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Goals not related to the scale:
- Being able to walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded (achieved 6/25 - 15.5 weeks post-op - 43 lbs lost post-op)
- Walk around the lake at Antrim Park briskly (achieved 6/13 - 9.5 months post-op - 30 lbs lost post-op)
- Not have my knees hurt after I walk a lot
- Travel for work without my back hurting for days (achieved 6/25 - back hasn't hurt after traveling since surgery)
- Sit in an airplane seat without squeezing my arms to my sides (achieved 6/26 - 11 weeks post-op)
- Own a bra with 2 hooks instead of 4
- Reach parts of my body that are hard to reach now (achieved - or noticed - 7/18 - 14.5 weeks post-op)
- Enjoy shopping for clothes (December 26, 2009 - 8.5 months post-op)
- Fit into a restaurant booth without my stomach touching the table, or not fitting at all (achieved - or noticed - 7/20 - 14.5 weeks post-op)
- Wrapping a bath towel completely around me (achieved 10/2 - 25 weeks post-op )
- Ride roller coasters again (achieved 10/10 - 26.5 weeks post-op)
- Not sweat all the time (Summer 2009 - wore makeup all summer)
- Buy new clothes every six months NOT because my existing ones are too small
- Not feel my chins crease at the bottom of my neck
- Buy clothes that fit from catalogs
- Actually feel COLD in the winter
- Tie my shoes comfortably (July 2009)
- See my feet when I look straight down
- Shop in a regular clothes store (10/5 - 26 weeks post-op at Old Navy)
- Not have the doctor ask me about my weight or blood pressure, etc each visit
- Being able to get up from a chair without having to heave myself up (December 2009 - 8 months post-op)
- Not have my stomach spill over my pant waist
- Buy jeans (10/5 - 26 weeks post-op at Old Navy)
- Not be obsessed with stuffing my face with food
- Living healthy!!!
I have had issues with weight for as long as I remember. Even when I had times when I was thinner, I didn't recognize it because of my history.
Looking back at pictures of me as a kid, I see a noticeable difference in school pictures between 3rd and 4th grade. After that, I started to feel the impact of being a chubby kid. My dad would tell me that I was starting to look like my mother - she has a weight issue as well. I was more self-conscious in school as I got teased and made fun of. The weight increased until I got to high school. In high school, I started to take a better shape - losing my "baby fat" I suppose. But I was still overweight. Then in college, I was actually a healthy weight. I didn't eat a lot and walked all over a huge campus to get to class. Unfortunately, I didn't recognize that I was in a healthy place and still saw myself in a bad light.
The severe issues started after I graduated from graduate school. I started working, not walking as much, not cooking on my own much, so therefore opting for bad options. This is also when I started my weight loss attempts.
1997 - weight loss program at gym focusing on nutrition and exercise
1998 - one of those weight loss drugs you see on infomercials
2000 - Physicians Weight Loss
2001 - Weight Watchers
2002 - Weight Watchers
2004 - OSU Center for Wellness and Prevention Weight Loss program
2007 - Weight Watchers
2007 - One-on-one meetings with nutritionist
At this point in my life, I know one of three things is a likelihood.
1) I will maintain my current, very unhealthy weight.
2) I will continue to increase weight rapidly
3) I will go through another program, lose weight, but ultimately gain more back
So rather than do the same things expecting different results, I think it's time to look at more aggressive options. The risk of serious health issues that will likely come from my current patterns is much greater than the risks of the surgery I am investigating.
I no longer think about weight loss from a superficial standpoint. I no longer am thinking if I lose weight, I can find love, or I can look better in clothes. I have found love and want to lose weight so I can live my life with my husband. I want to be healthy. I want to be active. I want to live the life I deserve to live.
So bring it on - let's do it!
