My YouTube

Here is a link to my video revealing my surgery!

My Big Secret

and my Day 1 Pre-Op Liquid Diet video

Day 1 Pre-OP Liquid Diet

Sleeve Eve

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't been able to post but work has been ridiculously busy and I've been trying to get everything ready for my surgery tomorrow. My pre-op diet has been EXTREMELY challenging and I guess I'll add it to the list of failed diets for me. I was pretty good for the most part, but some days, it was really hard. Especially since I've been battling migraines (no more Starbucks!) and I can't take excedrin so I've been taking liquid adult Tylenol which hasn't been helping that much.

The good news is that I have officially lost 9 lbs (I started at 209.4, I thought it was 207.2 but I was wrong) and we'll see how much more I lost tomorrow. I'm hoping to be under 200 lbs (I'm 200.4) and for a safe surgery! My nerves are REALLY starting to kick in right now and I'm pretty scared right now. It's 9:37pm and I've already done the laundry and packed my bags for the hospital. I also took my 1st of 2 showers with the pre-surgical scrub. Shit is really getting real right now. I know I'm making the right decision but I somehow feel like a failure.

I couldn't diet on my own for 11 years and now have resorted to weight loss surgery but this will NOT be easy. So to all the naysayers saying this is the easy way out, you have NO idea what you're talking about. Food is not only an addiction of mine, but something I enjoy socially (that sounds like I'm describing my drinking or smoking habits) so I've really shut down lately. I don't want to go out, I don't want to see people because I know eating comes with the territory.. or drinking and I can't drink for a long time.

The next few weeks (really 2 months) will be a huge challenge for me since I'll be starting off with a pure liquid diet (more restrictive than the past 2 weeks!) than the second week I'll be in a liquid phase.. Basically all the drinks I could have (water, diet snapple, propel, etc) plus protein shakes, sugar free popsicles, sugar free jello. The third phase will be soft foods (think refried beans, pureed soup, etc) and then I can eat "normal" again. It definitely won't be normal because I'll be getting full after like a half cup of food (maybe 1 cup of food). It makes me sad to think I won't be able to eat a burrito or 3 slices of pizza anymore, but honestly, that's what got me here in the first place. Food is for fuel, not for anything else. A wise friend once told me that *wink*.

I have to just take a minute and thank everyone that DOES know about the surgery and has been accepting and supportive. I know this is a very controversial subject (why is beyond me!) and even if some of my friends don't like the idea of it, they're still there for me. I also want to thank my son Declan for loving my big belly and being sad that it's not going to be there anymore (he seems to think it's going to be as small as his soon!). I love you and Kieran so much and you guys are one of the biggest reasons why I'm doing this surgery. To Rick, my husband, thank you for putting up with me and my HANGRY stage. I'm sorry I've snapped a few times at you (especially for you eating McDonalds and pizza around me) but you know I love you so much <3

I guess it's time to go to sleep (or attempt to) but I love you all and thank you again for your support... Until we meet again!

Hello World! I just wanted to first introduce myself to you guys (if you don't already know who I am!) and explain why I chose to turn my life around and get the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. 

My name is Kimmie and I'm 30 years old (almost 31, yuck!). I'm married to my husband Rick of 6 years and have 2 beautiful boys named Declan & Kieran. I am from Long Island, New York but currently live in Orlando and work for Walt Disney World! Just living the dream. I have a brother and a sister who are 10 and 13 years younger than me so I consider them more like my own children. I grew up living with my mother, my aunt who is 5 years older than me, and my grandmother who was more like my father. I was always a normal weight until I was 18 years old and met my husband. I was beyond in love, we went out to eat all of the time and the weight started creeping on. I met Rick when I was about 135 pounds and 5'2. 

Through the years, the weight kept coming on and I tried to get it under control by many different diets. Some worked, some didn't. The ones that did work, I never got back down to where I was and always gained the weight back plus some. I was around 180 when I got pregnant with my first son Declan and gave birth at 203. That number absolutely terrified me! I was blessed to have a good friend that also had a child around the same time and was having the same issues as me. We teamed together and committed to lose the weight! I ended up getting down to 171 lbs when we decided to start trying for child number 2! I didn't care at that point about what I was eating and went up to 181 by the time i got pregnant with Kieran. I gave birth to him at 211 lbs. Way more than what I was when I had Declan! 

With Kieran, I exclusively pumped for 5 very long and trying months and couldn't diet. I always read everywhere that breastfeeding a child made you lose the extra pounds. yeah, that didn't happen! I ended up joining Lifetime Fitness and joined their personal training programs as well as go to group fitness. I was completely addicted. I did end up getting down to 189 lbs but nothing less than that! So frustrating!! My weight kept creeping up again, especially after moving to Florida and I got to 211 lbs by the time I decided that I had enough. Nothing was working for me. I was completely miserable by my weight, my appearance and lost any bit of self esteem I had! 

I decided to make an appointment with my Primary Care Physician and we decided to do monthly weigh-ins because I knew my insurance would require it. We attempted diet pills while I decided if I was 100% on board for the surgery, and of course, lost a few pounds but that was it. Plus I HATED the way I felt on it. I felt like a meth head! My next step was to find a surgeon. This was an extremely frustrating and long process. I have GHI insurance which is fabulous in New York, but in Florida.... not so much! After about 2 months, I finally found Dr. Richard DiCiccio in Tampa and met with him. He was absolutely fabulous and reassured me this was my best option. I had to see a nutritionist, a psychologist to make sure I was mentally fit for the surgery and get an Endoscopy because I have major reflux and needed to confirm GERD. I finished up the final few months of my weigh-ins and got the approval by my Primary Care Physician AND Surgeon! The office sent my insurance company everything they needed and now was the waiting game. 

I received the call from the surgeon's office about a week later and it was approved!! I seriously couldn't believe it. I was expecting to get the surgery sometime in the beginning of the year, not 3 weeks from when they called! So my surgery is set for December 11th and I can't wait!! 

I started the 2 week Liquid Diet the day after Thanksgiving and it's been a rough road. I won't lie. I've been getting major headaches (I suffer from chronic migraines to begin with), i've felt extreme nausea, and just so tired! (Sorry friends, I don't mean to be a hermit, I just can't keep my eyes open!) This past week has been a real challenge but I know the end result will be me taking back my health and body! Oh, besides GERD, I'm also pre-diabetic so I really need to get this under control. Tomorrow is my pre-op appointment as well as weigh-in to see how my first 6 days of the liquid diet went. I'm a little nervous about it but I'm sure I'm doing fine! I'll find out the time I have to be at the hospital next week so I'm really looking forward to my appointment tomorrow. Despite my doctor being an hour and a half away, my whole experience with this office has been nothing but amazing! (www.healthyyoufl.com if you're looking for a surgeon!!) 

I can't wait to share my experiences and show my progress over the next couple of months! I will be video blogging as well, whenever I have the time. Thank you all for the support and love and understanding why I'm doing this. I'm not lazy, I've tried different types of dieting for 11 years and nothing has worked. This is what I need to do to be healthy. Until next time!