Ashlie
It's been a while.
Oct 21, 2011
If you read this can u do me a favor and just leave a comment so I know because I don't really think anyone reads this thing. I will be 3 years post op in Jan and now I am in a support group. I was gaining weight back very quickly so I had to get a handle on things. My head is broken and I am addicted to food. I think I have control back and I am down to eating 3 meals a day only 1 cup per meal, no snacks and 1000 cals/day. Im already down 13lbs in 2 1/2 weeks. It is hard but its got to happen or I will be back to the size I was in NO time! My husband is not much help because he eats and drinks whatever whenever. It can be really hard sometimes. One downfall from surgery I have noticed is learning how to deal with temptation. I was never tempted by the opposite sex before I had surgery because no guy wanted me but now they are alll over the place and making it very hard. Even my ex's are coming at me professing their love for me. It's flattering but pisses me off at the same time. Im working through it but I didn't realize it would be this way. I always wished that someday I would lose weight and this guy or that guy would totally regret letting me go... well that's happening and all I can say is be careful what you wish for ladies!
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Best Weight Loss Moment So Far!!!
Jan 28, 2011
Okay, so as you know my 2 year surgery anniversary was last Friday 1/21/11. My friends and I were going out in downtown Minneapolis. I got all hot and dressed up and went to this bar called Brother's. At the door there are these security guys checking ID's. This guy standing there looked so familiar. I asked him what his name was and sure enough he was this guy I dated about 7 years ago. He looked at me in complete shock and said, "Wow!! You look completely different!" Later that night he added me on Facebook. We went out for drinks the other night and he told me how great I looked. The best part about the whole thing is when we dated he dumped me for someone else and told me how nasty and fat I was. I was soooo hurt by it. We didn't date for very long and he was 18 and stupid so I don't hold a grudge but to run into him 230lbs smaller and to see his reaction was priceless!!! He forgot how things ended and when I reminded him he apologized up and down for how he treated me. That was seriously the best anniversary present ever!!
Ashlie
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Ashlie
2 years Post Op
Jan 12, 2011
I cannot believe I am almost 2 years post op. Just another week to go. I am down a total of 216 pounds with 35 pounds to get to my personal goal of a "normal" BMI. My lowest weight was 196 and I am currently at 219. I know there is always some bounce back but I do NOT want my weight to be over 200 for the rest of my life so I am doing something about it. If you have read my blog you have probably noticed that I don't really work out. I am more active now but I don't intentionally work out. I am changing that. I have to! I cannot go back to what I was. EVER!!!! I am going to do the 5 day pouch test and get back on track. I need to stop drinking my calories and wait 30 mins after drinking to eat. (I still wait the 30 minutes to drink after I eat 90% of the time.) I also need to make better food choices. I usually don't eat fried foods but I do eat sugary foods and also a lot of carbs. I just really need to fix my head. I know you have all heard the saying but it is SO true, "They do surgery on our stomachs NOT our brains!" I get so frustrated with myself because I just don't know what's wrong with me. I know it's an addiction and I wish there was a rehab I could go to like other addicts can. I hate that I'm this way. Addicted to food. Ugh! I HATE IT!!! Well please wish me luck and I will keep you all posted!
-Ashlie
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-Ashlie
ONE-DERLAND!!!
Jul 20, 2010
OHHH MYYYYY GOOOOOSHHHH!!! I FINALLY MADE IT TO 199!!!! Actually 196 to be exact! Holy crap! My doctor said that a realistic goal was 220 but my goal was 199 and I DID IT! I just have 13 more pounds to go to make it to a normal BMI. I currently weigh less than my dad now too! That is a big deal for me because he has always gotten down on me for my weight. I still have yet to really start an exercise routine but I am still walking every day. I went out on the town with my girlfriends last weekend and I had the confidence to just have a great time! I did whatever I wanted to and talked to whoever I wanted to! I was hit on and the whole 9 yards! (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my hubby, but I have never ever been hit on like a normal girl is hit on so it was really fun to be flirted with! Don't worry, I was VERY well behaved!) I just feel so free now. I can be out and about and not have to worry about what people are thinking. I love it! The down side to losing 239lbs is the skin tho kids! I do have some pretty saggy skin and it totally sucks! It's nothing major and I can live with it but I just wish I could wear shorts or a bikini or even a tank top without being really embarrassed by my saggy thighs, knees, batwings, tummy, etc, etc, etc. Maybe someday I will be able to afford a total body lift but until then I will have to live with it! Oh and if any of you want to see pictures just ask because I am open to showing you - I know when I was pre-op I wanted to be prepared for anything. I just don't want to post them for everyone to see. Well that is about all I have to say for now but I am soooo happy w/ my weight loss thus far and I love my RNY!!!!
-Ashlie
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-Ashlie
17 Months Post Op
Jul 01, 2010
Hello OH! I have been having a pretty great summer so far. I am currently at 200lbs down from 435lbs. I wear a size large top and 14/15 jeans. It feels amazing to be able to run around and enjoy summer like I never have before. I wear shorts and tank tops rather than jeans and hoodies which I did for so many years. I went to Valley Fair (amusement park here in MN) for the first time in over 10 years! I fit on every ride with no problems. I had sooo much fun!! We even went to the water park within Valley Fair and the stairs were no problem and I didn't feel too self conceious in my suit. My legs are pretty saggy but whatever! Last night I went to the bar to see my husband's band play and the door man checked me drivers license and after about a minute he asked if I had anything else? I gave him my passport (don't ask me why I carry that around in my purse! lol) and he stared at that next to my DL for a good minute or two and asked if I had anything else? I then gave him my checkbook so he could verify my address and married name and then he FINALLY let me in!! I guess my next step is to update my DL photo! I don't want that to happen again no matter how amazing it made me feel! I have been pretty naughty in the food department and I hate myself for it! I have implemented some new rules to live by: only eat 3 meals a day - NO SNACKING!, start drinking my protein drink or milk w/ carnation instant b-fast in the mornings again, do NOT drink my calories!! I think that will help me reach my ultimate goal of a NORMAL weight which for me is 184 (I'm 6ft tall.) I really want to get to 199 by the time my dad gets to town on 7/14. I am going to try really hard to get there! This holiday weekend is going to make it challenging though that is for sure! Annie is doing wonderfully. She is rolling all over the place and can sit up on her own pretty well but not completely just yet. She puts herself to sleep which is so nice. She has also started solid foods like cereal and veggie baby food. God I just love her to death! I thank the lord everyday for giving her to us. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me! I feel like I was born and to be her mother! Anywhoooo I hope you all have a fun and safe 4th of July weekend and see ya next month!!
P.S. I'm going to see Eclipse tomorrow night and I am soooo excited!!
-Ashlie
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P.S. I'm going to see Eclipse tomorrow night and I am soooo excited!!
-Ashlie
16 Months Post Op
May 26, 2010
Hello everyone! I just wanted to give a little update for anyone who actually reads my blog. I am now 16 months post op and 5 months post baby. I am sitting at about 205lbs, down from 435lbs. I feel great! I am losing very slowly and I really need to start a strict work out plan. Believe it or not I have never really worked out since surgery. I walk about a 1-1 1/2 miles a day just going to and from the train station for work and I also go for walks around the neighborhood with Anberlin a lot but that's about all I do right now. My goal is to be 199 or less by the time my dad visits again in mid July. I'm crossing my fingers! I have completely cut out any fried foods and any beverages containing calories, carbonation, or caffeine! I am only allowed the occasional soda but I find that the less often I drink it the more the carbonation bothers me when I do so I don't really drink it much anymore. My husband leaves on 6/5 for a month long tour around the Midwest. I am excited! I will miss him so much but I am looking forward to having the one on one time with my baby girl. I am also excited to see if his band is going to make it. Their producer, who is in a very successful rock band - Pillar - thinks they are going to blow up fast. I sure hope so. I am so sick of being broke! We are throwing around the idea of moving to northern Minnesota, Matt's home town of Erskine. We would just have a lot of family support up there and we are very much lacking that down here in Minneapolis. My mom is crazy and wants nothing to do with me or my family most days and my dad lives in Montana. It's a scary thought but it just might happen! I will keep you posted on that! Yesterday my sister and I got into my pre op jeans. If you are familiar with Lane Bryant they are blue 8's (30/32 I'm guessing) and we fit in them and buttoned them up no problem! We could even get our arms inside. I just cannot believe I was that big. It's amazing to me! I never felt THAT big! Between the two of us we weigh 380lbs which is still 55lbs less than I weighed before my 10 day liquid diet pre op. I can't even wrap my head around that. I am soooo glad I had RNY!!! I LOVE MY RNY! If anyone is reading this and questioning whether they should have weight loss surgery or not - DO IT!! It is the best thing I ever did for myself! You get used to not eating some of the things you used to love. Your head changes and it doesn't even bother you most of the time. I can actually eat a lot of things that I thought I would never be able to eat again like hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza for example but I make healthier choices and don't eat nearly as much as I used to. WLS isn't as scary as it may seem and was the smartest decision I have ever made!
Ashlie
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Ashlie
I have to admit, vent, beg, & update
Apr 01, 2010
OH boy have I been stressed out lately. I have come to terms with the fact that I have fallen off the WLS wagon! I need to get back to basics and quit cheating! It's hard because I am not gaining weight from cheating but in fact still slowly losing. I just want to get a grip on things asap because some daysoon I will be able to gain weight and I do not want to fail at this! I have created a profile at mycaloriecounter.com and I think this tool will help me be responsible for what I put in my mouth! I still have 40 lbs to lose and I would love to get there someday!
On another note I have been getting frustrated with my husband. He has not lifted one finger around the house in a week! I cleaned the house spotless last Thursday and kept on top of it up until probably Monday. On Monday night I had cleaned the kitchen after dinner. My husband took our plates to the kitchen after dinner and didn't do anything with them but put them on the counter and that's where they sat. I very nicely and calmly asked him why he couldn't rinse them off and put them in the sink? Especially when he knows how hard I had been working to keep the house clean. His response was "You have been waaay too sensitive about the house ever since you cleaned it!" So needless to say I quit cleaning it period. He is a stay at home dad and he should be able to do something around the house when he is home. The problem is when he is home every available minute he gets away from Annie (if she is napping or content in her swing etc...) he gets on the phone to start booking for his bands tour this summer so house work goes out the window. Then on Monday and Wednesday nights he goes to the studio as soon as I walk in the door. I am going 4hrs up north alone w/ Annie to celebrate Easter w/ Matt's family because Matt has band stuff this weekend. I had to take a vacation day yesterday because Matt was out of town for a show. He got home at 4am so I know NOTHING is going to get done around the house today because he will be too tired. He is going to the studio tonight to practice so I will have to clean the house if I want it done. I am so close to snapping! I don't know what I have gotten myself into. This is the life of a rock stars wife but it wouldn't be so bad if he would help when he is home but when he is home he just wants to relax because the band is a lot of work! I dunno....
Annie is growing like a weed! She is 15.6 pounds and 24in long. She is 3 mo old and wearing 3-6mo and 6mo clothes. She is in size 2-3 diapers. She is sleeping pretty well for us. Last night she went to bed at 9:45pm and I woke her up to top her off at midnight and then she woke up to eat at 4:30am and I fed her before I left for work at 7am. She went back to bed for dad soon after that for another couple hours. She is a great baby at home but is pretty fussy away from home. I don't know what that's all about. If any of you have any advice on that fill me in!
I am doing the "Walk For MS" on 5/2/2010. It is a 6 mile walk. I would appreciate any pledges! My grandmother has lived with MS since I was a baby and my cousins girlfriend, Lindsey was just diagnosed and she is only 26 years old! I am trying to do all I can to support this cause so any little bit helps! You can pledge at this link:
http://walkmnm.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/MNMWalkEve nts?pg=pfind&fr_id=12011
Donate either to me: Ashlie Mahlen or my team: Quinn's Crew - Thank you sooo much!!
Thanks everyone for reading!
-Ashlie
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On another note I have been getting frustrated with my husband. He has not lifted one finger around the house in a week! I cleaned the house spotless last Thursday and kept on top of it up until probably Monday. On Monday night I had cleaned the kitchen after dinner. My husband took our plates to the kitchen after dinner and didn't do anything with them but put them on the counter and that's where they sat. I very nicely and calmly asked him why he couldn't rinse them off and put them in the sink? Especially when he knows how hard I had been working to keep the house clean. His response was "You have been waaay too sensitive about the house ever since you cleaned it!" So needless to say I quit cleaning it period. He is a stay at home dad and he should be able to do something around the house when he is home. The problem is when he is home every available minute he gets away from Annie (if she is napping or content in her swing etc...) he gets on the phone to start booking for his bands tour this summer so house work goes out the window. Then on Monday and Wednesday nights he goes to the studio as soon as I walk in the door. I am going 4hrs up north alone w/ Annie to celebrate Easter w/ Matt's family because Matt has band stuff this weekend. I had to take a vacation day yesterday because Matt was out of town for a show. He got home at 4am so I know NOTHING is going to get done around the house today because he will be too tired. He is going to the studio tonight to practice so I will have to clean the house if I want it done. I am so close to snapping! I don't know what I have gotten myself into. This is the life of a rock stars wife but it wouldn't be so bad if he would help when he is home but when he is home he just wants to relax because the band is a lot of work! I dunno....
Annie is growing like a weed! She is 15.6 pounds and 24in long. She is 3 mo old and wearing 3-6mo and 6mo clothes. She is in size 2-3 diapers. She is sleeping pretty well for us. Last night she went to bed at 9:45pm and I woke her up to top her off at midnight and then she woke up to eat at 4:30am and I fed her before I left for work at 7am. She went back to bed for dad soon after that for another couple hours. She is a great baby at home but is pretty fussy away from home. I don't know what that's all about. If any of you have any advice on that fill me in!
I am doing the "Walk For MS" on 5/2/2010. It is a 6 mile walk. I would appreciate any pledges! My grandmother has lived with MS since I was a baby and my cousins girlfriend, Lindsey was just diagnosed and she is only 26 years old! I am trying to do all I can to support this cause so any little bit helps! You can pledge at this link:
http://walkmnm.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/MNMWalkEve nts?pg=pfind&fr_id=12011
Donate either to me: Ashlie Mahlen or my team: Quinn's Crew - Thank you sooo much!!
Thanks everyone for reading!
-Ashlie
14 months post op
Mar 17, 2010
Hello OH world! I am now 14 months post op and 3 months post pregnancy. I am currently down anywhere from 205-210 lbs depending on the day. I am in a size 14/16 jean and a large/xl top. I feel amazing!!! It is so great to just have the physical freedom to do whatever I want! I have to catch a train about 8 blocks away from my work every day and pre-op I more than likely would have just skipped the train and drove to work everyday because I would have never wanted to walk that far being over 400lbs! I probably wouldn't have been able to ever reach the train on time. Now I just truck my ass the 8 blocks and don't even think about it. I don't even get winded! I love it! One thing I want you all to know though is this surgery doesn't keep you from eating the bad stuff! I can eat anything I want. ANYTHING! I have to force myself not to eat the bad stuff just like dieting pre-op! I give in often. I really would love to start therapy to get to the bottom of my eating issues but I just can't afford it right now. For example I am currently drinking a Coke. That doesn't happen often but I do it sometimes and it doesn't hurt me physically. I don't dump from sugar either. The only thing that really bothers me are fried foods. If I eat anything fried I get super poopy sick!! I know I know TMI but seriously!! I want all you pre-ops out there to know that once you have RNY you will never have a normal BM again! It totally sucks but it's well worth it! I haven't started a work out routine yet. I do walk about 16 city blocks every day to get to and from work so that's a little bit of excersize but not enough. I have also started taking my daughter Anberlin and the dog for walks now that it is getting nicer out side. I would love to join a gym and that those classes they offer but I just can't pull myself away from Anberlin when I am not working. I just miss her so much when I am away! I am going to have to figure something out because my weight loss has reallllly slowed down to just about a hault! I have 40 more lbs to lose to get to a normal weight and 25 to get to 199 which is my main goal. I MUST get their!!! Now that I am close to goal and know now I will need to get a tummy tuck or lower body lift for sure and also a brachioplasty. (arms) My arms look pretty floppy! I also have a pretty good aprin or panni or whatever its called. I don't get rashes or anything like that so it's no too severe but it sure doesn't look pretty and I have to wear a bigger size than I should have to just due to the extra hangy skin. It totally sucks but much better than being obese let me tell ya!
Anberlin is doing sooo great! She is a big girl! She weighs about 15lbs and is 12weeks old. She sleeps really well for us. Some nights she give us 7-8 hrs but some night she has to eat after 5. My husbands band is really going places! They are booking the summer tour right now and recording their next album. They are currently in a battle of the bands and have made it to the finals where they will play in front of some big lables. Everyone cross your fingers! Well I have to run but I hope everyone is doing well!
-Ashlie
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Anberlin is doing sooo great! She is a big girl! She weighs about 15lbs and is 12weeks old. She sleeps really well for us. Some nights she give us 7-8 hrs but some night she has to eat after 5. My husbands band is really going places! They are booking the summer tour right now and recording their next album. They are currently in a battle of the bands and have made it to the finals where they will play in front of some big lables. Everyone cross your fingers! Well I have to run but I hope everyone is doing well!
-Ashlie
1 Year Post Op / 200 lbs lost / New baby Anberlin
Feb 07, 2010
Sooo much has happened over the last few months and I have been out of work since before Christmas w/ no internet at home so I haven't been able to post until now so I am very sorry! I hit my 1 year mark at 198lbs lost!! I am now down 203 pounds total. I am sooo happy w/ my results so far! I wear a 16 top and 18 bottom. I feel like a million dollars! I had our baby girl on 12/26/09 at 3:58pm after 12 hrs of labor. It went very fast and was very easy! The contractions hurt more then I ever thought possible but once I got that epidural it was a piece of cake! She is now 6 weeks old and sleeps thru the night for the most part. Breastfeeding has gone very well for me and she is growing so fast! I go back to work in about 3 weeks so you will all see my updates pick up because I will have internet access again. Talk to you all soon!!
-Ashlie
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-Ashlie
9 Months Post Op
Oct 27, 2009
Wow time just flies when you are losing weight! I am currently down 160 lbs. I keep thinking I am going to stall because I am well into my 3rd trimester right now (32weeks) but I still have yet to completely stall. My weight loss has slowed down a lot since earlier in my pregnancy but that's ok with me. When baby comes I will get the ball rolling again!! I only have 90 lbs to goal!! It seems like a lot but that is sooo doable compared to the 250lbs I was looking at prior to surgery. WoW! I was able to squeeze both my legs into one leg of my pre op jeans. That was an awesome feeling!! It was a tight squeeze that's for sure but I did it! Haha! I read "my story" and I just can't even believe how far I have come from that depressed girl I was before surgery. Here I am pregnant w/ a perfectly healthy baby ready to start that family we wanted so badly. The main reason I wanted surgery was to be a healthier, more active and productive mother and here I am 2 mo away from that dream! It just makes me want to cry! I feel a million times better than I did. I look so much happier and healthier also. I have no idea how hard it would have been to carry a baby at 435 pounds. I don't know if I could have done it. I just thank God every day for what He has blessed me with. I love my RNY!
-Ashlie
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-Ashlie
