ObesityHelp

Just done 12-20-2000.
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1-21-00...I am so delighted to have done this procedure. I am 50lbs down and counting. I told Dr. Printen that he has given me the keys to my tomb. I recently discovered that I had become a Type II Diabetic pre-op...this surgery is a life-saver!! I have been sleeping prone (on my stomach) since 2.5 weeks post-op. I rarely use any pain meds. I returned to work and grad school in my fourth week post-op. People drop their jaw to see how healthy I am looking...my color is vastly improved. I walk and breathe so much easier. Thank goodness for my RNY!!!
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Hello everyone!! I am four months out and 110 pounds down from my high weight of 400, 95 down from my official weight of 385!! I workout at a fitness center 4-6 times a weeks for 45-70 minutes of Cardio, alternating with 30 mins Cardio/30 mins of Weight Training. I am diligent and disciplined in my food choices. I feel marvelous. I am wearing the "maybe someday I will fit into this" clothes I would always buy on sale, too small to wear at the time. Now, those clothes are hanging on me! Some folks don't recognize me until I speak to them. I look so different in everyway, and can zoom around like nobody's business. I am SO GRATEFUL that I have had this surgery. God bless all of you on your weight loss surgery journey.
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6-14-2001 I am just six days shy of six months out, and I have lost 134 pounds from high weight of 400 on my day of surgery. I can hardly believe it, but when I look down, I see FEET!! Pretty amazing. Exercising is really firming and shaping me up. It is essential. I get stopped in the hall all the time at work by people who just have to tell me how proud they are of me. I can walk up to any armchair and know that I will fit. I had to move my carseat up because my feet couldn't reach the pedals now that the caboose is shrinking! I even lowered the steering wheel to standard position. I had to buy smaller shoes!
When I look at pictures of myself pre-op, I am filled with an odd sensation of feeling sorry for the person I was mixed with extreme gratitude that my life has so changed for the better.
Praise GOD that He has let me live to this happy, happy day.
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6-28-01 Greetings everyone!! I just wanted to check in today. Our first Bariatric Sugery Support Group is tonight, and I am very proud to be part of it. I am delighted that we are starting a group for pre-ops and post-ops. Support is absolutely essential to one's success! BTW, the count is 143 down from my high weight. Yippee-yahoo!
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8-12-01 Hello to all!! I am happy to report that I have lost 157 pounds from my day of surgery, just a week shy of eight months ago. It gets harder to stave off the bad food habits the longer post-op I go. I found myself abusing carbs recently...I wasn't eating protein unless it was sitting on top of something crunchy like a cracker or pita chip. This left me with less room for the protein which I need by filling up with a carb, which I DON'T need. I had to get very honest with myself, and this broke a weight plateau once I followed the principle of protein first, then veggies, then fruit , THEN carbs. I increased my water intake, also.

I still exercise faithfully, 4-7 times a week, 45-75 minutes per session. I really enjoy it so much-who could ever have predicted THAT!! I had to buy an entire new wardrobe of clothes, and all of them are too loose now. Having muscle definition truly helps change your shape. My best friend remarked that I am no longer vase-shaped as I was when she met me in 1975, a college freshman. She said, "I have known you fat and I have known you thin...your hips were always your dominant feature. Here I am walking behind you, and you are in pants, and your hips fit the rest of your body for the first time ever!!" Boy, did that feel great to hear from a person who is always honest with me! I hope everyone is doing well!!



12-27-01
It has been one year and one week since my surgery. I have lost 196 pounds!! I am nearly 1/2 the woman I once was! Soon, I will always have lost more than I weigh. I feel wonderful. Every five pounds now has a greater impact on my physical appearance. This has been an amazing year. I had my monthly post-op photos developed, and it is truly awesome to flip through the pages, marvelling at the changes. This year's Christmas card features a double image, dated December 1, 2000 and December 1, 2001. The kid at the photo place did not recognize my pre-op picture as being me, and wanted to know why on earth I would want those two photos together. He nearly fell out of his chair when I finally convinced him that the two women were one and the same! I am wearing an adorable Christmas vest I saw hanging in our hospital gift shop window. I saw that it was a size large, and thought, "No way!" I tried it on, and WOW!! I look so petite (and SEXY!!) in a rib-cage hugging thing like this! Exercise folks!! That is the BIG KEY! Protein, Water, Exercise, Discipline, Diligence, Dedication. And Distribution...if you don't share what God has given you so freely, you will not hold on to it. This includes post-op success. I hope everyone is doing well.

January 17, 2004: Hello everyone. It's now over three years and I am maintaining a 225 pound loss. Five of these pounds have been lost since August by taking a cold, hard look at carbohydrates in my diet and replacing the better part of them with more protein. The tool still works if you work the tool. Remember: long term weight loss maintenance is 10% surgical revision, 90% behavioral change. There is no other way. I hope everyone is doing well!
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