Progress Pictures!

Can you believe it!!??  I finally had my husband take pictures of my progress.  I'm pretty embarrassed to post them, but I know it's part of the journey and that it needs to be done.  Ok, so here they are.....

             December 15, 2013                                       June 1, 2014

One of two...50%...Measurements but no pictures

I posted on the 15th that I was hoping to have pictures and measurements up by the 16th....well, it's the 31st  and I am just NOW posting measurements.  The measurements were actually taken on 5/23 but I am just barely remembering to post them.  I am struggling with this blog thing!!!

I went to another follow up appointment on the 27th.  We decided to take .25 CC's out because I was getting a lot of stuff stuck again.  I am now at 5 CC's.  I am getting really frustrated with the up and down of trying to figure out where the band needs to be.  I feel like I am the only person that has this much trouble getting to a good spot!  I know that I say it a lot, but I am trying really hard to not get frustrated.  My surgery was December 16, 2013 and I'm "only" down 25 pounds.  I say "only" because I understand that it is a good amount of weight, but I have a personal friend that has lost MUCH more since her surgery in September.  She has lost about 60 pounds and she was not as overweight at the time of her surgery.  She couldn't even get insurance coverage because her BMI was too low.  It makes it super hard to be ok with my progress.

I am still doing hot yoga, but due to schedule conflicts, I have only been able to go about 2 times a week.  I am looking into joining Curves.  Do any of my blog followers go to Curves?  If so, what do you think?  I'm looking for positive and negative feedback.

Are you guys ready for the measurements?  Ok, here they are....

Measurements:

Upper Chest --- 42 inches --- Same  (2 inches total)

Bust --- 45 inches --- Same (2 inches total)

Midriff --- 38 inches --- Same  (3 inches total)

Upper Arms --- 14 inches --- Same (1 inch total)

Waist --- 36 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch (4 inches total)

Upper Hip --- 43 inches --- -1/2 inch  (3 inches total)

Lower Hip --- 44 1/2 inches --- -1 inch (3 1/2 inches total)

Upper Thighs ---27 inches ---  -1/2 inch each (3 inches total)

Mid Thighs --- 26 1/2 inches ----1 inch each (3 inch total)

Calves --- 15 inches --- Same (2 inches total)

2 Week Total - 5 inches

Total Inches lost - 27 1/2 inches

Another Fill

I went to another follow up appointment on Tuesday.  I was doing alright with the .2 CC's that we put back in two weeks ago.  I have been getting things stuck but not nearly as much, and most of it is my fault.  I am still getting used to what I can and cannot eat.  Unfortunately, I was only down 1 pound at this appointment.

I talked to the nurse and asked her how big my bites should be and since it's even smaller than I have been eating, we decided to put in an additional .25 CC's with the idea that I need to eat smaller bites and be even more conscious about eating slowly and chewing.  The good news is that I have been able to eat AND I have lost 2 pounds in 2 days.  I am now down to 175.6.  I'm hoping that this continues and that I have FINALLY found that right spot for my band.

Guess what.... still no pictures.  I'm horrible.  I have officially put a reminder in my phone.  My goal is to have pictures and measurements posted tomorrow.

A MUCH needed update!

Oh my gosh!!!  I can't believe it's been since 4/9 since my last update!  I am sorry!  I have quite a bit to go over.  In my last post I mentioned that I had gotten .4 removed from my band because it was too full.  At the time, I felt like it was a good spot but I ended up getting almost everything I ate stuck.  It was not the best feeling to have every time I ate.  I tried really hard to make sure I was chewing my food thoroughly but things were still getting stuck.  I had my follow up appointment with my nurse the following week so I wasn't too worried about it.

On 4/15 I went to my follow up appointment.  My weight on that day was 178.6.  This was down another 1.4 in that week.  My total in 2 weeks was a loss of 6 pounds.  I was very excited about that part but I wasn't excited about not being able to eat.  After talking to my nurse about what I was eating and what things were getting stuck, we decided to take out another .2 CC's out.  The following 2 weeks were good when it came to eating.  I didn't have much getting stuck.

I had another follow up appointment on 4/29.  I didn't gain weight, but I wasn't down either.  I was still at 178.6.  This was a little frustrating because before I wasn't able to eat anything and now I could eat but wasn't having any weight loss.  I talked to my nurse about it and we both decided to try putting the .2 CC's back in that were taken out the prior visit.  Since then I have been working extra hard at taking small bites, chewing really well and eating slowly.  It seems to be much better this time around.  I am able to eat things but don't feel hungry very often.  I'm hoping that my next appointment will have a good loss and then I will feel like I finally have my band in a great spot.

I know that I said I was going to get pictures up, but I keep forgetting to have my husband take them!  I will make sure to have them by my next appointment!  I will also do better at updating every couple of weeks instead of once a month!

Measurements and Quick Check-In

So, last week I had mentioned that I might have gotten a little too much put in during my last fill.  Well, later that afternoon I was eating pudding and even that left me with the feeling of it getting "stuck" so I called text the nurse and she said to go back in.  I went back in that evening and she removed .4 CC's which makes my new total and even 5 CC's.  It feels much better and I FINALLY feel like I am at a great place.  I don't really need to keep track of calories because I don't have the urge to eat like I did before.  I get full and stay full.  It's great!  I am ready for even more success!

I forgot (surprise!) to take my measurements last week, but I took them this morning!  I also weighed in and I am at 180.2 - that's 4.4 down from last week!  Yay!  I was very excited!  I have also lost 2 inches since the last time I took my measurements.  It's not as much as I would like, but I am still struggling to add more cardio to my workout routine.  I love my yoga but I keep telling myself (and you guys) that I am going to add more cardio.  I just need to do it!

I will post next week after my next doctors appointment.  Next week will also mark the 4 month anniversary since my surgery so I might get brave and post some new pictures!  Now, let's get to the measurements.

Measurements:

Upper Chest --- 42 inches --- Same  (2 inches total)

Bust --- 45 inches --- Same (2 inches total)

Midriff --- 38 inches --- -1 inch  (3 inches total)

Upper Arms --- 14 inches --- Same (1 inch total)

Waist --- 37 inches --- Same (3 1/2 inches total)

Upper Hip --- 43 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch  (2 1/2 inches total)

Lower Hip --- 45 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch (2 1/2 inches total)

Upper Thighs ---27 1/2 inches --- Same (2 inches total)

Mid Thighs --- 27 1/2 inches ---Same (1 inch total)

Calves --- 15 inches --- Same (2 inches total)

2 Week Total - 2 inches

Total Inches lost - 22 1/2 inches

An Unwelcome Weigh-In

I weighed in today as well as went to my doctor for another fill.  I was up this week - I weighed in at 184.4 which is up 1.4 pounds from two weeks ago.  I haven't taken my measurements yet so I'm not sure if I have lost anything there.  

I have still be able to eat pretty much anything.  Last night for dinner I had a whole turkey sandwich along with some chips.  I wasn't hungry after the meal, but I was hungry just a couple of hours later.  Like hungry enough to eat another meal, not just a snack.  I am still keeping track of calories, which makes it even more frustrating that I gained a little bit this week.  

Since I am still able to eat "normal" meals, the nurse at my doctor's office added another .8 CC's.  This makes my total to 5.4 CC's.  I need to only have liquids today.  I have noticed that if I drink water or my protein shake too fast that it gets "stuck" a little bit.  Nothing like when food gets stuck, but it feels like it's not going down as quickly...which is good, right?  Tomorrow I get to eat mushy foods, so I will see if that goes ok.  If not, I might need to get a little bit taken out.  

I will take my measurements tomorrow and post those.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I see some loss there!  Thanks for reading!

Weight and Measurements

So, two weeks ago I said that I felt like my band was filled to a good point.  I was originally going to wait a month before I went to the doctor again but I ended up going yesterday.  I have been losing some weight because I've been counting calories but I have noticed that I don't ever get full.  I get to the point where I'm not starving after I eat, but I never feel full.  I talked to the nurse about it and she decided to put another .6 CC's in.  That makes my total now 4.6 CC's.  I'm hoping this makes the weight loss even easier.  

I'm still going to yoga 3-4 times a week.  I still really enjoy it, but I need to start adding in some cardio a couple of days a week.  I have quite a few workout DVD's that I have purchased over the years, I just need to pick something that I will actually do. 

Now let's get to the good stuff...the stats.

Weight - 183.0 --- -3 pounds (16.4 total)

Measurements:

Upper Chest --- 42 inches --- Same  (2 inches total)

Bust --- 45 inches --- -1/2 inch (2 inches total)

Midriff --- 39 inches --- -1/2 inch  (2 inches total)

Upper Arms --- 14 inches --- Same (1 inch total)

Waist --- 37 inches --- -1/2 inch (3 1/2 inches total)

Upper Hip --- 44 inches --- Same  (2 inches total)

Lower Hip --- 46 inches --- Same (2 inches total)

Upper Thighs ---27 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch each (2 inches total)

Mid Thighs --- 27 1/2 inches ---Same (1 inch total)

Calves --- 15 inches --- -1/2 inch each (2 inches total)

2 Week Total - 3 inches

Total Inches lost - 20 1/2 inches

A Few Successes and An "Ah Ha" Moment

I have realized that I'm not good at the weekly updates... I think it's because I haven't been losing weight, but this week is different!

After my last weigh in (2 weeks ago), I decided that I was going to track my calories.  I have been doing this with the MyFitnessPal app.  I am currently eating 1310 calories a day and it seems to be working.  I also think that my band is filled to a good point.  I might need another small fill, but for now I think it's ok.  I need to get better at chewing my food.  I seem to get a lot of things stuck but I know it's my own fault because it doesn't happen when I am more aware of what I'm doing.

I have finally realized that in order to reach my goal by the end of the year, I only need to lose 1.5 pounds a week.  I have been expecting too much from the surgery.  I knew when I got it that I would be a TOOL to lose weight and not a miracle cure.  I have always been the type to want results "overnight" but I'm slowly realizing that it takes a lot of work and the scale will eventually catch up.

Ok, so let's get to the important stuff.... the stats.

Weight - 185.0 --- -3 pounds (13.4 total)

Measurements:

Upper Chest --- 42 inches --- Same  (2 inches total)

Bust --- 45 1/2 inches --- Same (1 1/2 inches total)

Midriff --- 39 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch  (-3 inches)

Upper Arms --- 14 inches --- -1/2 inch each (1 inch total)

Waist --- 37 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch (3 inches total)

Upper Hip --- 44 inches --- -1/2 inch (2 inches total)

Lower Hip --- 46 inches --- -1/2 inch (2 inches total)

Upper Thighs ---28 inches --- Same (1 inch total)

Mid Thighs --- 27 1/2 inches ---Same (1 inch total)

Calves --- 15 1/2 inches --- Same (1 inch total)

2 Week Total - 3 inches

Total Inches lost - 17 1/2 inches

Frustration Station!!!

Hello there.  I'm sorry that I didn't have a weigh in update last week.  My husband, daughter and I all took turns being sick so things were a little crazy around my house.

So, today I had another appointment with my Lap-Band nurse.  In the last TWO WEEKS I have only lost .4 pounds.  I can't even get a half of a pound!?  I also took my measurements in hopes that it would make me feel better about my small loss....nope.  I have lost ZERO inches over the past 2 weeks.  To say that I am frustrated is an understatement.  Kristi (the nurse) is really nice and told me that a loss in weight is a loss so she doesn't want me to get frustrated.  I understand where she is coming from, but weeks of hardly any weight loss after having weight loss surgery is hard to be ok with.  We talked about my meals and she decided to put another .5 CC's in my band which makes my total 4 CC's.

In my previous posts, I mentioned that I am doing hot yoga for my exercise.  This is still true, but I have also found another form of yoga that I really enjoy.  It's called Vinyasa.  It's more of a "flow yoga" and it's completely different than hot yoga.  I enjoy going to both but Vinyasa seems to be a slight cardio type of workout along with muscle strengthening and toning.  I have been going to yoga 3 times a week up to this point but I think I am going to increase to 4 now.  I will probably do 2 Vinyasa classes a week and 2 hot yoga classes a week.

I think that is all I have to say for now.  If you have any suggestions of how I can start seeing the loss on the scale, please leave me a comment!  I am also open to any recipes or food ideas you have that might help me on this journey!

Thanks for reading.  I will see you in a week for a weigh in!

Weigh In, Measurements and 2nd Adjustment

Hello everyone.  As you may recall, last week I was pretty frustrated because I haven't been seeing loss on the scale.  Well, today I weighed in and I have only lost .4 pounds.  This is definitely frustrating, but I do have some good news...

I have been doing 90 minute hot yoga classes 3 times a week.  I generally hate the heat, but I really enjoy hot yoga.  It's somehow relaxing and ridiculously hard at the same time!  While being able to enjoy my workout, I have lost 4 inches in the last 2 weeks.  This makes the minimal weight loss a lot easier to take because I know that I am losing fat and gaining muscle.  I will post my updated measurements at the end of this post.

This morning I went to my doctor for my 2 week post-fill appointment.  I talked to the nurse a little bit about how much I could eat at a sitting and how long it was before I was hungry again.  She decided that since it only takes about 2 hours +/- for me to get hungry after I heat that we would do another adjustment.  She added .5 CC's which makes my current total at 3.5 CC's.  I'm hoping that this will help with the weight loss.  Today I have to stick with liquids and tomorrow I have to eat only mushy food.  I will get back to normal food on Thursday. 

I have another appointment with my doctor in two weeks.  I will probably post my measurements on that same day just to make sure I am still losing inches with yoga.  After that I will probably (no guarantees) move the measurements to once a month.  Ok, now for the measurements.

Weight - 188.0 --- -.4 pounds (10.6 total)

Measurements:

Upper Chest --- 42 inches --- -1 inch (2 inches total)

Bust --- 45 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch (1 1/2 inches total)

Midriff --- 39 1/2 inches --- Same  (-2 1/2 inches)

Upper Arms --- 14 1/2 inches --- Same (No loss)

Waist --- 38 inches --- -1 inch (2 1/2 inches total)

Upper Hip --- 44 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch (1 1/2 inches total)

Lower Hip --- 46 1/2 inches --- -1 inch (1 1/2 inches total)

Upper Thighs ---28 inches --- Same (1 inch total)

Mid Thighs --- 27 1/2 inches ---Same (1 inch total)

Calves --- 15 1/2 inches --- Same (1 inch total)

2 Week Total - 4 inches

Total Inches lost - 14 1/2 inches

Weekly Weigh In With Some Disappointment

Hello everyone! I just realized that I forgot to do a weigh in last week.  I am kind of upset to say that I have not lost any weight since my last weigh in post.  On the flip side, I haven't gained any weight either.  I am just frustrated because it's early on in my post-op and I feel like I shouldn't be plateauing already.  I have been doing 90 minute hot yoga classes 3 times a week and I have not been eating out or anything.  I'm hoping that I've gained a little bit of muscle and lost fat.

I have my 2 week follow up to my first fill next Tuesday.  I think I will get a little bit more put in.  I find myself getting hungry after about 2 hours.  I have definitely noticed that I eat less at each meal, so that is good but I find that I am getting hungry about 2 hours after I eat.    

In my last post, I stated that I was going to do my measurements one a month.  I think that I will actually do my measurements next week to see if I'm getting results in that area.  That will give me about 2 weeks of my hot yoga workout.  Hopefully I see some inches lost.  That will make me feel better.

See you next week!

My First Adjustment and My New Favorite Workout

I had my first adjustment today.  I can't believe that it has already been 5 weeks since my surgery.  I am pretty excited to have more restriction in the band now.  I have a friend that had the Lap-Band surgery in September and she said that she started losing more weight after she got her first adjustment.

The adjustment didn't take very long.  I was in and out of the office in 10 minutes.  I laid down and the nurse felt for my port.  She found it quickly and then numbed the area.  After talking for a couple of minutes about how much I was able to eat, she decided to put in 3 cc's.  The weirdest part is the feeling of her moving the port around while she tries to get the needle in.  It didn't hurt, it was just a lot of pressure.  After the adjustment was done, she had me drink some water to make sure there wasn't any problem with it going down.

Today I was on a liquid diet and tomorrow I can eat mushy foods.  After that I can move to a normal diet.  The nurse recommends that you have a protein shake every morning because most patients feel "tighter" in the band first thing in the morning.  We will see how that goes tomorrow.

Now, in my last post, I said that I was going to start T25 but I actually have a different workout that I started.  My friend is a manager at a yoga studio and she convinced me to give Bikram yoga a try.  Now, I am not a person that likes the heat.  I actually HATE the heat.  I have always said that there was no way I could do it and I would die in the heat.  Well, I finally tried it and I LOVED it!  I am going to start out by going 3 days a week and I will work up from there... or I might add in a different work out.  We will see!

I think that I will check in weekly just to post a weight update and talk about anything that is going on.  I will post new measurements monthly.  Thanks for checking out my blog!  

One Month Post-Op Update

It's been one month since my surgery.  Things are going well.  I have my first fill on the 21st.  I'm anxious to have that done so that I can start seeing a real difference in my appetite.  I am already eating less but I still get hungry often because there is no fluid in my band.  I will make a post after I get my fill to let you know how it goes.  Anyway, on to the one month numbers.

Weight - 188.4 --- -10.2 pounds

Measurements:

Upper Chest --- 43 inches --- -1 inch

Bust --- 46 inches --- -1 inch

Midriff --- 39 1/2 inches --- -2 1/2 inches

Upper Arms --- 14 1/2 inches --- Same

Waist --- 39 inches --- -1 1/2 inches

Upper Hip --- 45 inches --- -1 inch

Lower Hip --- 47 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch

Upper Thighs --- 28 inches --- -1/2 inch each thigh (1 inch total)

Mid Thighs --- 27 1/2 inches --- 1/2 inch each thigh (1 inch total)
Calves --- 15 1/2 inches --- -1/2 inch each calf (1 inch total)

Total Inches lost - 10 1/2 inches

I definitely have a LONG way to go to reach my goal, but this is definitely a start.  I was surprised with the total amount of inches lost because I haven't started a workout routine yet.  I plan to get one started on Monday the 20th.  I had LASIK eye surgery a week ago so I wanted to give that time to heal before I did anything too crazy.  I plan to start the program T25.  It was created by Shaun T - the same guy that created Insanity.  I've started the program before and I am excited to get started again.  

I will post again on Tuesday about my first fill!  

The First 2 1/2 Weeks

It has been about 2 1/2 weeks since my surgery.  Let me tell you, it has definitely been an interesting couple of weeks!  This is going to be quite a "novel" but I have a lot to talk about!  I'm going to break down this post into two different sections.  Let's start from the beginning....

The Post-surgery Diet

When it comes to pain, I have a pretty high tolerance so I don't have many complaints in that area.  I have had a few surgeries so I knew what to expect in that aspect.  Honestly, the hardest part for me was the diet.  After the surgery, you aren't able to eat solid foods for 28 days.  Going into the surgery I wasn't too worried about it because I was just so excited to get the surgery and start my new life and weight loss journey.  This mentality changed after I had the surgery!  

The first 3 days consisted of clear liquids only.  This included things like Jell-O, water, Gatorade, broth and popsicles.  This wasn't bad on the day of surgery.  Mostly because I was out of it and didn't care much about eating.  Once I got to the third day, I was starving!  I knew it was necessary to promote the proper healing, but it was hard.  On day 4 and 5 I was able to add skim milk.  I had NO IDEA that skim milk could taste so good!  It was a little helpful to get some protein each day.  I couldn't wait for day 6!

Starting on day 6 and going through day 9, I was able to go to "full liquids."  This included strained soups, smoothies, yogurt drinks, smooth yogurts, puddings and protein drinks.  Being able to add these things helped a lot, but after a couple of days I felt like I was starving again.  Christmas couldn't come soon enough!

Sure, I LOVE Christmas every other year, but this year was even better.  I was able to add in pureed foods!  My Christmas dinner consisted of DELICIOUS mashed potatoes and gravy.  I wasn't able to eat very much (which is good) but I enjoyed every bite!  The pureed diet was from day 10 through day 14.  It was wonderful and I definitely lost the "starving" feeling.  Next came the "healing diet....."

The healing diet is the final phase of the post-surgery diet.  This diet is pretty much anything that you can puree into the consistency of applesauce.  I am currently on day 19 and I haven't had a problem finding things to eat.  I am able to eat scrambled eggs, cottage, cheese and cooked squash.  There are other items on the list but these are the staples for me right now.  I am also able to have a lot of soups if I am able to puree any big pieces.  There are definitely a lot more options but I still can't wait to move to solid foods.


The Complications

I didn't have any problems during the surgery or with anesthesia.  My problem was actually with one of my incisions.  I have five incisions total.  Four of them are small (no bigger than an inch) and have healed as expected.  The fifth incision is the "port incision."  This incision is larger than the others because the doctor has to be able to get the port in.  After the surgery, I had steri strips on the incisions and they were covered with bandages and a waterproof covering.  The doctor and his nurse said that I could take the bandages off after one week.  

The day came for me to take off my bandages.  I started with the four small incisions because honestly, the biggest one made me nervous.  I could tell it was pretty bruised underneath the bandages.  The first four incisions were fine.  I'm considered a "slow healer" so they weren't scabbed over yet or anything but they were closed up.  I moved to the scary one.  I got about halfway through taking off the bandage when I realized something was not right.  It was gooey and it didn't look the the incision was closed up at all.  WARNING:  I'm posting a picture of what it looked like.  Skip the picture if you are squeamish.

I am very lucky and I have an amazing nurse that welcomes text messages at any time.  I sent her the picture and she had me meet her at the office after hours to look at it.  Luckily, it just looked a lot worse than it was.  It wasn't infected so that was good.  She cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide and put a new steri strip on.  She said that I should leave it on for another week and she would take the bandage off at my 2 week follow up.

Well, a few days later, I noticed that the new bandage was looking quite gross and gooey.  Even more gooey than when I originally took the bandage off. Once again, I sent a picture to the nurse and she told me to just take off the bandage since it was so gross.  It was not a pretty site.  I have a picture but it doesn't do it justice... but I will post it anyway.

And here is a picture the next day...after it aired out.

 Gross right!?  Well, I went in for my 2 week appointment shortly after.  The doctor didn't think it was too bad but he put me on oral antibiotics just in case.  It has finally scabbed over but it still looks pretty bad.  It's still tender but it the redness around it seems to be getting better.  This is what it looks like now....

I have a follow up appointment on the 7th so that my doctor can look at it to see if he has any concerns.  I'm hoping that it is on the way to being better, but it's annoying for now.

I'm SO sorry about the novel!  Like I said at the beginning, I had a lot to say!  My plan is for my next post to be my one month follow up.  I'll update my weight and measurements.  See you on the 16th!

Getting to Know Me

Hello.  Let me introduce myself.  My name is Ashlee.  I have struggled with weight for most of my adult life.  I noticed that the weight really started packing on after I quit smoking in November of 2008.  Once I lost one "oral fixation" I turned to another and it was food.  I mindlessly became a snacking machine and didn't realize how much weight I was gaining.  In 2010, I gave birth to my beautiful daughter.  Immediately after having her, I was able to drop the weight I had gained with her but shortly after I was diagnosed with postpartum depression.  Once I started taking my anti-depressants, I noticed once again that my weight started increasing.  Most recently I have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.  One of the main side effects of this condition is weight gain.

Now, let me say, I have tried just about every diet and weight loss gimmick you could think of.  If the weight loss didn't happen as quickly as I would like, I would simply give up and go back to my old ways.  Even though I know that it is best to lose 1-2 pounds a week, I would get so frustrated if I didn't lose 10 pounds in 1 day.  I would say my biggest struggle in the weight loss process is the diet.  Generally, I don't mind exercising.  I usually able to find a workout that I like but that doesn't do anything if I can't get my eating under control.

How did I decide to get the Lap-Band?  One night (in August 2013) I was watching 'Say Yes to the Dress' and one of the girls on the episode I was watching had lost 100 pounds after she got the Lap-Band.  I talked to my husband and he was very supportive and said that if I felt it was something I needed to do that he would be there for me 100%.  I was intrigued, so I got on the internet and did some research.  After learning more about it I decided that it was something I wanted to get more information on.  

I found the top Lap-Band surgeon in my state and got in touch with them.  They let me know what I would need to do in order to get the procedure authorized through my insurance.  Like most insurance companies, my insurance provider required 6 months of supervised weight loss, a psychiatric evaluation, a nutritional evaluation, and a physical from my doctor.  Luckily, I already had 6 months of supervised weight loss so I didn't take long to get everything in order.  I sent my paperwork to my doctor and they sent it to my insurance.  Within in a week, my doctors office called me and let me know that my insurance DENIED my request to have the surgery covered.  I was devastated!  Luckily, my doctor was aware of (and had worked with) a company that specializes in insurance appeals.  This company compiled a case for me and sent everything to my insurance company.  It took a while, but on December 6th, my doctors office called and let me know that I was APPROVED!!!  It was the best feeling ever!  A short 10 days later, on the 16th, I had my surgery.

Ok, now that you know a little bit about me, let's move on to my pre-surgery stats and pictures!

Beginning weight - 198.6

Measurements:

Upper Chest --- 44 inches

Bust --- 47 inches

Midriff --- 41 inches

Upper Arms --- 14 1/2 inches

Waist --- 40 1/2 inches

Upper Hip --- 46 inches

Lower Hip --- 48 inches

Upper Thighs ---28 1/2 inches

Mid Thighs --- 28 inches
Calves --- 16 inches