ObesityHelp

I honestly can't believe it's been two and half years since my surgery. Time really does fly!

I got on the scales this morning and weighed in at 148. That's down from my highest weight of 450-ish, for a loss of 302 pounds. I have lost six small bales of hay or an average football lineman! 

Alas, I still have the skin to fit that lineman. However, I will be having hernia surgery and either a tummy tuck or lower body lift at the end of the year. Yay! My surgeon estimates approximately 25-30 pounds of excess skin, which should leave me right where I want to be: around 120-125 pounds.

Recently, I had an attack of pancreaitis. I was in the hospital for three days on a saline drip, NPO. Not fun! Be warned: Pancreaitis is a posible complication of gastric bypass surgery. I was letting my diet slip, but boy did my body tell me in no uncertain terms to get back on track.

I found this list on my profile of things I'd like to do when I lost weight:

Run up a flight of steps without being out of breath.
*I can quickly walk up two flights of steps without being out of breath.

Shop in any regular-sized clothing and shoe store.
*I can!

Buy a pair of tall boots.
*I have this gorgeous pair of tall boots that make my legs look fabulous!

Buy a designer cocktail dress.
*I don't have a designer cocktail dress yet, but I do have a couple of very nice dresses.

Learn to ballroom dance.
*Taking salsa classes this summer.

Finally get a stamp in my passport and fit comfortably in the airplane seat while doing it.
*I can fit in the airplane seat, but no international trips yet.

Cross my legs.
*Crossed as I'm typing this.

Go hiking and camping again.
*No camping trips yet, but a few excursions with friends.

Learn how to kayak.
*Not yet.

I'm told pantyhose can be comfortable, I'd like to find out if that's true.
*I still don't like pantyhose, but I'm amazed at how easy they are to put on now!

Borrow my mom's and sister's clothes. Watch out!
*Mom borrows clothes from me. Sis has gained weight and lent me her smaller clothes.

Finally feel comfortable on stage so I can take up that lounge singer act I've been planning.
*I sing karaoke two nights a week and have been asked to audition for a couple of bands!


I am wearing size 8 and 10 pants, mostly Medium tops and dresses (depending on the fit) and size 7 shoes. Men call me 'hot' and 'sexy'!

The attention from the guys is the craziest. Having been a big girl all of my life, it's not something I'm accustomed to. But I like it!

I'm religious about my vitamins. I get my protein in - although I still supplement with a protein shake several days a week. I eat about a cup of food at a sitting. I'm always drinking water or decaf iced tea. I have a few alcoholic drinks a week and I do have sweets, in moderation.

I feel that I'm much more in control of my life and my food since surgery. I'll forever be grateful to the help of my surgeon, my nutritionist and my therapist for giving me the tools to succeed.

My therapist fired me last year. She told me I had 'excellent coping mechanisms' and was 'normal'. So, I've been flying solo ever since and doing well.

I've posted a few pics of me from the last six months.

If you're considering surgery, please do your research on the procedure, the complications/side effects, your surgeon and your hospital. Also make sure your general practitioner is on-board or find another who is willing to be part of the program.

I'm glad I did this and I've no regrets!

Keep the faith!

Today is the anniversary of my surgery with Dr. Pirrillo!

It seems like the last twelve months have just flown by and I'm really amazed that I've lost 145 lbs in that time and am sitting pretty at 175, as of yesterday. I still have another 35 pounds to lose to get to my pre-plastics goal weight, but I knew, realistically, that I wouldn't reach that goal in a year. My expectation (and hope) is that I'll reach my pre-plastics goal weight within the next 3-6 months. Then I have to maintain that weight for about six months before getting plastic surgery.

I can't say my skin issues are really bad, but my panni is still an issue and the rashes are horrible. My inner thighs are just saggy and wrinkly and my upper arms just need some rigid support so that I can glide like a bird. Although I had hopes that my chin/neck area would be ok, I've got a lovely wattle that is just begging to be tucked - or I could be a new kind of pelican.

I never realized just how BIG my boobs are. I've got 36DDDs on a 5'2" body! The stores around here don't carry 36DDD and I'm really not big on buying a bra I've never tried online. (The same can be said about shoes, too.) As I really don't like having a big bosom, I'm seriously considering a reduction when the time comes.

I eat between 800 - 1000 calories a day, depending on where I'm at with my female cycle. For a few days before and during my period, I am a freaking bottomless pit. Well... not really, but it certainly seems like it. The rest of the time, it's a cycle of decreasing my calories back to 800 and then a gradual increase to 1000. I tend to have no appetite the week after my cycle and normally strive to get my protein in.

I've taken the 'moderation in all things' approach and don't deny myself any foods or treat anything as 'evil'. That being said, my 'indulgences' are usually no more than a few bites before my tummy says 'enough'. Once, I ate a whole slice of key lime pie and within 30 minutes I had a sugar crash that had me asleep for nine hours. Needless to say, I haven't done that again.

I've gone from a size 26-28 to a size 12 (depending on the vanity sizing) and am wearing large and medium tops (mediums if they fit over my boobs). My shoe size has gone from 8 1/2 EEE to 7 - 7 1/2 M and my bras from 42D to 36DDD. The rings I used to wear were size 10 for my ring finger, now a size 7 is loose.

I have so much more energy! I take the stairs at a jog, park further away and enjoy the walk, and I can keep up with, and sometimes leave behind, my friends when we're out and about.

Today, I'm going shopping for the first pair of calf-high boots I've ever owned! I'm so excited. This past week, I bought some pants from Victoria's Secret and they FIT!!! I never imagined I'd be buying ANYTHING but cosmetics from that store. I even share clothes with my mother!!!

I'm kinda seeing someone, but it's not 'official' at this time. I don't know if I want it to be 'official' or just stay a casual friendship. He's a good deal younger than I am - I never thought that I would be a cougar!!! I will say that sex is MUCH better at a smaller size!

I have both a full-time and a part-time job and still have the energy to go out and about with my friends. It's so nice to have energy to do things!

A week ago, a co-worker who left my department just before I had surgery was in the office for a project. He came up and introduced himself to me as if we'd never met! It was SO strange to have someone not recognize me!!! Strange in a good way!

People call me 'skinny' and say I'm getting too thin. That's when I tell them that at 5'2" I should weigh about 126 lbs and that I'm nowhere near that weight.

The one thing that I'm really struggling with is being around other MO people. It's not THEM, it's ME. I so vividly remember being that big and how miserable I was, that being around them brings those memories back in full force. Those painful memories are what make me uncomfortable.

I do NOT urge weight loss surgery on people, but when asked I do let people know that this is the best thing I've ever done for myself. At least a couple of times a week, I recomment OH to someone. I tell them that this is a support group for people losing weight, with or without surgery. Everyone here knows the struggles we go through being MO.

Thanks to all the wonderful people on OH for your support. Reading what y'all have gone through helped me prepare myself for my own journey. I've laughed and cried with you and gained strength for my own issues.

A total loss of 150 pounds since surgery!!!!

I'm eight days shy of eleven months post-op. In that time, I have gone from a size 26/28, tops and bottoms, to  very baggy size 14 pants and (mostly) medium  tops, with a few large tops mixed in. My bra size was a 42D and I now wear a 36DDD. My shoe collection has been decimated, as I've moved from an 8 1/2 EEE to a 7M or 71/2M, depending on the fit. My ring finger used to take a size 10, now my size 7 ring is loose. I now own, AND FIT, a size SMALL Anne Taylor robe. I have this gorgeous silver necklace, 22" wide herringbone, that used to be too tight. Now it's so loose, it doesn't fit right.

I recently went shopping with my mom at her favorite store. While she was shopping in earnest, I wasn't really doing more than browsing, until I saw this gorgeous little coat. Now, I looked at it and wished they had it in my size... Oh, what a familiar plaint! But then, I realized that they MIGHT have my size, so I looked. Lo and behold, they had both a large and a small! I took the large and tried it on and it not only fit, it looked damn good!  It's a cute little double-breasted number with belled cuffs, made out of winter white polartek. There's enough room for wearing over a sweater. Needless to say, I grabbed it! I'll take some pics of me in it, once I get it scotch-guarded at the drycleaners.

I've developed a couple of small hernias in the past few months, so my workouts have been sidelined. I still take the stairs and walk, but my 'torture sessions' with my trainer are at an end until I get my tummy tuck. I went to my PCP mid-August for a rash exam, for documentation purposes. My blood pressure was 127/75! The high blood pressure was the last of my co-morbidities to be 'cured' with surgery. This is the first time in a long, long time that my blood pressure was in the normal range, especially the diastolic number.

I'm kinda seeing someone. It's not 'official', but we're definitely enjoying each other's company. He's a close friend who admitted he'd been wanting 'more' for about nine months. He finally acted on his impulses and I didn't slap him down. *wink, wink* It's nice to have someone showing some interest.. This guy had RNY about two years before me, and I've known him before and after. He's my own personal support group and lets me talk about the 'weirdness' of it all ad nauseum and who truly understands - like y'all understand.

I've grown very restless with my job. It seems I was more willing to put up with bullshite and poor treatment post-op than I am now. While I've not quit my job, I'm definitely exploring my options. I love how much more self-confidence and self-esteem I've developed. I wasn't an insecure wallflower before surgery, but I've definitely relaxed more into the attitude. I can't tell you how many times I was practically offered a job in a phone interview, only to have it mysteriously filled when I would come in for the face-to-face meeting. I no longer have that dread.

Eating is fun, but I've found myself falling into some old eating patterns. Now that I've recognized what I'm doing, I'm trying to figure out how to change those patterns into something healthier. I know that the unhappiness I have with my job only adds to the desire to fall into a comfortable habit.

I love my decision to have surgery. The change in energy levels, the 'normal' size, the growth in myself, the loss of all of my co-morbidities. All of it adds up to one big 'Hell yeah!' when asked if I'd do this again. The bonus, to me, is that I did this for the right reason: Me.

Cy

Hi y'all! Just checking in and letting y'all know how things are going for me.

I'm sitting at 186 and firmly wearing a size 14 pants and large tops. Yay! To date, I have lost 133 pounds since surgery. I have lost one adult female! I am officially smaller than my sister for the first time in my life - or hers! Sis is very happy for me, but unhappy for herself and has taken steps to lose weight. I'm glad that sis is taking my success as an impetus to get her own diet in order.

I'm working out 3-4 days a week, spending two of those days with a personal trainer. I've noticed more definition in my legs, arms and shoulders and my abdomen is starting to take some shape besides round. The skin issues I have in my arms, thighs and panni, while still bad, are improving a little. I just gotta say it:   I HAVE MUSCLES!!!

Currently, I eat between 1/3 - 1/2 cup of food at a sitting and still drink a SF CIB every morning. I am able to eat pretty much anything I want and I exersize moderation in my choices. However, if I want something, I won't deny myself. One thing I can definitely say about my surgery journey: I do not feel deprived, cheated or feel that I can never eat certain foods again. Sodas and sweet tea will not cross my lips again, but that's about the only items that are permanently on my no-no list.

I do dump on too much fat and/or too much sugar, but not consistently on the same items or the same amounts. Some days, one bite is too much. This surgery has helped me learn how to listen to my body. I must say... I'm becoming a pretty darn good listener! ;)

This past week, I was pretty crappy about taking my vitamins, but I'm usually pretty consistent. I've already identified where I went wrong last week and have taken steps to get back on schedule with my vitamins. I take two B125, two iron, two Vitamin D3 2000 i.u., and two calcium a day. I still take a nexium every day; Doc was trying to wean me off of it, but when I go a day without it I have tummy pains, so I'm still taking it.

I thought it would be harder to adjust to surgery and my new way of eating. Yes, I've had to make changes in my choices and find healthier alternatives to the foods I love, but it hasn't been as difficult as I believed it would.

I find that I'm hungrier on the days that I work out. When I meet my nutritionist this month, we'll be discussing possibly adding more calories/protein on the days I work out. My weight loss has slowed a little, too. However, I chalk that up to my working out and adding muscle.

At this point, my pre-plastics goal weight is going to be around 140-145. I figure about 15 lbs of excess skin removed will put me right where I want to be. So, I 'only' have to lose another 40-45 lbs and maintain for six months. That goal seems so much more attainable today than eight months ago.

For those of you who are newly post-op, you're going through the hardest part right now. While the time seems pretty long now between food stages and it is hard getting in all of the fluids and proteins, things get easier as you go. 

Keep the faith!

Since my last entry, I've JUST moved into a new house, started a program at the gym this month and am down to 190. I wear size Large tops and dresses and size 16 pants. OMG! I can wear a size 14 'magic shaping' bathing suit!!! I don't like the way my thighs look, but they still look better than they did.

I eat about 1/3-1/2 cup of food at a time, 4-5 times a day and a protein shake for breakfast. I'm pretty good about my vitamins - usually taking them five of seven days. What can I say? Sometimes I forget one set or the other. I think it all averages out, because I'm still pretty consistent. I drink about 96 oz of water/non-caffeine/carbonated fluids a day. Sometimes I'll have a glass of unsweet iced tea, but it's an occasional thing, not an everyday thing.

I'm exercising 3-4 days a week. The move has been very physical and tiring, so I've slacked off to 2-3 days a week for the last couple of weeks, but I'm fixing that. I am noticing that I'm firming up and not quite as flabby-floppy in the arms. I know exercise won't fix everything, but I'll have a hot body when I have my plastics. I know I'll need the LBL and a boob lift. I'm not sure if I'll do breast implants or just a lift. That will have to wait for my consult.

I've done research into brachioplasty (arm plastics) and it's now done as an out-patient procedure - so no hospital fees. The way the lift is done, they do lipo and skin excision, so there is some contouring done. As a bonus: the excised skin usually includes the hairy pit area! No more pit shaving! *happy dance* It takes a while for the swelling to go down and see the final results, but the immediate lack of skin should seem like a miracle.

Life has been busy. I've been noticing more interest from the boys I meet and people just seem friendlier - maybe it's me. Many people comment that I'm always smiling and happy. I just feel so gosh-darned GOOD! Life is still life, but I'm taking things in stride. 

I went to the local amusement park last weekend with my sister, her fiance and six of my friends. Yeah, a big group! After four hours, they all were tired out and I was ready to close the park down. It was a blast!

I was nervous when in line for the first ride. The last time I was there, I didn't fit in the seat and had to get off. This time around, I not only fit, I had room to spare and they had to TIGHTEN my harness! :o Needless to say, I wanted to ride everything there just to see if my tushie fit.

I need to update my photos, but I have to find my camera first! Perhaps in the next week or two, I'll be able to lay my hands on the box that holds my camera and can upload a few new pics and a new avatar.

This was one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself. I have no regrets for not doing it sooner because my head was not in the right place. 

Until my next update, keep the faith!