What does 126 lbs even look like?!?

To tell a woman who has been over weight her entire life that she needs to weigh 126 pounds is a little mind boggling.  I don't even know what that looks like.  I think I weighed more than that when I was 12!  So, I did a little research and I found a great site to see the bodies of REAL women.  It's called My Body Gallery.  You can put in your goal (or real) weight, height and body type and find out what you really can look like (or already look like). 

Here is an example of what I might look like at 126 pounds:

This woman has the same shape and height as I do, but weighs 130.

Hard to believe!

This lady is the same size, shape & weight of me now:

Wow, I have a long way to go! :) 

Pre-Bariatric Sugery Liquid Diet

Today I started the liquid diet, which marks exactly 2 weeks before surgery.  This liquid diet consists of the powders (seen above) being mixed with water or milk.  I am not going to say they taste wonderful, they don't.  However, they really aren't bad. 

The Plan:  Drink four to five meal replacements per day, as recommended.  The meal replacements are nutritionally complete for the length of time for which you will be drinking them.  For most people, five shakes a day means you will be drinking one every three hours.

Powders may be blended with ice and you may add non calorie flavoring if you choose.   For the Bariatric Advantage products, one serving is two scoops of powder mixed with 8-10 oz of water.

• You should also have:  64 oz of water or other clear, calorie-free, non-carbonated,  caffeine-free fluids. 
• You may also have: Sugar free gelatin, reduced sodium broth or bouillon (limit 4 per day), and sugar free chewing gum.
• You should avoid: Caffeine, carbonation, sugar, fat, solid foods

Today, I haven't been too hungry.  When I notice that I feel hungry it is always time for another shake.  The Jello, for me, helps you feel like you have a little something "solid."   The sugar free Jello cups I have are 5 calories each.  So, just be careful to stay within your calorie limits for the day.  The caloric intake recommended for me, by my doctor, is 900 calories a day.

Who is Susan?

Susan has been overweight since about 12 years old. Yo-yo-ing up and down her entire adult life.  She has bounced between 185 pounds and  256 pounds. Her goal weight is 126 pounds.

At age 22, she was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a disease that has touched generations of her family.  Over the years, the weight started causing her kidneys to hyper-filtrate and in 2010 her kidney specialist recommended her for gastric bypass surgery, saying, "if you don't get this weight off and keep it off, you will be on dialysis within 10 years."  Because Susan's father died from complications after a kidney transplant when she was almost 20 years old, this was scary news.

Susan is a 33 year old mother of four children and loves Jesus and her family. She studied Interior Design in college and has a small business where she redesigns furniture and upcycles home furnishings. She serves as a volunteer for a human rights NGO and enjoys creating and using her hands. She and her family live in the Upstate of South Carolina.

Susan started this blog as a journal of her journey with hopes that it will provide insight to others facing gastric bypass while allowing those that love and support her to keep abreast of the changes and process.

Thank you for visiting "Susan Lives!"