One year ago today...!

Au_Contraire
on 6/12/18 12:41 pm, edited 6/12/18 6:34 pm

One year ago today, on June 12, 2017, I had my RNY at St. John's Regional Health Center in Oxnard, CA, with Dr. Helmuth Billy. My son had flown in from Philadelphia to be with me for this, which was so incredibly nice of him, and which really helped me emotionally. Two weeks before surgery i weighed 353.6 pounds, then started my 14-day liquid diet. On the morning of surgery, I weighed in at 335 pounds.

As of today, exactly one year later, I have lost 169.2 pounds! That # includes my two-week pre-op diet (hey, I earned it!). I am continuing to drop weight and am very focused on reaching my goal. This morning I weighed in at 184.4 pounds.

I look infinitely better, and best of all, I feel so much more vital! I am no longer humiliated by my appearance, and exercise is a joy instead of a torment to be avoided!

I actually wasn't given a goal - Dr. Billy (the best bariatric surgeon imaginable) told me that he could get me to 200 pounds. When, surprised, I told him I wanted to be under 150, he said "then you're going to have to do everything right". He gave me some basics: 1) no fast food again, ever; 2) walk at least 30 minutes every day; 3) no finger foods at all: eat every thing with a fork/spoon; and 4) have at least 60 grams of protein and, separated by at least 30 minutes after a meal, drink at least 64 ounces of water every day. Also, he said, no popcorn, no sugar, and no artificial sweeteners at all.

Though it took a while to incorporate exercise, and a while to hit my liquids goal, I abide by all of these things, except for the last one. I admit to using artificial sweeteners fairly frequently.

Anyway, I am thrilled with my progress! I want to continue to keep my daily calories where they are - at around 625 - until I reach wherever it is I am going: I am determined that it will be under 150. I looked good at around 140 pounds, but felt better in the 130's. I am 5'8" and 64 years old, so I'll see how things look and feel when I'm in that neighborhood. I figure another Dexa scan will help to determine when to start leveling off. I do know I would like to lose an extra 10-15 pounds beneath a good goal, whatever that is, in order to have a buffer against the year 2-3 regain so many experience.

Anyway, please forgive my bragging! I'm just so happy, and so grateful to Dr. Billy for helping me to turn my life around! I sincerely feel that he gave me back my life. Now it's up to me to stay the course from here on out!

Kathy S.
on 6/12/18 1:03 pm - InTheBurbs, XX
RNY on 08/29/04 with

Congratulations on your success Doing the Happy Dance!

HW:330 - GW:150 - MW:118-125

RW:190 - CW:130

Au_Contraire
on 6/12/18 2:13 pm

Thank you Kathy! I've still got quite a way to go, but I am resolved to get there!

Kathy S.
on 6/13/18 8:30 am - InTheBurbs, XX
RNY on 08/29/04 with

We here on OH celebrate every pound gone and every inch removed! YOU GO GIRL

HW:330 - GW:150 - MW:118-125

RW:190 - CW:130

Emiepie
on 6/12/18 1:18 pm
RNY on 08/11/14

Thank you for being here and sharing your story with us. You are an inspiration.

RNY 8/11/14 with Dr. Kelvin Higa PS Lipectomy 4/12/17 with Dr. John Burnett HW291.4/CW165/GW150

Au_Contraire
on 6/12/18 2:16 pm

Thank you for that kind comment, Kelly! You inspire me too, as do all of the RnYers here! Mostly I just feel so incredibly grateful to have been given a new chance at having a rich and wonderful life!

Partlypollyanna
on 6/12/18 1:23 pm
RNY on 02/14/18

Congratulations!!! Thank your for sharing how things are for you --- and it's not bragging, this stuff is hard and knowing how people are doing (good and bad) is so important!! Go you!!

HW: 306 SW: 282 GW: 145 (reached 2/6/19) CW:150

Jen

Au_Contraire
on 6/12/18 2:17 pm

Thank you so much! It is so wonderful to just be able to move freely and happily again!

Sheila_H
on 6/12/18 1:46 pm - Central Coast, CA
RNY on 06/26/17

Wow!! You have done GREAT!!! Congrats.

5'8" and you wanna get down to 130?

I'm 5'6" and the dr set the goal for me at 150. I told him as an adult I was comfortable around 140 (before kids) and he said let's add the yrs and set your goal at 150. And I'm 5'6".

Whatever you decide to do, you are AMAH-ZING and doing great.

SW:261 6/26/17 GW:150 10/6/18

CW: 151

PGW: 140-142

Au_Contraire
on 6/12/18 2:35 pm, edited 6/12/18 7:37 am

Thank you Sheila! I honestly don't know yet what number to aim for. I know I want to be under 150 for sure, but how far under i don't get know. I figure I will continue to be focused on losing until I weigh maybe 140 or 137, providing all goes according to plan, which honestly would be thin enough to make me very happy. But the specter of regain between year 2-3 is something I am very aware of, which is why I would like to have a cushion. This regain is incredibly common and is at least in part a result of our bodies finally healing fully from the surgery, and figuring a way around what was done to grab and hold onto more calories. Mostly I am trying to maintain a real awareness that I could screw up again, like I did with every diet i ever went on in the past: I would lose, often down to a quite slender point, but then I couldn't put obesity behind me quickly enough: I didn't want in any way to associate myself with or be known as ever having been fat. So I would behave as if I had never had a problem. This was stupid on my part, because the reality was and is that obesity will forever lurk inside of me, dozing (hopefully) or salivating, whether constrained in chains, or, God forbid, raging. The willingness to toss overboard all restraint and behave with gluttonous abandon happens gradually, but before long you are far gone. Anyway, I will revisit all this when I am under 150. Another Dexa scan, which will give me my % of body fat, is definitely in my future!

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