- Username: vparkman1990
- Location: Boston, MA, USA
- Member Since: 6/29/2010
- BMI: 31.5
- Surgery date scheduled
- Surgery Type: RNY (07/05/11)
- Surgeon: Michael Tarnoff, M.D.
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My name is Virginia. I'm 20 years old and a Junior in college. I have always been a little chubby but so has most of my family so I never saw it as a bad thing. When I went away to boarding school for high school my mother got concerned about my weight. I told her it was the freshman 15, although it was a lot more than 15lbs and brushed it off. But when my PCP got concerned I knew that this wasn't a matter to be brushed off. I like to go shopping, ride roller coasters, and rock climb but I find that my weight hinders these things. Although the majority of my family supports me in this transition, two very important people (my dad and sister) don't agree and their reasoning scares me. But I'm not making this decision for them. This is to save my life!
4 Months and 69lbs Later... on October 31, 2011 4:52 pm
I keep trying to push myself to do better and work harder but bear with me while I give myself a pat on the back. I am 4 months out of surgery today and 69lbs lighter. I weigh 247lbs, a weight I haven't attained since freshman year of high school (I am a senior in college for those of you who don't know). I wear a size 16 pants and large shirt, sizes I haven't been since my sophomore year of high school. I was a size 24 pants and 2X shirt when I started this whole experience. Since I have left the country (2.5 months ago) I have lost 32lbs. 32lbs may not seem like a lot but for a college senior in one of the most drink heavy countries in the world, that mean a lot!
AND YET...
I need to limit my drinking to once a week. While I only have 1-2 glasses of wine or cider or beer in one evening I have been doing so 2-3 times a week which hasn't been the best thing for my weight loss. But I'm going to be realistic and say that that cut back is not going to happen this weekend because its my 21 birthday!!! I need to stop beating myself up so much as well. For example, I think I am going into a plateau. This past week I only lost 2lbs, 3lbs the week before and 2lbs the week before that. And in my sadness I bought 2 candy bars, cake, and ice cream. I got through the first candy bar and felt like I was severely cheating myself. I won't throw out the rest of the junk because lets face it I am a broke college student who spent money on it but I will ration it off only giving myself treats 2-3 times a week. The fact that I even went there and bought the crap is what worries me. Having the stuff in the house and not eating all in a single week will be the ultimate test for me.
1.5 more months until I am back in the good old USA. Let's see if I can keep my eye on the prize :)
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Plateau: I'll Let the Haters Guide Me on This One on September 25, 2011 8:28 am
Today is not a good day. It is actually the worst day for any WLS patient, a day that we all hope never comes. Today is the day that I realized I hit a plateau. Stuck at 262lbs. This sucks and I could react to this huge disappointment in the same way that I reacted to disappointments before surgery: I could go to the bar and have a few drinks (I'm in London for Christ's Sake, there's a bar on every corner), I could go eat something really fatty (comfort food - there are bakeries everywhere). But I'm not going to do any of those things and why not? Because that is exactly what all my haters want me to do. They want to see me fail and I refuse to give them the pleasure.
Week-Long Cleanse Starting Now! Everything that my father (hater #1) expects me to do in reaction to this disappointment, I will do the opposite:
1) He'd expect me to go eat my feelings as I usually do. Wrong! This plateau couldn't have come at a better time because it's grocery day and I decided last night that I will be on a fish and chicken diet for the duration of my study abroad. Let's go bulk up on that protein.
2) He'd expect me to curl up into a ball and refuse to go to the gym because obviously it doesn't make a difference. Wrong! It makes a difference because had I not gone to the gym I could've been gaining but instead I held my own. Again, this plateau has impeccable timing because I have an appointment with a personal trainer tomorrow and I'm pretty sure my body is too comfortable with my work out routine. Let's see if I can take my body to the max.
I have been so extremely critical of myself thus far and I'm not going to stop now. Obviously I need more structure, which means food and exercising logs. Obviously I need a cleanse. And this is what will happen. I have to think of how far I've come - 52lbs in 3 months. And also how far I have left to go. 62lbs in 3 months so I can see those haters' jaws drop upon my arrival back in the USA. I'm going to turn this around and all my haters can suck on that!
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High Expectations or Impossibilities? on September 6, 2011 6:00 am
So I have finally made it to London. While I was skeptical about this trip because it is complicating surgical appointments, I couldn't be more enthused. For the first time, in my 20 short years, I am able to live and truly take care of myself. In the US I take deal with issues with my family, issues with my friends, issues with school, issues with my job, issues with my boyfriend and after handling all those issues I don't have the time nor energy to take care of me. Not anymore. These 3 months, which I'm sure will fly by, will allow me to set in stone healthy habits around eating and exercise. I have already set small goals for myself in reflection of the two:
1) Eat every 2-3 hours
2) Limit eating out to once every 2 weeks
3) Limit drinking alcohol to once a week
4) Exercise 5 times a week
I don't think these goals are too strict but the larger goals they're supposed to allow me to achieve have been criticised on more than one occasion:
1) Weigh 200lbs by December 17th, when I return home
2) Lose 23lbs per month
3) Lose 5-6lbs per week
I currently have lost 44lbs, weighing 270lbs, however I wasn't cleared to exercise in the gym until two weeks ago, just before I left the country. I feel like my new exercise goal should help speed up the process. But even if they don't and I lose weigh at the same pace that I have been losing, I should lose 66lbs in the next 3 months, which would put me extremely close to my 70lbs weightloss goal. Why is that such an impossible task according to my mother, my boyfriend, my nutritionist? The only people who think I can do it are myself, a handful of friends, my psycologist, and my uncle. Any tips for staying on track?
To lose or not to lose is not the question. How much and how fast to lose is. My psycologist clarified that whatever motivates me is helpful. And so everyone who thinks its an impossibility is my motivation. Month 1, Week 1! Let's go!
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Life After Surgery... on July 16, 2011 11:20 pm
After a year of waiting I finally had my surgery. Not the lap-band, as originally expected that's more than fine. I am 2 weeks out and feeling great.
Food fears: I'm nervous for my first post-op appointment because I feel like I'm not drinking enough fluids, eating enough protein, and inevitably not losing weight fast enough. I had a bad reaction to eggs a week out of surgery and ended up back in the ER. I am so afraid that I will get to London and the same or a similar thing will happen and I'll be in a weird place and won't know what to do. I will be advanced to stage 4 of the diet - high protein soft foods which I was really excited for but don't know what to make of it now. Any suggestions for how to tackle my fears???
Exercise: I have been walking a little but I yearn to get cardio in. I don't want to hurt myself but I have pent up energy and frustrations, not frustrations about the surgery but general frustrations. Do I really need to wait 6 weeks before I can kick this walking game up a notch, or 5? Hahahahahahaha
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Exercise? Have you seen my schedule!? on December 11, 2010 8:16 am
When the going gets tough, my exercise regiment gets going. Whenever I am in a high stress period, I slack on my exercise. Since I've been back from Thanksgiving break, I haven't been to the gym not once but with 3 papers, 1 test, 1 quiz and studying for 5 finals that start Monday, when am I supposed to have time? I wish I had time but my education is top priority right now. But isn't that kind of backwards? Shouldn't my health always be my number one priority? Luckily, I'm eating the right things 90% of the time so I sustain the weight I've lost so far but is sustaining/maintaining my weight enough? Clearly not, as I can tell from my first postponement. How do I do all of the things I need to do for my education (i.e. study, write papers, go to study sessions) and continue to lose weight? This issue has plagued me all semester as I made several failed attempts at going to the gym. Luckily for me I have 2 PE credit requirements unfulfilled that I can't graduate without.
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