gonersmom
At 6 Months Out--Halfway to Goal and Loving It!
Aug 31, 2011
Well, it has been 6 months now and life is better than it has been in 20 years! I'm getting comfortable with my progress, getting my 'head' in shape as well as my body.My heaviest weight was 325+, my surgical weight 297, and as of last week I was 241 which means just short of 60# in 6 months. I know I haven't done as well as I would have liked, however, I am very happy with these results. I will be honest. I haven't done everything by the book. I have done a bit of cheating here and there. I sometimes don't exercise for a week or more at a time. But I am OK with all of this. My weight loss has been consistant and I am continuing to lose, get healthier, and everyday I find something new that I can do now that 6 months ago I couldn't! YAY ME!!
About getting my 'head' into shape as well as my body. I decided even prior to my surgery that I would never 'diet' again. That's one of the reasons I'm not as diligent as I should be. I came to the realization that dieting is what put me into that horrible shape I was at, and just as my weight didn't grow overnight I wasn't expecting my weight to drop overnight either. Slow and steady wins the race in my head. I make sure to make protein a priority, and keep my carbs low, but I can honestly say there isn't anything that I won't eat. A bite of something extravagant does fill me up and keeps my 'head' happy too! This may not be the best advice for everyone, but this is what has worked for me so far.
This also has allowed me to 'grow' into my smaller sizes with my head, as well as with my body. I started in a 3-4X top and 28-30 pants. I now am in 18 pants and XL tops. I am planning to get into 12's and Mediums by the time I hit the one year mark. I think over all this will be the best for me mentally as well as physically. I have quickly lost large amounts of weight in the past doing Atkins with mega-amounts of exercise, only to gain it back just as quickly. I know that with the restriction I have that will be close to impossible with my VSG, however the 'attention' I was getting from my husband and other people in general always made me feel uneasy. So again, I am working on my 'head' as well as my body this time around and am loving it!
Last summer I could barely get out of bed in the morning, make it through the day at work, and then come home to finish up what to be done. This summer I bounce out of bed, enjoy my 2 jobs (!!), have made a large improvement in my house/yard work, AND I was blessed to take a 10 day vacation to Wyoming with a cousin who I hadn't ever really known. We white water rafted, horseback rode, hiked, shopped, and NEVER dropped until LATE into the evening!. Even with the 10,000 Ft. Altitude we were hiking in I didn't suffer from sucking-wind, sweating to death, and I EVEN SET THE PACE for my cousin to try to keep up with! (And she's in great shape!!) It was a great experience for her too....she and I shared meals, saving both of us $$ and calories. I came back without having gained a pound!
I have also spent the summer walking, biking, canoeing and using my eliptical (a gift from a friend!), along with lifting weights. I don't do it as often as I'd should or even would like to. Somedays I only get to do 2-3 minutes of exercise 2-3 times a day....but HEY! That's 10 minutes more exercise than I could do last year, and it's 10 minutes of movement instead of 10 minutes of couch potatoing at the end of the day!
If you are reading this, and not sure whether you should go ahead with WLS know that we've all had those doubts. Even if I don't lose another pound I am living and loving my life like I haven't had the opportunity to in 20 years! I look forward to the next 6 months! I know that I'm a lot farther away from lying in a casket than I was last year at this time. And believe me....that's a great feeling!
