First Day of a New Chapter

Well, the day has arrived. The day I decide to put it all out there and invite the world to follow me in what is going to be the biggest challenge of my life. I debated whether or not to make this public, but I feel I need to do this for myself - a way to hold myself accountable. There are many friends and family who want to follow my progress who live far away. Also, I didn't want to post all my news on FB because I often get sick of hearing about other's weight-loss or exercise routines, so this way, if you want to read about me, you have to search me out instead of me just forcing it into your newsfeed! So, here it is!

On July 9th I will be having Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery (weightloss surgery). I am not telling you this to get your opinion or thoughts on the subject. I have been going through this process since January 2011. Yes, a year and a half. So this is not something I have rushed into or take lightly.

Tomorrow, June 17, I will begin drinking Optifast shakes for my meals and that is all I will be able to have until my surgery. Optifast aids in shrinking the liver and getting rid of any fatty tissue on the liver. The surgeon needs my liver to be as small as possible in order to reach my stomach. If my liver is enlarged, it may get nicked or cut during surgery and that would be bad! I am not looking forward to drinking only these shakes for the next three weeks, but I AM looking forward to feeling better and healthier. Some people lose up to 30 pounds while drinking Optifast. Bonus!

This surgery is quite serious. But so is the afterlife of surgery. Some people, and I was one, think that having this surgery is a cop-out, the easy way out. Let me state that could not be further from the truth. Through the past year, I have learned that my eating habits will be changed forever and that there is a chance I will never be able to eat or enjoy foods that I once did. I will now have to chew my food until it is like purée before I can swallow it. I will not be able to drink during my meals anymore (must stop drinking a half an hour before and wait for a half an hour after eating). This is because the drink washes out all the nutrients that my body needs to absorb that normally would have remained in the stomach. This is going to be hard because I have ALWAYS had a lot to drink while eating. I won't be able to chug back a diet coke anymore (carbonated drinks are a no-no after surgery - it stretches the stomach). And we all know how hard this one is going to be for me, since I LOVE diet coke!

There are MANY changes that take place. This is the hardest thing I've had to do. But I have to do it for my health. I have to do it for my family. I have to do it for ME. And it doesn't really matter to me what anyone else thinks.

I will do my best to post a couple of times a week about my progress. And I will post pictures from time to time.

Let me be clear - I am not doing this surgery to become some skinny, supermodel. I am doing this to be healthy. I want to be around for my children while they grow up. I am quite aware that I could wake up tomorrow, get hit by a car and miss the rest of my childrens' lives, but having this surgery is a step I'm taking to ensure I do whatever I can do to live a long, healthy life.

I appreciate your support in this adventure. If you have negative things to say, please do not bother leaving comments. I will just erase them anyway. I do not need negativity in my life. So feel free to leave comments that will lift me up, make me laugh, and bring me joy!

Well, here goes! I'm heading to bed and will awake to drink my first shake.

Cheers to health!