update

so i am down a total of 155 pounds! i don't remember the last time i was this weight. i need to get plastic surgery soon, but i think it's going to be next summer by the time i can get work and surgery lined up. it's really great buying new clothes, expensive though!!

wow baby...

hey y'all. it's been too long, i know. since my last update a lot has changed. i just moved into my first apartment! it's going okay for now. i am having a hard time adjusting to life on my own, we will see how things play out! on the weight loss front, to date i have lost 149 pounds. that's just over 8 months since surgery. i am now in a 16/18 clothing size and would be in a 12 if it wasn't for the extra nasty skin! don't worry, that will be taken care of! LOL enjoy the latest picture of me at my new apt!!

weight update

i am down 116 pounds...so it's still coming off! but more so i am noticing changes with my body even more. size wise and things are shifting a lot. i rode my bike a lot this past week at west island...trying to stay active :)

working...so hard :)

me looking especially hott! i am starting to pick apart my body...like the large bulge on the right side of the picture by my pocket. extra skin. ewwwww.....



my friend lizzie and i doing our US weekly poses...






my family, looking especially weird...and wonderful :)

weight update

i am down 113 pounds.

more weight :)

i am starting to notice a real big slow down on the weight loss, but i am at 110 pounds lost so far! it is still coming off, bit slowly :) i am working easier, getting around better, and enjoying the ocassional glances and horn honks from the oppositte sex! hahaha. only 53 more pounds till my personal goal!

here is a pic of the little boy i nanny for...isn't he precious?

bloodwork

my bloodwork has come back completely fine! i actually got a letter from the surgeon stating that my LDL cholesterol is down and my HDL is up. HDL is the healthy cholesterol and LDL is the unhealthy. so it's looking like i am getting healthier and skinnier! yahooooo :)

aren't i hott?

holding steady at about 107 lost so far :)

big news people!

big update! to date i have lost 106 lbs! i was stuck in the 90's for a few weeks and i was very discouraged. i guess that's why i didn't write for a while. last monday, patriots day, i went downtown with aiden and our friends, lizzie, owen, and josh to all the marathon hoopla. we parked about a mile a way from the finish line and seriously walked about 10 miles that day. we walked for hours. we went all around, and some streets we couldn't go down because it was roped off even for pedestrians and we would have to go around the whole block. sounds easy, but for the former rachael i would have never done something like this. however, i think that this is one of the reasons that i lost more weight and got over the plateau i was on for weeks. i told lizzie that i want her to be my personal trainer! LOL

i went to a wedding this weekend and had fun. it felt nice to be told i was looking good by people that hadn't seen me in a while...real nice!

till next time :)

lil update :)

so here i am, getting ready to go to my "lifestyle nutrition" group at MGH. this is a group that i am required to go to every other week for 6 sessions. they tell me that this class/group will be a support and teaching took for myself for the rest of my life! i will fill you in on more after i attend.

so i haven't heard anything back from the doctor's office regarding my labs that i took last week, but at the office visit i was reading 89 lbs on their scale. this morning i weighed myself and i was at 93 lbs lost! almost to my 100 lb mark! can u believe it? i am also only 5 lbs away from weighing what i did my senior year in high school. fricking awesome!

i still try to stay away from chicken, it feels like it gets stuck! i tend to go for moister protein choices.

till next time :)

doctor, here i come...

i am going to see the surgeon tomorrow for my 3 month check up...

i will fill you in on what she says and if any bloodwork is back yet!

rach

hi :)

so i am now 89 lbs down! that brings my average close to losing a pound a day! it's been really good so far, since surgery. my back pain is much better since i have been getting massages. the doctor's say that the weight loss changes everything and can cause muscle and general pain in some areas! who knew?? i am eating pretty much everything now, but i stay away from anything with sugar in it. only fake sugar for me (splenda, etc). also no alcohol and caffeine for 3 more months. they tell you to stay off of both for at least 6 months post op.

work is going well, and i have big news!!! i have enrolled to take classes at northeastern univ. i am going to attempt to take public health and nutrition. they are sort of an intro to NEU's health science program. health science is for anyone wanting to go into the health field. (nurses, pre-med, etc.) i am really excited!!

peace for now :)

howdy

these are some new pics. i just took them sunday...

i have been told by a few people that i need to make my blogs more frequent and longer. sorry for that folks. i have been busy getting back into the swing of things and having lost close to 90 lbs has changed life quite a lot. my back has been really bad lately, and more recently has gotten better. i got a few massages (hallelujah!), and i think that i am going to keep up with that because it's working so well. the doctor's say because everything is moving around and such, that the back pain is expected. (center of gravity changing, muscles and tissue moving around) my sciatica is also painful. on top of all that, my butt's feeling is coming back and that is causing pain. during surgery and after it's very common for your ass to go numb!! mine has taken months to go away (doc says it's ok) however, it's a literal pain in the ass! i feel old with these back problems...like i said above though, it is so much better so i am glad and grateful for that!

i go and see the surgeon next week for my 3 month (+) post op appt. i will fill you in on the weight around then :)

till then...

too long

it's been to long my friends. here i am sitting pretty, 87 lbs lighter! here are some pics. i am doing well. no eating problems, feeling great :) i know...my nose is big :) LOL

no pics

i still can't find my camera, so no pics yet. i am still looking :)

ouch!

so my back is still hurting, however my good friend brittany gave me an amazing massage last night! she is really good and knows just where it hurts! it's kinda weird! she was like, "man rachael, the last time i gave you a massage it was much different." meaning my body! LOL

so i am doing really well. weight loss wise and food wise. still stay away from most chicken and steak...it tends to be too dry. then it gets that stuck feeling and i am so over that! so many good things go down easy and i would much prefer that over eating chicken and steak! i have discovered an amazing thing lately. many of you probably know that i have been squeezing oranges by the dozens to make orange juice! i can't eat most store brands because they have added sugar that i like to avoid and the kinds that are freshly squeezed at whole foods and such are not so tasty! so the other day i was in front of the fridge trying to find something and i saw tropicana OJ. not surprising, my dad love's OJ. however, upon closer examination i discovered my dad purchased tropicana light and healthy with no sugar and splenda. what?????? are you serious??? i drank the whole thing in 2 days. i friggin loved it. i called him today and was like, "can u bring home more OJ and make sure it's the light and healthy kind." he had no clue what he bought before and it was by accident that it was light and healthy with splenda. he is awesome though!

76 lbs gone forever! wooohooooo!

more weight biatches...

to date i am down 76 lbs. i am officially a size 24 or 2x in women's clothing. i feel great. however i have hurt my back really bad and i am on vacation. how sucky is it that i have to spend my vacation with a hurt back. sucky! i will write more when it stops hurting so darn bad!

hmmm....

i am so glad that i went to chicago 3 weeks ago to visit laura and amy. i love these girls!

so i am entering into my 3rd week back to work and i feel like i have been back forever! like nothing has happened! obviously it has, having my insides ripped apart a little more than 9 weeks ago. however, i feel great and other than a few small scars i look great. the weight is melting off and i am almost to my college weight. i was at a certain size and weight in college and i am very close to meeting that. it will probably coast by though, it seems like most milestones i fly by and almost miss. i am pissed at myself for gaining so much weight after college. i thought i was a beast in college! and then i gain 100 pounds more in the 7 years since. well, i am glad that i am almost back to it. i would kill to be that "skinny" again. LOL.

my doctor suggested drinking more water and adding some salt to my foods to keep some weight. i was like, "what??" are you serious? the weight is coming off. apparently it's coming off a little fast and because i am so tall and have a lot to lose, they want it to come off slower. SORRY! i like it this way! haha.

i don't have an exact weight loss for you today. i got "yelled" at for looking at the scale so much by my nutritionist...again! hahaha. so i will just let you know it's somewhere around 65lbs +

until next time...

more weight.

so i have lost more weight. i am now down to 65 pounds lost. the size 24 jeans that i bought before surgery in preparation for losing weight are sort of big. 2 weeks ago i couldn't get them on. i am definitely in a losing stretch, and weight is moving around because my waist is much smaller :) i am going to take some pics this week and post them because i think that i have changed a lot!

howdee

i have lost more weight. i am down to almost 60 lbs lost. i feel great and my jeans are way too big for me now! LOL i wish the weight would come off faster (it seems slow :) but i don't think it's possible. i think that i am doing really well so far. i feel well, i stopped taking vitamins for about a week and felt like shit, so now i am feel better. none of that :)

and just so you know...i don't agree well with aspargus!!

heeeelllooo.

back at work! i missed aiden terribly! he is so friggin cute and i love him so much, i am glad to be back! so far i have been doing well, no popping of organs out of my belly! (hernias, etc) he is sleeping now, so i am catching up on some much needed blogging and emailing!

i went to see the surgeon and pyschologist at MGH for my 6 week check up on thursday of last week. i am now down 51 lbs lost. i was very surprised! i had weighed myself at home earlier in the week and i was down 49 lbs so i made the decision to not weigh myself until my appt because the scales are different and i didn't want to be discouraged. so i thought when i stepped on the scale that it would be around the same that home said a few days before, because MGH's scale seems to say i weight more. BUT NOPE!!!! so i am really encouraged by the weight loss and i am excited to see how it progresses.

i went to chicago this weekend and visisted friends that i haven't seen for about 7 years, it was like we haven't been separated! i stayed with my friend laura and her boyfriend gret and had a blast. amy and her boyfriend pepe made us dinner sat night. it was awesome! my only wish was that i could have stayed longer! thanks guys!!!

peace out for now :)

gastic bypass for diabetes

i told several people that they are still researching at MGH, but it is known to a certain point that gastric bypass will eventually rid someone off diabetes. if this interests you...read more about it in this article i saw online. http://health.yahoo.com/news/ap/diabetes_obesity_surgery.html

howdy

went to the YMCA tonight. worked my but off, hopefully literally. i was able to work up to 10 minutes on the elyptical. so far i have only been doing 10 minutes. but tonight, i pushed myself past that and jammed to the music. it's so easier listening to the music. they have little devices on all the cardio machines at the YMCA that you just plug your headphones into and they have 6 different TV's you can listen/watch. i watch/listen to the music TV.

i go to the doctor tomorrow and i will weigh in on their official scales. i haven't weighed myself in a few days, because i know that their scale is more (i think) and i don't want to get bummed out. so i will check in when i know for sure. oh, BTW i am seeing the pyschologist and the surgeon. i think i am doing pretty well. i will know for sure by tomorrow! wish me luck!

more weight

i have lost more weight. down to 47 lbs. i am scrapbooking this afternoon and having so much fun. whooohooo

im freezing

i am still cold! when i was in the hospital i was sweating all the time from the drugs, but as soon as i was off those i started feeling this strange sensation! i was cold. for those who know me well, i am ALWAYS hott! sleep in a tank top and skivvies hott! but since the surgery i am always cold. like let me use both throw blankets on the couch to keep warm. it's weird. i am not sure what it is from (weight loss, anesthesia, or something else) but it's nice to not always be hott and sweaty.

hey, i lost more weight! down to 42 pounds lost.

whooohoooo!

weight tracker.

check this webiste out for my weight tracker. shhh...don't tell anyone the exact numbers! LOL

http://www.obesityhelp.com/shared/flash/WeightHistoryChart/WeightHistoryChart.swf?username=rachaeldstewart

weight update.

this afternoon i broke down and i weighed myself...yipee! to date i have lost just shy of 40 pounds! yeah! tuesday it was four weeks. i think that's pretty friggin good! yea baby.

howdy.

so i am doing really well. staying away from the scale still! struggling to get all my fluids in, but i did good today. it's late and i am heading to bed after this episode of friends! ttyl

i saw the doctor today...

i saw the doctor. the bump under my incision is not a tumor and it's normal scar tissue!

i threw up for the first time today. i took a few bites of buffalo chicken wings and felt it after about 10 minutes. i had to exscuse myself and i went the ladies room. it was fine, and i felt fine after it happened. the only thing is that i feel a little sore in my abdomen from throwing up. i haven't used those muscles in a few weeks...

i am down to 34 lbs lost. i need to stop weighing myself at home! i got in trouble from the nutritionist. she let me know that they discourage weighing at home because the scale is just showing you your body weight. not fat loss, or water gain, or muscle increase. she doesn't like it, and i am going to stay off of it for as long as i can!

i found something online about my doctor and something that i personally like the sound of...
"It’s an operation that helps cure people of this disease which is life-threatening. People see it as some type of cosmetic surgery, when it’s not. More patients die waiting for surgery than die after surgery,” said Dr. Janey Pratt, a surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center in Boston, which does about 300 gastric bypasses a year." MSNBC 12/03

also found an award she won for a grant for lap GB...
"Laparoscopic Approaches to Weight Loss SurgeryJaney Pratt, MD, MGH. The goal of this Fast Forward was to investigate different ways of performing laparoscopic bariatric surgery, and bring this procedure to MGH. This procedure has gained acceptance within the larger surgical community, and new technology has been developed which will make it easier to perform. Dr. Pratt observed techniques at three institutions: NEMC, UMass and UPMC. Phillips Schauer in Pittsburg taught Dr. Pratt the technique that she ultimately adopted. To date, Dr. Pratt has taught this procedure to eight physicians. The procedure was first performed at MGH in January 2001 and 675 patients have been treated to date with this laparoscopic procedure with more than a 1,000 patients on a waiting list. Outcomes find weight loss, quality of life, and OR time equal to open procedure, indications of wound infection and hernia has been less than open procedure."

update...

i see the doctor (just medical doctor, not surgeon) tomorrow for a checkup. i also see the nutritionist and get my next stage of eating. i know that i am still losing...but how much is the question. i am down 35 lbs on my sister's scale. i will let you know the official numbers from the docs scale! wish me luck!

my insides!

here are the pics that my surgeon took during my lap roux en Y. the top left pic shows the surgeon stitching and cutting near my colon. the top right pic shows the stapes where she made the new stomach and connected new intestines to it. the bottom left pic shows my liver, somach, and spleen. the bottom right pic shows my bloated and diseased blue gallbladder. after she took the pic of it, she removed it! it was no good! feel free to ask me any questions that i didn't answer about the pics!

happy new year's!

hellllooo everyone! happy new year's! hope everyone's new year's was good, and i am so excited and looking forward to 2008!

i went with the parents to west island, our good friends the johnsons got a year round cottage there. their son erik brought his fiancee bethany and friends chris and alma with him from CT. so the nine of us played the best card game called quiddler until our reservations! i love games! we went the the abbey grille in fall river, ma. holy smokes it was awesome! the food, atmosphere, staff...excellent! loved it! we got back just in time to see the ball drop. mom, dad, and i shared a hotel room at the hampton inn in fairhaven. it's about 7 minutes from the cottage. fun times sleeping in the same room as 2 snoring people. hey, i snore so loud myself, i could hardly wake them up and say quiet!! so i just waited till i was exhausted and fell asleep! LOL 2am!

foodwise the weekend was good! i had some fish on new year's eve, and then on new year's i tried cereal for the first time, GOOD! then lunch i had a crab roll. dinner i had some cereal with fruit. it's nice to have grains again! LOL

friday i go to see the MD and nutritionist. i am going to mention the large round bump under my large incision. it's bothering me not knowing what it is. it's either scar tissue or a hernia. i just don't want more surgery! hey, maybe they can fix the hernia when i have my plastics done in a year or two! LOL

also, i called the on-call doctor friday night because everytime i ate or drank i would get this burning pain in my pouch. dr. butsch prescribed me some liquid medicine to coat my stomach and help stop the pain! so far so good.

well, i am beat. off to bed. nighty night!