Dodgergirl27
Eight Months Out - Almost 120 lbs Gone (119.6)
Sep 23, 2014
So, reflections on being 8 months out: 1) Time has flown by. Literally, I feel like I was just going into surgery yesterday. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I feel amazing. Like I really have been given a second opportunity at life. My lone regret at this point is that I didn't start working out sooner into this process, because I think I didn't take full opportunity of the "honeymoon phase". Weight loss has slowed down. I'm loosing about 8 lbs a month (which would have made me ecstatic pre-surgery but seems like a snails pace now:). I still have just under 60 lbs I want to loose, so I need to be really diligent about my diet. I've been working out 3 - 4 times a week, usually for 2 hours at a time (1 hour of Pilates and 1 hour of spinning). The Pilates is a huge accomplishment for me, because while I'm much smaller, I'm still not exactly svelte (I'm a size 12 currently). Most of the people in Pilates are pretty svelte, so it's a big deal for me to just get over that self conciousness and go for it. I do think it's helping though and I feel like I am seeing my body shape change (more toned and longer and leaner) which is exciting.
Dealing with the scale frustrations has been a constant battle. I seem to lose for only a few days each month, and then my body gains and loses the same lb for the rest of the month. Nothing seems to effect this (not diet or exercise). But, I remind myself that I beat up on my body for 8+ yrs with all of the extra weight I carried around, so maybe I owe it a little patience as well. My plan as of right now is to keep eating protein first and fueling my body with good foods (lots of veggies and healthy fats along with the protein). I will continue to workout (I'm actually really starting to enjoy it, who knew?) and I can only hope the scale will cooperate. It's weird b/c the 58 lbs I want to lose feels so close and so far away at the same time. My immediate goal is to get to the mythical "onederland" (18.4 lbs away). I'm going to focus on that for now, and then I'll tackle those last 40 when the time comes. They say you lose for 18 months after surgery, and if I continue to lose 8 - 10 lbs month for the next 10 months, I should get to goal. I just have to remember it's not all going to come off over night, and it's not just about a number on the scale. It's about the fact that I feel amazing, and my body is taking care of me.
One small draw back is that I suffer from Migraines, and for some reason have had a number of them lately. Pre-surgery I would have taken a bunch of excedrine migraine and likely cut down on the suffering period. However, I can't take those anymore, so I have just had to suffer through the headaches. I do have an apt with my PCP next week to get a scrip for a non NSAID migraine med, but still it has been weird going through that. To remember I can't take the medicines I used to rely so heavily on. Luckily, I feel so much better in general, the need to take them has decreased dramatically (in fact until this recent migraine bout, I hadn't needed to take anything since surgery).
One final note. I really do think OH (and via OH, myfitnesspal, where I have my OH friends) has been a major factor in the weight I've lost so far. The accountability that comes from being here most days, the encouragement, and the shared struggle that I have with all of my OH friends has been invaluable. I've met other people who have had the surgery and have not had much success. In talking to them, they had surgery and then just expected things to magically change. I can say, this is work. My RnY is a huge tool, and has helped me to completely change my relationship with food. That being said, I know there's a beast inside of me. It was a beast that allowed me to get to 338 lbs despite the physical, mental and emotional pains that came with it. I have to fight that beast every day, because eating a bunch of taco bell (or any other fast food) would be SOOO easy. But having the support and accountability here, has made all (and I mean ALL) of the difference! So for any newbies out there, I can't recommend checking out this site on a regular basis. There will be days where there are some post that are more relevant than others, but overall it's a godsend. Also, I love looking at the before and after's. It's a total guilty pleasure and is such a great motivator.
