3 Years Post Op - Be inspired *Pics*

So much has happened to me since I had my VSG 3 years ago. I look back at the man I used to be with sadness in my

heart. I used to hate myself. I was sick and tired of well ... being sick and tired. I had no energy, so I slept all

day. When I wasn't sleeping, I was thinking about what tasty treat I could devour to sooth the pain of my existence.

I hated my job and hated socializing with people. I simply wanted to stay home in my protected bubble full of various

electronic entertainment devices and a fridge full of goodies to dull the pain. At that time I was married for a total

of 8 years. During those 8 years I continued in my lazy slothful and selfish ways. It is impossible to truly love

someone if you do not love yourself. She has forgiven me, but sadly we have peacefully went our separate ways. There

comes a point in relationships when too much damage has been done and no amount of effort can fix it.

During those 8 years I had aspirations of becoming a Pharmacist. Year after year I talked about how I was going to go

to college but never took action. As the years passed, the weight continued to pile on making my dream fade further away.

Deep in my heart I knew that if I could conquer my weight than the rest would follow. I was desperate and willing to

try anything to get thin and healthy. After tons of research, I came across the information regarding the VSG and knew

without a doubt that this was the answers to my prayers. I began my fight. The first step was to figure out how to

pay for it. After some investigation I found out that my insurance from work covered VSG after a 6 month required

waiting period of seeing a Doctor and nutritionist. Of course I ended up gaining weight while waiting which luckily

didn't affect my approval.

Finally the day had come for my procedure. Everything went smoothly and I woke up in not too much pain. I remember it

feeling like I did 1 million crunches and was super sore but not in agony. I did have very bad gas pain after the

third day, but after lots of walking the gas was gone. I was now on my way to the promised land of the skinny.

I followed all the doctors orders and dietary recommendations. I followed all the do's and the don't s to a tee. I

was not going to risk screwing up this last chance at a new life. I picked my high school weight as my goal weight

since I didn't really know which number to pick. After about 6 months I lost most of the weight. About 6 months ago I

decided to really kick things up a notch and finally get to goal. I already exceeded my goal and weight 180 now.

I did get an extended tummy tuck as the icing on the cake after all my hard work with my weight loss. I really wanted

to be able to hit the beaches and not be ashamed to take my shirt off.   Honestly the tummy tuck was MUCH more

painful that the VSG. It was a pretty rough surgery indeed. I really recommend you not only reach your goal BEFORE

getting any plastic surgery, but also be stable at your healthy weight for at least a year to make sure you can keep

off the weight. Trust me - you do not want to have to endure a second tummy tuck - not fun. While my results look

awesome I did lose most touch sensation around a lot of my stomach especially near the bellybutton. I was a little

disappointed,  but I have no regrets and was more than happy to accept the tradeoff.

So now for the latest update. I have been attending college for more than a year now. I will be graduating from

community college in August 2016 and will start Pharmacy school the following year. I have exceeded my goal weight

and currently weigh 180 lbs and wear a size 32 waist and Medium to Large shirt depending on the style. I have

experienced so many NSV's (non-scale victories) that I have lost count. I now have high self esteem and confidence in

myself. I know that now that I have defeated Obesity in my life, I am an unstoppable force filled with drive and

passion. There are no ladies in my life now, but I know one day I will attract the lady of my dreams. Matters of the

heart can't be rushed.

If you are debating whether or not VSG is worth it - for me it was a second chance a life. Embrace the VSG blessing

and enjoy the incredible journey and absolutely life changing miracle that this surgery is.

And now here is some before and after pics for you. - Be inspired - Shayne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Superman !!!!

Great to see you !!!!

Excellent post and I share most your thoughts..... except the relationship thing....

You look great !!! Congrats on all your accomplishments !!!

Be small and live large !!!

frisco

Awesome, thanks for sharing!!!  You look marelous.

You look awesome. Very inspiring,  indeed!

Looking great, Shane! Glad to read you are in school. That's awesome! Keep fighting the fight. 

Wow you have really rocked it. Thanks for the post it is very inspiring.  😀

Wow thanks for the post, truly an inspiration. Congrats on the success!  I am pre-op going for my first consult Monday. Good to see other guys sharing their stories. No offense to the ladies, but it is good for us guys to see how other guys succeeded.

Truly Inspiring, Shayne,  

Thanks for posting.  I am so happy for you.

Carol

Hi Shayne. What an inspiratiion you are to me! Thank you for sharing your story here. You have done a marvelous job! All I can say is, WOW!

Reading this post, for me at least, was like reading so much of what I go through. I am so very happy that you are going after your dreams and wish you nothing but success. Thank you for sharing this piece of your life. It is always nice to know you aren't alone.