5/18/13 Last week of meds.

I'm at 225 today
I haven't lost very much weight this month. Well, I guess I have but it was more like I'd lose a pound and gain a pound and lose 2 and gain 2. I can tell that I'm still losing fat and gaining muscle. I'm stronger than I ever remember being and have so much stamina. But it'd be nice to see the numbers drop on the scale.

Down to the end of the Rx diet meds. I'm cutting them in half to avoid horrible withdrawal symptoms. I'm not finished with my weight loss, but because the meds are so addictive and they become ineffective after a while the doc can only Rx them for 4 months. I think they gave me a pretty good head start. It's up to me now.

The myth I want to discuss is snacking. We've all heard that snacking is bad and we've also heard that snacking is good. Here is the definitive answer to that age old question!  It's most definitely GOOD, but it makes a huge difference of what you snack on! Granola is great but too much will add weight and the chewy bars are packed with sugar. I love apple slices! The green ones are tangy and sooo good! If you go wild and eat the whole bag, you've only eaten 240 calories. Yum! Adding caramel should be done with caution, maybe a couple of table spoons to get rid of the craving.  But there you have it, snack away, but like everything-in moderation.

This is last month and this month

The 1st is from January and the 2nd is from today

Yup, it's a late one. Technically, it's been a month and a half. April 29, 2013

I'm stoked! I've lost 40 pounds and I feel great! I've gone to Eureka Springs and Branson and Springfield, MO in the past couple of weeks. I've climbed steep hills and flights and flights of stairs. I enjoyed every minute of it. I can't wait to go to Silver Dollar City this year and climb those hills! YEAH!

I was talking to Wes; I need new clothes, especially a new swimsuit. I can't put this smaller body in that old, tired, stretched out swimsuit that I've had forever. If I tried diving into the river in that huge, ugly old thing I would end up with a fish in my "private area" or skinny dipping. 

I love clothes shopping (just not swimsuit shopping). 

Anyway, I wanted to point out one of the myths that I've discovered with my weight loss research. Today's myth is eating before 5pm everyday. What I've discovered is that you can eat whenever you want. You just have to make sure to do more activity in the day than calories that you've eaten. That DOES NOT mean not to eat, also calories ARE NOT your enemy! You need to eat, just not a lot and do not eat a lot of unhealthy, high calorie foods. You can eat tons of apples and broccoli, but only a handful of potato chips. 

There are so many more and I will share them along the way. I'm really enjoying the blog. If I did not completely lack any sort of creativity at all I would do this every day. 

All of your support and the progress I've made keeps me going. Thanks everyone!

Two Months Later...

Two whole months! I've dropped a few sizes and I am really starting to think that this can actually happen. I'm hoping to be down to a size 12 before my birthday on August 1 of this year.

I go see the doctor tomorrow about how my weight loss is going. I've gone from a size 22 to a size 18 in just 2 months and I'm feeling great about myself. I've had compliments, I've been told I'm inspiring, I have given advice, and I've helped other's get started getting on their own fitness roller coaster ride.

I'm down to 240 pounds from 267. I know I've got a whole lot more to go but I'm ready for it. I can't wait to see what I'm gonna do next!

I need to lose my fat arms, more belly, hips and thighs! On a positive note my boobs still look fantastic!

One Month Later, February 10, 2013

January 17, 2013                                                                        February 10, 2013         
I didn't think you'd be able to tell a difference this soon but looking at the side by side I am so proud of myself!I began this journey weighing in at 267 pounds and today I weighed 251.4 pounds. I've begun a daily walk of at least one mile and continue to walk until an hour has gone by. Today I incorporated a small 2 pound weight on each arm (Ouch! I'm feeling the burn!).My weight loss goal is 130 by August 1st. Not sure I'll get there that fast, it's a lot of weight loss in a short time, but I sure am gonna' try.   I appreciate, more than you all know, for everyone's support. Each of you have encouraged me to be a better person. I can no longer use the same ol' stupid excuses not to keep doing this. Keep following me! Thanks.Wow, My daughter needs to clean her room!

012213; Following Up

I've been dieting for a couple weeks now. I'm dropping weight pretty well. I've found that once I buckle down and become really and truly serious about it I can do anything.

It's funny that at different times of the day you can weigh less or more. I've lost between 7 and 11 pounds in the past 2 weeks, depends on the time I weigh myself. But I've been to the doctor for follow up after my EGD and he says that Phentermine would be a good place to start with weight loss. I've actually expressed my concerns that it raises my blood pressure a lot but he said that we would monitor it closely. Another concern is that I have a family full of addicts and Phentermine is addictive and it's like crack (for reals, the doctor even said so). He didn't think that it would be a problem for me since I'm so concerned about it.

Also, since starting to keep track of my caloric intake, I've found it difficult to meet the 1200 calories I'm supposed to eat each day. How is it that when I'm not looking I can eat and eat and eat and eat but when I'm trying to pay attention I can't even come close to what I'm supposed to eat?!?!

The first circle is how much I can eat each day, the middle circle is how much I did eat that day and the last circle is how much is left to eat after any exercise that I've done that day. 1200 calories is required otherwise you go into starvation mode and your metabolism slows down. I think I'm there now because dropping weight has been much slower.  

I want to do this the healthy way.

Diet Update January 17, 2013

You know, I'm still not used to doing the whole video blog thing, let alone the written blog. I always forget what I started out saying when I started and leave things out. So make sure to watch and read both portions to make sure you get the whole update.

So I'm using an app called MyFitnessPal ( http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ ). It keeps track of my intake calories. I get to take in 1780 calories per day and I get more calories if I exercise. So far I've lost 2 pounds. I've never hit my daily calories. I came pretty close once but I exercised a lot to make sure I didn't, turns out I wasn't going to anyway.

Anyway, please comment and let me know about your journey, any suggestions, life lessons that you may have to help me, even blog subject ideas or challenges. Thanks!

Me today, hopefully I'll have pics of me looking much better soon.

Brand New Realizations

So I'm realizing how many calories are in the things that we drink. Even fruit juice contains empty, non-filling calories! Here I thought, all this time, that switching to juice helps lose weight. I was wrong.

I've begun the calorie count again, I haven't done that since Weight Watchers. I eat how I used to and still have left over calories. (I did cut out the juice and switched back to water).

I've also realized that it is damn near impossible to stick to a diet when you're on your period! OMG! I want to eat the friggin' TV when food commercials come on, which seems like every 10 seconds when you're dieting on your period! God help me this week!

01102013; After the EGD...

Have you ever felt like total crap and everyone tells you that there's nothing wrong with you... It's not that there's nothing wrong with me, it's just all minor stuff. It's not that I want to be sick; I just want to know why, since I feel like crap, is the diagnosis not as bad as I feel? Hell, not to mock the ill but the way I feel I should be dying.

So I do have a small hernia. I have a weird "kink" in my GI tract that he doesn't see often but it isn't serious. I also had scar tissue narrowing my esophagus that they did an angioplasty thing and opened it back up. My throat hurts but I can tell a big difference when I eat. This is going to mean less choking on anything and everything.

But hey, I filmed my blog so I'll let ME tell you about what's up!

It may look like I'm naked but I'm NOT naked; however, I did just get out of the shower so excuse the towel on my head.

So I guess I'm going to follow up with my primary care doctor about the hernia and the "kink" thing and see what's next. I'm going to assume I can exercise again and start with some walking. I'm also going to switch back to oatmeal for breakfast.

image borrowed from WordPress

Here's to good health!

Head to Toe, This is Me

This one doesn't have a whole lot of text.

I spoke with a dear friend this morning, Melissa, who works in insurance at a hospital who encouraged me not to give up. I'm going on an intensive search for those loop holes! 

This is me, head to toe. I was going to do this in a bathing suit but I didn't want you to lose whatever meal you had just eaten, jk jk... 

Hope you can get a picture of my desperation. 

Without further ado, here's the video part: 

That's Why They're the Experts...

Most people give up their New Year's Resolutions in the first week. I guess I'm no different. It's not that I wasn't going to try, because I'm all for trying!!! However, after calling the insurance company I'm told that I will have to come up with $12000.00 (my deductible is higher than I originally thought so the HSA account only hold about half of my deductible.)

I was reflecting on all of the people who were at the seminar last night. Several of them my size, some smaller, some were even wheel chair bound and couldn't walk because of their weight. I know I am struggling but I really hope they get to have the surgery!

I wish I had a well of cash to dig into so that I could get this surgery but it's just simply not so. I'm not going to be able to do the Gastric Bypass surgery. 

It's not so funny but putting on my clothes this morning, my favorite jeans that fit me so perfectly were a little too tight, I twisted my knee and my ankle, and since I didn't sleep last night I also didn't wear make up so I was a MESS today. It was as if my body was telling me, "HA HA, you're never going to feel good!"

In just the time it took to type this I realized that my New Year's Resolution was not that I was going to have this surgery but that I was not going to let my lack of insurance coverage keep me from getting healthy. I can actually continue THAT New Year's Resolution. *in my best ghetto voice* This ain't over! I ain't started singin' yet! HA HA!!!

You know what, I still have my EGD scheduled, I am going to find out what is up with my GI tract. Many doctors have told me that the key to me losing weight is to get that under control, and it's the biggest issue I have anyway! Maybe there's some other treatment that isn't Gastric Bypass that my insurance will pay for. It could happen. There is a tiny glimmer left and I'm not the type to stop hoping! (I might take a "hope-break" in order to cry and throw my pity parties but I always eventually get what I want)!

2:30 am January 4, 2013

Here I am, yet again, getting overly excited about something that someone told me would solve all my problems only to find out that I can't afford it. Money always gets in the way.

I spent the night crying and the early morning hours unable to shut my brain off. "How can I make this happen" "maybe the insurance experts are wrong"...

I wonder why I keep having hope in the 1st place. I'm about to cry some more so I'll sign off for now. But I'm still calling my insurance company tomorrow.  I'll solve this. I'll get healthy one way or another.

From One Extreme to the Other...

January 3, 2013, around 12:30pm:

So today's the seminar. I'm very excited and a friend of mine, who is also interested in weight loss surgery will be joining me for the seminar. 

Last night was pretty rough. I woke at 4 am sick. This is pretty typical. It'sas if the acid in my stomach bubbles up while I am trying to sleep. It's 1pm and I'm not feeling much better, even after Prilosec. 
Most people don't see me suffer. I try not to let it show on the outside. There are a few people who can tell slight changes in my mood. My boss can hear it in the patience and willingness to go the extra miles (or lack thereof) on the phones. 

I'm waiting patiently for 6 o'clock! Hurry hurry hurry!!!

9:00pm:

I almost feel like I've failed yet again. It seems that every time I try to get healthy someone tells me, "Nope, not you, you're gonna' stay sick and there's nothing you can do about it". 

Dr. Roller had me fully convinced that this is for me! I was about to give my $100 non-refundable sign up fee and the sweet insurance lady looked at my insurance card and I heard, "Oeww, this type of insurance typically has a $4000.00 cap and I don't want you to waste your $100 if you can't pay for this surgery." 

So my insurance pays, but only $4000 and with a surgery that is going to cost over $16,000 that is simply not enough. I wanted to break down and cry right there in front of all of the other desperate people who were there. 

Nothing I try when it comes to getting better is working!

Well, I'm going to call my insurance, I'm hoping she's wrong and maybe, just maybe they cover a lot more. I'm not going to give up. I don't want to die and I don't want to feel like crap for as long as I have to live. :(

January 1, 2013

I thought I'd make the first blog a video blog so you can see me from the beginning.

I AM A REAL WOMAN!

I am Shannon Bailey. I'm currently 39, I live in Northwest Arkansas (just minutes from Wal-Mart Home Offices). I've been sick since about 19 years old. It started slowly with a little heart burn, then severe pain in my chest. I get esophageal spasms so bad that I want to pull my chest apart when they happen. When I watch the Alien movies I know how they feel when the aliens are "born" through the chest. The pain keeps me up most nights.
I also choke on everything! I have been known to choke on water, even my own throat, or air will cause me to go into a choking fit. Not to mention the acid reflux! It's terrible!
I eat less than most people but I have trouble losing weight. I'm 267 pounds. I've tried pills, Weight Watchers, just about everything and nothing has helped with any of my problems. Here's to a last ditch effort.

SO, enough complaining. I just wanted to give you a picture of why I'm doing this. I want other women (or men), who suffer like I do, to hopefully see there is help. (At least, I hope there is help).

This is my journey to find the help that is necessary to feel great and hopefully a side effect will help me to look great too!

I've got an appointment to see a Dr. Roller in Fayetteville, AR this week. He is the doctor who would perform the Gastric Bypass. My primary care physician has told me that the Gastric Bypass will more than likely help with 90% of my health problems, including the weight loss, reflux, and spasms.

Next week I have an appointment to get an EGD. It's a scope to see what's up with everything in my upper GI tract to the beginning of my lower GI. I don't know what to hope for. I hope I'm OK  but I also hope what ever they find will help the insurance pay for the Gastric Bypass surgery. I'm ready to get healthy!