jami_faye

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Well I am officially 10 months post op, a week over, and I feel like a new woman!!! I have found my confidence and have ran into people that know me, but haven't seen me in forever and their mouths drop, when they realize it is me..they don't recognize me...LOL  In the past 10 1/2 months, I have lost 158lbs. That is an entire person, how crazy is that??  I still have 42 more pounds to go till I hit my goal of 162!!
I am at the stage where the weight has slowed down ALOT!!! I am lucky to lose 10lbs. a month, but that is fine, i have had such success, that I  cannot complain!! Here are a few accomplishments that I have made in the past 10 months~

Everytime I sit down, I can cross my legs like a lady and it is comfortable, not just plopping my ankle over my knee

My cholesterol has dropped from 331 to 184 *AWESOME*

I went to my first Marine Corps ball EVER..hubby has been in 12 years and never had a date, because I was too self conscious to go, I refused to be the fattest wife there!! But this year I went and rocked it with a beautiful gown (See my pics)

When playing outside with my kids, I actually "run" around and don't even realize I am running..LOL

I am not afraid to go out in public, even without makeup, I feel confident and finally feel normal size

I have gone from a size 30 jeans to a 16 which is starting to get baggy in the booty!! I haven't been in a 16 since I met my hubby 12 years ago!!

I can now proudly shop in the "regular" size clothes and bypass the plus size, because they are all too big!! I will miss you Lane Bryant .. LOL 1 more size and we are through :( 

My hubby calls me skinny and I cannot even imagine putting that word to my body, but he says its true :) 

OH and I have these things called "collarbones" and boy do they like to stand out in the crowd..hahaha

I saw my mom for Christmas and she could not get over how skinny my legs got...LOL Thanks mom :) 

I have had a complication free journey, so far, except for a few times of getting food stuck, but that had to do with eating leftover meat that was too dry & getting a hold of some YUMMY bourbon teriyaki chicken and inhaling it like nothing..OOPS!! Had to make a run for the little girls room at the mall!!! hehehe Hey it happens!!
I still continue to eat all of my food on a salad plate, it has just become habit, and even over christmas with all the extremely tasty induldgences, I managed to lose a pound, which included 1800 miles of road trip there and back!! So I can't complain there!! But so far, I feel absolutely fabulous and just want to wish everyone the best of luck that is considering this new lifestyle change!!  It is an awesome ride!!! Now for the pics :) 


 -158lbs....down from 362lbs. to 204lbs. CRAZY!!!

So I decided to give a little update for those that read my blogs  :)
Time has FLOWN by, and so have 7 months!! I have to say,  I feel so amazing, i could sit here and say it till I turn blue in the face, but there is no way to truly describe how it feels in words!! I guess if you just look at my pics and see the smile on my face and see my confidence and some say I even have a glow about me now, that right there shows how amazing i feel at this point in my journey.  As of today, I have lost 131lbs. since the start of my journey!! 122lbs. of those have been in the past 7 1/2 months!!!!
That is a whole other person!!?? No way would I have ever thought I would have been so successful, so fast. I have been very fortunate to so far have a complication free journey!! I can eat ANYTHING i want as long as it is in moderation!! I have not experienced dumping "yet", but I am still not ruling that out!!  This whole process is a complete lifestyle change, it is up to you to figure out what to incorporate within this change and what works and what does not work!!  I will admit I have fallen victim to extreme cravings of sugar...UGH!!!! I was not big on sweets prior to this surgery, but now, I think about M&M's and chocolate chip cookies :( BUT what I have learned about that is, I CAN have what I am craving, but keyword is in "moderation" Instead of sitting down with 5 chocolate chip cookies, I will have 1 :) and as far as the M&M's I buy the bag that has the little tiny packs in it and allow myself a little pack of M&M's versus a regular size that I would have never thougt twice about eating before!! And my craving is cured!!  Now a days the way I eat is just plain weird...LOL But it is my new way of eating and I personally don't care what others around me think : P
These are the changes that I have made:
EVERY meal I eat is on a salad plate
EVERY 1st bite is a bite of protein
I do NOT drink with my meals, I normally wait minimum of 40 minutes
I do still eat a sweet now and then, but I eat a SMALL portion
I was HORRIBLE at remembering my medicine prior to the surgery, now I make sure they are part of my daily routine and that I do not go to bed until every last vitamin is accounted for :)
I DO eat carbs and it is OKAY to eat carbs, doesn't our brain need carbs to function? Doesn't our body need carbs to burn for energy? YEP .. so carbs are not evil, again they need to be eaten in moderation & you need to eat your protein BEFORE eating your carbs!!!  My protocol that I follow is to try and get in 21grams of protein PER meal and 30 grams of carbs PER meal!! Of course this is not possible for those under 6 months post op, but that is what I aim for. And so far it has worked :) It is just overall a learning experience and I suppose it may take years to actually master it, then again it may even take longer!! But so far, I have taken what I have been given and I have used it to the best of my ability and am sailing forward!!! The only regret that I DO have, which I know of others that have the same regret, is that I didn't have this surgery sooner!!! What a difference it would have made in my life, if I would have had it 4 or 5 years ago, but I tell myself do not ever dwell on regrets, there is a reason, why I didn't have it then, that is because I wasn't ready!!! I would not have been mentally or emotionally ready!! I had it when I did and that was the right time!!! But yeah, so far, 7 months down and I feel FANTASTIC-O!!!

YES, I am officially a proud member of the "century club"

Helloooooooo everyone!!! Gosh, I have missed y'all!! I have been really busy this summer and just haven't had the time to really do much on the computer!! But I FINALLY got my 4 month post op pics uploaded!!  I am 4 1/2 months now and 1 1/2 lbs. away from the 100lbs. lost mark...YESSSSS that is right, I have lost 98 1/2 lbs. since starting my journey the begining of this year and the reality of that number hasn't quite set in yet...LOL  So far I have felt absolutely amazing, since 2 weeks post op, I have been on top of the world even more so now!! Oh and get this, I got hit on by a 23 year old Marine the other day...HAHAHAH He said I was HOTTTTT!!!! I had to look over my shoulder to make sure no one was standing behind me   My hubby thought it was great!!! hehehe It has been at least 9 years since I have been hit on...Lets just say I walked away extemely flattered and feeling on top of the world!!!
At this point, I am starting to fit in size 22 pants and I am coming from a size 30/32!!!
It is CRAZY how fast we fly through the sizes!!! I also have had NO problems whatsoever as far as dumping and can eat anything I want to, just in moderation!!  The only thing that has changed as far as tastes, I hate bread, tortillas and Pizza (YESSS I said pizza .. eck!!! I LOVE that stuff pre-op) and my favorite indulgence is Bread and Butter Pickle slices....I hated sweet pickles pre-op and now I could eat them things like they are chocolate...but I have to watch it because the 6 grams of carbs do equal 6 grams of sugar as well, but my tummy loves them and I do too!! LOL  So to those of you pre-op, just a warning your tastes will absolutely change post op!!! But anyways I feel FANTASTIC at 4 1/2 months post op and just cant imagine what another 4 1/2 months will bring!! Did I mention this surgery was the best thing I have ever done for myself!!! I LOVE IT!!!

Gosh it has been quite a while since I have given any kind of update!! Guess I am turning into an official slacker!! SORRY, to those that follow my profile.
I am almost 8 weeks out ( CANNOT EVEN BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN THAT LONG, just doens't seem possible) and I feel better than I have in years!!!
A little update...
as far as foods, I am eating lots and lots of protein!! No veggies, fruit or major carbs right now!!
Examples of what I eat are:
*Wendy's Chili and Homemade Chili
*Chicken ( I try to get creative with recipes)
*Fish ( never have been a fish lover, but i made a YUMMY flounder recipe)
*Carolina BBQ and Baked Beans (From Smithfields) is my FAVORITE!!
*Cottage Cheese
*Eggs
*any kind of Cheese
*peanuts, cashews
*Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal
*Kashi Trail Mix Bars (snack)
*Pizzas made with MISSION Brand Low carb Tortillas(fajita size)-pizza sauce, ham, turkey pepperoni, REAL BACON bacon bits and cheese (I can eat about 1/3 of a pizza)
*Turkey Meatballs in spaghetti sauce (basically I made spaghetti and meatball the other day and I ate the meatballs and sauce with a little cottage cheese) YUMM-0
*Pork Tenderloins are becoming a family favorite ( I buy the marinated ones)
*Cajun Crab Dip ( I add some more crab legs to the dip) and I will eat it on a few crackers
*Canned Chicken - Make Chicken Salad and will eat it on a few crackers
The list goes on and on!!

As far as exercise: I walk 2 miles (3 to 4 times a week) and when I don't walk, My hubby, kids and I go for a family bike ride and we try to get in 5 miles each time!! It is so refreshing!
I also have been working hard out in my garden and cannot wait for the base swimming pool to open up!


I have hit 2 stalls since surgery.
My first one was at 3 weeks out and it lasted 7 days!! I did not lose a single pound. YES it was discouraging, but what do ya do? Then I started back up to losing and one day I dropped 3 1/2 lbs. OVERNITE!! HOLY COW does that really happen, YEP!!
Then my 2nd stall just happened to me at 7 weeks post op!! I was amazed because that is when my physical activity started improving!! Again this lasted 7 days, then on the 8th day, I dropped 3 1/2 lbs. WOOOHOO!! It happened again..LOL
SOOO DO NOT give up or think something is wrong if you "stall" it is completely normal!!

TODAY I hit my 60lb. mark!! WHAT a joy that was to see that scale. I am 3 lbs. from being under 300 FOREVER!!! I could not even be more excited!!

So since I started my journey I have lost 60lbs. (I lost my first pound in January of 2008
Since my 2 week pre-op diet beganI have lost 51lbs.
Since surgery March 5th I have lost 37lbs.

SO yeah, this surgery works and I feel absolutely amazing!!
Oh and I have gone from a size 30 pant size and yesterday I was able to slip on my 26 jeans and zip them babies up!! YEAH I went from a 28 into my 26's overnite!!  Talk about feeling good!! 

Okay..so i have kind of a funny story that happened  when I went to Greenville for my 2 week post follow-up with my Dr. and we ran into lunch time, so i decided to brave it and eat out. Well I made the choice of IHOP, since eggs and cheese are on my diet :)
While my family ordered their yummy monstrous plates, I ordered 1 egg (eggbeater) with cheese!!! THAT's IT!! The waitress, was like do you want 2? I said, Nope just 1 thanks!! And off she went...
A while later she comes with our food and TA-DA....she sets down my heaping pile of eggs and said, " Oh I went ahead and gave you 2 anyways" LMAOOOOOOOO
I was like, uhmmm THANKS!! And laughed and told my hubby, She didnt believe the fat girl could survive off from 1 egg!!  Dare they give me more food if i had a regular size portioned plate..NEVER
But when I order 1 egg w/ cheese because that's all i can eat..she doubles the order courtesy of her!! hahaha!! I just thought it was pretty humorous and had to share I suppose if she really knew why I ordered what I did, she would probably feel like a big dodo!!

Well I am now officially almost 13 days post-op and I feel wonderful!!! The only thing that reminds me that I had the surgery is the tenderness of my incisions and the fact that I can't sit down and eat a yummy meal with my family!! But I have lost a total of 39lbs. since this all began..pretty much since January..and I have lost 16lbs since surgery!! It kind of seems like I am a slow loser compared to some, but you know what?! 16lbs. in less than 2 weeks makes me thrilled and 30lbs. in a month makes me even more so!!! So I will take what I can get!!
My surgery went great!! I spent 3 days in the hospital and there were not any complications other than the fact that I couldn't really stomach the Boost, it was really thick and I wasn't feeling it..so Dr. had me start my Optisource..and let me tell you almost 2 weeks on that, following 2 weeks of Optifast is ENOUGH!!!! YUCK!! But here I look forward to Wednesday..a day and a half away and that will be my 2 week mark and i can have me a scrambled egg or some egg salad...YUMMMMM-O!! LoL i cannot wait!! But I am still here and feeling great! Ihave met some absolutely amazing people here on OH and feel so fortunate to have them in my life!! Right now I want to thank my girl Darcie...she was my angel while i was in the hospital and was amazing!! Also we have a few memories of her visit to see me in the hospital...LOL I look forward to sharing more of my journey in days to come!!

My surgery is less than 12 hours away!!! I cannot believe that I have made it this far!! I have just completed 14 days worth of liquid diet Optifast, H2o and Crystal Light. And today, is the day that I have worked so hard for! It is FINALLY here and I cannot believe it..ANYWAYS, I will be on the losers bench in no time and I cannot wait!!! Please say some prayers for me and I look forward to getting in touch with EVERYONE that has supported me and sent me well wishes when I get back!! Y'all are just amazing!!! So here I go to get me a 5 hour nap and then it is crunch time!!!
Ta - Ta for now!!
Much Love ~ JAMI

Well Today i recieved a phone call from the surgeons office!! The nurse said, "Mrs. Evans, we have your surgery date" I think my mouth just fell to the floor and i said "are you serious" LOL I thought this phone call would never come!! When I went to my decision visit the doctor told me to expect sometime in April for the surgery..Oh YAY!! Nothing like a little more waiting..LOL SO i asked her when it was, she said MARCH 5th...OMG I got the deepest chills i have ever felt!!! I had to make sure I heard her right!! Sure enough March 5th YAH now we are talking!! NOTHING has moved fast thru this entire process, it has been a whole lot of appointment then wait wait wait wait, another appt. then wait wait wait wait, etc....BUT when she came back and said my pre-op appt. would be February 18th, i thought HOLY CR*P that' 2 weeks away...LOL WOW!! then i will start my liquid diet on February 20th!! I am in my glory right now!! It is finally happening, there really is light at the end of the tunnel and I am on my way!! WOooHoooo!!

My decision visit went flawless with the surgeon!! He said all my tests were perfect and I am good to go!! Now we play the waiting game with the insurance company! I have Tricare and from what i hear they are pretty speedy!! I cannot believe i have made it this far. Back in October is when i had my first consult and there is such a long process to go thru to get to this point that sometimes you just feel like throwing in the towel and saying forget it..I need to just give it "another" try on my own!!  But in reality we all know that we would not be at this point if we could actually do it on our own and remain successful!! I did manage to lose 5lbs. since the first consult and I personally believe that is because i gave up my addiction to Mt. Dew!! Oh how i loved that yellow soda in a bottle!! LOL
But yea yesterday was a good day!! OH and the surgeon was not so bad, he was alot nicer at this appt. than the first!! And not that he was mean at the first, but he was tell it like it is and you will never ever win as far as coming up with any excuse with him!! He was FIRM and i am a sissy when it comes to FIRM people....LOL