It Took Me Eight Years

One of my earliest memories is playing on the playground slide at school and an older group of kids started calling me Fattie.  I wasn't - not even close, but I believed them and proceeded to make it my reality.  

I wasn't born with the best genetics - my teeth were horribly crooked (required braces twice, retainers twice, and jaw surgery in the middle to fix), my eyesight was off the charts bad, and my breasts were far too large.   My parents fixed my teeth, I had Lasik eye surgery in my 30's, and got a breast reduction in my 40's.  So what was left?  The playground taunt had become my reality, and in spite of trying Weigh****chers (a couple of times), Jenny Craig, Atkins, and even the cabbage soup diet, I only gained more weight.

So in 2006 I had lap band surgery at about 223 pounds and squeezing into size 18 pants.  At the time, the two main options were it and RNY.  I didn't have issues with sweets plus didn't want to have my intestines rerouted, so lap band it was.  And I did well, although I never understood at support meetings when people said they were full - my food just got stuck in my throat and more often than not it would come back up.  Gradually the issues piled up - acid reflux, vomiting, fills/unfills...I told the surgeon I'd had enough.

An upper GI showed a hiatal hernia caused by the band, and it was recommended that I remove it and revise to a sleeve.  This surgeon no longer took my insurance, so the hunt was on for a new one.  When my band was completely unfilled in anticipation of removal, I weighed about 180, and had for several years.  Once the band was unfilled and I could eat again, I rapidly gained 15 pounds in 3 months.

May 8, 2013, my revision to VSG happened; all in one surgery.  I signed up for a 5K six weeks after surgery as an incentive to get and stay moving.  The weight was coming off nicely, and I was walking every day, learning to run, and enjoying the compliments.

Late October, winter blues set in for me.  And that once a week sweet treat became an every day treat.  I stopped logging my food, and even though I have a treadmill it was catching dust. I plateaued my weight loss at around 155 pounds, but didn't gain.  

Late January, I forced myself to take a hard look at what was going on, and ditched the sweets and chips.  I started logging the good, bad and the ugly, and slowly started to lose again.  Because of OH, I knew that the closer you got to goal the slower the weight loss, so I didn't fixate when I'd lose a pound and then gain 3 the next day.  I was losing about 1.2 pounds a week, and that was totally realistic for me.

At 5'4 inches, top of the BMI chart for me is 145 pounds, with the ideal weight of 134 pounds.  This morning, my scale said 144.6, so I officially no longer overweight, obese, or morbidly obese! I'm wearing size 6 pants and medium tops.  

I'm not done, but this was a major milestone for me; one that I never thought I'd reach.  Next goal - 140 and then we'll see.  I wouldn't mind being "ideal" once in my life!  In my eight years, some of my NSVs:

• Dumped my CPAP; I no longer have sleep apnea
• Put diabetes in remission
• Lowered my resting heart rate from the 80's to the 60's.
• Participated in five 5Ks, with 2 more signed up for in the next couple of months
• My knees don't hurt going up and down stairs, or anywhere really

I'm obviously a slow learner, since it took me so long, but I'm starting to get it now.  What I have learned in the last 8 years will help me ensure I have a healthy, happy, and fit future!

Woohoo! Congrats!

We'll just have to stick around here so people REALLY know what slow is. :-)

Exactly Slim - we're the poster children for never giving up!

Hi Sandy - I was glad to read your story.  I've had my struggles this winter with the "blues" too and it's definitely showed up in my food and on my body.  I'm happy to hear that you're back on track and getting close to your ideal weight.  It's hard to rein it in but you did it!  

Winter is hard for a lot of us for sure!  I'm so looking forward to longer, warmer, sun filled days again!

Thanks for posting this!  I needed to hear this a year out and not at my goal - another shortie who has 25-30 lbs to go and the weight loss is so slow now.  

Sounds like you are "ideal" already with all the health benefits!  5 -5k's - that's awesome!!

Just keep at it - it's worth it!

So very good for you---way to persevere!  Totally excellent!

Thank you!

Wow - i just love this post about your journey. Its refreshing from a lot of the other stuff I see . You are truly amazing and you obviously have the perseverance to accomplish this. It made me realize that ...who cares if it takes me 8 years to get to my goal...in the end, al that will matter is that I did it, right?

Congrats girl!!!  Amazing job