Hello New World!

Well, maybe not so much "New World", as "New Me". You see, I had Gastric Bypass Surgery a little over two weeks ago. I started the process a little over a year ago, and was lucky enough to have my surgery done by the very respectful Dr. Suh of Crown Bariatric in Corona, California.

This blog is for everyone. While it will be focused mainly on my weight loss journey, there will be other neat things along the way. Part of this process is relearning how to eat and cook (so look for product reviews along the way), exercising, and support. I will also try to answer any questions you have, but understand that it is all based on MY experience. Nothing here should substitute information from a doctor. What I write is what works for me. If you are a weight loss surgery patient, your doctor may have a different protocol for you to follow. Always listen to your doctor.

Okay, a little background. I am a 33 year old stay at home wife. I have not been heavy all my life, but for a good portion of it. I have tried all the diets known to man (and woman!). Pills, Weight Watchers, Lindora, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem. And, I "failed" at all these diets. Sure, I would lose some weight but it would always come back, two-fold. Finally, I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and high cholesterol. Also, I never had a sleep study, but I am fairly certain I have/had sleep apnea. That is when I started researching weight loss programs through my insurance. I joined an online support group, and heard about bariatric surgery. Originally, I was geared toward the Lap Band. However, my insurance did not support that surgery, so I would have had to pay out of pocket... and it wasn't cheap. I signed up for the bariatric orientation, and learned about Gastric Bypass. I thought it would be the better way to go. So I started the six month class required by insurance to have the surgery. I'll go through that more on later posts. I finished in October of 2008, got my consultation with Dr. Suh in early February and on February 23rd, I became what is compassionately known as a "loser". Yep, I had moved to "the other side".

It wasn't easy at first - clear liquids while in the hospital, then full liquids for a week (strained soups, protein shakes, etc...) and just last week I was cleared for soft foods. Hooray tuna! I have another couple of weeks before I am cleared for regular food. But no worries, I will keep you updated!

For now, let me leave you with this:

"In learning to know other things, and other minds, we become more intimately acquainted with ourselves, and are to ourselves better worth knowing" --- Philip Gilbert Hamilton