Friday, January 7, 2011

I'm on my weigh :)

They make fun of guys because they are afraid .. oops did I say afraid?? I meant they hate going to the doctors. I don't have a problem with doctors so much as I really do not like their answer for everything. PILLS. Everything can be solved if you take this prescription then take this other prescription to counter the side effects from the first and next thing you know you are losing weight because you are so busy taking pills all day that you do not have time or energy to eat food.

On my "Patient Checklist" it says to get a letter from your primary care physician stating "Why is surgery a good option for you?" Technically because I am a self-pay patient I could get around this, but I thought it would be a good idea to meet someone and let them in on the ground floor.

I decided on my primary care physician by calling this little place located in my kids' high school parking lot. My kids liked the school, so I figured it would be as good a place to begin as any. It turned out to be very cool. Its called Mill Creek Health Center. When you do not have insurance they go by a sliding scale fee also very cool. I saw a PA (Physicians Assistant) named Jay Lott. Very cool guy. I felt very comfortable with him. I was very very pleased with my visit. My initial paper work went by quickly, I was seen almost immediately (HAHA to all of you who have to wait hours to be seen in a medical clinic.) The nurse took my vitals and information and the Jay came in right behind her. Did I mention he was a cool guy? He asked what I was seeing him for and I said to establish a relationship with someone so they can be my primary care physician. I said I needed a letter on why weight loss surgery would be good for me. "You see my weight.. you see my height.. ta da!" Doesn't take a rocket science. I thought that would be it, but Jay is a thorough guy. Checked my ears and throat, lungs and heart. He gave me a referral for a blood work up to see if I have any underlying problems. He talked to me about what I have done in the past and how was I going to make sure it was going to change in the future.

He asked me "How is your diet now?" I responded with a nice hearty laugh. My diet sucks now. Since I have determined I was going to have the weight loss surgery, I have had a huge desire to test every single restaurant we have in town! I also have to test their desserts! I will say this - Every single time I eat out, I imagine how I could eat there after surgery. What choices would I make if I was eating there after the fact. Basically I have figured that I am going to save a ton of money from not eating out. All that money I save is going into my CSA (Cosmetic Surgery Account). My kids will be happy, because believe it or not they really hate going out to eat. They would prefer to eat healthy food at home. HOLY COW?!?! Are these my kids?? Never ever in my life would I have said.. but mom.. why don't we just eat at home .. have a banana.. If I wasn't awake at their births I might wonder if they were really mine!

I told the doc, you do not get to my weight and not know everything there is about weight loss. The problem is not the knowledge .. its the implementation. Thats where the surgery comes in. It will help me implement what I know about losing weight such as forcing me to chew my food very well. I have known for a long time that chewing your food goes a long ways in helping you lose weight. I actually chew my food better than most people I see eat, but I do not come close to how well it is supposed to be chewed. Next would be to stop eating when you are full not when the plate is empty. When you are only able to eat 2-4 ozs at a time, you will not be emptying any plates. The surgery will also help me to stop drinking sodas. Just these things in themselves will help me to lose weight. Making the right food choices will come when I am excited to continue my weight loss after my first initial weight loss from the 4 weeks of liquid protein diet.

I was also pleased to tell my new doc that I went shopping yesterday and purchased a exercise ball, ankle weights, and a new area rug for my living room. (I get to claim the rug because it is very nice and thick and will works wonders as an exercise mat!) He gave me kudos for getting this far.

Jay asked me if I have any before pics. I told him .. oh yea.. tons. But he gave me another good suggestion. I should buy some spandex clothing (something that shrinks with me) and either have someone take pics or get a tripod and take the same picture in the same clothes every two weeks so I can see the difference. I think this is a fantastic idea! I was just talking to my friend who had the Gastric Bypass. She lost over 50lbs so far, but was having a hard time seeing the results. I think this would be a good way of seeing it. When you are looking in the mirror every day seeing the pound by pound difference its much harder to notice the big picture.

I left the docs feeling very motivated. I will go back next week for a follow up to the blood work, and work on getting my letter from him.

I have set up appointments for the rest of my checklist.
  • Attend seminar for weight loss (actually most people start with this, I am working just a little backwards) January 19th 6 p.m.
  • Attend support group meeting February 3rd 7 p.m.
  • Psych Evaluation January 10th 5 p.m.
  • Nutrition Evaluation January 10th 3 p.m.
  • Fill out RemedyMD online. I will complete that after I finish tonights blog.
  • Medical records of 5 year weight loss - I do not have any so that should be easy!
Today was a good day! I feel very excited. I made my first real step in the direction of changing my life. This is going to happen!! As I told my son today when I was sliding out of the booth at the Pizza Factory..this time next year.. I will be able to slide out of the booths much easier.. no thats not true.. I will not be sliding into a booth in the first place!!

Love and Peace!!

2 comments:

  1. How very courageous you are. I will be reading with ANTICIPATION.
    I wish you nothing but health and happiness along your journey.
    Love Aunt Brenda

    ReplyDelete