ObesityHelp

7-11-03 ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! Amazing to think where I was a year ago and how my life has changed! Got moved to AR 3 weeks ago. Love it here. I weighed 139# this morning, that is a total loss of 97.5# in 1 year. I am THRILLED! Celebrated by going swimming at the lake with friends and wore a TWO-PIECE SWIMMING SUIT! That was a first for me! My stomach has NEVER seen the sunlight (and I have the sunburn to prove it!) but I felt okay going out in public in one. Something I never would have dreamed possible. Granted, the skin is sagging in some places but I am no longer the biggest gal on the beach and don't feel the need to cover up from head to toe. I had my 1 year checkup with Dr. Black a few weeks early so I could see him before I moved and he was thrilled with how I have done. All of the blood work he ordered was just perfect.........and that is with only taking 2 Flintstones every morning. No calcium/B12/other supplements like some postops have to take. My body has never been this healthy! This has truly been a "rebirth" for me and I send best wishes out to all those preop and postops out there!!!!
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5-13-03 Update: Saw Dr. Black at work today and told me to stop losing weight! First time in my LIFE I've ever heard that! He said I look just fine and he REALLY doesn't want me to lose any more. Guess that's okay, since I am still stuck at 142 and have been for a month! He said that's probably because that is a good weight for me. I am very proud of my journey and my new life. I plan on moving to Arkansas the end of this summer to move in with my daughter's Godparents and start a whole new life with my whole new body and new health! Am looking forward to having the support in raising my daughter and a new beginning. Anyway, now that Dr. Black has told me not to lose any more weight, I can stop obsessing about why the scale doesn't move and start concentrating on living! Good luck to all who are continuing to travel down this road!
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4-14-03 Update: Just over 9 months out and the scale is at 142#, that is down 94.5#. I AM NORMAL WEIGHT!! Still feeling absolutely fantastic and thrilled with my "new life." My daughter will be spending the summer with her godparents in Arkansas and I am planning on getting a 2nd job to keep me occupied while she is gone and to earn money to BUY CLOTHES!
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3-4-03 Update: This morning weighed 147#, that is 89.5# gone and about 7 to go. My surgeon said he doesn't want me to go below 140, but I secretly want to go to 136 so I can say I lost 100# and get on the before/after page! I am still feeling WONDERFUL and would do it all again in a minute. Have 4 women in my department at work that have done it, another 1 week from today and another waiting for a date. There is also another person in the same facility but another department just waiting for his date, so we have a great support group right there! These last few pounds are taking what seems a long time, but I am patient. It took me a lot longer than 8 months to put all this weight on!
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1-13-03 Update: Had my 6 month check up today. Current weight as of this morning was 154#, that is 82.5# down and less than 15# from goal. Got a raving review from my surgeon. Said things are looking GREAT! All blood work is fine and he doesn't really want me to lose any more than 15 more pounds. He said I really don't need to go below 140. Works for me! Only problem I am having is a foot drop on my left foot. It is pretty much paralyzed due to compression of a nerve that runs behind my knee. Come to find out, just because we can now cross our legs post-op, doesn't mean we SHOULD!! By sitting all the time with my legs crossed (usually left over right), I have compressed the nerve and caused nerve damage. I have to be fitted with a special brace tomorrow to help me walk better (I trip over my "dead" foot all the time) and start physical therapy tomorrow afternoon. My orthopedic doctor is giving me 4 weeks to improve, then he may have to do surgery to release the nerve. What a bummer! But that is better than all the health problems I had pre-op! I wouldn't change it for the world. Best thing I have ever done!
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12-17-02 Update: Now 5 months out and down to 158#, that is 78.5 lbs down from where I started. Feeling really great. Not having any trouble with head hunger at all. Thought I would have more cravings than I do, but the only thing I really would kill for is broccoli with cheese.............oh, well, maybe someday! I have been blessed to have such little complications. Had some blood work done the other day and my hemoglobin A1c test (shows what your blood sugars have averaged for the past 3 months) was 5.4, NORMAL! The last one I had done before surgery was over 8!! And I haven't taken any meds other than vitamins since 6 weeks postop. I am now less than 15# from goal. I am going to Arkansas to visit my best friends (godparents for my daughter)for Christmas, and they haven't seen me since they came to take care of me right after surgery. Can't WAIT to see their faces! Everyone have a blessed and safe holiday!
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11-10-02 Update: Well, tomorrow it will have been 4 months since surgery. The scale said 169# this morning. YIPPEE! A big thank you to Kricket and her team for getting my pix posted on my site. I have had a lot of people ask me to get photos up. The one on the left (before) is about 15# below my preop weight of 236.5. The one on the right is 15 weeks postop and down 65#. I FEEL FANTASTIC!!
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10-29-02 Update: GREAT NEWS!!! Weighed in this morning at 171.5#, that is 65# down in just under 15 weeks. I AM OVERWEIGHT!!! Seems strange to want to shout that from the rooftops, but I am officially NOT OBESE! I am in size 14 pants and Lg shirts. I was in size 22-24 and 2x preop. I feel FANTASTIC! This has given me a life I've never had. I haven't weighed this since about sophomore year in high school! I bought a treadmill and walk at least 2 miles per day and walk for 15-20 minutes during my lunch time at work (now that it only takes about 5 minutes to eat "lunch"!) I wouldn't go back for anything!
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10-7-02 Update: Had my 3 month postop check today and my surgeon gave me the big 2 thumbs up! 12 weeks postop and down 56#. No longer take ANY prescription medications. Was taking meds for diabetes and high blood pressure before. I have reached my personal goal, which was to come off all medications. Of course, now that I am starting to look like someone I've NEVER seen before, I am being a bit more ambitious with my goals! Had someone who has known me for almost 10 years but hasn't seen me in about 18 months NOT RECOGNIZE me at the mall Saturday. That was GREAT!
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9-14-02 Update: Well, now 2 months and 3 days post-op. Hit a plateu at around 195 that lasted 10 days. Started to get depressed at first, then realized I had lost 45lbs in 7 weeks, was almost halfway to my goal so what did I have to be depressed about!! Saw my surgeon in the hall of the hospital where I work and he called me "skinny minnie" and asked how I was doing. Told him about the plateu and he told me to check my carbohydrates. I took a LONG look at what I was eating and figured out the sugar-free pudding was probably the culprit. Looked here on the site and found someone who said beef jerky is a great thing for us posties to eat.........and I LOVE jerky. Since I switched, the fat-burning machine is in full production again. Down to 187.5!!! YEA!! Feeling fine. Have found a great tape @ Walmart someone else might be interested in. Called "Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss." My back was bothering me a lot before I started it and it doesn't now! It is helping "tone" me, too. The nice thing about it is that it has 4 different women doing the yoga, all doing a different level of modification depending on your flexibility, so it isn't a "one size fits all" kind of tape.
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I hope I am posting this in the right spot! I am now 5 1/2 weeks post-op. Started @ 236.5 pounds and this morning hit the magic number of 199!!! It had been so long since I'd seen that "1" in the first digit of my weight that I cried. I had my 1 month checkup with Dr. Black on the 12th. Again, he took his time with me, answered any questions I had, explained where we go from here. He says I can now eat pretty much any food I am willing to try as long as I can chew it until it turns to liquid. Have tried a few new things this week, most of which worked, some of which didn't! But trial and error is the only way to know. I feel SO GOOD about this entire process and wouldn't change it for anything!