Holy Spit! Has it really been 3 years?????

Aloha All-

If not for the email from Obesity Help congratulating me on my 3 year surgiversary, I'd have forgotten completely about it. Time flies when you can enjoy life again!

Surgery was 3 years ago...I*'ve been at goal for over 2 years...plastics were 1 1/2 years ago....and I am still loving my sleeve. There is nothing I miss about my old life- not soda, nor eating an entire large pizza by myself, certainly not the wear/tear marks across my belly from the steering wheel as it rubbed against my hugely distended abdomen.

I still go to the gym 4-5 days weekly and I am still finding new exercises to enjoy ( TRX this month !). I still have no appetite ( but I love food!). Thrift stores are still my best new friend since I can now fit into all those barely worn or like new clothes- my treasure hunt every year is to find a formal dress under $10 to wear to my high schooler's senior ball (my husband and I deal Blackjack every year)  - this year's cost me $3.99 and still had a $359 pricetag from Nordstroms on it. My kids' friends call me "Guns", motivating me to keep up the weight training.

I've crossed things off my bucket list that I never thought I'd be able to do- surf , have my husband lift me up, and this summer will climb Half Dome in Yosemite with my firefighter sister ( who is obviously in whip-fast shape).

I use the elevator instead of stairs always, I run to replace the shopping carts at the grocery store front door after every shopping trip, and I pack my workout clothes FIRST on every business/leisure trip.

I can't say enough good things about my experience, but I am truly grateful to my husband ( who told me we'd find the money to self-pay no matter what it took- and now insurance covers VSGs, so I feel like I was a trendsetter), to my surgeon ( who broached the subject of the VSG when I was not keen on WLS), to my personal trainer at the gym ( who taught me free weights, High Intensity Interval Training, and introduced me to boxing- what a terrific workout!), to WLS group friends ( this surgery brought me in contact with so many cool people I'd have never crossed paths with otherwise).

So remember- the rules are really very simple:
-Protein first - 70+ grams per day, shoot for 125g+ if working out hard or healing from plastics
-Exercise, both cardio and strength training, 300 minutes weekly
-Small meals frequently, and make every meal count- eg get fiber AND protein with edamame, get calcium AND protein with Greek yogurt, eat fruit WITH protein and fat to reduce impact on your blood sugar)
-Drink your water
-Take your vitamins and calcium supplements
-Support- WLS group meetings, exercise with a buddy or chat online if that's your only access- I really feel that only a person who was once obese can truly understand some of the issues we deal with concerning body image, exercise difficulty, the power food had over us, etc
-Journal your intake til you are comfortable with calorie counts and basic nutrition

Be well all, I wish I'd done this 20 years ago... but am so glad I was blessed with the opportunity to do it now and save my 50's-60's- 70-'s (hopefully beyond!).

XOXOLori

Watch your mouth, pretty lady!!  :}

Its good to see you and I am glad you are doing so well!! 

MUWAH!!

Me and all the kritters who need emergency care send you our love !  :}

Ahhhh, Brandi! You look mmmmmmahvelous! Look at your muscles- boo yah, girl! I am rarely on OH these days, don't need it as much and I'm a sandwich generation kid with my dad-Alzheimer's- living alone -broke , a mother who needed us 24/7 after knee replacement surgery, and  2 kids still at home .....oh yeah, and work- but I was so shocked that I had let the 3 year mark go by without acknowledgement, I had to post! Keep up the good work, amiga! XOXOLori

Awesome post - thanks for letting me know there is hope that this is my future!  Congrats on 3 years of a new life!

Mahalo Lucy- you and I started with similar weights- and I remember thinking 3 weeks out, What is that new feeling I am experiencing? Oh....it's HOPE!  Hope that this could actually work. Years of yo yo dieting ( and never even getting CLOSE to goal) had left me despondent and depressed and feeling like I';d never be a normal sized human again- so I am here to tell you it CAN be done and it ain't that tough if you follow the rules! Wait til someone calls you "tiny" for the first time in your life- astounding. Best of luck to you! XoLori

Thanks so much - people on here like you let me know I can (and will) do this!  Best of all - it is in the near future, not 10 years down the road!  And it will stay off too (as long as I follow the rules).  I have my marching orders - I am going to do this!

Thanks so much!

Awesome, Awesome Post!!!  I'm glad life is treating you well!!  I'm looking forward to crossing things off my bucket list as well!!!  Thanks for stopping by!!!!!

That bucket list has things I NEVER thought I'd be able to do because of my weight- like zip lining with my kids ( Lord, would I ever get below the 250 lb weight limit) and riding horses again ( haven't done that one yet!). You will find life opens up again and wonder why you didn't do this sooner! Continued success to you! XOXOLori

As a retired HS teacher, a new thrift-store devotee, and a relatively new (6.5 mos. post-op) Loser, I found your post both touching and exceedingly accurate.  I follow almost exactly the regimen you recommend except I don't do much formal gym-time, opting instead for vigorous walking, golf, gardening, etc., but a minimum of a 500 cal. "burn" daily, no days off, ever. 
What a wonderful gift you have given to your family and yourself. 
At 65, I decided that if I wanted to enjoy the comfortable retirement I had worked so hard for, I had better get my body into shape.  So far I'm down 142 lbs., and I've lost diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and I'm off ALL Rx meds. 
So the future looks bright:  It felt so good this a.m., as our grand kids(4 & 2) climbed up into bed with wifey and I - and we all snuggled there, I imagined of how great it will be to watch them grow, graduate from college, get married and do all the other wonderful things of life.

My wife is my #1 cheerleader, exercise-buddy and I'm blessed to have her - ironically, she's a dietitian (but "not my dietitian") but was a college prof. rather than a clinical practitioner.  But she's been so helpful with her knowledge of nutrition and has been intensely involved in my program from the start.  I also credit the broad support system I have including neighbors, friends, family, golf buddies, etc., as they have encouraged me and shared my victories along the way. 
Congratulations on your continuing success; I'm so encouraged to read posts from the vets who are living the good life.
Pop-Pop (pix on profile)


 

To be there for your grandkids- isn't it amazing to have this do-over? Our insurance companies are making bank on us now that we no longer need meds for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, depression - I too am off everything except thyroid meds ( and they have been reduced  as my weight dropped). Your story will inspire others as well- I thought no way can I have muscles in my fifties- and yet here they are. I love finding outdoor ways to strengthen my bones ( now that I can walk up a hill without turning blue and keeling over). On my hikes, I look for tree stumps on which to do step ups and push ups.
Oooooh, added bonus --- I get better gas mileage in my car now that I no longer tote a 200 lb passenger with me on each and every car ride. And with the cost of gas these days, I have more money to spend at the thrift stores, HA!
Happy Do - Over, Pop Pop! XOXOLori