Where to start??

There is so much going on in my life and I thought if I don't start writing it down, all of it will soon be a long forgotten memory. So here I am again. I never meant to disappear for months on end, and hopefully, with the changes going on in my life, I will be a bit more in attendance.

First up, the big news...I have been approved for weight loss surgery (WLS)! After years of getting my hopes up and then dashed by finicky insurance guidelines, the stars aligned and the mojo was working and I was blessed with an approval letter in the mail last week.

I am scheduled for Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) on...drum roll, please...Thursday, March 4, 2010.

The Gastric Sleeve procedure - or Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) - is an operation in which the left side of the stomach is surgically removed. This results in a new stomach which is roughly the size and shape of a banana. Since this operation does not involve any "rerouting" or reconnecting the intestines, it is a simpler operation than the gastric bypass or the duodenal switch. Unlike the Lap-Band procedure, the sleeve gastrectomy does not require the implantation of an artificial device inside the abdomen.

Advantages of Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
- It does not require disconnecting or reconnecting the intestines
- It is a technically simpler operation than the gastric bypass or the duodenal switch
- There is no foreign body inside your body
- It does not need adjustments or fills
- It may be a safer operations for patients with a body mass index (BMI) more than 60.

I am not nervous or scared, at all, about the surgery or the post-surgery diet. I am, however, worried about the pre-op diet. For the two weeks prior to surgery I am to eat a no-fat/low-fat, MEATLESS diet. Coming into this with a lifetime of overindulgence, and being a meat and potatoes kind of girl, this is a daunting task. Two weeks can seem like such a long time. But I keep reminding myself that it really is only a moment in time when you look at the big picture.

Post-surgery, I will have a itty-bitty stomach pouch that will, round-the-clock, help remind me that I am not hungry. That is going to be the secret to my success. Well, that and meal planning. I know that once I get my hunger (real or imagined) under control, I will have a much easier go at controlling portion sizes, which has been my downfall my entire life.

I have fought my weight since childhood. I had a father with a giant appetite and a mother with a penchant for non-nutrative food (candy, popcorn, and tea/coffee were diet staples for her), I developed bad habits that have lasted a lifetime. It is now time to change that and start a new relationship with food.

WLS is not the answer...it is merely a tool to help as I begin to make healthier choices not only with food, but with exercise.

I am lucky to have the support of many wonderful people. These people are going to play a big role in my success, as well.

First, my husband. JJ and I have been together for 5 years now. I have gained quite a bit of weight during that time and he tells me each and every day how beautiful and sexy I am. How can you not love a guy that really sees you as that while the world around you thinks otherwise?? I am tearing up a bit just thinking of how much he loves me! He also has the knowledge and background of once being married to another woman who had WLS. So he knows what to expect in some ways. He is also terrified that what I end up on the other side of this journey will be a different person - exactly what happened with his first marriage. Heck, I am worried about it too! But we both love each other and have much in common, and we are both willing to work toward the same goals. We also understand that people do change and that we need to support that change and grow with it. I see great things in our future together!

My family has always been there for me, too. My sisters, Lisa and Linda, especially. I couldn't have gotten this far without them and I plan to go even farther with them by my side and hopefully show them the same support and love they have given me throughout my lifetime.

I also have great mentors.

Chef Sharon Van Meter, who has taught me through her own actions how strong and successful a woman can be.

My nutrition instructor, Jessie Yearwood, who doesn't really approve of weight loss through surgery, but who has promised me nutritional guidance and support as I do what I feel I need to do to be successful with weight loss.

Oh, and my friends! Those near and dear to me and those who merely pass through my life on an occasional basis - even those who I know only by words on a computer screen. These people each bring something so special into my life. Each one showing me something new and something to strive toward.

For each of these people, I am thankful and feel loved and cared by.

I am honored to have all of you on this journey with me. And what a journey it will be as I know it will have successes and failures. Stick with me through this and help celebrate the new me that is developing.