Daydream_Believer
Happy Surgiversary to ME!
Jul 28, 2007
I can't believe it's been a year. I got a haircut to commemorate (actually, the haircut being on the same day was a total accident, but it ended up being pretty neat). I don't know how much I weigh right now, because I don't have a scale (old one broke, never got around to replacing), but I'm wearing 12s. Considering that I started out wearing 24s preop, I'm pretty happy. 
6-month Follow-up
Jan 30, 2007
I had my 6-month follow-up with my surgeon yesterday, and it went great. I had lost about 92 pounds at that point, but it was my TOM and now I'm down a total of 95 pounds. Everyone (except the dietitian, because she's new) commented on how much weight I've lost, and according to the dietitian's calculations, I'm right on track (actually, a little ahead of the curve). Still, I'm a little bummed that I didn't break the 100 mark at 6 months. I know that's not realistic, but I was kind of hoping I'd be able to do it. Oh well, 95 gone forever is still fine by me!
I feel a million times better than I did before surgery and in the past several years in general. My back hurts a lot less (thanks in no small part to the lower back machine at my gym), my knees hurt a lot less, and my feet barely hurt at all anymore. I haven't touched my CPAP in months, and I wake up in the morning just fine. (I had sleep apnea symptoms when I was much lighter than I am now, but I think my neck girth is as it was back when I was just borderline obese. That's not to say my neck is by any means thin -- I still have a double chin, but that's far better than the quadruple chin I had before surgery.)
Another perk is that I can buy clothes at normal-people stores! I took advantage of clearance sales at Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft recently, and bought a bunch of cashmere sweaters on the cheap. Well, cheap for cashmere, at least, and cheap compared with what I would have shelled out for a synthetic sweater at Lane Bryant.
I still shop at Lane Bryant occasionally, but boy am I glad to be free from Lane Bryant's chains (Catherine's, the Avenue's, and Ashley Stewart's chains too, for that matter). They know they're our only sources for decent clothing, so they price gouge accordingly. At the same time, shame on other stores for failing to accommodate us. If they don't exclude plus sizes altogether, they tuck away their plus sizes in secluded, dark corners in an effort to keep fat people out of sight, for they don't want our presence to tarnish their cool/chic images.
Alas, it seems we're mistreated in some way or another across the board at clothing stores, and that stinks. So while I'm glad that I can now fit into some conventional sizes and not be completely ostracized in the retail system, I'm not sure it's a system in which I want to be included anyway. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or resources to sew my own clothing, so I guess I'd better just bow down and sell out to big retail. Oh, well.
I feel a million times better than I did before surgery and in the past several years in general. My back hurts a lot less (thanks in no small part to the lower back machine at my gym), my knees hurt a lot less, and my feet barely hurt at all anymore. I haven't touched my CPAP in months, and I wake up in the morning just fine. (I had sleep apnea symptoms when I was much lighter than I am now, but I think my neck girth is as it was back when I was just borderline obese. That's not to say my neck is by any means thin -- I still have a double chin, but that's far better than the quadruple chin I had before surgery.)
Another perk is that I can buy clothes at normal-people stores! I took advantage of clearance sales at Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft recently, and bought a bunch of cashmere sweaters on the cheap. Well, cheap for cashmere, at least, and cheap compared with what I would have shelled out for a synthetic sweater at Lane Bryant.
I still shop at Lane Bryant occasionally, but boy am I glad to be free from Lane Bryant's chains (Catherine's, the Avenue's, and Ashley Stewart's chains too, for that matter). They know they're our only sources for decent clothing, so they price gouge accordingly. At the same time, shame on other stores for failing to accommodate us. If they don't exclude plus sizes altogether, they tuck away their plus sizes in secluded, dark corners in an effort to keep fat people out of sight, for they don't want our presence to tarnish their cool/chic images.
Alas, it seems we're mistreated in some way or another across the board at clothing stores, and that stinks. So while I'm glad that I can now fit into some conventional sizes and not be completely ostracized in the retail system, I'm not sure it's a system in which I want to be included anyway. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or resources to sew my own clothing, so I guess I'd better just bow down and sell out to big retail. Oh, well.
I never thought I'd say this, but...
Dec 20, 2006
Exercise is actually, well, pretty darned cool.
After my surgeon's come-to-Jesus talk (see previous entry), I decided to join a gym a couple weeks ago. Not only did I join a gym, but I also started working with -- get this -- a personal trainer. I never thought I'd say that either. I mean, I always thought personal trainers were only for serious athletes or the type of people commonly interviewed by Robin Leach. Yet here I am, seeing a personal trainer.
What's that in the air, you ask? Oh, just pigs flying. :-)
Now, personal training is not cheap, but it's really not all that expensive when you do the math. At my gym, it costs $40 a session for 10 sessions. In my case, my trainer recommended 2 sessions a week for 5 weeks. So, this works out to $80 a week. Most people don't do personal training for an extended period of time, so in my case, it will probably be several months before I go for a couple booster sessions, then several more months, and so forth.
$80 a week for a few weeks out of the year is not a bad investment at all, considering that having a personal trainer (1) maximizes the efficiency of your workout, so you achieve your goals faster and with less effort, (2) establishes a workout routine, so you can get into the habit of working out and continue it after your sessions are over, and (3) ensures that you perform exercises properly, so as to avoid injury, which can be a lot more costly than training right in the first place. Besides, I recall a time in the not-too-distant past when I spent $80/week and then some on food.
As for working out, I've got to admit, I'm really enjoying it. I actually feel good when I work out. And on days that I can't work out, I actually feel not-so-good. The best part is how much better I feel physically. My trainer has me working on, among other things, my back, which has been causing me problems since my teen years. Now I'm starting to feel that my back muscles are a little tighter and a little stronger, and I'm feeling a little less pain. My posture is also a little bit better -- though it's still not anywhere near "good."
The most difficult part of working out is my abs. It doesn't take much for me to exhaust those muscles. Part of the problem is that I've never done much to work my abs in the first place. Plus, I'm sure that having 6 holes in my ab muscles doesn't help. I am making the effort, though. My trainer told me to try to suck in my stomach and tighten my abs (i.e., tightening my "core") whenever I can -- while sitting at the computer, driving, or watching TV. Abdominal strength is especially important for people with bad backs because strong abs protect your back from injury. I try to do this tightening exercise whenever I can remember -- in fact, I'm doing it now. An added benefit is that in order to do it, you have to sit up straight, with good posture. So I'm also working on my posture, which, in turn, helps my back even more.
Unfortunately, when I do these exercises -- and, in fact, most exercises -- I kind of forget to breath. I'm working on that, though, with the help of my personal trainer.
Look out -- some of those pigs are flying a little low. :-)
After my surgeon's come-to-Jesus talk (see previous entry), I decided to join a gym a couple weeks ago. Not only did I join a gym, but I also started working with -- get this -- a personal trainer. I never thought I'd say that either. I mean, I always thought personal trainers were only for serious athletes or the type of people commonly interviewed by Robin Leach. Yet here I am, seeing a personal trainer.
What's that in the air, you ask? Oh, just pigs flying. :-)
Now, personal training is not cheap, but it's really not all that expensive when you do the math. At my gym, it costs $40 a session for 10 sessions. In my case, my trainer recommended 2 sessions a week for 5 weeks. So, this works out to $80 a week. Most people don't do personal training for an extended period of time, so in my case, it will probably be several months before I go for a couple booster sessions, then several more months, and so forth.
$80 a week for a few weeks out of the year is not a bad investment at all, considering that having a personal trainer (1) maximizes the efficiency of your workout, so you achieve your goals faster and with less effort, (2) establishes a workout routine, so you can get into the habit of working out and continue it after your sessions are over, and (3) ensures that you perform exercises properly, so as to avoid injury, which can be a lot more costly than training right in the first place. Besides, I recall a time in the not-too-distant past when I spent $80/week and then some on food.
As for working out, I've got to admit, I'm really enjoying it. I actually feel good when I work out. And on days that I can't work out, I actually feel not-so-good. The best part is how much better I feel physically. My trainer has me working on, among other things, my back, which has been causing me problems since my teen years. Now I'm starting to feel that my back muscles are a little tighter and a little stronger, and I'm feeling a little less pain. My posture is also a little bit better -- though it's still not anywhere near "good."
The most difficult part of working out is my abs. It doesn't take much for me to exhaust those muscles. Part of the problem is that I've never done much to work my abs in the first place. Plus, I'm sure that having 6 holes in my ab muscles doesn't help. I am making the effort, though. My trainer told me to try to suck in my stomach and tighten my abs (i.e., tightening my "core") whenever I can -- while sitting at the computer, driving, or watching TV. Abdominal strength is especially important for people with bad backs because strong abs protect your back from injury. I try to do this tightening exercise whenever I can remember -- in fact, I'm doing it now. An added benefit is that in order to do it, you have to sit up straight, with good posture. So I'm also working on my posture, which, in turn, helps my back even more.
Unfortunately, when I do these exercises -- and, in fact, most exercises -- I kind of forget to breath. I'm working on that, though, with the help of my personal trainer.
Look out -- some of those pigs are flying a little low. :-)
I've been a bad patient...
Nov 10, 2006
So, I went to see my surgeon the other day. The way it works at Ochsner is that you're first seen by a resident and a dietitian (not at the same time), and then Dr. Richardson. I had mentioned to the resident that I haven't really been exercising much. I also mentioned to the dietitian that I haven't really been consuming much protein. I know I should be exercising and eating/drinking more protein. Really, I know. It's just that, well, that sort of thing requires a LOT of effort. Now, don't get me wrong -- I'm not lazy or anything. I just don't like expending a lot of effort. Plus, I'm a bit of a -- oh, how should I put it? -- procrastinator, so I'm the type of person who doesn't floss until the day before I see the dentist, or doesn't exercise until the week before I see the surgeon. :-)
Well, when Dr. Richardson came in to see me, the first thing out of his mouth was, "so, your weight loss is progressing... but why am I not as happy with you as I could be?" Crap. I replied, "well, uh, I'm not exercising like I should be..." and he nodded. So I continued, "and, uh, I'm not getting in the amount of protein that I should be..." At that point, he said, "That's it. Or is there more I should know about?" To which I quickly replied, "Um, no, that's about it," as I wiped the sweat from my brow.
So, I really, really need to get my act together before my next visit. Ah, but that won't be for another 3 months. I've got time... ;-)
Well, when Dr. Richardson came in to see me, the first thing out of his mouth was, "so, your weight loss is progressing... but why am I not as happy with you as I could be?" Crap. I replied, "well, uh, I'm not exercising like I should be..." and he nodded. So I continued, "and, uh, I'm not getting in the amount of protein that I should be..." At that point, he said, "That's it. Or is there more I should know about?" To which I quickly replied, "Um, no, that's about it," as I wiped the sweat from my brow.
So, I really, really need to get my act together before my next visit. Ah, but that won't be for another 3 months. I've got time... ;-)
My first "blog" entry on the New & Improved OH!
Oct 26, 2006
I think it now goes without saying that I'm absolutely terrible when it comes to updating my profile, so I'm not going to apologize about it any longer. :-)
No major news, except that I'm now down a total of 70 lbs. and I feel great. I'm still not exercising like I should, but I promise to start... next week. Yeah, next week.
No major news, except that I'm now down a total of 70 lbs. and I feel great. I'm still not exercising like I should, but I promise to start... next week. Yeah, next week.
