One Year Update - Long and with pictures
I can be long winded and I apologize for the length..... I'll try and wrap my year experience up into a nice small package.
What a year it has been. While it's true that I had surgery one year, I began this journey well over two years ago with research & then six months of psych, nutritionist & exercise physiologist appointments. After researching RNY and VSG I knew VSG was the surgery for me. This is the best decision I have ever made. I wish I would have done it 10 years ago. I have struggled with my weight since I was 16 years old. I have always been able to lose weight and I was successful on diets, but then the weight would creep back on. Each time I lost, I would gain back more weight than the time before. I was going to be 40 & I decided it was time to get my health on track and take care of myself.
I feel extremely lucky as surgery and recovery was very easy for me. I didn't have a whole lot of pain & I returned to work one week later. In the weeks after I stuck to the plan my nutritionist laid for me and exercised and the weight flew off of me. I can't give you exact numbers as I'm odd & I didn't weigh myself. I didn't want to be a slave to the scale and freak out over stalls or that I only lost one lb. I weighed myself at Doctors appointments only! Seeing a big number on the scale worked for me and was motivating.
I haven't found this process hard. I still love food and consider myself a foodie. I have become so much pickier because I want to really like the small portions I do eat. Eating is now like clockwork or a routine and not a diet. I have my staples and go to foods. I still love cooking and trying and making new recipes. I have always been a baker and that hasn't changed. Even though I don't sample or eat (most times this holds true) my goods I still love and enjoy baking. Just because I have changed how I eat doesn't mean other should have to suffer by not enjoying my baking! ;) I'm not perfect all the time and a few tailgates and vacations have gotten the best of me. I'm also probably too fond or ritz crackers & biscotti. For the most part I stick to my routine and I don't stray too far off it.
I was athletic in HS and once I graduated that was no longer true. Thru the years I would lose weight and during this time I enjoyed running. I have been an on again off again runner depending on my weight. Well, I'm happy to say I'm back at running and I'm on again. Since surgery I have completed in 6 5k's and 3 10k's and yesterday I was part of the Detroit Marathon Relay.....myself and four friends completed the 26.2 miles and I took the 6.2 stretch. I have signed up for the Disney Princess ½ marathon in Feb. Along with running I began playing pickup basketball and I'm now back in a league. This old girl has lost her handles a bit, but I can still shoot the ball! Lol!
For those people who have a lot going on and may be putting off surgery I suggest putting yourself first and going thru with surgery. Before surgery I had moved back home to take care of my parents, my Mom has Alzheimer's and my Dad was mentally strong, but hadn't walked in two years due to complication from RA, Lupus and other autoimmune diseases. It was a lot of work to take care of them, but I also had to take care of myself. I went thru with the surgery in Oct and my Dad passed away this pass January. I'm now the primary caretaker for my mother. Basically if I'm not at work I'm taking care of my Mother. I don't have the support of a sig other or children to lean on. It's all on me. From Oct until the end of Dec I was able to go to the gym and I had freedom. After my Dad passed that was taken away. I bought a treadmill, some weights, kettle bells & a few yoga DVD's. I was not detoured and if anything the adversity made me step my game up. I think I have lost a bit of my bull cr*p tolerance, tenderness and I have become a little more hardened. I see excuses posted on this website from time to time and I have shied away from responding. Life can change in heart beat and if you don't take care of yourself no one else will. We could all come up with excuses of why we can't lose weight or why we can't exercise! It's over coming those excuses and getting it done. So I guess I have become no nonsense since surgery! I don't know if that is a good thing! I miss my sweet side! Lol
This site had been monumental for me. I have received so much great advice and support. It's amazing, I have been on over just a year and half and it's interesting seeing those people who have come, gone and stayed on this board. You have your steady eddies that are amazing and give so much wonderful support. Life has gotten quite busy and I don't check in as much as I use to, but I try to do see during the week when I can. I'm not as eloquent as some with my words, but I try to be supportive and give advice when I can. I'm thankful for this board, its has helped me to be successful on my journey and I think its going to help me going forward to lose my last 5 lbs and to maintain my goal weight!
So now onto a few numbers I can give you! I'm 5'8" & my highest eight ever was 325 lbs, my pre liquid diet (10 day) weight was 291 and my weight the day of surgery 279. Today my weight is 165 lbs. My goal weight was originally 180 then 170 and now it's 160. I'm fairly confident that I won't be changing my goal weight to anything lower. I feel wonderful and strong where I'm at now. I have gone from a size 22 to a size 10 in pants and my tops have gone from a womens double X or 18/20 to medium or a size 8/10. My legs are quite large and I still carry a ton of weight in my backside and legs. They don't look great, but I don't care. I'm healthy and those legs are letting me run!!! I love clothes and I love covering up my legs with all my cute purchases. My arms aren't great, I have bat wings, but they don't really bother me. My chest has shrunk quite a bit, but the girls aren't too saggy! The tummy area has loose skin, but again I'm healthy and I'm not letting it get to me!! Maybe a year from now I'll explore the idea of plastics!
I have some picture I wanted to share!
Thank you all for your support and advice. Without you I wouldn't have gotten this far on my journey!
The image on the right is the day before I started my liquid diet, Oct 11, 2014 and the picture on the left was taken a year later Oct 10, 2015
The picture on on the right was last August at the Alzheimer's walk and the left is this past August
The picture on right was last Sept and on the left was this past Sept.
Age: 40 Height: 5'8" Highest Weight: 325 Starting Weight: 291 Current Weight: 166 Goal Weight: 160
VSG 10/24/14 with Dr. David Chengelis
The font is coming up strange for me as well.. I see this -
IE: ( Since surgery I have completed in 6 5kâ??s and 3 10kâ??s and yesterday I was part of the Detroit Marathon Relay)
You are amazing.
I thank you for your words of encouragement and the insights you give being a caretaker for someone.. I have taken myself off the back burner and put a halt to the excuses and I'm down 10 lbs already! yay :)
The only complaint I have in following the diet my nutritionist and I came up with is.. why are there so many carbs in onions?! lol
