18 months & Double Century Club
I have to say, it's starting to feel like it's 18 months since surgery. Surgery, and the way life was before it, is becoming more and more of a distant memory. Nicolle once said (paraphrasing) that she knew she was into the next phase of her life when her weight started stabilizing and her monthly pictures started looking the same. I guess I'm there. I am still losing, but I stopped taking pictures at 12 months. I don't see a lot of difference from 12-18 months but I have lost ~25 pounds.
Life is...amazing. I didn't really have health issues before surgery. My blood pressure was starting to get out of control, but that was a recent development. No diabetes, not even high cholesterol. But post-op my numbers have been ridiculous. My resting heart rate is in the 40's. My blood pressure is typically around 110/65. My LDL is frickin' 52, and I eat bacon every morning.
Most of my labs are good or at least headed in the right direction. I have switched my calcium to MCHA; hopefully that and my improving D levels will keep my PTH from continuing to creep up. I have struggled with anemia too but this has been improving. I'm waiting on some lab results to see how switching to Proferrin is working for me. It has definitely helped with constipation.
I have felt like these last pounds are taking forever to come off. I stopped doing weights and now I just ride a stationary bike for an hour every morning. I think this might be working because I've lost quite a bit lately (and not muscle). I think I needed more protein than I was getting so I added in a double scoop shake every morning and I've lost more since doing that. It's still a strange thing to wrap my head around that I need to eat more to lose, but I do. When you run the numbers I eat 2500-3000 calories per day, absorb less than half, and between burning 800+ on the bike plus normal activity, have a pretty serious calorie deficit going on. I never thought I would say that I'm sick of eating, but I am!
At this point I am 219lbs and this is less than I can remember weighing at any time since high school. I've flown several times since surgery and it's like the seats keep getting bigger. I don't need to lift the seat arm up anymore. I don't have to worry about the seat belt. The strange thing is I still feel like I don't fit down the aisles. I do that with clothes as well. Practically every morning as I pull a shirt over my head or put my pants on, I think to myself, "this will never fit". Anything that doesn't feel like a circus tent feels like it won't fit me, and I'm still surprised every day when it does.
Pre-op, like most of us, I used to sweat under pretty much any strain--walking around a store, or even just in a warm room. The heat was definitely my enemy, and one thing that I have realized is that it wasn't just that I got hot. It was that it was impossible to cool back down. Saturday we took the dogs to the park and I ran that ******g boxer pretty hard--he had a lot of energy after being cooped up from us taking two recent trips. I definitely broke a sweat--it was a 95 degree day--but I was able to cool down just by walking it off. Pre-op I would have needed IV fluids after walking out on the porch on a 95 degree day.
We visited my parents for the holiday and looked back at a lot of old pictures. I was a pretty plump baby but I was actually a very skinny kid through about age 7 or 8. I'm sure it helped that back in those days, you were active and played outdoors or you got your ass whipped. It was pretty striking to look back at a photographic timeline and see the weight go up and down.
I guess that's enough rambling. The obligatory before & after photos are below, but I do want to thank some people for inspiring, encouraging, and just being all around great people. Nicolle for telling me to hang in there when times were rough early out and for becoming such a great friend. All the Indy DS'ers, Brok, Lori, Jessica, and everyone else, for showing me how to eat, what to eat, and how to live with a DS. Diana Cox for being tough as nails in paying this forward--without the "take no prisoners" attitude that she has instilled in so many people, I would be sitting here with a RNY, probably weighing about 280 and regaining already. And so many other people I probably should name but just can't think of right now. Thanks for making this a great community!
Life is...amazing. I didn't really have health issues before surgery. My blood pressure was starting to get out of control, but that was a recent development. No diabetes, not even high cholesterol. But post-op my numbers have been ridiculous. My resting heart rate is in the 40's. My blood pressure is typically around 110/65. My LDL is frickin' 52, and I eat bacon every morning.
Most of my labs are good or at least headed in the right direction. I have switched my calcium to MCHA; hopefully that and my improving D levels will keep my PTH from continuing to creep up. I have struggled with anemia too but this has been improving. I'm waiting on some lab results to see how switching to Proferrin is working for me. It has definitely helped with constipation.
I have felt like these last pounds are taking forever to come off. I stopped doing weights and now I just ride a stationary bike for an hour every morning. I think this might be working because I've lost quite a bit lately (and not muscle). I think I needed more protein than I was getting so I added in a double scoop shake every morning and I've lost more since doing that. It's still a strange thing to wrap my head around that I need to eat more to lose, but I do. When you run the numbers I eat 2500-3000 calories per day, absorb less than half, and between burning 800+ on the bike plus normal activity, have a pretty serious calorie deficit going on. I never thought I would say that I'm sick of eating, but I am!
At this point I am 219lbs and this is less than I can remember weighing at any time since high school. I've flown several times since surgery and it's like the seats keep getting bigger. I don't need to lift the seat arm up anymore. I don't have to worry about the seat belt. The strange thing is I still feel like I don't fit down the aisles. I do that with clothes as well. Practically every morning as I pull a shirt over my head or put my pants on, I think to myself, "this will never fit". Anything that doesn't feel like a circus tent feels like it won't fit me, and I'm still surprised every day when it does.
Pre-op, like most of us, I used to sweat under pretty much any strain--walking around a store, or even just in a warm room. The heat was definitely my enemy, and one thing that I have realized is that it wasn't just that I got hot. It was that it was impossible to cool back down. Saturday we took the dogs to the park and I ran that ******g boxer pretty hard--he had a lot of energy after being cooped up from us taking two recent trips. I definitely broke a sweat--it was a 95 degree day--but I was able to cool down just by walking it off. Pre-op I would have needed IV fluids after walking out on the porch on a 95 degree day.
We visited my parents for the holiday and looked back at a lot of old pictures. I was a pretty plump baby but I was actually a very skinny kid through about age 7 or 8. I'm sure it helped that back in those days, you were active and played outdoors or you got your ass whipped. It was pretty striking to look back at a photographic timeline and see the weight go up and down.
I guess that's enough rambling. The obligatory before & after photos are below, but I do want to thank some people for inspiring, encouraging, and just being all around great people. Nicolle for telling me to hang in there when times were rough early out and for becoming such a great friend. All the Indy DS'ers, Brok, Lori, Jessica, and everyone else, for showing me how to eat, what to eat, and how to live with a DS. Diana Cox for being tough as nails in paying this forward--without the "take no prisoners" attitude that she has instilled in so many people, I would be sitting here with a RNY, probably weighing about 280 and regaining already. And so many other people I probably should name but just can't think of right now. Thanks for making this a great community!
Isn't the DS the best thing you've ever done for yourself?
Chad, our dear sweet Chad! What a great post, I've enjoyed following your story, you've done an amazing job! And look at how HOT you are, you'd look better if you'd just frickin smile though! hehehe you know that's said with love... anyhow, congrats on all your changes!!
Hugs,
Lisa
Hugs,
Lisa
Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says "oh crap! she's up!
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