4catz

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

Wow!  It's been a long time since I have been here or even logged my food.  Back in July I had reached a milestone by loosing 100 pounds from surgery date to 1 year surgiversary.  I was 10 pounds below the surgeon's goal for me and feeling really good.  I finally had some nice clothes that fit and decided to just relax and be comfortable.  I've been surprised to find that it has been very easy to just maintain at the weight I've been at for the past 6 months.  I did injure my neck and got lazy with my exercise however. 
But, now (and I've read on here that it is not uncommon) my liver enzymes are rising for some unbeknwnst reason.  They are not so high that the drs. are freaking out and my blood work and ultrasound scan are normal.  But the hepatologist I saw would like me to loose the rest of my weight and aim for the goal I had set for myself.  The blood work I had done shows that my malabsorbtion is still working in my favor, so I decided that I would climb back on the weight loss wagon.  Fortunately for me, even 19 months post-op I still don't have feelings of physical hunger.  I still experience head hunger - the harder type to work through though.  Unfortunately, I don't feel fullness either.  Since surgery, I have always weighed my protein portions and continue to do that.  Most importantly I log my food.  I really believe that this is the one major thing I can do to help me stay on track.  It really is helpful to see the numbers that are going in my mouth.
Exercise is important as well for getting the rest of my weight off.  I am out walking every other day, rain or shine.  It's nice to have a walking buddy in my neighbor and she is as enthusiastic as I am.  I feel a new energy in my journey and am looking forward to getting the job done. 

Today is my 1 year sugiversary and what a difference this year has made.  Last year at this time I could barely walk across the hall to the ladies room and now I'm walking over a mile to catch my bus when I could take a bus 4 blocks to catch it like I did last year.  I can also walk up the hill in Seattle to my job.  1 year ago, my blood pressure was getting to be uncontrollable with meds.  That was resolved with the surgery and I've been off the meds for a year now.  My joints feel so much better.  Last year I was very anxious about not being able to take NSAIDS for my arthritis.  This year, I just take natural remadies and feel good.  I'm down from a size 28/30 or XXXL to a loose 16 or large.  I have accomplished all of the goals I set here on OH - I dress more professionally at work, put my own fins on when scuba diving and fit in a seat on an airplane (and the bus) better and without an extension.  The most important of them all, however, is that I can keep up (and often bypass) with my husband physically.  That has made a huge difference for me.
I missed my 100 pound mark for the first year by a pound, but I'm very happy about the accomplishment and the 136 pound loss from the beginng of this journey.  I still have 31 pounds I'd like to loose and to get plastics done.  I'm on the right track and expect that I will get there.  I have no time limit placed on myself.  Thanks to all the wonderful people on OH and their support.  This site has been fundamental in my successes so far.  Elena

I'm half afraid to even post this as I am worried about jinxing myself.  LOL  Last evening at my weekly weigh-in I reached the 100 pounds off since the night before surgery last July 26th.  That's two weeks shy of my 1 year surgerversary.  When I started I didn't have a goal for the first year.  All along I've been happy to just be loosing without any major stalls.  That's been really nice.  But, I found that in the past month or so, I've been feeling really good and pretty comfortable in my clothes and with activity so hadn't been as concious of "staying on track.  I was still loosing but pretty haphazardly and, in some ways, getting off track.  Last year on the 5th of July, I began my 3 week pre-op diet on solid foods.  So, this year on the 5th I regrouped and began the same program to get back on track.  It's a lot easier this time since I have the pouch now and it is working.  I had a great weight loss this week after only loosing .2 last week.  I've now lost 137 pounds since I started this journey and I feel fabulous.  I have 30 pounds to go to reach my goal and it really is beginning to feel attainable to me.  I set my goals small in the form of friends who are willing to tell me their weights!  When I loose them we get our pictures taken together!  I'm on my way to do the next one as soon as I save this post!!    I leave on vacation on Friday and only hope that I can keep up the momentum.  I have exercise time planned as well as relaxation time.  I'll be meeting up with my surgery sister I met here on OH and we will treat ourselves to a half spa day in celebration of our successes this first year.  My family who I'm staying with is alrady preparing for me by having my favorite Greek yogurt in the fridge for me.  I am a happy camper......

I guess its been a while now since I have written anything here.  I guess there hasn't been a whole lot to say until now.  It's been just over 10 months since surgery and I am approaching the 100 pounds since the day of surgery mark.  I can see from here that I may make it before my 1 year surgerversary.  I never made it a goal, but it does make me happy. 
Recently I have been doing some clothes shopping, mostly work stuff, but also bought a cute dress for my class reunion coming up.  I just harrumphed because I have never used the word "cute" with dress when it was being described for me!  But it is cute.  I went to the Dress Barn to find a dress and immediately drifted to the woman's sizes side.  The last time I did that I was redirected to the Misses side, but after browsing around, I left the store because I was intimidated and afraid if I tried anything on those sizes would reject me.  This time I drifted to the woman's sizes and the salesgirl asked me what size I wore.  I told her I didn't really know but thought maybe a 16w.  After she sized me up and asked a few questions about the other clothes I was wearing she thought a 14w would work well.  We found a great dress that fit well but I was not liking the bat wings I was sporting in this sleeveless dress and wanted to find a shrug or bolero jacket to hide them.  Everything on the woman's side was to big.  (Notice smile on my face here).  At this point we decided to look in the misses section for one.  That's when I noticed the dress I ultimately walked out with along with a slew of other dresses that I loved and tried on at the salesgirl's encouragement.  One size 16 was too big!  (Still smiling)  But, when I saw my dress hanging on the wall up high I knew I wanted it but was still intimidated by the smaller Misses sizes.  I did the same thing again yesterday when I went to buy new garments for the girls - Why don't I have issues with their new size!  I recognize that they need to go into a smaller size!!  LOL.  I saw a great jacket that was on sale with another 40% off on top of it.  I tried on two sizes for the clerk and she told me the smaller one.  The same when I got a shirt to go under it.  I was going to try on the large and the clerk told me I should take a medium with me, when I had an XL in mind.  She shook her head and said no to the XL.  So, like so many others, I am still having a tough time wrapping my head around the size that I actually am and seeing myself as larger.  I need to work on seeing myself for the size I really am. 

     So I finally made it to onederland!  I guess I made it there a couple of weeks ago technically, but I have weighed with clothes on since the very beginng (when I was required to get an "official physician verified weight" for my insurance) so I continue to do the same.  Yesterday, I weighed in at 197.8, down 2.4 lbs. for the week.  I am pleasently surprised that at 7 months post-op I am still able to loose 2 pounds a week.  My next milestone/goal will be my surgeon's goal of 180.  I don't feel that is good enough for having my innards rearranged so after that will be my own goal.
     I am down 114 pounds total since beginning this journey and 90 from the day I began my pre-op diet on June, 30, 2010.  These are the changes I have noticed since my weight loss:

1.  I no longer have high blood pressure.
2.  I no longer have pain in my feet or achilles tendonitis or knee pain in my left knee that I had trashed a few years ago.  My worry about not being able to take NSAIDS any more was for naught since I have no need for them any more.
3.  I can walk at a rapid pace without pain.  6 months ago I could barely walk from the front door of the building to my office which is right down the hall.
4.  I can do an hour of deep water aerobics then hike and bike on the same day.  And have the energy to do it too.  This means that I have reached my goal to keep up physically with my husband!  woo whooo!!!!
5.  Although my scuba gear is getting big on me, I have reached another goal of being able to don my own gear without much effort.
6.  I can buy my clothes in the misses section now rather than in the plu size section of the stores.  There are more sale options.
7.  I have reached my goal to be able to dress more professionally.  I wear skirts more often not only because I like them but because they don't bag in my butt when they get to big for me!
8.  I can wear a belt comfortably now.
9.  I can wear heels more comfortably.
10.  I don't dread getting on the bus and having to share a seat with someone.  I fit in the seats more comfortably.
11.  I can cross my legs!!  LOL
12.  I have to pull the car seat forward to reach the pedal rather than putting it all the way back.
13.  I can take the stairs at work more easily and I can walk up the Seattle hills without much effort.
14.  I can cuddle closer to my husband.
15.  I look better in my clothes (even with the batwings and loose skin).
16.  While I have always been a confident person, I have an even greater self confidence now.

I'm sure that I am missing a lot of stuff, but my life has really been changing as my weight loss progresses.  My labs look great and I have no issues with any foods.  That said, it will be so much more important for me to stay on track and continue with the changes I've made for long term success.  The key for me has been that I come here to OH daily.  So many people have some great advice.  Also, tracking my food daily has been very important.  I am very consious of everything I put in my mouth and track every bit of it.  I still don't feel hunger and my only indication of fullness is that I hiccup or beltch so I still weigh and measure everything.
Also key, is that I have learned to dine out and portion what I eat when I can't weight and measure.  
     I am looking forward to continuing on this journey and reaching my goals.  I love my RNY and thank God dialy for this opportunity.

    

This week is 14 weeks since RNY, but it is 1 year since I started this whole journey...since I made the big decision to change my life.  What a great decision it was.  Today, I'm down 80 pounds, 43 of those since the surgery.  That's an average of 3/wk.  It's a little slower than I would have imagined when I started this, but I'm happy with it and it is going in the right direction.  I feel so much better and way more energetic.

Yesterday I had my 3 month follow-up.  They were all very happy and said that I was one of the healthiest 3 month post-op patients they've ever seen!  I owe all the thanks for that to the veterans here on OH who have given such researched and knowledgeable advice.  I asked, I read, I listened.  But mostly, I applied the advice.  I knew I was doing well with food and supplements, but I was surprised when they said there is a high rate of non-compliance with both protein and supplements amongst wls patients.  I had to wonder why anyone would consider this kind of body changing surgery only to not comply with the requirements. 
They told me my labs looked wonderful.  They gave me copies without having to ask for them, but I can also look them up myself as I have full access to my medical record and a good understanding of the results.  I have to wait a little while longer for the Vitamin D levels.  They asked what I was doing and I told them I take the supplement types and doses recommended by the veterans on OH rather than the ones recommended by them!  I also told them why.  They were all ears and said they were making changes in their recommendations.  The NUT I saw yesterday was new to me.  She seemed to be way more knowledgeable than the one I had been seeing and I liked her better so that was good.  She recognized the bariatric name brands of my supplements!  That earned her points as far as I was concerned!

I also got my 3 month interview call from my insurance company this week.  They do this regularly.  The last question they always ask me is if I would do this all over again.  As usual (so far) I tell then "in a heartbeat."  I was barely moving before all of this, so just the fact that I can walk a few miles, do many miles on the elliptical, do deep water hydrofit, and most of all fit in my scuba suit and scuba dive has made every bit of this last year worth it.  All of this is also what drives me to comply!!

Today is our 2nd wedding anniversary.  What a difference 2 years makes.  My health is so much better since I have made the decision to take back my life and get healthier.  Today I am 70 pounds lighter than the day we got married.  I am no longer taking blood pressure meds and I can go for a normal walk with my husband and not feel the stress on my body.  I can keep up with him too.  At 6"8" it is difficult on his back to take short slow strides, so I can walk faster and that is way better for him.  This evening we will celebrate by going out for Thai food - my favorite.  And, then to a movie.  We have never been to a movie together.  Dan had wanted to take me on many occasions, but I had always come up with some excuse because I feared not being able to fit, or be comfortable, in the theater seats.  I'm really looking forward to our date tonight.  I'm sure I'll be comfortable.

This weekend I also met another milestone.  I finally have been able to get into my drysuit, zip it up and purge it of air.  I was able to get into it 3 weeks ago but my middle prevented me from purging the air out from below the waist!!  LOL.  That was funny when it looked like a balloon!  This is just a step closer to being able to put my own fins on again.  I'm hoping I can cross that goal off of my list when I get into the water.  I am really excited to be able to go scuba diving again.  The last time I went was before surgery and I was wearing my larger suit which was already becoming dangerously large.  Now that this one fits, I'll have to get a bunch of diving in before I shrink out of it!

Today I was riding my commuter bus into Seattle where I work and I was thinking about the hill up to where I work.   I generally get off of the bus and wait for the trolley to pick me up and take me up the 5 blocks to my job.  Today I was thinking about walking up the hill.  It's pretty steep (James St.) and I hadn't done it in years.  Anyone familiar with Seattle will know what I mean.  Just the fact that I was "thinking about" it was a huge step for me!  So by the time we got off of the commuter bus I had talked myself out of the walk using excuses like 'it's dark' and 'I have my deep water hydrofit class this evening'.  But, when we got off of the bus, one of the guys I usually wait for the trolley with said he was going to walk today and I decided to do it with him.  Then.....I decided not to and stopped at the trolley stop....then...I decided that I could do this and ran to catch up with him.  He didn't walk fast and he stopped 1/2 way though the 4th block to catch his breath.  I was glad to stop but I didn't really feel like I needed to.  I was also able to chat with him all the way up.  When we arrived at the door to work I had a great feeling of accomplishment!  It's only 5 blocks, but they are 5 blocks that have intimidated me for years (to the point where I would freak out if snow was in the forecast because I knew I'd have to walk the hill!!! LOL) and I didn't let them beat me this time......... Woot!

It was a good weekend.  My office mate got married on Saturday and it was a fancy evening wedding at a fancy venue.  I stressed for weeks over what I would wear.  It had been a few years since I had even put on a dress or a skirt.  I didn't even wear a dress for my own wedding!  So, I had this long dress skirt in my closet that fit again, but all the tops I could wear with it were just to large.  It was the morning of the wedding and I had my in-laws visiting.  My husband suggested that I just go buy something to go with it as I had lost almost 75 lbs. and had't bought one new thing.  So, my MIL and I headed off to Fashion Bug who was having a great sale and I knew I'd be able to find something there.  There were all kinds of things that would work.  I tried on all kinds of combinations and still felt like I looked old for my age.  There was a younger gal there, though, trying on cocktail dresses for a Vegas style birthday party at a local casino and she had told my MIL that she was stepping out of her comfort zone with what she was trying on.  But, with the help of several women trying on clothes she purchased one of the dresses.  That got me to thinking that maybe I should step out of my comfort zone too.  I started grabbing cocktail dresses from the racks and tried on several that looked really good on.  They just made me feel good and with the help of MIL, the other gal and several other women, I too walked out with a great dress and shrug jacket (had to cover the batwings! LOL) to go with and a wrap.  It just all felt so good on.  It's amazing how good you can feel when you get all dressed up.

MIL decided it would be a good idea not to show the outfit to the hubby until I was dressed and ready to go so I didn't.  He had only ever seen me in a skirt once before.  I wish I could discribe the look on his face when he saw me all dressed up!  He said I was "sexy and we should skip the wedding and get a hotel room"!  I loved that!  He looked hot himself and we went off to the wedding and had a fantastic evening.... 

Life has been busy.  I am getting comfortable with my routine of getting protein, water and exercise into my daily living and feeling that despite the surgery and dietary changes, that my life is fairly normal again.  I guess that might mean that the lifestyle changes have now become the norm for me.  I've passed the tests of camping, restaurants and social occasions and know that I can enjoy these occasions and still have weight losses for the week.  I had been frustrated with what I had considered to be slow weight loss but even that attitude has turned around for me now.  A good thing!   I'm comfortable with the average 3 pound a week loss that I've been achieving.  After 10 weeks, I can pretty much enjoy and tolerate most foods.  I discovered, at a social occasion where the only options were pasta or pasta, that I could even enjoy a few bites of that too and 1. not be sick from it and 2. not have major cravings for it again.  While I can tolerate simple carbs., I choose (it's all a choice) not to eat them as a regular part of my diet because I know that these are the things that made me MO to begin with.  Eating them would defeat the whole purpose of why I had this surgery to begin with. 

I'm also getting comfortable in my exercise routines.  I'm not saying I'm totally enjoying them yet, but getting into the habit and routine of them.  I'm on my elliptical 3 - 4 days a week and have recently begun going to a deep water hydrofit class and additional 2 days/wk that is trying to kick my butt.  The hydrofit is an intense class of a good balance of aerobics and strength training.  I'm impressed with the class compared to the water aerobics classes I attended in the past.  I'm finding that my lower body is fairly strong but my upper body is really needing some strengthening up.  All in all, I notice the effects of it all in my daily life; in the way I walk, in the way my body feels (it doesn't hurt all the time any more), and in my attitude towards just moving around in general.  I look for reasons to get up from my desk to do something and I also now walk to meet my carpooler rather than wait to be picked up.

Two of my goals for this surgery, besides the heath benefits, have been to weigh less than my husband and to scuba dive more comfortably and be able to put on my own fins.  This week, for the first time since we have been together, I actually weigh less than my husband!  He just needs to quit loosing weight so I can keep it that way!!  Also, I tried on my smaller scuba suit last week.  I hadn't even thought of taking it out of the bag in about 3 1/2 years.  It fit over my clothes but I will still need to loose about 5 more pounds for it to be comfortable enough to dive in.  So, that is my next goal.  I have already made plans to dive on the 24th so it will have to fit.  That's my motivation for the next few weeks.  I intend to meet that goal.  Will do an update then.  Cheers!