ObesityHelp

Well, a year has come and gone. As of 5/12/09, I have lost 80 lbs from day of surgery, and 101 lbs from the first weigh-in after I was brought aboard Kaiser's weight management program.

I still can't eat much at a time.  Breakfast most days is a Slim-fast Low-Carb shake and my vitamins.  Lunch is about 1/2 cup Whole Foods Lemon Dill tuna Salad with five saltine crackers.  Dinner is 3-4 oz of chicken or salmon or beef, and usually a small portion of some treat like macaroni salad or potatoes.  I splurge occasionally with dark chocolate or a glass of wine, and generally I'm content with fewer than 1,000 calories a day. However, I can very easily go up as high as 1800 calories, particularly if I let myself indulge in too many carbs or get bored enough to nibble through the day at work.  I log my calories at www.thedailyplate.com every day, though sometimes if I snack late at night I fail to report that extra bit of food because I don't want to log back in.

I don't exercise much at all, which may explain why my weight loss is a bit slow.  But that's all good. I honestly hate to sweat, so while I know I'd be healthier, fitter, and all that jazz if I joined Curves or something, I also have to say that I'd be spending a good part of my life dreading that trip to the gym, and/or a good part of my resources paying for a membership that I was always finding excuses not to lose.  I'm content to lose more slowly and not be miserable about such things.

A few months ago, I was putting on my bra, and I felt a lump on my chest. As a former cancer survivor, of course I immediately got anxious, but after poking the thing, I realized it was a RIB.  LOL.  More recently, I put my hands on my hips and had a similar experience when I felt a hipbone for the first time in many years.  I can cross my legs comfortably, and I can wear jeans, and the next time I have to buy clothes because I've shrunk out of my wardrobe, I'm going to be forced to go to "normal people" stores because my last wardrobe was size 0X, so I'm too thin for Catherine's and Lane Bryant now. 
I can't wear most of my old rings, and I'm almost able to put on my high school class ring.  My shoe size hasn't changed, but my feet never really got fat.

My face is back - at my peak weight, my face was round and kind of flabby, but now it's back to the heart-shaped face I had when I was young.  I recently attended a memorial service, and one old acquaintance who I worked with when I was 14 is reported to have said that he thought I was "drop dead gorgeous" when in high school, and he still thinks I'm pretty hot.  Despite the sadness of the occasion, I have to say I purred a bit.  I do have some loose skin, but elbow-length sleeves and snug jeans disguise the problem satisfactorily. (I won't say I'd be comfortable getting naked with anyone, though, and while I'm currently single, I do still hold hopes of finding a special someone, so I am contemplating some cosmetic work once the weight loss is over.) 

I haven't had huge problems with acid, but I became aware that I was craving starchy foods like crackers, and spoke to the Kaiser nut about it, suggesting that the problem might stem from a little acid that feels like hunger.  She recommended prescription-strength prilosec, and I take one each morning, and I've noticed that, while I had been stalling when I noticed the problem, my weight is now steadily going down again.  So if you find you're stalling, you might want to try something like that, because your food cravings may be an excess of acid.  I also suck on a pepcid every night when I go to bed.  

On the whole, I'm thrilled with my VSG, and highly recommend the procedure to anyone considering it.  It's the best money I ever spent on myself, and I'd definitely do it again.