Mary Lou R.
I am 56 years old and have had a lifetime struggle with my weight. I had lost in excess of 100 pounds at least 3 times between my mid-20s and forties. Yet, success with maintaining my weight loss eluded me. In my mid-forties I moved to Illinois without family or friends, focused mainly on my work and ate to comfort my self. I gained 170 pounds over the first 8 years, adding that to an already plus-sized body. At nearly 400 pounds in 2005 every daily action required a strategy. Chairs, stairs, walking, travel and meeting new people were a source of stress for me. Fortunately my only health challenge was osteoarthritis pain mainly in my knees. I doubt that I would have avoided hypertenstion, diabetes and other maladies much longer had I not resolved my super morbid obesity problem.
In early 2005 my best friend who is a nurse and my sister lovingly confronted me with the reality of my excessive weight challenges. I had considered bariatric surgery but put if off as I was certain I could lose the weight without such drastic action. I could lose the weight but I couldn't keep it off and with each attempt I regained more than I lost. My fear of becoming immobile, being dependent on others for care and boxing my lifestyle options into staying at home was greater than my fear of having a life-altering surgery. I liken this to looking into the abyss and pulling back from the edge just in time to avoid disaster.
I had laporoscopic RNY in August 2005 in Nashville, TN. My sister lovingly coached me through every meal and post-op activity. My best friend helped with all of my home care nursing needs and reassured me at every step. Surprisingly I had very little pain and absolutely no appetite. Overall my recovery went quite smoothly and I returned to Illinois and my work. My first goal was to get back to "normal" but first I had to determine what "normal" meant after surgery. Every day I felt better and had more energy. My appetite returned at about 6 months post-op. By that time I had established new eating habits and following my RNY eating plan was somewhat easier. I started to redefine "normal" as being able to eat in a restaurant and move more.
My second goal was to commit to an exercise routine. I reached out to exercise professionals to design my workout and monitor my progress. Next I set a goal to participate in the St Louis 5 K walk/run and finish within one hour. I had 7 months to train to achieve this goal. When I first stepped onto the treadmill at about 350 pounds I wasn't sure what was going to fall apart first, me or the treadmill. My commitment was to show up every day, get on the treadmill and do better than the day before. Gradually I was able to get up to a comfortable speed of 3.1 miles per hour and my weight loss really started to excelerate. By the time of the 5 K walk/run I was down to 250 pounds. I finished the race in an hour and I was actually stunned and proud. It was at that point that I knew I could do more than I thought. I kicked up my exercise routine to include weight training 3 days a week and began to walk on the treadmill at an incline. For the first time in my mid-life I began to feel firm and strong. Exercise helped to reduce stress and curb my "head hunger." I no longer had to make myself exercise every day, I actually did it because it made me feel good.
RNY gave me two tools; a smaller stomach to provide a sense of fullness and a shorter gut to limit over indulgence in fats and sugar. On a few occassions I have tested the limits of both of these tools. Overconsumption and indulgence were not pleasant experiences. Other than those few, actually 2 times as I recall, I have experienced no side effects or consequences of my surgery. These two tools have helped me establish eating limits and this type of negative reinforcement has given me continual motiviation to follow my eating plan. Also, I am religious about taking all supplements, drinking water, daily protein intake and follow-up with my bariatric surgeon and aftercare program. There are worse things than being fat and if you don't commit to taking care of yourself every day by following the plan then you put yourself at risk of experiencing negative effects of malabsorption and poor nutrition.
I great strategy to support my successful weight loss started while I was away from my home having surgery. I made a list of all of the foods I would be able to eat post-op and gave it to a friend who was taking care of my house in my absence. She went through my pantry and refrigerator and eliminated all foods that were not on my list. This strategy was a GREAT plan that I have continued today, nothing in my house that I cannot eat. Also, one new hobby is converting standard recipes into WLS friendly meals that anyone can enjoy. I cook most of my meals and receive rave reviews from others when they share my table.
I have lost 230 pounds since August 2005 AND I have maintained my weight at 10 pounds above my ideal weight. Success for me is daily commitment to eat well, take supplements and exercise. My next goal is to achieve a BMI of less than 25 and that means losing the final 10 pounds. I have also been fortunate to be able to have plastic surgery to remove the excess skin on my upper and lower body. This summer I will complete my "reshaping surgery" journey to correct my sagging neck and jowls. I feel like the bionic woman; lots of scars but lots of strength.
There's much more to my story, but this describes the beginning, some of the middle and my current status. I hope this will be helpful to others. RNY was the best decision for me and literally saved my life and lifestyle. Just know that RNY is NOT the easy solution that some uninformed persons perceive. It is a life-altering, serious surgery that gives you tools to achieve and sustain weight loss AND it comes with a serious commitment to take great care of yourself and use the tools.
Thank you to all who have been and continue to be a part of my journey and active supporters. Mary Lou
