Mildly NSFW Photos. 15 month update - Surgeon's goal MET!
Hello everyone. I was 15 months out from surgery yesterday and on Saturday made it to my surgeon's goal of 165. This is a smidgen over a "normal" BMI, so I am looking forward to losing another pound or two so that I can report that I am finally "NORMAL" (Ha! As IF!) I had somewhat arbitrarily set a goal for myself of 160 and my plan now is to just keep doing what I have been doing all along (You know the drill: protein, fluid, supplements, physical activity, healthy veg, minimal crap).
I had struggled for a long time with wondering if I would ever reach goal and whether I even cared - I had several months where I lost no weight or maybe a pound or two a month - and I think I was a bit sick of worrying about whether I was going to be a failure or not. Oddly, my weight loss picked up a lot this month - 6 pounds down, after months of little change.
It was funny that once I reached this somewhat significant goal it was a bit anti-climatic. The reality is, it won't really change my behaviour or my eating - I just will keep doing what I have been doing all along. I still can't actually imagine ever needing to gain weight or having to make weight loss stop - and if that time comes, well I will deal with it then. In the meantime my mantra is "Keep on keeping ON!".
Just so you can see what is possible - here are some before photos and a set taken yesterday. I'm wrinklier and wobblier, and not likely to be asked to model bathing suits or lingerie for Sports Illustrated or Victoria's Secret, but a lot leaner and healthier too!
Also, here are the changes in some of my measurements: Waist was 49, now 32; Bust was 54, now 41; Ribcage was 49, now 34; Bicep was 14, now 11; Thighs were 34.5, no 21; Calf was 20, now 15. WOO HOO!
Back: Before and at 15 months
Side: Before and at 15 months
Front: Before and at 15 months
For what it's worth, the keys to success (FOR ME) have been:
To fail to plan is to plan to fail: I always carry my protein drinks and other fluids with me and have a solid plan for lunch, or a packed lunch (Same for any other meal away from home). Every week I plan the week's menus, including planned leftovers for lunches, and do the shopping. I make a list of items for lunch, breakfast and snacks and make sure to have them on hand - so that when it is time to eat, the easiest route to my meal is the healthy stuff I have planned to eat, rather than a swing through a fast food drive-through or convenience store. My desk is stocked with some healthy and low carb snack items as well as protein powder etc. for when I need them at work.
Get those fluids in. the more I drink, the less I retain water and the quicker my body sheds fat. If I feel hungry or have cravings I drink first and see if I still feel hungry 15 minutes after drinking 16-20 ounces. Often I do not.
Eat protein first, no matter what else I am craving, Then, if I still want it, I have a bit of chocolate or whatever (But minimize the damage - make it DARK chocolate!)
Don't sweat the stalls. I haven't seen any evidence in terms of my own experience that eating more, eating less, exercising more, swinging cats, praying, swearing, going back to liquids, or whatever breaks stalls. I mean, be honest with yourself - if you are eating crap and not eating what your body needs, you should not be surprised if you gain weight or stall. But, if you are doing what you should be doing, there is nothing to do but wait it out and keep tracking your body measurements - these typically change a lot when I am NOT losing weight according to the scale!
Maximize the benefits of your food. Whatever and however you choose to eat - try to make sure that what you put in your mouth has a lot of benefit and only a little bit of harm. (For me, with my limited capacity to eat, food has to really be worth it, not just be harmless.) So, I prioritize protein, healthy fats, and fibre - and tend to rely on foods that help me feel satiated.
Try eating until you are satisfied, rather than stuffed: You don't need to stuff yourself! It doesn't feel good and it won't contribute to your long term success. We chose a surgery that provides restriction - USE IT!
If you are gonna "cheat" plan it, track it, own it. I eat a couple squares of 85% dark chocolate a day. I like them, I am still losing weight, for me they are an acceptable part of a daily eating plan. Whatever it is, make it a choice and not a slip.
Exercise: I look and feel better, and I know that I improve my overall health when I exercise. Lifting weights, in particular, makes my body look better ... BUT for me exercise isn't really a key to weight loss, It's all about what i eat and what i don't eat.
Supplements: Take them, track your labs, be an informed WLS consumer. Lots of doctors and many WLS surgeons know little to nothing about nutrition, let alone the nutrition needs of WLS patients. You may need to be an effective advocate for yourself - acquire the knowledge that will make this possible!
Take pictures and take measurements monthly : When the scale is being a real ***** your measurements and your photos will reassure you that you are changing for the better!
Celebrate your successes! I often celebrate with a pedicure or new clothes or whatever, but the most satisfying reward so far was donating 100 pounds of food to the food bank when I hit the milestone of 100 pounds lost. When I hit my personal goal of 160, I will donate the 123 pounds I have lost to the food bank again. Take a picture with it - it is amazing to think about having to carry all of that around with me every second of every day. No WONDER I was tired and sore and sick!
Make and take notice of achieving goals other than clothing size and weight: Such as: health goals, exercise goals, stuff you could do and places you can fit that you couldn't before losing weight. Here are some of the goals I set 6 months before my surgery:
Normal blood pressure: Check Normal cholesterol: Check Controlled blood sugar: Check Reduce/eliminate joint pain (have ALREADY had a knee replacement following an injury): Check - pain is GONE Size 14 or below: Check - now in size 10 mostly, some 8s and some 12s too 180 pounds or less: Check Able to polish toenails without straining: No problem! No more huffing and puffing up the hill: Check - and it still is a surprise to me every time that walking uphill is not difficult at all anymore Can reach behind my back to fasten my bra: Yup! Exercise is more fun than it is torture: Yes - although I still lack motivation to get started quite a lot of the time Increased energy: Absolutely! Can buy clothing at regular shops: Yes - although I still feel like a trespasser sometimes! No more worrying before sitting on fragile looking furniture: Check No more worrying about whether the seat belt on the airline will fit: Check More space in my airline seat!: Lots more space Easy to fit in all of the amusement park rides - and the energy to do a day at Disneyland!: Yup, and had a great day a year ago at Disney! Able to schedule a dude ranch vacation without worrying that I am too heavy to ride the poor horses: Haven't done this yet - but it is in my future! Learn to kayak: Not yet Learn to scuba dive: Not yet High heels don’t hurt (as much, let's be realistic!): Check (but yeah, they still hurt sometimes!) Cute undies!:Not so much - Spanx are my friend! Able to fit my behind in the bath - and able to hoist myself out of it!: Check Bike riding is fun and not a form of torture: Haven't tried this yet
A hike is no longer the equivalent of a forced march: Absolutely - I am even the speedy one sometimes!
Attend a reunion in July 2010 looking FINE!: Reunion was cancelled - but I am ready to rock a little black dress ANYTIME - bring it on!
I am so grateful - this surgery may have saved my life and it has certainly saved my quality of life!
I had struggled for a long time with wondering if I would ever reach goal and whether I even cared - I had several months where I lost no weight or maybe a pound or two a month - and I think I was a bit sick of worrying about whether I was going to be a failure or not. Oddly, my weight loss picked up a lot this month - 6 pounds down, after months of little change.
It was funny that once I reached this somewhat significant goal it was a bit anti-climatic. The reality is, it won't really change my behaviour or my eating - I just will keep doing what I have been doing all along. I still can't actually imagine ever needing to gain weight or having to make weight loss stop - and if that time comes, well I will deal with it then. In the meantime my mantra is "Keep on keeping ON!".
Just so you can see what is possible - here are some before photos and a set taken yesterday. I'm wrinklier and wobblier, and not likely to be asked to model bathing suits or lingerie for Sports Illustrated or Victoria's Secret, but a lot leaner and healthier too!
Also, here are the changes in some of my measurements: Waist was 49, now 32; Bust was 54, now 41; Ribcage was 49, now 34; Bicep was 14, now 11; Thighs were 34.5, no 21; Calf was 20, now 15. WOO HOO!
Back: Before and at 15 months
Side: Before and at 15 months
Front: Before and at 15 monthsFor what it's worth, the keys to success (FOR ME) have been:
To fail to plan is to plan to fail: I always carry my protein drinks and other fluids with me and have a solid plan for lunch, or a packed lunch (Same for any other meal away from home). Every week I plan the week's menus, including planned leftovers for lunches, and do the shopping. I make a list of items for lunch, breakfast and snacks and make sure to have them on hand - so that when it is time to eat, the easiest route to my meal is the healthy stuff I have planned to eat, rather than a swing through a fast food drive-through or convenience store. My desk is stocked with some healthy and low carb snack items as well as protein powder etc. for when I need them at work.
Get those fluids in. the more I drink, the less I retain water and the quicker my body sheds fat. If I feel hungry or have cravings I drink first and see if I still feel hungry 15 minutes after drinking 16-20 ounces. Often I do not.
Eat protein first, no matter what else I am craving, Then, if I still want it, I have a bit of chocolate or whatever (But minimize the damage - make it DARK chocolate!)
Don't sweat the stalls. I haven't seen any evidence in terms of my own experience that eating more, eating less, exercising more, swinging cats, praying, swearing, going back to liquids, or whatever breaks stalls. I mean, be honest with yourself - if you are eating crap and not eating what your body needs, you should not be surprised if you gain weight or stall. But, if you are doing what you should be doing, there is nothing to do but wait it out and keep tracking your body measurements - these typically change a lot when I am NOT losing weight according to the scale!
Maximize the benefits of your food. Whatever and however you choose to eat - try to make sure that what you put in your mouth has a lot of benefit and only a little bit of harm. (For me, with my limited capacity to eat, food has to really be worth it, not just be harmless.) So, I prioritize protein, healthy fats, and fibre - and tend to rely on foods that help me feel satiated.
Try eating until you are satisfied, rather than stuffed: You don't need to stuff yourself! It doesn't feel good and it won't contribute to your long term success. We chose a surgery that provides restriction - USE IT!
If you are gonna "cheat" plan it, track it, own it. I eat a couple squares of 85% dark chocolate a day. I like them, I am still losing weight, for me they are an acceptable part of a daily eating plan. Whatever it is, make it a choice and not a slip.
Exercise: I look and feel better, and I know that I improve my overall health when I exercise. Lifting weights, in particular, makes my body look better ... BUT for me exercise isn't really a key to weight loss, It's all about what i eat and what i don't eat.
Supplements: Take them, track your labs, be an informed WLS consumer. Lots of doctors and many WLS surgeons know little to nothing about nutrition, let alone the nutrition needs of WLS patients. You may need to be an effective advocate for yourself - acquire the knowledge that will make this possible!
Take pictures and take measurements monthly : When the scale is being a real ***** your measurements and your photos will reassure you that you are changing for the better!
Celebrate your successes! I often celebrate with a pedicure or new clothes or whatever, but the most satisfying reward so far was donating 100 pounds of food to the food bank when I hit the milestone of 100 pounds lost. When I hit my personal goal of 160, I will donate the 123 pounds I have lost to the food bank again. Take a picture with it - it is amazing to think about having to carry all of that around with me every second of every day. No WONDER I was tired and sore and sick!
Make and take notice of achieving goals other than clothing size and weight: Such as: health goals, exercise goals, stuff you could do and places you can fit that you couldn't before losing weight. Here are some of the goals I set 6 months before my surgery:
Normal blood pressure: Check Normal cholesterol: Check Controlled blood sugar: Check Reduce/eliminate joint pain (have ALREADY had a knee replacement following an injury): Check - pain is GONE Size 14 or below: Check - now in size 10 mostly, some 8s and some 12s too 180 pounds or less: Check Able to polish toenails without straining: No problem! No more huffing and puffing up the hill: Check - and it still is a surprise to me every time that walking uphill is not difficult at all anymore Can reach behind my back to fasten my bra: Yup! Exercise is more fun than it is torture: Yes - although I still lack motivation to get started quite a lot of the time Increased energy: Absolutely! Can buy clothing at regular shops: Yes - although I still feel like a trespasser sometimes! No more worrying before sitting on fragile looking furniture: Check No more worrying about whether the seat belt on the airline will fit: Check More space in my airline seat!: Lots more space Easy to fit in all of the amusement park rides - and the energy to do a day at Disneyland!: Yup, and had a great day a year ago at Disney! Able to schedule a dude ranch vacation without worrying that I am too heavy to ride the poor horses: Haven't done this yet - but it is in my future! Learn to kayak: Not yet Learn to scuba dive: Not yet High heels don’t hurt (as much, let's be realistic!): Check (but yeah, they still hurt sometimes!) Cute undies!:Not so much - Spanx are my friend! Able to fit my behind in the bath - and able to hoist myself out of it!: Check Bike riding is fun and not a form of torture: Haven't tried this yet
A hike is no longer the equivalent of a forced march: Absolutely - I am even the speedy one sometimes!
Attend a reunion in July 2010 looking FINE!: Reunion was cancelled - but I am ready to rock a little black dress ANYTIME - bring it on!
I am so grateful - this surgery may have saved my life and it has certainly saved my quality of life!
Margo - Burnaby, British Columbia HW 283 / SW 269 / GW 160 (I'm 5'8")
Check out my blog at http://www.vsggoodlife.com/
Check out my blog at http://www.vsggoodlife.com/
You. Rock. You're so small now... lemme know if you need someone to help keep you warm on those cold Canadian nights! Way to go!
Current weight: 170 lbs.
Once I reach goal, this cow will be killed & eaten... 2 ounces at a time.
Total includes 56 lbs. lost on 2-month low carb pre-op diet. Start date 9/13/10.
Now you've gone and made me blush!Most Active
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