Almost 6 month surgiversary post
I can't believe that in 2 days I'll hit my 6 month surgiversary date - half a year out from implementing the best decision I have ever made for myself. I am now at 172.4, which means that I have lost 72.6 pounds since surgery, and 84.8 pounds from my highest weight! I am only 32.4 pounds from goal, and by far lighter than I have been in my adult life - yippee!!
The biggest thing I'd say about the whole process so far is that I can't believe how easy it has been! (Your mileage may vary, I'm just reflecting on my personal / individual experience here.) So I wanted to post all that I'm grateful for here.
My surgery went very smoothly, and I was out of the hospital in under 24 hours. My pain was incredibly minimal - didn't need any painkillers after discharge. By day 3 I felt fully human, and by day 7 I was putting together IKEA furniture ;-)
My energy level has been consistently strong - yes, I was tired in the first week after surgery, but not abnormally so. I just enjoyed catching up on sleep and taking it quite easy. I only had to take one week off of work (and worked from home the second week), which was really wonderful - I like to save my PTO for vacations in fabulous places, not for hanging out at home!
Eating has been easy, and my habits have really shifted without a lot of cravings or mental anguish (so far). I eat protein first, avoid sugar fairly consistently, and avoid white carbs almost entirely. I don't worry about fat content, since I eat so little.
I also feel very lucky in that my mental adjustment to all these changes has also felt easy... although my brain is still catching up with the reality of how much smaller I am these days. I still sometimes feel like a cat whose whiskers are too wide - thinking that I need wider spaces to squeeze through than I actually do. I can fit into little spaces on packed buses, easily sit in airplane seats, and walk down the aisle without knocking into everyone's elbows!
I am noticing and appreciating more male attention these days - it took me a while to start picking up on it, but it is definitely there! It's nice to receive those occasional admiring glances as I make my way through my day :-)
People sometimes don't recognize me now - I was meeting a friend for lunch, and he walked right by me on the street without noticing. It was a fun moment when I called out his name and saw him do a double take! Lots of colleagues at work are now saying something - so many people hesitate at first, but now that I have lost so much weight they seem to feel more comfortable in mentioning it directly.
I am just so grateful that I have been able to make this decision in my life - I'm grateful that I finally got insurance approval after 2 denials, grateful that I found such a skilled and compassionate surgeon (Dr. Jossart is fantastic, for anyone near San Francisco!), grateful for the loving and genuine support I've received across the board from family and friends. I am thankful that my body is (and always has been) strong and healed quickly. I am grateful that I have continued to lose consistently without losing faith during my stalls (I haven't experienced a multi-week one, they sound so disheartening!).
I know how lucky I am - and I say THANK YOU!! I am filled with joy and gratitude, and I am excited as I look forward to living life with even more gusto and with so much less physical baggage! I am inspired to get back into snowboarding and rock climbing - both sports I did while very heavy, both sports which will be so much more FUN in this lighter body! :-)
Thanks for reading, and I hope that this post brightens your day!
Heather
The biggest thing I'd say about the whole process so far is that I can't believe how easy it has been! (Your mileage may vary, I'm just reflecting on my personal / individual experience here.) So I wanted to post all that I'm grateful for here.
My surgery went very smoothly, and I was out of the hospital in under 24 hours. My pain was incredibly minimal - didn't need any painkillers after discharge. By day 3 I felt fully human, and by day 7 I was putting together IKEA furniture ;-)
My energy level has been consistently strong - yes, I was tired in the first week after surgery, but not abnormally so. I just enjoyed catching up on sleep and taking it quite easy. I only had to take one week off of work (and worked from home the second week), which was really wonderful - I like to save my PTO for vacations in fabulous places, not for hanging out at home!
Eating has been easy, and my habits have really shifted without a lot of cravings or mental anguish (so far). I eat protein first, avoid sugar fairly consistently, and avoid white carbs almost entirely. I don't worry about fat content, since I eat so little.
I also feel very lucky in that my mental adjustment to all these changes has also felt easy... although my brain is still catching up with the reality of how much smaller I am these days. I still sometimes feel like a cat whose whiskers are too wide - thinking that I need wider spaces to squeeze through than I actually do. I can fit into little spaces on packed buses, easily sit in airplane seats, and walk down the aisle without knocking into everyone's elbows!
I am noticing and appreciating more male attention these days - it took me a while to start picking up on it, but it is definitely there! It's nice to receive those occasional admiring glances as I make my way through my day :-)
People sometimes don't recognize me now - I was meeting a friend for lunch, and he walked right by me on the street without noticing. It was a fun moment when I called out his name and saw him do a double take! Lots of colleagues at work are now saying something - so many people hesitate at first, but now that I have lost so much weight they seem to feel more comfortable in mentioning it directly.
I am just so grateful that I have been able to make this decision in my life - I'm grateful that I finally got insurance approval after 2 denials, grateful that I found such a skilled and compassionate surgeon (Dr. Jossart is fantastic, for anyone near San Francisco!), grateful for the loving and genuine support I've received across the board from family and friends. I am thankful that my body is (and always has been) strong and healed quickly. I am grateful that I have continued to lose consistently without losing faith during my stalls (I haven't experienced a multi-week one, they sound so disheartening!).
I know how lucky I am - and I say THANK YOU!! I am filled with joy and gratitude, and I am excited as I look forward to living life with even more gusto and with so much less physical baggage! I am inspired to get back into snowboarding and rock climbing - both sports I did while very heavy, both sports which will be so much more FUN in this lighter body! :-)
Thanks for reading, and I hope that this post brightens your day!
Heather
VSG with Dr. Jossart on 3/10/2011. Height 5'4" | Highest Weight 257 | Surgery Weight 240-ish | Lowest Weight 150 | Current Weight 213
Hi, Jenni - do you ever go to Dr. Jossart's support groups in SF? I will be there this Monday 9/12, at CPMC on Webster Street. It starts at 6pm, I sometimes don't get there until later...
I would love to connect in person - it is so helpful to have "real world" connections to add to the great ones here on OH!
Thanks,
Heather
I would love to connect in person - it is so helpful to have "real world" connections to add to the great ones here on OH!
Thanks,
Heather
VSG with Dr. Jossart on 3/10/2011. Height 5'4" | Highest Weight 257 | Surgery Weight 240-ish | Lowest Weight 150 | Current Weight 213
hey sleeve sister!!! That sounds like my story!! I couldn't have written half so well.So to all the lookers and waitting for dates all I can say is Amen to this! Keep up the great work and hope to reas another in 6 more months. We should both be at goal by then lol
First month since VSG 33 2nd 14 lbs 3rd12lbs 4th10lbs 5th10lbs 6th 9lbs 7th 13lbs 8th 13 lbs 9th 2 10th 6 11th bounced 175-180 12th bounced 13th 2 lb cw(164)
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