Half My Size

Sleep Study Results

2010-10-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

So, the sleep study results are in, and whaddya know. I have MILD sleep apnea, but apparently its enough to need to have a CPAP. So I had a titration study last thursday and they determined the strength of the CPAP that I need to be using. I will hopefully pick it up on thursday and begin wearing it. So long as I have 24 out of 30 days worth of use by november 11th, I can use that appointment as a follow up on my CPAP use, and then if I manage to lose the weight sooner then I can schedule my surgery after insurance approval by the middle of november hopefully....I know I am being sort of impatient but it has really not been that long of a process....I first looked into the surgery on June 30th, went to the information session on July 12th, and then have gotten all of my required appts done in the last two months, august and september, but after 30 more days I should hopefully have the date!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO i'm pretty excited!
I know its going to be the biggest challenge I have ever had but it will be so worth it in the end, I will be healthy and trim and hopefully able to buy clothes at all the stores that I am not able to shop at now!!!!!
once I have a surgery date, then I will post before pics....ok?

just waiting

2010-09-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

A Rundown of the things I need and have done to get the ball really rolling....

Appointment with The Nurse Practitioner on August 12th, apparently I am fat enough for the surgery hehe....
Appointment with The Nutritionist on August 12th apparently I will be able to change my eating habits enough for the surgery to be successful.... :)
Appointment with Sleep Medicine Doctor on September 9th.... yeah it's required...
Appointment with the Psychologist on September 10th.... and As crazy as I might be, it's not too crazy to have the RNY (Roux en y gastric bypass surgery)....
The Actual Sleep Study on September 15th- which is almost like a nice little vacation since you get to go spend the night in a hotel and wake up and have a full complementary breakfast,only your hooked up to about 1,000 wires and patches and these bands around your stomach and you are woken up by an intercom if you mess up anything, and someone comes into your room multiple times in the middle of the night to hook you back up :)
Visit with my PCP for a pap and things of that nature to determine that I'm a healthy candidate for the surgery.

So now..... I wait.

I was informed by the Nurse Practitioner that I have to wait for the follow up appointment with Sleep Medicine on November 11th to determine if I need a CPAP. I was supposed to follow up in 4 weeks from the study (around mid-october) but the darn doctor is on vacation the whole damn month and so therefore, I must wait until Nov. 11th. After this appointment if I do need a CPAP I may have to do another sleep study with the CPAP on to have it titrated to the right level, and then I must have 30 days of compliance with CPAP use before I can schedule the surgery.

I also have to lose 16 pounds, which I am fully confident I can do in about a months time, which I will be starting to do probably around the beginning of november.

So far, all of my labs have been normal and I do not need to do anything crazy in that aspect.... I am so glad that it could just be a few more months and I could be losing weight successfully like my mom has and this time being able to keep it off. I can honestly say I am ecstatic!
I am going to try to post everything from appointments to pre-op,post-op and weight loss information on this blog....

November 11th- you cannot come soon enough, I am sooooo eager to hopefully hear that I do not have severe enough sleep apnea to have to use a CPAP.... and I can schedule immediately if I have lost the 16 pounds at this point in time!

my weight

2010-08-17T17:45:00.001-07:00

I forgot to include that my weight as of the appointment with the Nurse Practitioner on August 12th, was 320lbs so I have to lose 5% of that (hence the 16lbs I mentioned)to get the surgery so that the fat will come off my liver since they have to be able to get under your liver and lift it up during the surgery. so I will be doing my very best to lose that 16lbs over the next 6 weeks :)

Appointments all scheduled

2010-08-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Today I made all the appointments needed to get the ball really rolling. I have an appointment Sept 9th for a sleep study consult so I can schedule that, then an appointment on the 10th with the psychologist to determine that I am sane enough to have the surgery (let's hope I can fool him, haha) and then an appointment with my primary physician on september 16th for the pap to make sure i am healthy enough. :) I am so excited, a year from this winter I could be shopping in regular stores like Gap and Papaya,American Eagle and others!!!! yay! anywho, i am super excited if I can get all of this done in september and manage to lose the 16lbs that is required by the end of the month I could get it submitted to insurance and scheduled by october!!!!! how exciting! the sooner I get it the better I cannot wait to lose weight and be healthier and have more energy to keep up with that amazing little girl of mine!!!

a new path I have decided on...

2010-08-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in what feels like forever because there hasnt been much to report, however a friend was telling me she had decided to have lapband surgery and I got interested in it and I found out that the lapband and gastric bypass are both covered by my insurance. I thought about it and I have decided to have Gastric Bypass. It worked so well for my mom and I know I can handle the diet and exercise part of it, so on August 12th I met with both the nurse practitioner and a dietitian.
It was very informative and I feel very safe and comfortable being in the hands of OHSU physicians and providers. I have to get some labs done, do a sleep study and a psych eval but I was told by the nurse practitioner that given my age and relatively healthy body, I could have the surgery in about 3 months. wow, that is insane. I am nervous but very excited, it will be so great to have this tool to help with my weight loss goal and also to maintain my weight once I've lost the excess weight.
However, I have only decided to share this on blogger and won't be announcing it to anyone on facebook, just because I dont feel it's really anyone's business unless i'd like to share it with them, so ya'll are special :)! anyways, I will keep you updated on the process and also on my surgery and recovery and the weight loss I will have following surgery. I will post some pre-surgery photos of myself when the time for my surgery has been scheduled.

it's been awhile....

2010-01-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted a blog on my weight for a while because I have been so busy with life, but on the bright side of things, I have managed to stay between 300.1-305.0lbs for the last few months....I was down to 298.4lb at one point, but went back up to 300, but that was exciting anyways since it's the first time I have been below 300 since Bella was born. I am hoping I can get back down to that weight here soon, I am trying to find my lost motivation. I have been stressed out alot and not always paying attention to what I am eating. I am going to try to be more proactive with my eating and exercise habits, we have cable now so I might start checking out the on demand work out videos. Does anyone have any suggestions for ones they really like? I want one that makes ya sweat, the sweatier the better :) I am going to try to make 2010 a productive year and get atleast 60lbs of fat off my body, thats about 5lbs a month, I probably could lose more but I don't want to get frustrated if I don't and give up. Also, does anyone have any websites that have good low calorie foods that aren't to difficult to make? I am going to have to give up my eating out habit, except for sunday breakfast at Elmer's. lol that'll be my treat if I can manage to do well all week. Sorry for the blabbering. So here's for the weigh in today, I am at 301.0lbs as of this morning. HOPEFULLY, no I WILL, be less than 300lbs by Feb 1st for good.

It's official....I'm TOO f*cking FAT!

2009-09-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

It's official, I am too fat for myself. I am not happy this fat, I never will be, and I am always uncomfortable and in pain. I weighed in this AM at 312.0lb, which is better than 316 but not a whole lot for a few months loss. I am seriously so sick of being fat, if that's possible for anyone to understand.
I wish I never had to deal with this, being overweight sucks, I don't even know how it snuck up on me really. I mean I know I don't choose the healthiest foods in the world, but really, I don't eat that much more(or worse) than some of my friends who are 110lbs sopping wet, and we probably get the same amount of exercise. I just don't get it.
My back hurts, it hurts so bad when I sit for too long, or when I first get out of bed. my knees creak when I go up the stairs, are you kidding me, I'm 23, not 83! That should not be happening. I am so uncomfortable that it actually hurts me to work out. I can't focus on exercise when my body is so sore.
I have more stress these days I think than any 23 year old should have. I have so many bills, so many bill collectors calling me 30 times a day, and not enough money at this job to pay them all. I feel stuck, or lost in the shuffle. I think alot of my issues are relating to stress. I think my back pain might be part stress/part excess weight, and I am miserable. It's hard to sum up my feelings in this blog but more than anything, I just need to get help. I don't know where to start, I have tried exercise,dieting,everything. I think today is just a crappy day and I want to bitch about how much my life sucks (well not my life just being overweight, bills, and stress). Anyways, ignore this post I guess I just wanted to get it all out there, I feel so much better even now!

so this sucks....

2009-07-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

yep, I fell off the bandwagon for a little while, and it shows. I weighed myself this morning, and I wanted to cry. I am back up to 316.1lbs. This week though I have been trying alot more to consciously watch what I am eating! I am so proud of myself I cooked dinner 3 days in a row! Big accomplishment for me. and one of the nights we had a delicious Chicken Salad with cucumbers and carrots and cheese and this super yummy dressing called green goddess. It's a kraft dressing, it's amazing! Anyways, I am going to sign up for a biggest loser challenge with my Bestie amber and her mom on july 31st. We all put in 20 bucks and they try to get 20 people to join. Then we all have to work out, eat better, and lose weight. At the end of 3 months, we all weigh in and the person with the highest percentage of weight loss wins the pot, which if there is 20 people, it's about 400 bucks :). I hope this will give me the extra motivation I need to get busy on the weight loss.
We have had quite a few stresses lately and honestly, I can say that is the most likely cause of my weight gain. I know I eat more crappy foods and more often when I am feeling overwhelmed and stressed. We are moving this weekend and next, and then we have made a decision to do something that is both going to hurt and benefit us financially, and hopefully after all of this my stress will be alleviated tremendously.I will try to post more often, it's just so hard to find time in this wild ride we call life!

Chuggin along!

2009-03-26T13:03:00.001-07:00

Well I haven't busted through yet, but I am only 3 pounds from hitting the below 300 goal I started with! If only I had some time to get to the gym that would help, but I am proud to say I just finished my yummy salad with cucumbers and some shredded cheese, and a chicken breast! I am really trying! I want to be prepregnancy weight before may 16th!!!!!! I So officially I am at 303.2lbs, so I am gonna get there! I have to get to 293 to be preprego weight! I need someone to root for me! thanks for reading!

2009-01-29T13:22:00.000-08:00

Wow where has the time gone....looks like I am the biggest Loser, cuz I didn't even get close to losing 20lbs this month...as a matter of fact I do believe I haven't gained nor loss, could be better or could be worse. I really need to start trying harder though, maybe when we get taxes back I will buy myself an elliptical so I can't have the excuse that there is no time to go to the gym lol. Not too mention being strapped for money and bills piling up it's hard to focus on losing weight. We are also planning a wedding that should be happening on May 16th! I just have so much going on, and I am a really bad emotional eater, so it has been a challenge to avoid eating things just out of boredom, or due to stress.

Happy Holidays! :)

2008-12-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

I have not been on in a while as it has been a busy month, just trying to get through the holidays. I have been working lots as well. I just wanted to post that I am still working on eating better and exercising, and I weighed myself yesterday and was 307.6lbs, so that means I have lost another 7 lbs since Nov 19th! GO ME! it is not easy thats for sure, but atleast I am about 10lbs from prepregnancy weight now, and me and noel are betting that if I lose 20lbs by Jan 31st he will owe me $100 and if I don't, well he will be a $100 richer! So I think its about time to whip out the atkins diet :), that always produces a pretty good result fairly quickly. But anyways I hope everyones holiday season was blessed with health and happiness and of course family! I will try to post more often, I always forget cuz I get to busy!

At work early....thought I'd update

2008-11-19T07:18:00.000-08:00

So I decided to weigh myself this morning as I have been working the past two weeks and eating healthier, and I weighed in this morning at 314.1 lbs! YAY thats pretty exciting for just a few weeks....I am hoping that by the end of december I will atleast be able to say I am at pre-pregnancy weight...or close to it....under 300 is my big goal for right now! So I just wanted to let you all know that I am chuggin along and making some progress lol! GO me! anyways I hope everyone is doing well and I hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving weekend! OOH I am so excited cuz my clinic is closed thurs and friday so I don't have to work on my birthday and i have a 4 day weekend! WOO HOO PARTAY!

It's been awhile....

2008-11-05T16:13:00.000-08:00

So it's been a while since I have posted an update, but I have been off work and stressed and keep forgetting to write a new blog. So I weighed in this morning at 320.7 so I guess I am right where I started over a month ago, could be better, could be worse...I am still trying to be sure I get to the gym twice or three times a week, and still am working on my eating habits, but as of now I am just tooo busy stressing about bills and money to really focus on dieting, however I am not going to let that stop me from trying to getting healthy. I will be doing better once I am back to working and caught up on my bills!

In all honesty...

2008-10-14T00:30:00.001-07:00

I wish this wasn't so damn hard....I was just thinking that it's funny how most people say oh I have no problem changing my eating habits its the working out part I can't do, now I am the exact fricken opposite. I would rather work out four hours a day than change my eating habits, I think mostly because it is alot of work to figure out calories, and also I have horrible cravings and I always give in. I just need one whole week of not giving in and I think I will be ok. That being said, I have not been eating so well the last few days...I had taco bell tonight, and a brownie sundae from mcdonald's while I was working....SHAME on me right, well I guess that just means it's gonna take more time in the gym tomorrow to burn off the extra calories I consumed tonight. Darn... Well I just hope that I see some results within the month. I do notice I have SOOO much more energy and sleep better now that I am on a regular schedule of exercising!

This past week

2008-10-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

has been very busy. I have been careful to track my diet and exercise and I am working on decreasing the amount of calories I am currently taking in. It is not an easy task for me, since I love food. I started working out this past weekend with my workout buddy Amanda, and we have been to the gym 3 times since sunday. I am sore but overall I have much more energy and I like working out, its actually really fun because its a challenge. I have been trying to pack a lunch and write down any snacks I eat as well at work. I am focusing right now not so much on weight loss but building muscle as each pound of muscle burns an extra 35 to 50 calories a day just at resting rate. I also learned that one pound of fat contains 3500 calories. WOW thats just crazy! Well I have not weighed myself yet because I am only going to weigh monthly, so my next weight will be on Nov. 2nd because I just get discouraged so easily, if I do not lose weight I give up pretty easily. I am glad I have someone who is a support system for me, I just tell her when I am having a bad day or a craving or if I cheat and have a bad food, because it keeps me more on track knowing that I have to tell her if I eat it, lol. Oh at the gym on sunday I had my body fat percentage measured and it was 46.2%. This will be something I will also use to monitor my weight loss.

A little history....

2008-10-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

Most of you know me, but for those who don't, my name is Jody, I am 22 years old and Mommy to one gorgeous little girl. I have been overweight since I was about 13 years old, and have decided that I am ready to take on this weight loss challenge once and for all. I have dieted before and lost weight, then gained it back, and then I got pregnant in december of '06, and starting weight was 293 lbs, by the time Isabella was born I was 338 lbs. After I had her I was still in school and eating very poorly, breastfeeding (which kept me incredibly starving all the time) and by about 6 weeks PP I was dowwn to about 328lbs. I finished school and started a new job, and now am ready to try to lose the rest of my weight. I am currently 320.7 lbs, and my ultimate goal is 180lbs. I am starting to track my diet and exercise on a wonderful website called SparkPeople.com, they have an awesome program to assist with weight loss, and its free. They have recipes, grocery lists, meal plans week by week, and an exercise tracker, and a food journal that calculates your calories for the day. I recommend it to just about anyone who is interested in losing weight, its been a good tool, I am reading through the articles and learning alot of useful information. This weekend on Sunday me and a friend will be reopening our gym memberships so we can start working out together, since I am one who always needs a motivational buddy. She definitely doesn't have to lose near as much as me (I want to lose about 140 lbs), she is about 20-30 away from her goal but she is sooo inspiring and she believes I can do it.