I had my first monthly check-in with the nurse practitioner today, so my three month pre-operative period has officially begun! I'm so excited to finally start this journey. I weighed in and found I've lost four pounds since my physical - hooray! Truth be told, I was actually a little surprised at this - I've been eating much better & tracking with MFP, but I've had more moments of weakness over the past two weeks than I care to admit. I thought maybe a pound or two, but four? Heck yeah, I'll take it! The nurse also went over some more diet guidelines with me - some tips on getting more protein during the day and such.

I don't have my first group session with the nutritionist until the end of the month, so I still feel a little bit out of the loop. However, my program offers a group class every month that pre and post op patients are encouraged to attend, and my parents and I went to one last night. It was all about our support system and how they can affect our success. One of the speakers was a woman that had RNY bypass three years ago, and a lot she said hit home with me - about how lonely it can be when you're fat. About how sometimes our friends only associate us with our size. About how we judge people based on appearance, and how we think others judge us for being fat, so we automatically assume they don't want to know us. Not going to lie, I got a bit emotional during her talk. Because I'm a sap that way.

She also spoke about her relationships and how important it was to have someone that knew what you were going through, who'd been there before or was going through the process at the same time. She encouraged us to make a buddy before we left, and wouldn't you know I did. R is two months into her pre-op and we exchanged numbers before leaving the meeting. I'm excited to get to know her and to hear about her experiences with the program. Being on this board has prepared me for so much already, but so many surgeons have different rules and guidelines. It'll be nice to have someone to go to with all my "your doctor will let you know for sure" questions.

Side note: One of the reasons I chose the hospital/program I'm working with is because I work in healthcare and wanted to avoid going to a hospital where I knew everyone. Wouldn't you know I'm sitting in the meeting last night and in walks someone I went to high school with?! I don't believe she saw me (and honestly, it's not like it's a big deal if she had), but I had a little chuckle over that.

As for my parents - they are slowly becoming more "okay" with the surgery - they're nervous about me making this big change but they more they learn the more relaxed they're becoming. I grabbed a couple brochures from the surgeon's office to help them understand more about the surgery. I know my mom will still worry - about the surgery and complications and such, but that's how moms always are. I know she supports me & would not want me to fail.