Closer.....closer......closer....

So, I got a call tonight from the Carewise program. They are the company that you have to do the 6 month weight loss planning with before they will send off your papers to insurance. I just have a few things left to do: ~Pre-op appointment with Primary Care Physician to get clearance for surgery ~Blood work ~Dietician consultation (phone) ~RN Consultation (phone) ~Pre-op instruction phone call ~Application to insurance ~SURGERY!! I am slowly making the changes to get ready for surgery. Giving up soda is the hardest one. I really wish that I didn't like it as much as I do. It's all good. I need this and I want this and I am not going to give it up because I can never have soda again. I love shrimp but, I am allergic to it and eating it could kill me - as could eating all this shit that is making me fat. Get with the program jackass.

Past meets Present

My name is Lesa. I am addicted to food. I have been for a very long time. I have been overweight my entire adult life. I became pregnant at the age of 17 and gained 80 pounds. I was 155 pounds when I got pregnant and weighed 235 when I delivered. I was able to get down to 180 but, never got off that last 25 pounds. 8 Months later, I got pregnant again and again, gained about 60 pounds. After I delivered, I got down to 205, now, I am carrying around an extra 55 pounds. My weight slowly crept up over the next 3 pregnancies I managed to gain 65 pounds and keep it on. At the age of 34, I was at a whopping 270! It was more than I could take. I decided to do something about it. In 2005 Gastric Bypass Surgery was all the rage. I slowly started taking steps to have the surgery done. Saw a nutritionist, had an endoscopy, heart stress tests, met with a surgeon - at Stanford Hospital- A world renowned Bariatric Surgical Hospital. I was approved for surgery and then the blow that I wasn't expecting came....my insurance denied. I was WELL over 100 pounds overweight. I didn't even think to check, my insurance doesn't cover ANY weight loss surgery. I was devastated. I decided right then and there, I was going to do something about it. Well, I didn't.Over the next year, I came to terms with the fact that I was going to be fat forever. That was it. In December of 2005, I started working with one of my friends, Michelle Quinones. She was working really hard to lose weight and was succeeding. She encouraged me to do the same. I did. I lost an amazing 60 pounds! I was all the way down to 210! The first time I had been this low in years!! I still had 40 pounds to lose but, I was determined to get it off. Well, life throws curve balls that you are not always ready for. I moved to Colorado to help take care of my grandmother. I was caring for her during the day and working in the evening. It was not a good situation for a regular eating schedule. I was up late and getting up too early. The weight slowly came back. It took a few years to come back but, I gained about 50 of the 60 pounds I lost! Over the next few years, I moved around and just came to terms with the fact that I was just going to be fat and that was it.... I was able to lose some of that weight again but, it always came back. In June of 2010, I graduated from college and received my Certification as a Surgical Technologist. I started looking for a job in Denver. I was not successful. I moved from Denver to Portland to Kearney over the next few months and was living in hotels. Eating out. I was back up to 260 and starting a new job. I was standing on my feet 8 hours a day, I was tired and my back hurt. A new friend at the hospital was going to be having lap band surgery - I started looking into it. Looking at insurance first. My insurance does cover it. There were a lot of requirements but, I thought, what the heck, I'll try it. The first requirement was to enroll in the Carewise program for a minimum of six months prior to surgery. During that six months, I started doing Nutrisystems and managed to take off 30 pounds. I was tickled. I finished the six month program in April. As the time has ticked on, I have managed to keep 25 pounds off. But, I just had surgery and am not allowed to exercise for the next 4 weeks, at most. So, about a month ago, I decided that I want to have the surgery. My life is really good right now. I have a wonderful boyfriend, a great job, a nice home and vehicle. The one piece of my life that I can't seem to get together is my weight. It isn't that I don't know how to lose weight, I don't know how to keep it off. This surgery is a tool that I can use to help me keep it off. I am very excited. I have completed most of the steps in order to have the surgery. I had to go to a Group meeting about the surgery, I had a consultation with my surgeon, I had to have a psychological evaluation, completed the six month weight loss program and met with a Nutritionist. The only things that I have left to do are meet with my Primary Care Doctor to release me for surgery and have some blood work done and get approval from my insurance. I am already off work for the next 4 weeks and I am hoping that I will be able to have the surgery done during my time off and not miss any extra time. I am going to keep this online blog to update my daily progress and struggles so that others who are considering the surgery will have a good idea of what it will be like to go through. The pictures below are all of me at my heaviest. 270