ANNNDDD..... GOAL ! Some pics. Side by sides to come!
Well, after a little indecision as to when to call it, I'm calling it LOL. Woke up to 135.7 this morning. Nearly 98lbs down. Less than a year. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around all this. I have been looking through my OH photos and my FB photos and I'm like who is that person, you know??
Usually in these posts people tell a little about their journey so I will do the same. If you have any add'l questions, feel free to message me or ask on here. I love to help. I want you to feel the way I feel today. You *can* feel that way!
I wasn't fat my whole life. I was at the edge of healthy BMI but when I got into boot camp at 19, they took care of that. At my lowest adult weight, I weighed 128 and I was FIERCE. Boot camp body and could do some serious push-ups lol.
When I left Great Lakes, I was 135. I was totally good with that. Of course you're not doing same level of intense workouts. My eating habits were horrible. I grew up in South Louisiana and I thought everything began with bacon grease and flour. I remember eating mac n cheese and having Capri Suns as a grown up "because I could." We were poor growing up so we ate what was available.
It's been a crazy process learning to value ME more than the food on the plate. Value my health and my body and my life more than just buying the cheapest stuff available and eating it no matter what. I grew up with the "clean your plate" syndrome.
Left the Navy in 2005. Went from 165 to 192 in less than 3 months. Come to find out I had hypothyroidism. Got pregnant. Went up to 233. Lost/gained/lost/gained.... you know the drill. Last year we had a tour of my son's school. It's it a nicer area of town. I didn't want to be the fat mom at all the events. I am a food addict. I cope with food. I reward with food. Food keeps me company at night. At least it did. When I heard about the sleeve and how it takes away the hunger hormone and it removes a huge chunk of your stomach, I knew it was the solution for me. I needed something that was permanent. A band seemed like it had an "out" if I failed.
Anyway, I had an amazing surgeon. I really was his 5th sleeve, though. He used his skill sets from surgery to understand more about how your stomach would heal and I healed quickly and had zero issues. Not even nausea. He had me eating soft foods at 18 days out. No puree. He told me why the other day. He said your stomach has to get used to using its natural processes to stretch the food through so you don't heal too soon. Made sense to me. Might be something to consider in your journey.
Here are my tips. Let me say I do primarily observe the low-carb lifestyle however, when I was training for the 15K, I needed more carbs or I would get too hungry at the end of the day and that proved to be disastrous once or twice.
1) Listen to your body, not your brain. I could have hit goal 3 months ago but I kept *freaking* about my journey coming to an end.
2) Drink your water and then drink some more. 96oz per day is my goal, even now. Gotta flush the fat away somehow, right? That's what I tell myself "Flush the Fat!!"
3) If you are a female, there will probably be hormonal changes. Be ready to evaluate those and ask your doctor if anything seems odd.
4) Be patient with yourself. Be kind to yourself. I kept creating these delusional standards for myself, such as: "You're 75lbs lighter, you shouldn't be tired on the weekends anymore!" Um.... ok. If you're tired, you're tired. Rest.
5) Please go to counseling. Sooooooo much comes up. My spouse goes to counseling also.
6) Even though you "look good" you will probably still need an insane amount of encouragement. It happens quickly and my brain is still catching up as I write this.
7) Try new things. I'm posting some pics of CrossFit and Rock Climbing. You have to exercise. Find what you love. The reason I ran was because it was small, measurable goals. I tell you 7 months ago I groaned at running for 30 seconds. Thought I was going to die. I can run 10 miles now. Weird, right? BUT you must exercise. It's fun. It's a stress relief!
8) Start saving money for clothes now. Even though I got a lot donated and did a lot of thrift shopping, shopping is really fun when you can fit into just about anything.
9) Places I never thought I could lose weight: Hands, wrist and feet. My hands look bony now. 1.5 shoe sizes down. My bracelets were apparently stretched out and I didn't know.
10) I was not as rigid as some and more rigid than others. First and foremost, this is a lifestyle. You have to find what works for you. I can have a glass of wine 3 nights a week and not create a transfer addiction. I *cannot* have Chex Mix in the house or I will eat it all. Your triggers are different than others and that's okay. If you're slipping, tighten up. If you're happy, be happy!!!
Oh and one more thing, if inspiration doesn't exist around you, BE THE INSPIRATION! These pics are from my Health is Wealth outings I plan every month to expose my friends to new events. People constantly ask me for advice now. I get texts of people working out. Just roll with it. hehe.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
80s party hehe
Way to go! I'm from SW Louisiana, so I know what you mean about bacon, grease, and flour. (Good LORD I miss my Momma's gumbo right now!) I like what you said about listening to your body, not your brain. Definitely some good words to go by. :)
Laura- HW:240 SW: 224 GW:165 Surgery date 12/10/12
Winning the battle against obesity and PCOS!
