Vote for Ashley part 2

This blog post is the most personal yet! I asked all to "vote for me" and I have lost 45 pounds so far just making a lifestyle change! I dropped coke, decreased sugar dramatically, ate on small plates, began an online food journal and exercise 4-5 times a week. When I started doing research on how to loose the kind of weight I needed to loose, weight loss surgery continually kept popping up. I really thought that surgery was for someone A LOT bigger than me. However the more I researched, I kept finding that most people looked EXACTLY like me.I went to the informational meetings and applied for insurance coverage. My insurance requires that I see my primary physician for monthly visits for six months. After loosing this much weight, the natural question was, "Why not just do it on your own?" The answer, per my surgeon, is that long range studies show that once a person is so many pounds overweight any weight loss without surgery is re-gained within the first ten years in 96% of people! 96% is not what I would call a fighting chance! Therefore, I have decided to have weight loss surgery to protect the weight loss I have had and then try to get to a healthy weight. Soooo tomorrow morning at 5:30A.M. I will be at Baptist Hospital surgery center having a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I have been on a pre-op diet for two weeks of protein shakes and soup broth and water. Today is water and broth only. I am doing fairly well considering! I am staying optimistic that I can use the surgery as a restrictive tool to attain my goals. I feel like I can be successful due to the fact that I have done so much on my own! Please pray that everything goes smoothly and peacefully. I am so thankful for each of you and your encouraging words and heartfelt support!