I am back to only move on to a new chapter in my life

Hello all!  I found my blog and this past week I said I needed to write again. It has been over a year and the last time I was here, I said I would be better.  Well that didn't happen.  I am sorry to those few that follow me. I have a new focus again.  The cost of being overweight.

The cost of being overweight has weighed (no pun intended) on my mind for a few weeks now. This is because I went on the journey almost three years ago to be in better health. That did happen.  I lost most of the weight.  Was no longer on High Blood Pressure meds.  Looked better, felt better and could more things!  Loved life and was able to to be in it! My food cost, health costs was way down!  Life was great!  Then the pain hit!

Pain I never felt before.  Well not like this anyway.  I have always had knee pain off and on.  It would come and go.  Had an auto accident a few years ago that show my left knee was not the best.  Some therapy for it and a injection shot of two and it was better.  Fast forward to now and laying in bed one night with such pain in the same knee that brought tears to my eyes!

This was the Sunday night after TPC.  I worked TPC Sawgrass and was on my feet for five long 12 plus hour days. Sunday night I was done.  Went to bed feeling accomplished. I was able to work this past five days and I could do it!  I might not have been able to a few short years ago weight in at almost 150lbs heaver.   Then the pain hit!  I had a little knee pain at TPC while I was working but not like this.

Waking up in pain is never fun.  Not knowing why is the worst too!  Pain in my left knee like never before.  I was scared, cried and my husband said get to the Dr.  So I did.  My Dr. order a MRI of my knee and I waited for the results.  I have major arthritis in my left knee.

Wait!  What?  I have major arthritis in my knee?  I am to young.  I am in much better health now.  This can't be happening!  I now have to see an Orthopedic Doctor?

I decided, ok this can't be good.  I gain a little weight back and need to focus on that.  Call up my Lab-band doctor only to find out he is leaving the area!  More bad news for me.  He talks to me for a little bit.  Give me a small fill in the band and wished me luck as I did him.  I felt alone at that moment in my weight loss journey as I was told he would always be there.  I felt like I was having a pity party for one.  Bad knee, gain weight, loosing my Dr. whats next?!?!

The next was the referral to the Orthopedic Doctor is not the one that was sent in.  Due to budget cuts in the government, I now have to go Jacksonville Naval Hospital.  I swore years ago I would not go back there!  I don't have a choice in this. I have to go.  So I went, met with an Orthopedic Doctor and took more xrays.  These showed that yes, I don't have much knee left.  I now will meet with a joint replacement surgeon at the end of the month.   I have to start down the road to having knee replacement surgery.

So the cost of being over weight is BIG!  Being overweight all those years did not do my knee any good.  The stress of the weight caused this.  Plus while loosing it, I ran more then I ever had in my whole lifetime.  I found a love in running.  This did not help the knee.

The cost of being over weight is only to increase for me.  I now have to pay for more doctor visits (cost of travel) a surgery, a hospital stay, physical therapy not able to work, walking aids, pain meds for a while and I am sure other costs that I am not even thinking of at this time.  Shame, I didn't do something years ago when I was younger.  Might not have this issue now.

So I can only stress to those that might read this.  Get yourself healthy!  You never know what the future my bring. If this happen while I was weighing 150 some pounds more, I may not be able to have the surgery until I loose some weight.  Then, I would have to live with this pain even longer.

Stay tune to this new chapter in my life.  I am going to make the best of it and work towards helping people make the changes in their lives if the like the help.  This is my new goal once again. So I am back! 

Life's Journey with the Rollercoaster ...it can go down fast!

Oh My! Could it really be two...no wait THREE months since I updated my blog! I guess it has! I am so sorry for those that follow me. I promise I will be better at this!

Life is full of ups and downs. The rollercoaster is a fast pace, sharp turns, Ups and downs and abrupt STOPS! I guess I did a stop and just didn't get back on. So my blog stop. I am settle down in my seat to give and update of the rollercoaster of a ride with my lapband.

November was busy with the start of the holidays. For us in our family it is not just Thanksgiving and Christmas, but a few birthdays as well. My darling daughter Kaitlynn turn 16 right before Thanksgiving. Is my baby really growing up? Where does the time go? Then, move into Thanksgiving. We had a big table of guests this year. It was nice to have so many here for Thanksgiving. This was the start of my allowing myself to eat what everyone else was eating. However, I did this is very small amounts and for the most part stayed away from the sweets. I had a fill and now I find that I just don't eat a lot of anything.

Then I had started a job with Blue Buffalo and found I just didn't like it so I left them. I missed my Saturdays with my family and family is first! It was fun dealing with all the different pets, and pet parents and I will miss that, but I missed my family more.

So, moving into December, I get a new adult in my home! Chris turn 18! My baby boy is 18 now! I also got a new job working part time in a dental office that I just love! Christmas came and we were able to share our home with some Sister Missionary's to make their calls home that day. December was my one year anniversary of being banded! What a year! I lost at least 145 lbs in the last 16 mos when I started with my doctor. The band is just a tool like I said before. It is what I eat and do that helps me in my weight loss. December also marked my weight in the 100's! So happy about that! I think I love the month of December. I can mark my goals during this month before the new year!

Because of the last few months with a new job, weather and my neck giving me some problems, working out was not at the top of my list. So I stayed now at the same weight that I was in Dec. when I went and visited my Dr. I am trying to get my neck better, so I will feel better and get to working out again. I don't want to go sliding down and gain my weight back!

Weight maintenance is harder then loosing it! I would love, LOVE to loose the last 20lbs I need to. I feel in time, it will come. I just need to get my neck feeling better so I can feel better. Summer come on!

That is my ups and downs for the last few months. I promise I will be better at this again. Maybe Mondays should be my blog updates. Hugs to all!

I had a "FILL" today...first one in months! So my food money is going to Second Harvest.

Had a doctor appointment today. This is with my weight loss doctor and the pounds loss this past month was all of a half a pound! Ugh. This is truly my first time that I have not lost and at a stand still. But, I know what I need to do as well.

This past month has not been a normal one. Kinda of not working for Jax4kids as much as I was, so my daily routine has been tossed. My husband asked, when are you walk/jogging now? The answer really was next to never for the last month! So I am going to work out like I use to at home, walk/jog each day of the week like I use to as well....just I got to find the new time to do it. I just need to get back on track and back into a routine. Also my new game xbox game Michael Jackson The Experience will be used!

Today I went to my weight loss doctor. I call these appointments my accountability appointments. Calling them that worked for me today! I got a fill on my band today as a step in getting back on track. Dr. C took me back to the basics. We all need to go back to the basics sometimes. With Dr. C. when you get a fill on the band the first 24 hours is clear liquids, then Full Liquids for the next 2 days following clear liquids. Soft foods for 5 days after liquids. This is going to kick start me again I think! I have to admit, in some ways I was missing my kick starts. I got to complicate I guess. This is the first fill that I have had in months...since April I think.

Since I am not really eating for the next few days...I am going to go pick up food for my sons food drive. Chris is doing a food drive for Second Harvest Food Bank of Jacksonville. And I am going to get one item of each on the list on his flyer. So tomorrow I am going to pick up:
Canned Meat
Canned Fruit
Canned Vegetables
Boxed or bagged pasta/rice
Cereal items
Hamburger Helper
Meals in a can
Spaghetti Sauce in a can
Instant potatoes
Boxed Stuffing
Canned Yams
Canned Cranberry sauce
Canned green beans
Canned corn

Now looking at this list...so much on here I would not normally eat! But the need is great during the Holidays and this I felt was a good way to support my son and those who don't have as much. So I get to go shopping for items I don't shop for normally!

Well got to run now, need to get some sugar free jello for tonight! YUM!

Fun Size Candy, Halloween evils.

Ahhh the Fun Size Candy at Halloween! What little evils they are! It has been a rough month for me to eat the right things now this comes upon me in my home! Ugh!

So what to do during this time? I don't want to eat it...but it calls my name! I am so looking forward to tomorrow night for the "Trunk n Treat" that I can get it out of my home and not be so tempted! So to answer my question, it is will power that I am failing at!

Why do they also have to making fun size so people like me say it is only a bite or two in that bar...it won't hurt anything. But for me it will! I don't want to fall backwards but still go forward. For the last month, going forward has been hard in my weight loss. I have asked Phil the other night what if this is it on the weight loss and forever be around 200 lbs...give or take a pound or two . Wish it was easy again!

So tomorrow I am going to make my low carb chili and enjoy the night with the kids and decorate the back of the Jeep with my son Chris. I have to look forward to the other things other then this Fun Size Candy! This is just the start of the season of FOOD!

The Versatile Blogger Award

Chrissy of Losing it...(in SO many ways) She nominated me and fourteen others for ‘The Versatile Blogger‘ award. What a great honor and I really appreciate her considering my blog to receive this award. My first blogging award too! Thank you Chrissy!

One of the things in accepting this award you need to name seven things about yourself. So here goes my list of seven things about Judy!

1. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I have been since I was 18 years old!

2. Once upon a time, I served in the United States Air Force and reached the rank of Staff Sargent while in.

3. I am a Mom of four great kids! Two are adults and two are teens. The youngest is our daughter. So she has three older brothers to protect her! :-)

4. This is my first True Blog. I only been blogging for a year now.

5. I love the outdoors and wish I didn't live is such hot weather so much of the year.

6. I used to be an internet DJ. Love music so it fit for a time.

7. Been told I can be funny at times, I just know that I like the simple things in life and I love to help anyone that I can.

Ok, that is about it for me..I could go on but it was to be only 7 things about me.

I am to pass this award along to about 14 others...to tell the truth, I don't really read 14 blogs at the moment. Bogging is still new to me. So as I go along and over time, I like to update this with the blogs and I come across them. But, here are a few I am passing this award onto.

Trishelle at Adventures of the Domestic Engineer

Sister LaJeunesse at Things of my Soul

Susan at Snapshot Sue

Shelly at The World according to Eggface

So thank you Chrissy for this award and also giving me the chance to reach out and look at some other really wonderful blogs. I know they are out there, I just need to find them!

Walk from Obesity

The Jacksonville Walk from Obesity was held on 15 October and I was able to take the morning off from work and walk it after all! My hubby Phil also join me this year and I was able to meet my goal of $100 raise thanks to family and friends!




Phil and I got to UNF where the walk was held early that Saturday and we walked I would say with about 100 or so people that morning.

I got to meet some people from Facebook that is also fighting Obesity. It was wonderful to meet my online friends LeAnn Banding My Belly and Tim Maninmyshadow.


LeAnn has had the surgery like I have and is well on her way to becoming who she would like to be. Has lost 5o lbs so far and is feeling GREAT!

Tim is inspiring! He has lost over 100 lbs and is doing all on his own! He was to have the lap band surgery but found the weight was coming off and now is working hard at that and is doing wonderful!

I also got to catch up with two ladies I met last year. I was so excited to see them as I forgot to write down their names last year! So this year I got a picture of them and their names!

Please meet Kena Pugh and Inez Rowe!

They were also happy to see me! It was great to catch up with them and introduce them to some of my weight loss center friends. Now, I can go back to last years post and properly put their name on their picture! Thanks Kena and Inez for walking again this year! Keep up the great work!

The Jacksonville Weight Loss Center

We were there in our Green "Look and Me.." shirts. I love this group! The support we have for each other is so helpful. I am so thankful when I went searching for a Dr. I found not only the best Doctor for me, but a whole package of help to succeed!

My last picture is that of my Brother from another Mother. Nick goes to church with me and has been on this journey about as long as I have. Nick, keep up the work! We will beat this together!

Thanks everyone for supporting me. This has turn into something for me bigger then just loosing weight and getting healthy. I have always felt the stigma that obesity can bring once I was there. I am now here to help others on their journey. Support is the key!

Loose a Job...get a job

This is my Roxy. Roxy is a puggle. My hubby took this picture a while back and I think it is a great one. Her look in this picture is kind of how I feel. Bit down but bright eyed.

Sorta lost my job, still with them but not doing as much for them anymore. But, the same day I got a new part time job. Only this one requires me to work the weekends. Because I don't want to work on Sundays, I work two 4 hour shifts on Saturday. For the most part that is ok, but a week from this Saturday was my Walk from Obesity that I really wanted to do and can't now. So I am feeling a bit down about that.

I am bright eyed about the new job for the simple fact I can stand and do it! I know little over a year ago I would not have been able to handle being on my feet. We need the extra money this brings in and I am happy that I am able to do this.

This job requires me to be in the face of the public! Would have I don't this a year ago? I don't think so only because I am more sure of myself. I have not felt this way in a very long time and I know I can do anything I need to do!

So I stand up and go and do! It is a great life because I can!