noonietunes
I was not an obese child. I was never athletic and the weight slowly crept up during adulthood, especially after quitting smoking. There was a time right after my divorce at age 30 that I lived on slimfast, one lean cuisine meal, cigarettes and raquetball and made it down to 127, dropping to 117 after a bout of pneumonia. For the last 18 years after my second marriage, I have crept up over 200 lbs. and stayed there. Tried Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Hcg shots with dr. supervised diet for 14 months, all with no lasting results and regain on my belly. (body builds immunity to Hcg). I have really struggled with my blood pressure the last 6 years, as I do not tolerate the medications well. Tried one week of Cymbalta for menopausal mood swings, and my bp went to 187/117!! I decided since my Dad had his first major heart attack at age 50 (I'm 52) that shut down his kidneys and eventually killed him at age 57, I needed to get this weight off ASAP. I also love to hike and spend time in the mountains, and kayak.. so for me this is not about finding my inner cougar, but to get healthy! I was denied by my former insurance, thankfully that was during open season and I could kick them to the curb and switch insurance. I was approved on the first attempt by BCBS Federal. Surgery will be on Jan. 29! Soo excited to get this party started!
I must take a moment to reflect on how I arrived at the decision to get the bypass. I toyed with the idea 12 years ago when I was 100 lbs. overweight and qualified even then. I had nothing but misinformation back then and was sure I could "do it on my own." It wasn't until this year after talking to a friend who had the lap band and a friend that had the RNY that I discovered bypass could reverse diabetes and hypertension. The more I researched, the more I learned and decided it was my time to get it done.
I had managed to lose about 30-40 lbs. on two years of Jenny Craig. It made me horribly constipated to the point I had to regularly take a cleanse supplement. I grew tired of the food and wanted to experiment with gourmet cooking. I also made a HUGE change in my diet over two years ago, and it is this change that I believe will sustain my weight loss after RNY. I kicked processed foods to the curb, with the exception of dining out here and there. I learned that 10 out of the 12 commercially used crop pesticides mimic estrogen in the body and contribute to weight gain. I also learned the same about meats treated with growth hormones and antibiotics. I work a rotating shift that already contributes to my cortisol levels. I made the conscious decision two years ago to only buy organic fruits and vegetables and meats free of hormones/antibiotics. I love the local farmers' market. I also quit diet soda two years ago, as aspartame is treated by my body the same as sugar. I have to be really careful with any artificial sweetener like sucralose as well as my ketosis strips have shown those fake sugars to reduce my ketosis. I have already made some major changes, and as you can see, I still can't lose weight. I am hoping this last step combined with my changed eating habits will rock my weight loss. I chose RNY specifically so I can't be tempted to "drink" my calories in the form of beer or wine or any alcohol as well. This is my chance at a new life, and I'm not going to blow it.
