In Weigh Over my Head: ONE MORE POUND TO GO!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

ONE MORE POUND TO GO!

261 as of today. ONE MORE POUND to my first goal of losing 100 pounds in 9 months! I have only lost 2 pounds in two weeks but I am FINE with that. I do so many new things each day! Yesterday we went out to dinner with our family that is visiting from Cali. I walked all around the area with them, never had to sit down, had a great time at dinner without obsessing about the food. Today I filled up my kids pool, swept the floor and I am about to mop. I cleaned up the counters, dried some clothes... SO NORMAL but I have not done any of that in YEARS! It was so cool to walk int he laundry room and throw in the clothes. Funny that something so small makes me want to cry. Anyway, I took this pic yesterday of my family walking. It was so awesome to watch them and be PART of everything they were doing. I will not lie, I want that 100 pounds, but I want LIFE more and it's the life moments that I need to celebrate. :)

22 comments:

Stacey said...: Lisa, you are doing so well. I love your new pictures, you are just glowing and beautiful. You look so happy. I am very happy for you!; July 13, 2011 at 5:21 PM
Lori said...: You are doing great!! I am so happy for you.
Lori; July 13, 2011 at 5:57 PM
Sarah said...: Yea! You can do it girl!

Sarah
notaneffingdiet.blogspot.com; July 13, 2011 at 6:39 PM
Jen Nelson said...: I am sooo happy to read your blog again and to see how great you are doing! You look AMAZING! I am so excited for you! Yay!!; July 13, 2011 at 7:16 PM
Samantha said...: You go girl!! So excited! Your def transforming! ! Your NSV=Life!!!; July 13, 2011 at 8:11 PM
The Ferguson Family: said...: Hi! I stumbled on your blog through This One Body. Thanks for sharing your journey! It looks like you are doing amazing things. I too have a blog to share mine. It's onmywaytolivingwell.blogspot.com. Visit anytime :-); July 13, 2011 at 8:38 PM
Sarah said...: Sometimes the NSV moments are sweeter than the weight loss! Way to go hun I am so proud of you!; July 13, 2011 at 9:13 PM
Lisa S. Luckey said...: Oh that's so sweet of your family walking and way to go getting to your first goal weight!; July 13, 2011 at 11:10 PM
The Lovely One said...: Way to go, Lisa!

Can you come over and mop my floor now? :); July 13, 2011 at 11:21 PM
mamajuliana said...: SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!!

It is such a joy to see you 'happy'. I have been a long time reader of your blog and the change is TREMENDOUS!!!

You deserve happiness-it has been a long road.

Enjoy life, love, happiness and your family. Keep going, girl!; July 14, 2011 at 8:18 AM
sarah said...: I am so happy for you!!!; July 14, 2011 at 12:57 PM
GerryART said...: CELEBRATE every time you must buy one size smaller 'unders'.
hugs; July 14, 2011 at 1:21 PM
Jean said...: Lisa, this post made me cry. I'm SO happy for you. Oh, and by the way, you can come to PA and do my laundry any ol' time! :-)

Jean; July 14, 2011 at 4:25 PM
Diane, Fit to the Finish said...: You look great and your attitude is wonderful. Congratulations!; July 14, 2011 at 8:36 PM
Debbie said...: You're doing awesome and you look GREAT!!!; July 14, 2011 at 9:25 PM
Ashley said...: Hi Lisa,
I have been following your blog for over a year and lately I had not been able to access it but tonight I thought hey let's try again and I was so excited to be able to access your blog and to read about how successful you have been. You look amazing I just got all caught up on what has been going on with you and you should be so proud you have done something many people struggle with and never defeat. I am so happy to read about your journey and I hope to continue to be able to. Have a great summer with your wonderful family.
Ashley; July 14, 2011 at 10:29 PM
Judith said...: YOU GO GIRL!!!!

You should be so proud of yourself!

I'm so excited to see how well you are doing and the joy in your life is just shining through your words.

I know it's not perfect, and I know it's hard...

But WOW look how far you've come!; July 15, 2011 at 9:14 PM
SuperMegaAnna said...: You look so beautiful, though you did before as well, and are doing great! So glad you are enjoying the rewards of your hard work!; July 16, 2011 at 11:25 AM
The Sassy Orange said...: You deserve all of the happiness in the world. :D

Angela/Pretty in Orange; July 16, 2011 at 9:20 PM
Unknown said...: You are lookin fantastic. Your success was featured in my newsletter this week - Best of the Best. Stop by. Mary; July 17, 2011 at 2:20 PM
Mrs. O said...: Way to go!!! I'm so happy for you that things are finally moving in the right direction for you. How have you been feeling lately?; July 17, 2011 at 6:46 PM
Lisa said...: You look so great! So excited that things are going so well!; July 18, 2011 at 5:10 PM

My Weight Loss Surgery - NOT THE BAND OR BYPASS!

Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) - Also known as Sleeve Gastrectomy, Vertical Gastrectomy

The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy procedure (also called Sleeve Gastrectomy, Vertical Gastrectomy, Greater Curvature Gastrectomy, Parietal Gastrectomy, Gastric Reduction, Logitudinal Gastrectomy and even Vertical Gastroplasty) is performed by approximately 20 surgeons worldwide. This forum is titled “VSG forum” to include the two most common terms for the procedure (vertical and sleeve). The earliest forms of this procedure were conceived of by Dr. Jamieson in Australia (Long Vertical Gastroplasty, Obesity Surgery 1993)- and by Dr. Johnston in England in 1996 (Magenstrasse and Mill operation- Obesity Surgery 2003). Dr Gagner in New York, refined the operation to include gastrectomy(removal of stomach) and offered it to high risk patients in 2001. Several surgeons worldwide have adopted the procedure and have offered it to low BMI and low risk patients as an alternative to laparoscopic banding of the stomach.

It generates weight loss by restricting the amount of food (and therefore calories) that can be eaten by removing 85% or more of the stomach without bypassing the intestines or causing any gastrointestinal malabsorption. It is a purely restrictive operation. It is currently indicated as an alternative to the Lap-Band® procedure for low weight individuals and as a safe option for higher weight individuals.

Anatomy

This procedure generates weight loss solely through gastric restriction (reduced stomach volume). The stomach is restricted by stapling and dividing it vertically and removing more than 85% of it. This part of the procedure is not reversible. The stomach that remains is shaped like a very slim banana and measures from 1-5 ounces (30-150cc), depending on the surgeon performing the procedure. The nerves to the stomach and the outlet valve (pylorus) remain intact with the idea of preserving the functions of the stomach while drastically reducing the volume. By comparison, in a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the stomach is divided, not removed, and the pylorus is excluded. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass stomach can be reconnected (reversed) if necessary. Note that there is no intestinal bypass with this procedure, only stomach reduction. The lack of an intestinal bypass avoids potentially costly, long term complications such as marginal ulcers, vitamin deficiencies and intestinal obstructions.

Comparison to prior Gastroplasties (stomach stapling of the 70-80s)

The Vertical Gastrectomy is a significant improvement over prior gastroplasty procedures for a number of reasons:

1) Rather than creating a pouch with silastic rings or polypropylene mesh, the VG actually resects or removes the majority of the stomach. The portion of the stomach which is removed is responsible for secreting Ghrelin, which is a hormone that is responsible for appetite and hunger. By removing this portion of the stomach rather than leaving it in-place, the level of Ghrelin is reduced to near zero, actually causing loss of or a reduction in appetite (Obesity Surgery, 15, 1024-1029, 2005). Currently, it is not known if Ghrelin levels increase again after one to two years. Patients do report that some hunger and cravings do slowly return. An excellent study by Dr. Himpens in Belgium(Obesity Surgery 2006) demonstrated that the cravings in a VSG patient 3 years after surgery are much less than in LapBand patients and this probably accounts for the superior weight loss.

2) The removed section of the stomach is actually the portion that “stretches” the most. The long vertical tube shaped stomach that remains is the portion least likely to expand over time and it creates significant resistance to volumes of food. Remember, resistance is greatest the smaller the diameter and the longer the channel. Not only is appetite reduced, but very small amounts of food generate early and lasting satiety(fullness).

3) Finally, by not having silastic rings or mesh wrapped around the stomach, the problems which are associated with these items are eliminated (infection, obstruction, erosion, and the need for synthetic materials). An additional discussion based on choice of procedures is below.

Alternative to a Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

The Vertical Gastrectomy is a reasonable alternative to a Roux en Y Gastric Bypass for a number of reasons

Because there is no intestinal bypass, the risk of malabsorptive complications such as vitamin deficiency and protein deficiency is minimal.

There is no risk of marginal ulcer which occurs in over 2% of Roux en Y Gastric Bypass patients.

The pylorus is preserved so dumping syndrome does not occur or is minimal.

There is no intestinal obstruction since there is no intestinal bypass.

It is relatively easy to modify to an alternative procedure should weight loss be inadequate or weight regain occur.

The limited two year and 6 year weight loss data available to date is superior to current Banding and comparable to Gastric Bypass weight loss data(see Lee, Jossart, Cirangle Surgical Endoscopy 2007).

Let's Shrink!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

ONE MORE POUND TO GO!

22 comments: