I honestly don't remember the last time I logged in here and it took a bit to get into my account but I felt it was important to post an update. I remember how much it meant to read about others' progress through the years. So I'lll try to be as honest as I can about my journey.

I had a vertical sleeve on November 4, 2013. I started at 317 on the day of surgery (my high weight was maybe 20 pounds higher but lost that in the excitement leading up to my surgery). It took 9 months to reach my goal of 190 and another 3 months to reach my lowest weight of 158. That was a bit too low and I settled around 163-165 for about 5 years. In the subsequent 3 years I gradually gained up to 195 and have been here +/- 7 pounds for the past 2 years.

I was consistently active for the first 6 years (yoga 3 x week, running 2 x week, hiking alost every week). There were breaks in activity following my tummy tuck/breast lift and augmentation in 2017 but I got back on track pretty quickly. Then in late 2018 I had a hysterectomy for a massive fibroma and took a bit longer to get back to my routine. The real fall off was when I started dealing with spinal issues and couldn't do yoga anymore. I even hired a private yoga instructor for a few months to try to keep it up in a way I could handle but then there was Covid. I was lucky enough to work every single day throughout Covid but I allowed myself to fall into a very sedentary life at home and that is when I worked my way up to where I am now. I was so proud of how dedicated I had been and tried very hard not to allow myself to feel like a victim of my spinal issues but I failed to keep myself motivated. I am well aware this is of my own doing.

As far as food is concerned my restriction is still very good. I don't feel I can eat much more than I did by the end of year one. But I'm not an idiot. I know I can eat more if I just wait a little bit so eating by the clock and not wavering is probably the best plan for me moving forward. I can eat anything and I do. I go through periods of being very strict about carbs and focusing on protein and vegetables but I have plenty of breaks where I eat anything and everything and pay the price on the scale.

The most glaring reality of my regain and inability to get back on track is alcohol. The moment you want to start gaining weight and stop losing or maintaining weight, just start drinking. I don't recommend it. It has been the most difficult thing to manage. I can easily stop drinking for long periods of time but eventually I'll start up again. I don't really drink alone or for no reason at all but it's just such a social thing for me. I will continue to try to manage this but I am also trying to be realistic.

VSG is still the most important and amazing thing I have ever done for myself and I am still happy with all I have accomplished. I came here today to talk about my life 10 years after surgery but also in an attempt to take the first real step in making a new goal that I can work toward.

My goal is 175 pounds (20 pounds) but I also want to be strong again. At my fittest I had the type of muscle definition I had dreamed of and my core strength was amazing. My goal now is to be "fit" in that I am active at least 4 days a week, have a bit of definition, and fit back into all those lovely clothes I bought. I don't think that is an unreasonable goal and I think 6 months is a reasonable amount of time. We'll see.

Thank you if you made it through my rambling post as I didn't have a plan when I started typing except to just type.

Like everyone else I can't keep my hands off my bones, clavicles and hips in particular.  

I used to always buy my clothes so that they did not touch me so that you couldn't see my rolls.  Now I but my clothes so they fit me like a hug (tailored, fitted, etc).  I used to hate feeling my clothes touch my skin and now I can't get enough of it.  It's also a good way to keep my weight in check.

 

I agree you look beautiful in both pictures but what an incredible transformation.  You look super fly in that after pic!  I love the hat!!

Glad to hear you are doing well.  Your pictures are great.  Are you happy with how everything is settling?  Your scars seem to be progressing well.  I can't believe how time has flown by so fast.

What an incredible story you are!!  Look at what you did!!  I still remember reading your posts when I was scheduling my surgery back in October of 2013.  I was already amazed at your progress then.  Congratulations, Nikke!  

Congratulations, Gwen!  So happy you realize and can enjoy the significance of this moment!

I take the sugar free version of Fiber Well by Vitafusion.  It is the one they carry everywhere, Target, Albertsons, Walmart.

Also, I recommend Perfect Iron by Sundown Naturals.  You may have to go to Amazon to find it.  It is elemental iron so more easily absorbed and there are little to no GI side effects or constipation in most people.

I suffered a great deal after surgery which was not a surprise because I had issues before surgery.  Over the past 16 months I tried everything and found that laxatives are a complete no no for me.  You don't think there could be anything worse than constipation until you experience what it's like to pass solid rocks with the force of niagra falls (sorry for that visual but it's the truth).  

This will sound too simple and maybe it doesn't work for everyone, but about 7 months ago I started taking fiber gummies.  I take two of them twice daily. I have not had a single problem ever since.  I am not exaggerating.  I do not go every single day but when I do it's smooth sailing!  Seriously, I had constipation issues for YEARS and I am almost pissed that it is this simple.  But I sure am happy now.

Something else that worked well was Metamucil fiber wafers.  They taste pretty good and did the trick.  They get stuck in your teeth for an hour and that got tedious but otherwise I was happy with how they worked.

Amazing!!  Congratulations!  You look like you are your own daughter!

ETA

I hope you can find out about your BP and low heart rate issues.  That sounds very scary to deal with.  Glad to hear you are working with a cardiologist.

It sounds like you have a fantastic attitude about your journey and your future.  Good Luck!!

Hey Meghan!

I am 16 months postop and started losing my hair at about 5 months out.  I lost consistently for almost a year and ended up losing about 2/3 of my hair.  My hair was originally super thick and now is very thin.  I used to struggle to get a ponytail holder twisted three times and now I can twist it almost 5 times.  

It is growing back and it is probably growing at a normal rate but it just seems like it is taking forever.  The new hair varies in length from 2-6 inches and the rest of my hair is about 4 inches past my shoulders.  The short hair makes the rest of my hair stand out a bit so I look like I have a lot more hair simply because it is standing off my head kind of like when someone teases their hair for more volume.  The new hair is also extremely curly whereas my original hair had a slight wave but is mostly straight.  My stylist tells me that it will likely be straighter once it is longer and weighted down a bit.

Mostly it just seemed like intense shedding.  I could run my hands through my hair and 10 hairs would come out but they would be from all over, not just one spot.  So no bad spots that I have noticed, just overall thinning.  The majority comes out after I comb through my hair after washing it.  In a week if I wash my hair 2 times or 5 times the same overall amount of hair is lost during the week just more or less each time.  What I mean by that is that washing less frequently doesn't make a difference in how much I lose overall.

Cut and color have been my saving grace.  A darker color and a really good layered cut have made my hair look much better in this transitional phase.  Also getting it cut shorter in stages has helped as well.  Over time as the longest layer was getting super thin, we would take it up a little.

There are face pictures in my profile that show the progression of my hair.

Hope this helps and good luck!

This! ^^^^  I get so little fat in my diet on a regular basis that it started to affect my GI tract.  I had to start deliberately adding fat. Mostly good fats but I never turn away a piece of bacon!  Or two.  

I have been taking the same fiber gummies that GeekMonster takes for the last 6 months. I spent the previous year trying to get my gut sorted out as well as suffering from several constipation-associated side effects like fissures. Since I started taking two gummies twice daily I have had absolutely no problems at all. I am more regular than I was before surgery and I have zero pain. I would shout this from the rooftops if it wouldn't get me arrested.