Drum Roll Please.....

I have made a decision!  Let's back track just a little....

On Sunday my good friend Nancy and I hit the road to Utica NY as I had a 9 am appointment to meet with Dr. Graber for a consult on the bariatric surgery.  Nancy was permitted to join me as I met with the nurses and the doctor in three separate rooms.

We met with the first nurse who reviewed my history against the questionnaire I had filled out online some time back.  She confirmed that what was true back then still holds true today.  She took my blood pressure, weighed me and measured my height.

Next we met with the nurse who does the patient education and she explained the mechanics of the surgery, the risks and the recovery process.  She was patient, kind and understanding and answered all our questions honestly and thoroughly.

The third stop was with Dr. Graber himself who also explained the procedure, compared it with other surgical options and explained why he preferred the Roux-en-Y which he performs exclusively.  Of course it's kind of like a VW salesman explaining why VW's are better than Honda, but all bias' aside both Nancy and I felt a lot less freaked out by the surgery and definitely had a positive feeling that it could be the tool I've been looking for to help me reach my life long dream.

Dr. Graber was jovial and friendly, and Nancy and I both liked him a lot.  In fact we liked everyone at the clinic.  All told they spent about two hours with us and did not pressure me into anything.  Dr. Graber said I could change my mind right up until the mask goes on face.

On the way out of the clinic we ran into a woman who was ECSTATIC, to say the least.  I discreetly leaned over and asked her if she'd had the surgery to which she emphatically responded, "Yes!!.  It was the best thing I ever did.  It was EASY!"  She even lifted her shirt and showed my her key hole scars from the laparoscopic procedure.  I noticed she had a French accent and asked if she was from Quebec but she reponded that she was from Ottawa.  I asked her if she would be interested in meeting me for coffee so I could discuss her experience and she happily gave me her phone numbers.

Now the decision.... but I suspect you may already have a sense of where this is going.....

Nancy and I chatted on the way home about the appointment and about the surgery itself.  We talked about risks, eating modifications, behaviour modifications, and of course we talked about the probability of me finally being slim.  Wow!  A weight loss rate of 5-6 lbs per week is a pretty intoxicating concept!  I could be in a bikini for my next winter vacation.

But I digress....

After much consideration I decided that I would ask the Ottawa clinic to pursue the surgical option for me in NY.  I called them Tuesday morning to set the ball in motion.  They will complete the forms to obtain approval from OHIP, and I must take 4 weekly classes to prepare for the surgery.  My classes will start on June 16 and finish July 7.   The clinic advised that OHIP would not likely approve the surgery if I didn't commit to attending the classes so based on this schedule I don't forsee a surgical date before mid to late July.

In the meanwhile I have chosen to continue with my Weight Watchers program because one of two things will happen:

1. My success will be so great that when the surgical date is offered I will feel that I won't need it and decline; or
2. WW is teaching me some very good habits, not the least of which is portion control, which I will need to aware of if I choose to proceed with the surgery.

It's a win/win situation.   I've not eliminated any options at this time and if I find down the line that I'm just not winning at Weight Watchers, I still have the surgical option.  If I made the decision today then it may be a long process to get it back should I decide to do so.

So that's my decision.... in a nutshell, the decision is deferred until I get a surgical date.  Sneaky eh?  lol

Weigh In - Week 3

Well after a disappointing and discouraging weigh in on the second week the scale was kinder to me on my third weigh in.  I lost two pounds so now I'm down a total of 3 1/2 lbs in three weeks.

No complaints but it sure is a far cry from my youth when I would lose 5 lbs in one week!  It's a tough battle to lose the weight but staying on the program is quite easy, I'm finding.  As long as I graze throughout the day I never feel hungry or crave something bad just to satisfy my hunger.  I think that this will be my key to success, along with the planning.  

Yesterday was my first "solo" day.  I didn't really plan my day but I knew what I was having for breakfast and snack, and knew that I was going out for lunch and for dinner.  I had a reasonable idea of the points I'd be consuming at dinner but I winged it at lunch as I didn't actually have a plan and when I did know where I was going I didn't have any time to research my options ahead of time.

In the end we went for Vietnamese and I had the vermecelli bowl which is one of my favourites and I would choose this over McDonald's any day.   For dinner that night I had Thai - I purposely chose dishes that were in my Weight Watcher's Dining Out Companion so that it would be easy.  And honestly, it was fantastic!  Not only the food, but spending 3 hours with girlfriends talking about everything from books we've read, to challenges with having a toddler, to Weight Watchers and healthy eating.  It really was a great night all around.

Three of the six of us are following Weight Watchers at the moment and one of us has hit a bit of a wall with her weight loss.  She found this website for The Wendie Plan that talks about mixing up the number of points you have each day, which in essence confuses your body not to expect a certain number of calories every day.  Since starting it she lost 5 lbs almost immediately.  Here is the link to the website.  I think I may try this approach if I find that I stall in my efforts as well.

Menu Planning

The new routine in my house is to plan the dinners for the week. You see my dad has taken over the duties of Head Chef during the week since he is retired and I am working full time, plus go to the gym or aquafit most days after work. This takes a load off me, and ensures that the food is ready when I get home so that I don't eat everything in sight.

Our routine includes looking through my favourite health conscious recipe books and magazines for recipes that appeal to both of us and are simple enough for Dad to make. Since there's only two of us and we have no problem eating left overs, we choose 3 recipes that will make from 4-6 servings. Any more than that and we'll be eating the same thing for weeks! As we choose the recipes we discuss what ingredients we already have and what we need, and so the shopping list formed as well.

The next step is for me to go to the computer and write the plan into a spreadsheet. I first list all the recipes on the menu for the week, the book or magazine they are in, page number, servings and number of points per serving.

I then assign a recipe to the day of the week and decide what sides to have with it. Sometimes it's as simple as salad or baked potato and veggies, depending on the recipe. I have a formula that shows me the total points for the planned meal, and then I print. This list gets placed on the fridge.

Since the remainder of my meals are planned each night as I pack my "feed bag" for the next day, this process allows me to know exactly what I'm eating for dinner on any given day so that I can plan accordingly and not exceed my points allowance.

So you must be wondering what I'm having for dinner this week.... get your drool bibs!

Recipe	Recipe Book/magazine	Points Per Serving
Polynesian Stir Fry	Healthy Cooking (April/May 2009)	6
Simply Orange Chicken	Looney Spoons	5
Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya	Anne Lindsay's Light Kitchen	9