072 My Problem is Social Eating

Yesterday, I re-realized just how big of a problem Jimmy and I have with social eating. You see we don't really eat when we are sad or overwhelmed but we do eat when we are happy or everyone else around us is eating. So what made me re-realize this?

In continuing to show my support for Jimmy, I decided to participate in the community weight loss challenge called the Pound Plunge. I thought some healthy competition would be great incentive for me to really buckle down and try to eat healthier and exercise. So far so good...

Then yesterday I was walking down the hall at work and passed a co-worker who has eating a snickers and my brain instantly says, "You're hungry! You should eat." I was like, "Whoa. Where did that come from? I was just fine a second ago." Thankfully I was only half an hour from my lunch break and the vending machine was empty of all the things which normally tempt me.

I dodged the bullet yesterday but I stopped to think how often I am surrounded by food at work (and Jimmy is too). All my co-workers who are busy eating aren't going to tell me to stop. I have to learn this restraint and self-discipline on my own. Yikes!

I say all this to say that if you have trouble not eating when surrounded by food--you are not alone! Hang in there and maybe we can learn some self-discipline together :)

071 Christiana's Turkey Chili

Christiana's Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 LB lean ground turkey
• 1 LB lean turkey sausage (optional)
• 2 Cans Chili Beans or Red Kidney Beans
• 1 Can Black Beans
• 1 Can Navy Beans 
• 4 Cans Tomato Sauce (or 2 Large Cans)
• 1 Pkg Chili Seasoning of your choice
• 1 T. Cumin
• 3 T. Chili Powder
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

1. Open all cans and dump into crock pot without draining. I also rinse all the cans with a very small amount of water (each) and dump that into the pot as well to get all the beans out of the bottom, etc.
2. Mix all seasoning into the crockpot because it will mix best without all the meat in the way
3. Brown meat, drain, and dump into the crockpot. I like to brown my meat because I can never tell when Jimmy is going to try to sneak some out during the day so it's a safety thing plus it gets rid of some of the excess fat.
4. Set crockpot on low heat and cook for 8hrs. Stir occasionally.

Servings: Approx. 15 - 1 cup servings (it could be more but I really can't remember)

I hope you enjoy my chili recipe. It's one of Jimmy's favorites and he can still have it even after his gastric sleeve surgery. I love it because it's simple but very tasty. It also works great with lean hamburger and regular sausage although not quite as healthy. It is really a no fuss dish that you can eat several meals off of or that you can portion out and freeze for later. So it's a Win - Win!

066 A Rough Beginning to the New Year

I was at work on New Year's Eve waiting to surprise Jimmy with the fact that I was going to get off an hour early! I couldn't wait! Thirty minutes before I was supposed to leave I get a phone call from Jimmy that he is having an emergency but that he can't tell me what it is because he feels like he is about to throw up. So I rush out the door and catch my boss on the way out. She isn't thrilled that I want to leave a half hour before my already early hour out and sends me off with "Jimmy always seems to be having emergencies." Needless to say I am now worried about my husband, my job, and driving home in the snow.

When I get home, I find Jimmy in the bathroom. Evidently he has been in the bathroom for three hours now (maybe a little more). For the past few days, Jimmy has been feeling constipated and the nurse practitioner told us not to worry (because he will probably go less often now than before surgery) but to keep an eye on it. While I was at home for lunch today, Jimmy decided it was time to take a suppository to help relieve himself, and after I left he went into the bathroom and never came out.

By the time that I arrived he is tired, in pain from sitting on the toilet, light headed, and a little dehydrated. So we called the nurse. She said that he probably just has a lot to get out (gee thanks) but that he should make sure that he stays hydrated and that she would call in something for the nausea. So I go back out into the snow to buy sugar free Gatorade (which doesn't even taste good to Jimmy anymore) and to get some meds. The next hour is spent in the bathroom while he drinks the Gatorade and tries to stop going long enough to go out to the recliner and relax his back -- Oh! and did I mention we have company in town!

Finally things claim down enough that he can come out for about an hour at a time to visit and relax. We actually did have some fun hanging out with our guests but the majority of the night was spent in the bathroom and doctoring his poor, sore bottom. This continued throughout the night.

 Needless to say, Jimmy had a really rough beginning to the New Year. Butt (ha has) I guess we should look on the bright side, if this is the worst of 2013 at least it is already over! :)

In all seriousness we know that this will pass. Life happens. Enjoy the good moments and laugh about the bad ones when you can. May God bless you and keep you this year. May you find joy and peace as you have never known before and may your long awaited dreams finally come true!

Grace and Peace,

065 Happy New Year

Just wanted to take a moment to say "Happy New Year!" May your 2013 be filled with even greater joys, happiness, and blessings than 2012. God be with you as you celebrate today. Be safe and we will see you back here tomorrow on Jimmy Goes Gastric!

060 Celebrate the Season

Jimmy and I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and all that jazz! I hope you enjoy our Christmas card. I designed it myself! Today I also wanted to share with you an edited excerpt from a post I wrote on my long standing blog Life as a Minister's Wife.

So here it is...

Celebrate with Custom Cards and Support a Good Cause

Almost two months ago, Jimmy had weight loss surgery. This is an amazing tool to help him fight his life long battle with obesity. However, it is also a major life adjustment so 99% of my time has been devoted to helping Jimmy adjust and to making his whole surgery and recovery possible. 

With the other 1% of my time, I have been working on getting my own freelance graphic design business up and running. I am starting small with a website and selling some things on Etsy. In addition I have done some custom gifts for friends. I love it! It is relaxing and refreshing to be able to sit down and create something that I know someone else is going to love.

Plus, all the money I make from the cards is going toward paying Jimmy's surgery and hospital bills! So it's a great way to support a local minister and his family during the holiday season. If you are interested in seeing some of my designs/gifts, please visit Mustion Design on Etsy.com .

I hope you have a happy holiday season and a Merry Christmas!

Grace and Peace,

057 A Family Recipe: Tender Baked Chicken Breast

Stage 3 Day 2 Dinner: 1 oz. green beans and 2 oz. of
Grandma's Tender Baked Chicken Breast

Last night I was thrilled to be able to use a recipe that my Grandma Miller taught me when I was in college to make some amazing and juicy baked chicken breast. It was nice on two levels. Number one, I know that I don't have to scratch all the recipes that I have ever used before. Most importantly is Number two. It made me feel good to use a recipe my Grandma taught me--no matter how simple it may be!

Luckily for you there are no secret family ingredients included so I thought that I would share it with you. It's a great recipe to make for anyone who is allowed to have foods which are high in protein and low in fat. Plus the chicken really does stay tender and juicy so it reduces the risk that it will get stuck in the stomach of a bariatric patient and reduces the need for barbecue sauce or ketchup.

Please realize that this recipe is the version I reduced down for Jimmy and I to share because he now eats much less than before. Also in the picture above I have cut the chicken in tiny bite size pieces which aides with his digestion, and has the added benefit of helping him to slow down the pace at which he eats. So anyway...here it is!

Grandma's Recipe for Tender Baked Chicken Breast

Ingredients:

• 1 large chicken breast (we shared)
• 1.5 T Light Mayo (approx.)
• Mrs. Dash or other seasoning to taste (Mrs. Dash is great because it is low in salt but high in flavor)

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Place chicken on baking sheet and evenly cover it with a thin layer of the light Mayo (top side only)
3. Sprinkle enter mayo covering with Mrs. Dash
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until chicken breast is cooked through
5. ENJOY!

056 Eating on Stage 3 Day 1

Jimmy looked forward to Stage 3 Day 1 for weeks. Why? It's the first time he could plan meals with some amount of true eating freedom! So what did he eat? Well, I am going to show you that in a minute.

First, if you don't know what the heck we are talking about...

After bariatric surgery, you should go through a series of diet changes--our program calls them Stages. This will allow you to gradually get back to a "normal" diet and will allow time for your stomach to heal properly. Every program has different requirements and different diets. Read more about Jimmy's Stage 3 Diet. Please remember that although we provide you the information about what Jimmy's doctor has prescribed for him you should still consult your own doctor before starting any new diet or exercise program.

Drum roll please! (Seriously I almost started singing the 12 Days of Christmas in my head--bariatric style--as I started to write this next part. How funny!)

Stage 3 Day 1: Breakfast

This is the first time in six weeks that Jimmy has been able to eat a banana, which used to be a daily activity.  He was very, very excited about eating even half a banana! (slice of reduced fat sharp cheddar and half a banana with a dab of reduced fat peanut butter)

Stage 3 Day 1: Lunch

The plate on the left is Jimmy's food. He thought it would be funny to compare it to the plate of one of the teenagers we were eating with at church. (1oz of sliced Turkey from the deli, reduced fat sharp cheddar, 1 oz wheat thins which we found out Krystal really meant to be Triscuits. haha)

Stage 3 Day 1: Dinner

For dinner we had my homemade turkey chili. In this shot Jimmy is comparing what he used to eat in one serving of chili (the big white bowl) with what he is allowed to have right now (1/2 cup pictured in the yellow bowl).

I hope you enjoyed getting to see what Jimmy ate on the first day of his Stage 3 diet!

034 Week 2 Pre-Op Liquid Diet Update

Heartland Regional Medical Center
This is where Jimmy is having his surgery done.

Good morning, everyone! Today's the day. Jimmy and I are at the hospital as we speak, and we are getting ready for his surgery. Jimmy is scheduled to go into to surgery at 9:00am if all goes according to schedule (but we all know how doctors and hospitals are).

Anyway...

While we are having all of our "fun" I wanted to give you a chance to find out how the second week of Jimmy's two week pre-op liquid diet went. Again, he recorded a little video for you every day and I have compiled them into this week two update.

 I hope you enjoy the video and I ask that you keep Jimmy in your prayers as he begins this new chapter of his life today!

 

031 Twenty Questions

Hi, everyone! We posted on Facebook and Twitter last week that we were going to have a Q&A post and that we needed your questions to make that happen. First I want to say thank you to everyone who submitted questions. I am sorry that we could answer all the questions (this got long as it is) so we picked twenty of the ones we felt we could best answer for you. So here it is...

20 Questions!

1. Is Gastric Sleeve Surgery safe?
A: Gastric sleeve is non-invasive when done laproscopically which decreases the risk of complications and speeds up the healing time. Also, gastric sleeve does not have any re-routing of the small intestine which reduces risk as well. Read More about the risks and rewards of Gastric Sleeve.

2. How long have you two been married?
A: Jimmy and I have been married just over 6.5 years. We were married in May 2006. Read more about Jimmy & Christiana.

This is one of our engagement photos taken by Hannah & Jeremy Tate.

3. Will I have to do a liquid diet if I have WLS?
A: It's possible. We have talked to several different people from several different surgical programs. Some had to do a full blown two week pre-op diet like we have and others had little to no pre-op changes in their lives. It really depends on your surgeon and the surgical program you are using. Read about the benefits of doing a pre-op liquid diet.

4. Will having WLS fix all my weight problems?
A: NO! WLS is a tool to be used in conjunction with a lot of sacrifice and hard work. WLS in and of itself will not solve your weight problems. If you are not following the doctors diet regiment, making changes so you have healthier eating habits, and exercising then eventually you will gain the weight back after surgery. WLS is a tool not a magic wand to make you suddenly skinny and never to gain weight again. Read forum posts about people who thought WLS would solve all their problems.

5. How long have you been in youth ministry?
A: Jimmy has been doing youth ministry since college. His first full-time youth ministry was in Texas in 1999. So that's something like 13 years of full-time youth ministry. We started doing youth events together when I was still in high school in 2000 but I didn't join his ministry full-time until January 2006 when I (Christiana) moved to St. Louis before we got engaged. We have been doing ministry together ever since! Our current youth ministry is called #winningSM and is located at McCarthy Baptist Church in St. Joseph, Missouri.

This is the photo we took at our very first Sunday School times at McCarthy Baptist Church.

6. How much does Jimmy weigh?
A: For personal reasons (and because we have found people to be really judgemental about the weight number), Jimmy has asked that I not publish his actual weight. However, we will be posting the number of pounds lost. Eventually we may post the actual weight in pounds but that will be determined later.

7. How much weight will Jimmy lose?
A: According to Dr. Hornbostel, Jimmy can expect to lose approximately 200 lbs within the first year of his WLS. Read more about the amount of weight you can expect to lose with WLS.

8. What kinds of food can't you eat after having gastric sleeve surgery?
A: The kinds of foods that people can and cannot tolerate after WLS surgery varies as different people's bodies handle foods differently. In general, individuals who have had WLS should avoid foods high in fat, carbs, and sugars. Read more about eating after Gastric Sleeve Surgery.

9. How much does WLS cost?
A: Without insurance coverage WLS can cost between $20,000 - $35,000. That's why it is really important to make sure that you have insurance pre-approval before proceeding with WLS. More about the cost of WLS.

10. How does your family feel about Jimmy having WLS?
A: Both of our families really support that Jimmy wants to be healthier and increase his chances of having a long and happy life. They also accept the fact that the best possibility for him to make this happen is through the assistance of WLS. It was really important to us to sit down and talk to them about this and to get everyone all on the same page. We really couldn't do it without them.

Jimmy and Me with Jimmy's Mom (Shirley)

Left to Right: Me, Dad (Jim), Jimmy, Mary, Scotty, Gretel, and Mom (Janice)

11. How long does it take to get back to work after Gastric Sleeve Surgery?

A: The typical recovery time is 2 - 6 weeks. Each individual is different and recovery time varies. Your recovery time is determined by your progress and your doctor's assessment of your body's healing. Find out more about Gastric Sleeve recovery time.

12. How long will Jimmy be in the hospital after surgery?

A: The average hospital stay for laproscopic WLS is 1 - 2 days. Keep in mind that every person is different.

13. What food will you miss eating the most?

A: PIZZA! Although Jimmy will continue to be able to eat the cheese and the toppings, pizza just won't be the same so I know this is definitely the food he will miss the most.

14. Do people who have WLS have issues with excess skin?
A: Yes. Most people who have WLS have issues with excess skin. The amount of excess skin varies depending on age, weight (pre surgery), skin elasticity, etc. Find out more about excess skin issues.

15. What do you plan on doing while recovering at home?
A: Great question! Jimmy has been planning ahead for this one. I think that his major plans include starting a new TV series on Netflix, playing lots of Halo 4 & NBA 2K13, and finishing The Mark of Athena.

16. Other than food, what will be one of the biggest changes in your life after surgery?
A: This answer may surprise you--clothes. Jimmy is going to lose weight rapidly and so he is going to go through several wardrobe changes over the next year. Also, once he loses all this weight he could very likely be able to walk into places like Wal-Mart or Target and be able to buy clothes off their racks for the first time in many, many years.

17. Is it really important that I attend support group meetings?
A: Yes. It is important to get all kinds of support from your friends and family, but don't miss out on the support from the people who have been there and are waiting to meet you in the support groups which are often provided my your surgical group. Read about the importance of support groups

18. Is it true that you will have to take certain vitamins for the rest of your life?
A: Yes. Because the stomach is smaller after WLS, you have to take vitamins to help the body absorb all the nutrients it needs to keep you healthy. Some vitamins you may have to take include: B12, B Complex, a mult-vitamin with iron, and calcium citrate. Learn more about taking vitamins after WLS.

19. Are their side effects from WLS?
A: Absolutely! You may experience discomfort and gas from the surgery itself and then later you may encounter side effects such as nausea and diarrhea if you are not following your diet properly. Read more about WLS side effects.

20. If people could help you and Christiana in any way, what would it be?
A: Please keep us in your prayers. The liquid diet has not been easy. You feel hungry all the time and that makes things tense and stressful and we still have a few days left of that. Also pray that everything will go well with the surgery on Friday. Going under the knife is always scary no matter how safe the surgery is supposed to be. Also, please pray for a swift and easy recovery and adjustment period.

We really appreciate everyone who has already been supporting us and praying for us. We really and truly couldn't do it without you. Also a quick word of thanks to everyone who has been reading the blog and especially to those of you who have been commenting, it's really nice to know that all the work that has gone into this has not been in vain! Thank you all so much!

Jimmy and Christiana's 6th Anniversary in May 2012

Grace and Peace,

025 Ode to Jeff Foxworthy

This weekend Jimmy and I were experiencing all the nuances of being on a liquid diet for the first time. While I was preparing one of our meals I began to think about just how funny it all was. The funniest thing was that it popped into my head in the form of one of Jeff Foxworthy's "You Might Be a Redneck" jokes. So I decided to test a couple of my thoughts on Jimmy. Well...he laughed so I thought I would share a few of them with you.




An Ode to Jeff Foxworthy:
Top 5 "You Might Be on a Liquid Diet" Jokes

5. You might be on a liquid diet if you have 4 empty gallon milk jugs in your trash at the end of the week.
4. You might be on a liquid diet if your dishwasher is full of cups but no plates or silverware.
3. You might be on a liquid diet if you have more Gatorade and Crystal Light in your kitchen than the local high school locker room.
2. You might be on a liquid diet if you crave Jell-O to "fill you up".
1. You might be on a liquid diet if the answer to "What Do you want for Dinner?" is either chocolate or vanilla.

I hope you had a laugh readying our little jokes. If you have your own Liquid Diet jokes, please feel free to add them to the comments below. We love your thoughts and comments.

Also, if you are interested in how Jimmy is doing on his liquid diet he will be posting a vlog on Friday which contains clips he has been recording over his first week of the liquid diet. It should be pretty interesting so make you come back on Friday to see it.

Grace and Peace,

MORE Liquid Diet Jokes
- You might be on a liquid diet if you suddenly see food in every TV show, commercial, or movie you watch.
- You might be on a liquid diet if your nightmares suddenly revolve around food.
- You might be on a liquid diet if you can smell everything cooking within a 2 mile radius of your current location.

021 Gotta Have Support!

This post is going to stray a little bit back into our chronological storyline and then come back to the present…

Ok, so back to the Dr. Appointment Blitz day. One of the things that was really emphasized to us was the need for support, and I know that we have talked about Making New Friends but here is where the rubber meets the road…

Now jump back to the present. Jimmy and I have been slowly building a great network of people that we can talk to and rely on for support. They have been amazing! Some of them are regular people that we see regularly, others are old friends, and still others have undergone weight loss surgery themselves.

These people have been encouraging us to eat healthy and exercise, but they have taken support a step further than just using their words! On Friday (Nov. 2nd), Jimmy will be starting his two week liquid pre-op diet, but he won't be alone. In order to support and empathize with Jimmy during this time, our support team has taken it upon themselves to arrange a rotation schedule so that at least one of them is doing the liquid diet with Jimmy every SINGLE day!

He will never be alone in his hunger or frustration. He can look at his list and he can see who his "diet buddy" is for the day and he can call them up and talk it out. We are super excited and touched by this amazing outpouring of support and love that Jimmy has specifically received in this area.

A BIG thank you to all our friends and especially to our support team as we prepare to enter the hardest two weeks in our lives to date.

Thanks again,

020 Grieving Jimmy's Lifelong Friend Food

Hey, friends! I am glad to see that you are hanging in there with us. I have been thinking about this blog post for quite a while now but I wanted to wait and write it while my frustration wasn't quite so great.

As you can imagine, the closer we get to the liquid diet and the surgery the harder things become emotionally. It is also a lot harder to stick to our regimen of healthy eating and exercise (we have actually been really bad about this the last week or so). From talking to other people I really knew that I should be expecting this. However, I totally underestimated how hard this stage would be!

Evidently, when you are facing a gastric sleeve surgery you actually grieve FOOD. Ok, please stop rolling your eyes at me. You probably could have told me that you saw that one coming a mile away but let me put my foot down and firmly tell you that IT IS HARD! You really don't get how big a part of your life food is until you look at it and say, "I may never be able to eat this again!"

As Jimmy began to grieve food he became moody, angry, emotional, and his thinking was isolated. There were many times when I know he had to be thinking that I couldn't even come close to understanding what he was feeling or thinking because I will still physically be able to eat whatever I want. But he's not alone…

The biggest struggle was trying to support him and encourage him that I do understand his sacrifices in small measure. I wanted him to know that I am with him in this. I eat with him and prepare our meals together. I will be eating the same things he eats--once he gets make to eating solid foods :) I know that he will miss pizza more than me but I am really going to miss pasta.

In the end I know that his sacrifice is way greater than mine but if he gets the fact that I know that his sacrifice is a big deal and I support him--no matter how whiny or angry he gets about losing food--then that is a victory for both of us!

For more information on the process of grieving food, please feel free to visit the resources listed below.  Since our world is revolving around food right now, the next couple of posts will be dealing with Jimmy's Pre-Op diet and preparation for the surgery.

More Resources:

• The 5 Stages of (Food) Grief
• Grieving for Food
• After Gastric Bypass: Some Tough Love on Grieving Food
• Grieving Over the Loss of My Friend Food

018 Portion Size Matters

Another of the appointments we had during our doctor appointment blitz was with a Nutritionist named Krystal Staggs. Let me tell you right now that Krystal is A-MAZ-ING! I know that she has really helped Jimmy A LOT! So much so that we have even set up additional monthly meetings with her so that Jimmy can talk about ways he can prepare himself for healthier living and what he can be doing now to gradually ease into the new way of eating he will have after the surgery.

The biggest realization that we have come to is that PORTION SIZE MATTERS. I would guess that about 90% of people are regularly overeating and they don't even realize it. It's not because they are "pigging out" necessarily but it is because of an ignorance of portion size. I about cried laughing when Krystal pulled out the little rubber piece of beef that was an ounce portion. It was minuscule compared to what is normally on my plate. When she held it out to us she said, "This is how much Jimmy's stomach will be able to hold right after surgery." Let me tell you that my jaw about dropped to the floor. I mean--come on--I knew that he wouldn't be able to eat a lot but this easily fit into the palm of my hand!

It was in that moment that I truly realized just how much I was overeating without even giving it a second thought. I know that Jimmy must have been thinking the same thing from the look on his face. So in addition, to setting some other realistic goals for ourselves--like not keeping chips or sweets in the house--we also decided to make a conscious effort to actually pay attention to the amount of food and the number of portions we were putting into our mouths.

Because PORTIONS DO MATTER!

017 Jimmy's BIG Dreams

Today you are in for a real treat! Jimmy is writing this post himself. Then at the end I am posting a photo collage of some of the things I dream of us doing after the WLS.

As promised, here is Jimmy's post of his big post surgery dreams…





Losing hundreds of pounds is a good thing. It will make life even more crazy than it already is. Christiana has asked me to write a blog post about things that I look forward to doing once more and more weight comes off. So since I like Top 10 lists, I thought it would be fun to do the:

TOP TEN THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO DOING AFTER I LOSE WEIGHT OR TTTILFTDAILW for short.

Here we go.

#10. Go to more concerts. I like going to concerts but I don’t like traveling distances and standing for a long time. But losing weight means that I will be able to do both. It will nice to see that a band is playing within driving distance and not working about going to it. Plus this might mean that I will be able to attend some actual music festivals. Such as www.lifelight.org. Its only 5 hours away therefore I will be able to travel to it. Speaking of….

#9. Travel It will nice to not be hindered by being stuck in a vehicle or a plane or a train or a rikshaw uncomfortably as now. It will be nice to take trips to places that are off limits to me know like, I don’t know, apple picking or nascar races. That is the point. I can travel more easily.

#8. Paintball, lazer tag and other such. If I were to go PB or LT now I would be pretty pointless and useless. Serving as a very easy target. But once I become more mobile, quicker, sleeker, sneakier, more spy like, I will be a valuable to a team and more fun. Go ahead and lump Mini Golf in this category too. My wife always wants to go to mini golf. Oh and Picnics. Oh and playing basketball.

#7. Stand Longer. Might seem kind of boring and lame but true. Its annoying sometimes when you get stuck somewhere without a place to sit and you leave. Or having to take a chair to places where you need to be able to sit down. Or just simply to stand longer in the pulpit to preach. Either or. It will be nice to stand for longer period of times.

#6. Easier times at restaurants. There are certain places that we avoid simply because there are no tables, or the chairs are bad or there is limited space. It will be nice because we wont be as limited with this as we are now. Granted its not going to be there over night but it will be an improvement. Of course there will be way less eating out now. LOL.

#5. Discovering other fun activities besides eating out. Maybe hot air ballooning, maybe, maybe archery, perhaps fencing? Any of those and things I haven’t thought of yet. It will be neat to see what kinds of things Christiana will do that we don’t even know yet. I guess that is part of the excitement vs the depressing part of this. I got to focus on the things that I can do now vs the food I cant eat now. BYE BYE Capt. Crunch. (a little veggie tales reference for you)

#4. Going to the Theatre. Christiana and I both love the Theatre. We have only been once since we have been married. Why? Seating mainly. But again, that will be easier. I wont like dressing up but at least….

#3. Dress clothes more often. Do people even realize how expensive clothes for big people are??? Especially dress clothes, if you can even find them. I know that my lovely wife would love for me to dress up for often. Maybe even a dress shirt and tie. MAYBE! But I would love to be more like Corey Matthews of Boy Meets Wold and rock the Sweater vest some!! Again, more options. Clothes are still expensive but some are worth it like….

#2. Buying jerseys and sports clothes!! I always wear shirts and I never get to wear anything to rep my STL Cards or My UCONN Huskies. Well beside hats. I cant wait til I cant get that first Jersey or Uniform. Its going to be awesome. Also a nice plus will be WWE shirts. So I can walk around chanting YES YES YES YES to everyone. (like 3 people will get that. LOL)

#1. Not being embarrassed all the time. Overweight constantly fight self image issues. Since I view this surgery as very PRO ACTIVE it will nice to know that even if I am still a big guy (face it I will never be 150) I will know that something is being done about it and I can feel easier and better about myself.

Christiana's Dream BIG Collage:

015 Dr. Appointment Blitz

After completing the six months of doctor supervised weight loss, Jimmy was scheduled to go in for what we have affectionately deemed the “doctor appointment blitz”! Our blitz was on July 10, 2012. What it entailed were back to back visits with the Surgeon, Dietician, Physical Therapist, and Psychologist. Basically it was everyone you needed and wanted to see to finish getting your insurance approval.

The blitz lasted for approximately five hours. During that time we collected a TON of information, answered a plethora of questions and were given various tests to determine Jimmy’s physical and emotional/mental preparedness for his WLS. The best thing about the whole experience is that this team of blitzers will be helping Jimmy prepare for his surgery, file his insurance paperwork, performing his surgery (ok just the surgeon) and helping him with adjusting to a new diet and exercise program. So it was really great to get a chance to finally meet these people.

During our Dr. Appt. Blitz we also learned that for Jimmy’s safety and a possible transitional weight loss method, Dr. Hornbostel (Jimmy’s surgeon) would like Jimmy to consider doing the gastric sleeve surgery. It will help him to lose weight quickly without the complications of replumbing of the small intestine (on a person Jimmy’s size) that the gastric bypass would include. He is confident that Jimmy will do well with the sleeve and should Jimmy need an additional weight loss push in a year or two the gastric bypass will still be open to him since Dr. Hornbostel will be pursuing the gastric sleeve as a treatment for Jimmy’s acid reflux. The only additional thing we have to do to qualify to have the gastric sleeve as an acid reflux treatment is to have an EGD (esophagogastroduodenoscopy) to prove that Jimmy has a hiatal hernia which is causing his reflux. We even scheduled his EGD for July 17th before we left the office.

All in all, we have nothing about great things to say about Dr. Hornbostel and his team. They really took their time with us and made sure that we understood what we were getting ourselves into. They were realistic with us about the positives and the negatives of the WLS and they are prepared to go through them with us. All in all it was one of the best Dr. Appointments we have ever had.

Over the next several posts I will be talking about some of the specific appointments that Jimmy went through and our experiences through it all.

014 Getting Down to Business

Unless you are still in school, on disability or in between jobs right now you know what it's like to go to work on a regular basis. You probably also know how good or bad employers can be about allowing you to take time off of work. That's why it is important for you to carefully think things through when considering whether or not to do a weight loss surgery (WLS).

WLS effects more than just your body. It effects your emotions, your mind, your family/relationships, your job and so much more. If you are going to do a wls you need to realize that your near future includes many trips to the doctors office along with various medical tests and expenses. You have to be prepared.

One of the biggest areas of preparedness is your job. It's important to know your rights and to keep communication lines open between you and your employer. When I was hired at the St. Joseph News-Press, I was open with my potential employer about the hours that I would be taking off so that I could attend doctors appointments with my husband and the hours I would take off when he finally has his surgery. They were okay with my choices and appreciated my honesty. I know that not everyone has a job like that. That's why it's important for you to know about things like the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Admittedly I don't know how best to explain it but you can learn more by talking to your companies human resources person and/or by visiting The Department of Labor Website.

No matter how easy or difficult your employer is to work with it is important to let them know how much time off you need, when you need it, and what they will be able to expect from you once your doctor clears you to come back to work after surgery. So get down to business and make a visit to your HR department. You need to know what you are getting yourself into before you dive into the deep end!

013 The Wonderful World of Water

Water is literally all around us. It’s in the ground, the air, and our bodies. So what the big deal with water?

In June, Jimmy and I went to Youth Camp. If you don’t know or don’t remember, Jimmy is a youth minister. This was his first ever camp that he planned from the ground up and we were both really excited to see how it was going to turn out. I was personally really excited that the camp had a swimming pool because I hadn’t swam in probably 3+ years. The thing about camp in Missouri during June is that it is HOT and it is HUMID. You just can’t get away from it! So to escape the heat you have to make sure that you are drinking plenty of water, and why not take advantage of that nice cool pool I was just talking about. That’s when it hit me that water is really great for Jimmy and me in two distinct ways.

When it comes to losing weight—especially when you are severely over weight—there are two really great things about water!

#1 Drinking water helps you lose weight. It flushes out your body and keeps you hydrated. Hydration allows your body to function properly and to get rid of toxins and excess water. I know that it seems really backward that you get bloated and hold on to water weight when you aren’t drinking enough water every day but it is true! So it you are interested in shedding the pounds and keeping them off make sure that you are fueling your calorie burning engine (your body) with plenty of H2O!

#2 Water exercises/aerobics are a wonderful way to burn calories that is easy on your back, legs, and joints. When you exercise in water you have the natural resistance that comes with being partially submerged but you also have a buoyancy (lift/floating) that reduces the weight your joints are bearing during the exercise. That means that you can exercise more efficiently with less pain and probably for a longer period of time than if you were to exercise outside of the pool.

Yes, Jimmy and I saw great results from drinking water. We were able to stay hydrated. We didn’t get sick or overheated, and we lost extra weight. Still I have to say that we both enjoyed the benefits of the pool the most. Jimmy got in a few days for about 2.5 hours each time. He had a blast and the next day he told me that he could really feel the difference that exercising in the pool made versus the walking he normally. So it was a great experience all around—even if a dog did run off with one of Jimmy’s water shoes!

007 Making New Friends

It's amazing how many new friends Jimmy and I have made since he started talking about having weight loss surgery! Some of them are friends of friends who had weight loss surgery and our mutual friends were like "Hey! You're having weight loss surgery…I know so and so who had weight loss surgery…You should give them a call!" Others have been people we have connected to through the internet, forums, and weight loss support groups.

I want to take this chance to introduce you to one of these awesome peeps. Hey everyone, this is Anna! Anna just had her weight loss surgery this year, and she chronicled her experience in video blogs (vlogs) which she later posted to YouTube where she was discovered by none other than Jimmy Mustion. Anna has graciously answered many of our questions and she has also agreed to allow us to use some of her vlogs on Jimmy Goes Gastric. I am excited to share some of Anna's journey and experience as we share our own.

Please keep in mind that Anna went through a different surgical office/program so some of the things you may see and hear in her vlogs (i.e. diet and exercise prescribed, etc.) may vary from what Jimmy and I are going thru. However, many of the physical and emotional experiences are probably going to be very similar. I say all of this to say that no two programs are exactly the same but it is great to get different experiences and points of view as you go.

I hope you enjoy and learn from Anna as much as Jimmy and I have!

Introducing Anna...

003 Let's Go Back...

I realized when I was looking back at my last post that I talked about why obese people in general consider Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) but I didn’t talk specifically about Jimmy and me. So I wanted to stop and take you back...

Jimmy is 36 years old. He is 6’3” and a BIG guy. Many people can pinpoint the cause of their weight gain to a specific event or series of events in their lives. Jimmy once told me that he doesn’t remember a time when he wasn’t the “Big Kid”. I don’t think that could be easy on anyone.

Jimmy doesn’t believe there were any specific things in his life that caused him to gain weight (and of course there is the continuing genetics debate about weight) but that doesn’t mean his life was easy. He was raised by his amazingly wonderful grandparents--Grampy and Grammy--who lived in Boonville, MO.

Grampy and Grammy did their best to help Jimmy be healthy and active. He participated in just about every sport he was eligible to play. They made sure he ate his veggies (however few of them he may enjoy), and they took him to the doctor in the third grade when they were still concerned about his size. Nothing any of them did seemed to change the weight.

Jimmy says that it wasn’t until he had free reign over his diet and he could eat whatever he wanted that his weight truly escalated. Like most people in America, Jimmy didn’t make very healthy choices when it came to eating. By the time he really realized he had a real and serious weight problem things seemed hopeless to change.

I can attest from personal experience that when you can’t see a way out of your bad circumstances you often choose to continue in them instead of trying to make a way. So here we are now. It’s been 18 years since Jimmy left home to go to college and the spiral began and we are just now really, seriously trying to fight out way out of the pit. It’s going to be a long hard journey but we know in the end it will be worth all the blood, sweat, and tears.

002 Why Consider Weight Loss Surgery (WLS)?

I would hazard a guess that if you are reading this then you may have either had or be considering some kind of WLS. Therefore you are not the person that says “They can’t lose the weight because they are lazy” or “Why do surgery when you can lose it naturally” or “They are just looking for a ‘magic’ fix to their problem”. Those people DRIVE ME CRAZY! In some cases their questions might be valid but in the vast majority they are just wrong and their questions are inappropriate. Let me explain...

Most people are not aware that there have been medical studies conducted that have concluded that most morbidly obese people (anyone with a BMI 40+) are physically incapable of losing their weight naturally and keeping it off long term. These studies are the reason that insurance companies have decided to provide coverage for WLS surgeries such as the gastric bypass and Lap-Band. They realize that many of the people they insure will never be able to lose their excess weight without surgical assistance.

However, surgery never has and probably never will be an easy or magical fix. You MUST WORK to change your eating and exercise habits in order to receive the benefits of the surgery. “Failed” surgeries are the cause of many of the snide and demeaning comments like the examples I gave above. Really it is not the surgery that has failed but the people who have failed to commit to a lifestyle change that have failed to receive the results they were hoping to achieve. More on this later.

Jimmy and I decided to consider WLS because we realized that he needs help to achieve his weight loss goals. We are committed to making lifestyle changes that will make us healthier and will help to achieve and maintain long-term health and weight management. We are ready and willing to start putting in the work it will take to make those dreams happen. Join us!

Other Resources:

Calculate Your BMI

Learn More About Obesity

Tools to Help You Plan Your Food & Fitness Standards