Devine Secrets of the Yiayia Sisterhood

Day 45, 312 lbs. That's 43 lbs so far.

By now most of you know this, but in case you didn't, my sister, Emily, has been on this Journey to get thin with me.  In fact, she also had the Lap-Band surgery done. (She gave me permission to tell people). It's kind of a funny story because we didn't actually decide to do this together.

My Grandmother had this surgery done 4 years ago which is what originally inspired me to go this direction in the first place. I have known about it for years and I even looked into it a few times but it wasn't until my Grandmother did it that I really began to consider it. I knew I couldn't afford to have the surgery done on my own and so I needed to go through insurance. (My insurance is kind of amazing so they actually covered most of the costs) I had to do a bunch of things before insurance would approve me, so when I talked to my mom about my plan, I asked her not to tell anyone until I could get my approval because there was no sense in telling people I was going to do it, if I really couldn't.  I remember talking to my sister about it a year or so ago.  I just kind of put it out there that I was looking into it after seeing the success that my Grandmother had.  She didn't know how serious I was about it all though.

Now Em and I have always been very close and we share a lot of things with each other, but this felt very personal to me back then and I was still very self conscious about the whole thing and, again, didnt want to say I was going to do something that might not actually happen.  So I set off to tackle the list of tasks my insurance set out for me.

Little did I know, Em was considering it too.  Again, she didn't want to say anything until she knew for sure that she could do it, so she told my mom about it, but asked her not to say anything until she had it all worked out.

My poor Mom.  She had this huge secret from both of us.  She knew that we could be each others biggest support system but she was being loyal to our wishes and didn't say a word.  She told us, later on, that it was complete torture.

As I was getting closer to completing my tasks I would talk to my Mom about my progress and she would make comments like, "Are you sure you don't want to say anything to Em about it?" "She would be so happy and supportive to you." Apparently she had been saying the same things to Em. 

When I finally got my approval and I was just waiting to get into the doctor to make arrangements, I decided to call my sister.  I remember the conversation so vividly.  I called her up and said, "Do you remember how I talked to you last year about wanting to look into Lap-Band surgery?" Well I didn't tell you this, but I have been working with my insurance to get approved to do the surgery and the approval just came down today." I am going to make arrangements to get the surgery done before the end of the year."  There was silence on the other end.  Then, "Oh my God, Sarah, that's so wonderful. I'm so excited for you."  She was so happy for me and just kept saying how excited she was.  She was so great to let me have my moment to shine.  Then, after a time she said, "I've have something crazy to tell you. I have decided to get the Lap-Band surgery done as well and I am meeting with my doctor this week to make arrangements." I was in complete shock. I was so excited for her and I was so excited for us.  How crazy was it that we both decided, independently, to make this life-changing decision?  The same decision that was going to save both of our lives.  But then again, we are sisters, and most people think we are twins, so why wouldn't we come up with this crazy idea together.

The best part was when we told Mom that we told each other.  She got so excited she screamed and told us how hard it has been to keep our secrets. She was so proud of the both of us.

I just have to say, that it has been so amazing to go through this experience with Em.  You have no idea what it means to have someone who knows exactly what you are going through, right there beside you to help you.  We have been invaluable to each other.  Losing weight is a burden many people have to face, but not many have had the unique experiences that Em and I have had. The best part is that she did her surgery about 4 weeks before me, so all the experiences I have had, she has usually already had them, so she has been very helpful to me.  I love our daily check-ins with each other. I love being about to call her up at any time, day or night and just talk.  She does the same with me.  We share each others triumphs and listen to each others struggles.  We can talk each other off the ledge, when we have moments of weakness, and boost each others confidence when we think its too hard to keep going.  Each pound lost is a celebration for both of us. 

We decided from the beginning to never let this be a competition.  We are different people.  Both of us have faced plateaus and setbacks, but we never let the others success make us feel defeated. We are in this together, 100%.

I am so proud of my baby sister.  She is doing an amazing job so far!  She has lost 50 lbs as of today!  She works so hard every day on her own personal journey.  She has been a true inspiration to me and has helped me more than you will ever know.  The future looks bright for the King sisters!  Emmy, I love you and I cant wait to see us this time next year!  We are going to rock this! 

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