061 Merry Christmas & Congratulations

To all of our friends and family who follow the blog. Thank you for all of your love, support, and prayers this year. We truly couldn't do it without all of you backing us! You mean so much to us and we wish you the very best this holiday season!

I would also like to say, "Congratulations!" to Jimmy for the 105 lbs that he has lost since he started his liquid diet on Nov. 2nd! SO PROUD OF YOU!!! Total weight loss is a little higher but this is the most current number since Nov. 2nd.

047 A New Way to Celebrate

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JIMMY!

That's right. It's my hubby's birthday! Yes, we have back to back birthdays but he got his much earlier than I got mine ;)

Alright, I was dropping hints before but now I am going to tell you...We have to change the way we celebrate. As hard as it is to change your daily routines I was anticipating it being even harder to change our special occasions.

Special occasions invite excuses not to change like "It only happens once a year" or "But it's my birthday!" It is all to easy to rationalize your conviction away. We decided that no matter what we really had to take this serious. If we compromise just two and half weeks after surgery then we will be compromising for the rest of our lives and we will never see the full benefit of Jimmy having gastric sleeve weight loss surgery.

So here's the deal...

In the past we have combined the celebrations of our birthdays to have a two day Jimmy and Christiana Fest so that we both get twice the benefits. On one day we would usually go and DO something fun and on the other we would EAT somewhere and go all out on it. We don't normally exchange gifts or anything like that so we have more money to eat and do whatever we feel like that year.

So what to do...

We decided that we would still have two days worth of Jimmy and Christiana birthday fun but we have to do a few things differently. In the future we might still be able to go out to eat as a part of the celebration (not an option this year with Jimmy on his Stage 2 Diet) but it can no longer be the whole focus of that day of celebrating. It's time for new traditions to go with our new lifestyle! (I will probably write about how this will change our Christmas traditions when we get closer to that time too)

So here's the plan...

For one day of the celebration we are getting together with some of our friends to have a game night! It's going to be fun. We are sharing our days with people we really care about and we're going to have some good, healthy competition to go with it ;) Love it! Maybe I am too competitive...nah! Day two, we are going to go to the movies (sans popcorn) in North KC and then we are going to walk around the shopping center and see what we can see. Of course the walking may be short this year because Jimmy still wears out pretty easy but his stamina is increasing with his ability to increase his protein shake so next year we will be able to walk around and enjoy each other's company much, much longer.

That's our story and we're sticking to it!

TO JIMMY:
Happy Birthday, Baby! I love you and I am thankful for you everyday (even when you drive me crazy!). I hope you have an amazing birthday this year and for many more years to come.

042 A Nice Surpise

It has been a little while now since Jimmy has been in to work in the office. The church has kindly approved 3-6 weeks for his recovery time but I know that he is hoping to be back soon.

Jimmy loves his job and I think that he really misses socializing with his co-workers. When we were out the other day, we decided that we should stop by the church office so that Jimmy could say "Hi" to everyone. I think that they were surprised to see that he was as up and active as he is (Thankfully, Jimmy has had very limited pain and/or gas/bloating and he has been able to be up and active in small amounts).

We were surprised when we walked into his office and found this...

An anonymous note left for Jimmy on his computer screen at work.

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

It's really awesome and encouraging to know that people are thinking about you and praying for you. It was a sweet and touching moment. Thank you, whoever you are. It's nice to be reminded that we are not alone and that we can do all things through Christ!

Until next time...

022 Judy Shares About Why It's Important to Talk to Your Doctor

Salam and good evening to you worthy friend! Thanks for dropping by Jimmy Goes Gastric. Today I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. Her name is Judy. Judy and I have known each other since we were kids. We went to school together and played together. I remember the struggles that Judy's family went through when tragedy struck unexpectedly. Judy has been following our story here on Jimmy Goes Gastric and as a result she contacted me the other day to share some of her family's experience with WLS. After talking to her I asked if she would kindly share some of her story with everyone here, and she graciously agreed.

Please keep reading as Judy shares from her own personal experience why it is important to keep an open line of communication between you and your doctor when you are undergoing WLS.

Why It's Important to Talk to Your Doctor

Hi. My name is Judy. My family (two brothers, Mom, & Dad) lived in Fulton, Missouri, for most of my childhood.

My father died when I was just twelve years old. He died because of his obesity. My mother, who was also obese, was worried that she would die soon, as well if she didn't lose weight.

Mom dieted and exercised and still struggled with her weight. It was then that she decided to have gastric bypass. She was thrilled that she was accepted to have the surgery done. I remember her being worried for the actual surgery. She worried she wouldn't survive the procedure, but never worried about what would follow the surgery.

The surgery was a success, and the pounds began to melt away. She lost 150 pounds in no time. But her road was not easy. Everything she ate made her sick. Because I was so young I don't know if her doctors had prepared her for that, or if they had told her what to eat to keep her healthy and she just struggled with it.

I remember her eating cheese sticks all the time because that is all that she was able to keep down. Because she wasn't getting the nutrition she needed her blood sugar would drop and she would go into diabetic comas. Many times my brother called for an ambulance because she was incoherent and didn't know who we were.

The last time she went into a diabetic comma, she didn't wake up. After my mother died I was angry that she had had the surgery, but since I have come to understand that her obesity could have killed just like it had my father. I was blessed to have those six extra years with her.

I know this surgery can be life changing. I have seen many people who have had it done successfully. I would just like to encourage all those who are considering having this done to be well educated about this decision. Keep a close dialogue with your doctor before and after the surgery. Fill your life with people who can support you and help you through this journey. Nothing is more important than that!

Thanks for letting me share my story with you.

Judy

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...