Found the article from Entertainment Tonight

Here is the article from ET.

http://www.etonline.com/celebrities/2005/05/35068/index.html

Happy 2009

My mom and I in Biloxi Mississippi 1994
One of my favorite Glamour Shots 1994

Well a new year is on us and I hope its a great one for everyone, full of love, happiness, good health and prosperity. This year was the first year in a long long time that my New years resolution was NOT to go on a diet. I do need to figure out my mind this year and listen to my stomach instead of my head. I'm struggling a bit, eating more food than I thought I would be able to and not really getting a full feeling when I eat. I even went to a chinese buffet which is my favorite food. I stayed away from any rice or noodles, etc. I enjoyed some shrimp, crab meat, a piece of chicken and some mushrooms. I did have one of those little puffy pieces of bread that they roll in sugar, I shouldn't have had that I know. I think I did pretty good though. I see Dr. Bass in 2 days for my first fill and I hope that will make a difference. I weighed on my scale here at home and it says I'm 323.8 but I'm not sure the scale is correct. I'll post my weight when I see the doctor on Wednesday. I started at 339 at his office so that would mean I have lost 15.2 pounds in 33 days. I would love for that to be correct but with the amount of food I have been eating, I'm not sure that is right. I'm having a little bit of a hard time with the fluid thing. I'm not supposed to have anything to drink 30 minutes before my meals, during my meal, or 30 minutes after my meal. For those of you that know me personally, you know I have a bottle of diet green tea with me at all times and that has been really hard for me not to drink for that hour. I need to work on that more. I also have not had my protein shake for a couple of weeks, I have been eating well over the amount of protein I'm supposed to have in a day so I didn't think I needed that too. I will talk to Dr. Bass and Tiffany about that when I see them this week. I'm also struggling with the hunger all day, my stomach does growl which means I'm reall hungry but in between I mentally think I'm hungry and I have to really work around that one. Starting today, I'm going to drink a glass of tap water when I feel like I'm hungry and see if that doesn't make it go away. I'm keeping busy with making cards and jewelry but I still get that urge to want to eat.

I have attached a few photos of myself when I had lost 94 pounds back in 1994. I can't wait to get back down to this weight, I was about 174 in these pictures and my goal is 165 so if I can get back to this, I would be very very happy. :)

See you in a couple of days!!

I want to introduce you to my doctor, Thomas Bass

Taken from the website for Dr. Thomas Bass in Hollywood, FL.
Dr. Thomas Bass, MD, FACS is a board-certified general surgeon specializing in bariatric surgery. Dr. Bass received his MD from the Medical College of Virginia and completed his surgical residency training at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center at Pennsylvania State University. In addition, he completed fellowships in both Minimally Invasive Surgery and Surgical Critical Care and holds additional board certification in Surgical Critical Care. His interest in weight loss surgery began during his minimally invasive surgery fellowship, where he witnessed first-hand the life-changing effects that weight loss surgery can have. Dr. Bass is also a proctor for the Lap-Band System, and is responsible for training other surgeons in Florida that are interested in performing the procedure.

EDUCATlON & TRAINING
M.D., Medical College of Virginia
Fellowship, Minimally Invasive Surgery, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Fellowship, Surgical Critical Care, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Residency, Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Internship, Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Cerifications and Licensure
Board Certified, American Board of Surgery, General Surgery
Board Certified, American Board of Surgery, Surgical Critical Care
Medical License, State of Florida

Memberships
Member, American Society of Bariatric Surgeons
Member, Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons
Fellow, American College of Surgeons

For more information about Dr. Bass, please click on his name above and it will take you to the Hollywood Bariatrics website.

Checking in for an update

Just checking in to say hi to my blog followers and post a picture my boyfriend Ron took of me last Wednesday night the 10th, before a Christmas party with my cardmaking group that meets every Wednesday at our local Bettys Stamp Pad. They all went to Olive Garden and then back to the store to open gifts and have dessert. I didn't go to dinner, ate at home and met them at the store and took a sugar free pudding cup to have while they were doing their treats. I was very satisfied with the pudding and it didn't bother me seeing them eat the "Norman Love" treats.

On a more current note, I'm doing great, feeling good except for my bad right knee which is keeping me from the gym right now until I can get it where I can work out some. Had an injection in it yesterday and they again reminded me that I need a total right knee replacement. I'm hoping as the weight comes off, the pain will decrease and I can put the surgery off for a long time. I'm eating well, a little more than the 2 oz becuase I'm hungry at meal time but Tiffany said that is normal with the swelling going down in my stomach. I'm becoming more aware of my mental vs. physical hunger. When it think I'm hungry, I have a large glass of water and its going away until meal time. I'm not snacking in between meals either which is great. Its a big change from eating every hour on the hour before the surgery.

Watch my posts, I'm going to be posting about Dr. Bass, he's a great doctor and he and Tiffany are wonderful to work with. I would recommend him to anyone and everyone no matter where you are located. I also have to say again that the stay at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, FL was an experience in itself. The staff was great and I felt like a princess in my room. Not the treatment I'm usually used to but a very wonderful experience.

Its been a great week so far

Just wanted to drop in and post a little today. I'm dealing with my mental part of this very well i think.... I am realizing after many years that food really isn't that big of a deal in massive proportaions. I think its been a habit and of course I'm an emotional eater. I have been so compulsive with my eating for many years I didn't even think anything about it. I did see a psychologist to get an evaluation before being approved for surgery and through talking to him I realized that my out of control eating started when I lost my grandmother in 1994. I was heavy before but no where near this heavy and I wasn't compulsively eating, just eating the wrong foods, fast food, pie, cakes, etc. My grandmother raised me and I was very close to her, as close as I have ever been to anyone and dont' think I'll ever feel that again. She was the big love in my life and my reason for being the person that I am today. She was a very caring and loving person and a crafty person and it all rubbed off on me. She got brain cancer in 1994 and chose to not do any chemo or radiation treatments. She lived 9 weeks from the time we found out but it was a good 9 weeks and I stayed with her from the time she woke up until she went to bed at night. When granny passed away we didn't have a funeral or a memorial service which was what she wanted so I really didn't get to say goodbye to her in the traditional way. I really believe that I have been trying to fill the void of her not being here with food to comfort me. Its an eye opener that has come 14 years after her death.
I truly believe I will be able to conquer this eating demon that I have, the lapband surely is going to help that since I can't eat the way I was eating before. Also with alot of prayer with my Lord and Savior and asking for patience and strength will get me through. I also have alot of support from my boyfriend Ron, my family and my friends.
Tomorrow is my first doctors appt. since the surgery and I can't wait to get weighed and see how I did. I will be posting when I get home with the good news!!

Todays a happy day

Since the swelling has gone down so much in my stomach and I'm actually getting hunger pains, I got to start my protein a little early. Last night I had a little ground turkey and cheese and this morning I had a scrambled egg with about a pinch of low fat shredded mozarella cheese. It felt good to finally be able to chew and has made my attitude a whole lot better. I got full with what I ate and didn't have any problems. I'm looking forward to trying different things and experimenting different cooking methods. It was so great to chew again, you have no idea. I feel great and I feel like I've lost a little bit of weight. i see the doctor on Thursday for a weigh in and check up so I'll post them and let you know how I did.

Had a tough weekend after surgery

The weekend was tough, wanting to eat, missing food, but it will get better. I have been on liquids now for 15 days and have 6 more days to go. Tiffany at Dr. Bass's office said my hunger is more mental than physical right now. The swelling has went down quite a bit in my stomach and I'm alot more comfortable. I see the doctor on Thursday and can't wait to weigh in and see how I'm doing. I will post the end of the week and let you know how I did. thanks again to everyone for their posts, comments and emails on my decision to do the Lapband Surgery. It took me a while to decide to do it and after having a few regrets, I'm feeling better about the whole situation. I'm excited to lose the weight and feel good about myself and be able to wear some really cute clothes. Can't find many "cute" things in a 4X. lol

For those of you that are doing it the conventional way of exercising and watching what you eat, my brother Phil is a Personal Trailer and has a very informative and helpful site full of tips, stories, etc.

Check it out here: http://brayfitness.blogspot.com/

I'm home from the hospital and doing well

Just wanted to pop on and let everyone know that I'm back home and doing good. Still in alot of pain but the surgery went well. The swelling in my stomach is the most painful and the incision for the port on the upper left side of my stomach. When I got home on Tuesday evening, I was hurting so bad that I was wishing I hadn't done it and wanting a burger and fries. lol.... I know its just the pain and discomfort and when that goes away and I start losing weight, I'll be glad that I did it.
I'll be posting next week when i see the doctor on Thursday for my first weight in since going on liquids the end of November.

Thanks again for the love, support and inspiration i have received.

The story begins on my Weight Loss Journey

My weight loss journey has begun. Alot of my blog subscribers have asked me to document my progress so its starting now. My lapband surgery is Monday morning at 6 am in Hollywood, FL with Dr. Thomas Bass. I am very nervous, scared and excited all at the same time. I have been waiting for this for a long time and I'm looking forward to posting pics every few months of my progress. I have been on liquids since last Sunday morning and will be on liquids for 2 more weeks after sugery, then I can graduate to soft purreed foods and then regular foods. The Fort Myers News Press here in town is going to be doing an ongoing story with updates on my progress also and I will be posting those links here. Thank you to everyone that has helped me to get to this point and thanks for all the support, inspiration emails and phone calls, I appreciate them all more than you know. Watch for future updates. I have attached my "Before" photos so you can see where I'm starting.

To read about my story from the beginning click here;Chapter One: A rocky start in North Fort Myers