adhesive on the sterile strips.  So glad I had my very own personal nurse at home to take care of me.  We removed the original bandages and replaced them with different sterile strips and applied severe burn ointment.  After a couple of days the incision sites looked much better.  When I was at home I was to start working on taking in protein drinks.  I had purchased a large vat of powdered protein that I felt tasted better than others I had tried.  I used Isopure Cookies and Cream.  I tried blending it with ice in a blender and drinking on it from a glass.  No dice.  I was not able to drink it that way.  So my dad came up with a better plan.  Shot glasses.  We poured a shot of protein shake in the shot glass and put the rest in the fridge.  I set a timer and knew I was to have the shot glass drank in an hour.  That really helped me get in some fluids.  Though there was no way I was able to get in the recommended amount.  Tiny sips every few minutes was a feat of its own.  I struggled to get an 8 oz glass down in a day.  I tried to sip on shot glasses of broth and sugar free Popsicle every day as well for flavor but never got in very much of them because I immediately stopped drinking or eating at the first sign of discomfort.  Full feels different after surgery.  It feels more like a restriction as opposed to the typical "ate too much at Thanksgiving" full I had been use to.  I took my first shower at home and nearly passed clean out.  Without much fuel going into the new tank I was pretty weak.  I walked to the mailbox three times a day as exercise.  I used a lanyard, the kind you put your badge on at work, to keep my drainage port and bulb out of  the way so I could keep my hands free to brace myself against the walls of the shower.  Stay tuned for the next posts about exercise and food!

The Day After Surgery

That picture is worth a thousand words isn't it?!  My doctor came in first thing the morning after surgery.  I asked him to remove my nasal tube which was a bit shocking.  He told me to grab some tissues and have them right below my nose.  He grabbed hold of the tube below my nose and pulled it straight out!!  The most incredibly weird feeling I have ever felt up till then and that includes childbirth...twice!  I was then taken for an upper GI where I got to sip on some awful chalky thick shake so they could make sure that my new tummy didn't have any leaks.  The upper GI is basically an x-ray that take pics while you drink this nasty shake.  Once I was cleared by the doc I was allowed to start taking in clear liquids.  So I tried some chicken broth, one sip and I was done.  Couldn't stomach the taste of it.  Then my mom suggested a sugar free popsicle.  Two licks and I was over that as well.  Temperature was an issue for me.  Room temperature water was all I could handle.  I blew the vein in my other hand by mid day.  The nurse came to look for another vein in my arm.  They tried the veins in my arms and weren't able to find anything.  I continued to walk laps around the nurses station.  They brought in a nurse that was known for being able to get any vein on anybody.  She took off my compression stockings and socks.  She began to check my feet for veins.  I flipped a switch for real on that tiny little Asian nurse.  I told her I was done and that there was not a snowballs chance of her getting a needle in my foot.  I put up a total three year old, missed nap time, and and wants some candy at the grocery store check out fit!  Pretty sure my mom was exceptionally embarrassed.  Don't care!  No way I was going for an IV in the foot.  They all agreed to give me a break since I was hysterical.  They came back in the afternoon and then started looking at my neck for veins.  Thank God for my bestie, Jennifer, for coming by to see me after work.  She came in while I was in mid verbal brawl with the tiny but surprisingly strong Asian nurse.  Jennifer totally backed me up!  She asked the nurse to call the doctor and see if there was anything we could do to avoid putting an IV back in.  As much as I hate IV's I was grateful for when the nurse came back with the news that instead I would get a shot in the butt every 4 hours of antibiotics.  That was until I got the first one and thought I had been shot in the rear with a hippo tranquilizer.  OUCH!  Better than a needle in the foot or neck though.  By the way, compression stockings are a great request at the hospital if they are not offered to you.  The help prevent blood clots which are not something you want to leave to chance.  Stay tuned for how I handled life at home once I was released from the hospital the next morning.

Surgery Day! 3/5/13

I kissed my two boys and told them today was the first day of a healthier momma and to be extra good for Daddy while I was recovering from surgery.  I kissed SM (Stud Muffin) and told him I loved him so much and I was so grateful to have his support to make such a drastic change.

Mom picked me up from the house at 5:30 am to be at the hospital at 6.  I was a nervous wreck and chatted at my mom anxiously the entire way.  As we walked through the doors it became very real that I was about to pay someone roughly $4000 to cute 85% of my stomach out of my body with robotic arms.  I started to panic a bit.  We went up to admitting and I paid the initial deposit to the hospital and put on the hospital bracelets.  We waited for the pre-op nurse to call us back.  From the time of the start of my pre-op diet to that morning I had lost 10 lbs.  I was 260 pounds the day of surgery.  I went into the pre-op room and got changed into the gown.  My mom is an operating room nurse so she brought me thigh high compression stockings to help avoid blood clots.  It took us both to wrestle all of me into those things.

Mom and I waiting to be called back for surgery

By then the boys and SM were on the road to school that morning.  In our home there is a wall of silver crosses.  On the back of them all is written the special blessing in our family (birth of children, new homes, firsts for the family, vacations, etc.).  I had purchased a special cross for my surgery.  I had already written my surgery day on the cross and had put the nail in the wall for it to hang.  SM called me to say one more time that he was proud of me and loved me.  He said that he had hung up my cross before leaving that morning and that he would see me the next day.  That's when I started to cry and I didn't stop until I was under for the surgery.  The pastor came into pray with Mom and I, the doctor came in to check on me before we headed to the OR, and the nurse put the IV in my hand (which I HATE).  Through all of this I cried.  The emotions of letting myself get so morbidly obese, using food as a drug, hiding behind my fat, etc. all became very real for me in that morning.

I was finally given my "top shelf margarita" and rolled back to the OR.  Mom said my surgery was very fast and was surprised at how quickly I was in the recovery room.  When I awoke from surgery I had a tube going up my nose and down into my stomach.  I had a fanny pack with a weird fluid filled pouch.  It was a morphine catheter that went straight into my 4 inch long incision on my stomach.  There was also a drainage tube coming out of the left side of my belly with a drainage bulb attached to the end.  I had a catheter in for the first part of the day.  By evening time, my catheter was removed, I got up and took my first short walk from my bed to the nurses desk and straight back to bed.  I continued to push my morphine pump button to try and stay as out of it as possible.  The tube running up my nose and down my throat made me gag every second I was awake.  Dry heaving on a freshly stapled stomach was supremely painful.  By that time the vein in my right hand had blown and a nurse had to come in and start a new IV in my left hand.  The evening passed by pretty much in a daze.

Stay tuned for the next installment and all the drama that ensued the day after surgery.

Whatcha pack for the hospital

Here is a list of things I packed for the hospital that I actually used

• Chapstick- the first 24 hours they won't give you anything to drink, so your lips get chapped

• Underwear a size larger than what I normally wear- your entire body will be swollen after surgery

• Phone charger- I forgot mine but my mom brought hers :)

• A dress/moo moo to wear home- you will only want to wear things that barely touch you and are super soft because hydro codeine gives you the phantom itchies

• Hair ties/clips- forgot mine at home so my mom used these tiny sewing bobbin keepers for my hair, not good, see the Surgery Day post for pics

• Hair brush- again see hair ties, mom had to use the brush from the hospital

• Tooth brush and tooth paste- I remembered those and have never been happier to brush my teeth than I was on day 2 at the hospital

• Sports bra- keeps the ladies out of the way of the incision directly below your rib cage

• Lanyard- you can clip your drainage bulb to this so you can use both hands to wash up in the shower and brace yourself to try to keep from passing out in the shower

I actually packed a ton more than this for my two night stay and not a dang bit of it got used.  You will be high as a kite and won't be able to do anything that requires much brain power.  Every time I came to I walked a lap around the nurses station and then brought by little self back to bed where I promptly pushed my morphine button and slipped back into my drug induced coma.  Some of you might be braver than me and have a much higher tolerance for pain but I figured ride the gravy train while you have it.  I knew once I got home I did not intend to take pain meds except for bedtime.

The Last Supper with My Full Size Stomach- Pre Op full body pics

I have always said that if I was to ever have a last supper.  A dining experience full of gluttony and food that changes your life it would be my Mom's lasagna from scratch, brownies with Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream with whip cream, chocolate syrup, and a cherries on top.

On the night before my pre-op diet began, the week before surgery, my Mom prepared a feast that did not disappoint.  I can say with complete certainty that no one I mean NO ONE makes lasagna like my mother and it has been my most favorite dish of her's since childhood.

My Highest Weight Ever
*Day I started Pre-Op Diet

I ate two helpings of lasagna, a slice of garlic bread (from the middle of the loaf, because those are the most buttery), and a giant square of brownie with a huge scoop of Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream, smothered in chocolate syrup, topped with a mountain of redi-whip and several cherries.

Knowing it was going to be two months before I was able to eat solid food I couldn't imagine going out as a fat girl any other way.  I savored every bite and ate till I felt miserable.  I was miserably blissful.

 

Insurance...Approved

In December of 2012 I decided that the medically supervised diet had not worked and that I was ready to try again to get approved for weight-loss surgery.  I attended a small seminar at a doctor's office with a group of about 10 other people.  The surgeon explained the procedures available in detail and told of the risks and benefits of each.  Then we were all given an opportunity to speak to the doctor individually.  The doctor I chose was recommended to me by my primary care physician and is the head of gastric surgery at a near by hospital.

I met with the surgeon and told him that I wanted the gastric bypass because of my addiction to sugar and my bestie had the sleeve and it didn't work.  He went over my measurements and history and assured me that the gastric sleeve would be better for me especially with all of the female surgeries I had there would be a lot of scar tissue in my abdomen to go through if I was to have the bypass.  So I decided to follow his advise and put in the paperwork to insurance for a approval for the gastric sleeve procedure.  Again I prayed the same prayer that if this was God's will that insurance would approve the surgery quickly and that all of the preoperative requirements would go smoothly.  I agreed with my husband and family that at the first sign of insecurities or doubt I would call the whole thing off.  My mom is a nurse.  She had seen this procedure and wanted to be sure that my surgeon was the best available and would not treat me like "a puppy in the puppy  mill."  Within a week of the paperwork being filed with insurance I was approved for surgery!

I completed a meeting with the dietitian, upper GI testing, and a psychological evaluation.  All of which were a breeze.  Surgery date was set for March 5, 2013!

Insurance...Denied!

After delivery of Chum I got down to 250 pounds.  My gestational diabetes turned into Type 2 diabetes which I struggled to control with diet and exercise.  To be honest the whole situation felt hopeless.  I was busy working, raising two kids and being a wife to Stud Muffin.  I just couldn't stay on track with any diet or "life style change".  So I decided to look into gastric surgery.  I suckered my best friend into going to a free seminar with me to see if either one of us was a candidate for weight loss surgery with one of those big named bariatric surgeons.  I filled out the paperwork and sent in test results from my latest diabetes blood work.  I prayed that if it was God's will that I would be approved for surgery.  If that was not, then to lead me down the path he wanted me to take.

My bestie was approved for surgery and had her gastric sleeve preformed in April of 2011 by the big box doc.  After complications and very little loss she continued to try to follow up with the doctor for help.  With little to no success and absolutely no concern or assistance from the doctor the surgery was unsuccessful.  For the past few years I have seen her struggle through this and it breaks my heart.  There are decisions she made that contributed to the failure of the surgery but mostly I blame the surgeon for not taking time to really try to assist her through the difficulties of having this procedure.

I, on the other hand, was not approved by insurance for the surgery.  So I was told to go on a medically supervised diet for a year and that insurance would then pay for the surgery.  So I joined a program where you bought a nasty array of prepackaged meals and met with a nutritionist once a week to go over your food choices.  I think I lost a total of 30 pounds in the year that I was on the program but as soon as I lost those 30 I found them and some of their friends which put me at 260 pounds by the end of 2012.

Final Semester of College and Graduation

Beans at 3 months

The last semester of college was filled with dirty diapers, baby giggles, the intoxicating smell of baby magic lotion, college papers, 2nd grade internship, and working evenings at the grocery store.  This was probably my hardest 6 months.  Trying to juggle my responsibilities in school, financially, and as a new mom I could barely keep my head above water.  But by the grace of God I pulled through that semester and graduated from college with a bachelor's in education.  I graduated in December.  Finding a teaching job mid year is almost impossible.  With another answered prayer I found myself the week before graduation signing contract with a district to become a 3rd grade science and social studies teacher.  I was pumped!  Finally molding minds in my very own classroom!

Graduation was the week before XMAS,
Beans was 9 months old

I arrived to find a decomposing portable labeled "Science Lab" to be my new home away from home past the barbed wire fenced in teacher parking lot.  The portable leaned noticeably to one side and had computers bolted to the wall that were such an old model of a Mac I couldn't figure out how to turn the Jurassic boxes even on.  Evidently, the flasks and scales in the lab were really good for cooking drugs and distributing them because my portable was broken into 3 times that semester.  Those slugs even stole my box of Chicken In A Biscuit crackers and the cordial cherries out from under the sink that served as my teacher desk.  It was in an area I was afraid to get gas in at the local gas station.  I drove in crazy traffic for an hour each way everyday to begin to build up enough saving for Beans and I to get our own home.

Justa Swingin'

That second Mother's Day weekend Beans and I moved into our very own apartment.  My first purchase for our new home was this precious swing for the balcony of our appointment.  Once a week my dad would come over and eat dinner at the apartment and take out my trash for me.  On the weekends we would drive the 5 miles from the apartment back to my parents house to eat their food and do our laundry.  With cooking for a toddler meals are pretty limited for processed foods.  So my culinary skills started with cereal and ended with spaghetti o's and chicken nuggets.  Our cabinets and fridge were filled with convenient foods and sugary treats for me to snack out on after Beans went to bed.  I had gotten down from the 267 at delivery to 230 when we moved into the apartment.

So we coasted through the remainder of the school year.  Much of this year was also spent in and out of the court house fighting for sole custody of Beans. Despite my family and friends tremendous support I felt alone and hopeless.  I prayed to not have to raise my son alone but knew with a 1 year old son, 245 pounds, and a career in a female monopolized industry... it was going to be divine intervention to find a man good enough to be my husband but more importantly the father to my son.

So for a year I focused on the things that I believed were most important.  I tried very hard to run a nice home, cook better meals, and be the best mom I could be.  I began trying to develop more friendships and become a better teacher.  I decorated our little 2 bedroom apartment and continued to make our apartment truly a home for Beans and I.  When Beans was 2 I decided to join the dating game.  Stay tuned for my fool proof way to land a stud muffin like I did!

Meet Mrs. G

I am a native Texan, hopeful sinner, wife of a stud muffin, mother of two wild boys, daughter of amazing parents, big sister, Sunday school leader, math and science teacher, keeper of the craft room, weightless surgery patient, carb addict, and a dozen other titles.

That's me in a nutshell!  Isn't my boyfriend cute?!  Through this blog I will share how I packed on 270 pounds, 70 of which I acquired in a 3 year span, and now have lost 117 in 10 months!  I will post the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help me God!  Join me for the the good, the bad, and the ugly of my journey to a better me.