.: Rana :.
2 yrs. out!
May 08, 2009
And although it was the BEST decision I could have made for myself, I do not recommend WLS for everyone. You MUST be ready and willing to make changes in your life. You MUST be willing to change how you eat-- this is not dieting. But as with any WLS, you must be willing to make heathy food choices. If you think that VSG will just keep you from overeating and that's enough, you are WRONG. I am an overeater. Still am to some extent. Yes, this surgical intervention keeps me from overeating which is why I've been able to maintain my current weight for about a year now (see my stats in my sig. line). But just eating less never would have gotten me to goal and beyond. If I had relied on just eating less, I'd probably have lost only 1/2 of my excess weight instead of 100%+. That still would have been great, but not as good as the amount I was able to lose. You need to make the most of that first 6 months to make new, healthy habits if you want any chance of keeping the weight off! Oh, and if you have PCOS (which I do not), then it can be much more difficult to lose the weight even if you do everything right.My original goal was to lose 90 lbs, but I never dreamed that was actually possible. I started off weighing 231 at 5'4", BMI of 39.7. I figured that if I could get to 160 then I would consider the surgery a success. I got there and was able to keep on going. I got down to 140 seven months after surgery. At that point I decided to take it 5 lbs at a time because I still felt fat (I carry all my excess weight in my abdomin). I still cannot believe that I weigh around 120-- that was always my dream! I did get down to 117 at one point, but gained back up to 120. I currently am pretty stable at 122- 124.
Life is good (eternal life is better! Love that song by Stellar Kart
). I cannot believe how much easier it is to do everything. I can walk and walk and walk and not get tired or sore. I can jump on a bike or join an exercise class with ease. The only thing that I find more difficult to do is swim-- I don't float like I used to! 
I clean my own house and keep up with chores. Although the downside to this is that the hubby doesn't help quite as much as he used to, but that's fine. He was doing more than his fair share for a long time because I was always too tired or too sore to do much.My kids love that I've lost all that weight. I'm so much more active with them and love to get out and do physical activities with them. For example, I went on my younger son's Science Camp trip a couple months ago. I hiked 6 miles! 2 yrs ago I would not have physically been capable of doing that. Sure I was tired and sore (we hiked about 2 or 3 miles in the sand on the beach and only 1 brief rest), but it was soooo worth it! Another example is that I can ski again. I love downhill skiing!!! And it turns out that my daughter is a natural-born skier (just like her daddy!). And I love to go to amusement parks-- I can go on whatever ride I feel like and not have to worry that I won't fit.
One of the best compliments that I keep getting is how much I look like my daughter. Funny, because I never thought we looked that much alike, esp. because she is so thin-- she doesn't have an ounce of fat on her. But I still think my older son looks more like me than she does (but he's also rail-thin
).So, for all you newbies: keep on researching! Know what you are getting yourself into!!! Know what it will take to be a success and especially know what it will take to stay healthy. WLS is NOT for everyone. In some ways it is the easy way out. In others, it isn't (ie. you must stay on top of your fluid intake at all times for the rest of your life). You don't want to trade one set of health risks for another. If you don't take your vitamins and supplements, you could risk a whole 'nother set of problems. Even though we don't have the malabsorption issues, we also do not eat enough to get all of our nutrients. We are also at higher risk for osteopenia (yes, VSG in particular). I did this for my health. And almost all of my supplements are things I should have been taking regardless of my weight.
So here are the stats for those of you who like that sort of thing:
STARTING/CURRENT
size: 22 now 6
size: 2X-3X now Small/Med.
weight: 231/123
BMI: 39.7/21
Oh, and yes, I can eat a LOT more now that I could that first year!
Peace Be Yours,
Rana
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About Me
Near Grass Valley, CA
Location
22.0
BMI
Surgery
05/08/2007
Surgery Date
Dec 12, 2006
Member Since
Before & After
rollover to see after photo
