To Tell or Not to Tell... That is the Question!

   Since I have gotten my official approval for surgery I have been checking out other blogs to see if anyone discusses post-op food. I've gone over it a bit with my nutritionist, but I really wanted to see if anyone was coming up with any suggestions for brands or recipes they developed themselves. Unfortunately there wasn't very much help out there, but I kept seeing a trend on a lot of the blogs. A lot of bloggers were contemplating whether or not to tell people about their surgery.

   In my personal opinion, I don't know how you would ever expect to keep something like that a secret. If you have struggled with weight all your life, just like me, and all of the sudden you are shedding pounds like crazy PEOPLE ARE GOING TO NOTICE!!! If they don't it's because they don't want to bring it up and they are waiting for you to confirm. It's just like asking someone if they're pregnant. You don't want to be wrong and insult them in the process. I say be honest and upfront because it's time to stop being ashamed of yourself. It's the first step in reclaiming your body. It's time to stop hiding! I told everyone at work 8 months ago when I started the process again through Dr. Billy's office. It's the best thing I could have done for myself! I have a team of cheerleaders who are able to keep me in check and who I can use as models for healthy living.

Secrets, secrets are no fun! Secrets, secrets hurt someone! Specifically you because you're not getting the support you need.

Cruisin' in the Carribean

   Anyone would be thrilled to be headed to the Caribbean for their summer vacation, but not everyone is working with a nutritionist to make lifestyle changes. Before my Disney Cruise I was experiencing quite a bit of anxiety because of my previous eating habits on vacations. I've always had problems with food on vacations because my vacations are always about food. We've always planned out our days based on where we wanted to eat...which you know from seeing my previous blogs about my honeymoon scrapbook. So this trip was extra tough because I was making great progress with my nutritionist and I was afraid of slipping back into my old ways.

   I'm proud to let you all know that I was incredibly successful by only gaining 3 pounds, 2 of which I lost the week after I returned. I also made sure I didn't take pictures of all my meals. I made a real effort to eat protein filled meals, cut out a lot of soda and sample items instead of eating everything on my plate. I only took pictures of the truly amazing:

ESCARGOT

CREME BRULEE

TURKEY LEG ON PIRATE NIGHT! WE EACH TOOK A FEW BITES AND WERE DONE SAMPLING IT.

JUST ONE OF THOSE PICTURES THAT ARE FUN TO LOOK AT.

ST. THOMAS, US VIRGIN ISLANDS

SAMPLED 2 OF THE 3 ITEMS ON THE PLATE

LOBSTER! I ONLY HAD A COUPLE BITES OF THE OTHER ITEMS ON THE PLATE.

MONUMENTAL MOMENT!

   I am proud to announce that MY SURGERY HAS BEEN APPROVED BY MY INSURANCE!!!I cannot even describe how amazing this feels and I am so sorry that I haven't been able to blog this month. However, in the coming days I will have several new blogs to post about my successes on my cruise and other fun events.