A Different Direction

I am going in a different direction from my usual blog posts today.  I wanted to let you know about my decision to go for weight loss surgery.

I think I'm an apple. The more dangerous one!

Yep. I'm doing the ultimate. The thing that really works. Here's what I have already done to lose weight in my life. Promise you won't cringe?

1. The Phen-Fen combo back when it was legal. I was in my early twenties. Don't remember what I lost but I was a fox!
2. Weight Watchers after I got back to the states after getting married. Lost 36 pounds and kept it off until my late thirties. This required lots of effort from me. I became OCD about it.

3. Phen-Fen again (soup form this time) when I was in my late thirties. Again lost about 30 lbs. Foxy again.
4. Dietician visits. She was great but I didn't see a lot of change going on.



The food pyramid. It's not all it's cracked up to be. Be very careful
of if you are overweight!

5. Orlistat. God! What a mess!  ' Nuff said.
6. Meridia.  I took this for about 18 months until about last May. Now here's one that works but the FDA took it off the market!




OK so I only really like the milk part!


7. Metformin.  I still take this for borderline diabetes. Just to be on the safe side. But it can also be  problematic because it upsets my tummy sometimes. I just lowered the dose on the advice of my fat doctor.
8. Fentermine again by itself last year. This is an amphetamine-like (not a real ampetamine) drug. It blew up my anxiety issues and I was the wicked witch of the west. Can't do that and stay married.
9. Topamax (topiramate). This is a migraine medication which fat doctors use to also control appetite. It's an off-label use but pretty wide spread. It really didn't help me much. But I have a friend who gets bad migraines and was overweight. She takes it and has lost 85 lbs so far.
10. Bariatric monitoring. My fat doctor < -- which I call him with all due respect. I've been seeing him for about 2 years now. He has been fabulous and really works with me on combinations and support.

The "rule" in the United States is that you need to be seeing a bariatric endocrinologist for at least 18 months before considering surgery. So this decision is two years in the making for me. My fat doctor and I discussed it in January and decided it was time to look into the possibility then.

It's now March and decision made! Now I will re-learn eating with the help of a much smaller stomach, one about the size of a banana. 




The size of my stomach when my surgery is done.


This will be a journey and an adventure. My family is behind me and my LSH (Long Suffering Husband) is totally on board. I love that guy!

Star Jones before and after. Hope I can a photo
like this with you in the future. 

I'll post more detail and what I'm doing to get ready and more important, my personal reasons to lose this weight. Hope you'll join me from time to time. Have a scratchy day!