highmaintenance
2 Years Post-Op Today
May 09, 2009
Today is my 2 year surgiversary!! Time has gone by so quickly but it is amazing how much better I feel today than I did two years ago, even at being 18 weeks pregnant. My lowest weight was 152 and today I weigh 161. Over the last 18 weeks have have gained 9 pounds. I hate to think what I would weigh today without having VSG. The pregnancy is going just fine, I have not had any complications what so ever. I met with a dietician in the beginning because she was worried that I wouldn't be able to eat enough to gain the weight I needed to gain for the baby. I assured her I would do the best I could and I/we seem to be doing just fine so far. I will say that with this baby I have had a huge sweet tooth. I have never been much of a sweets person but lately I have wanted to eat anything sweet. I'm sure that is what helped put on the 9 pounds although the doctor at my last appointment was so happy that I had finally put on a little weight, who would have ever thought a doctor would say such a thing to me!! The past couple weeks I have focused more on eating fruit when I'm looking for something sweet instead of having a cookie. I know that is a much better/healthier choice for me and the baby.
Anyway, I just wanted to update you all and say I still feel VSG is the best choice I could have ever made 2 years ago!!
3-15-09 - 22 Month Update
Mar 15, 2009
I am now 22 months out from having surgery. I can hardly believe that in May I will be celebrating my 2 year surgiversary. I am below my goal weight and have been able to maintain very easily which surprises me since I have always had a hard time keeping weight off once I had lost it. I still make sure to get in my protein, I still take my vitamins as I should and I still TRY to get in all of my fluids each day while I still follow the 1/2 hour rule about drinking and eating. I was never one to drink alot anyway so this is one thing that I still have to MAKE myself do. Another thing I have gotten a little, well a lot, lax with is exercising. With the cold weather I have gotten quite lazy and I need to get my butt up and moving again. Since I have lost the weight I FREEZE to death all the time so being outside is the last thing I want to do and when I'm inside all I want to do is put on my warm PJs and cover up to my neck with a warm blanket. Now that spring is on the way I am looking forward to getting outside and playing with my kids and taking walks up and down our 1/2 mile driveway.
Now for the new development.....I am 10 weeks pregnant expecting our third child....due in October. Our other children are 12 & 3 1/2. We took extra care after surgery to not get pregnant until I lost the weight. When I went back for my 1 year check up May my surgeon gave us the go ahead to have another baby since I had met my goal weight. We decided to wait until fall to start trying and while I was surprised it took 6 months for it to happen, it finally did. I thought with all the warnings about being so fertile that it would just happen overnight I guess. My OB/GYN has sent me to a dietican to work on getting more calories in me in a day. I still only get in about 1200 calories/day and they want me to get in 2000/day so that I will gain approx. 1/2 pound a week for the next 30 weeks which would be 15 pounds and they said that is the very least I should gain. I tried one day to follow her schedule and to follow what she thinks I should be doing....eating at least 7 small "meals" a day and drinking chocolate milk or juice in between meals instead of water....and I was miserable by the time I went to bed so I decided to just do my best without making myself miserable. I think I have learned well enough about eating healthy in the past two years to have a healthy baby. I think we will be just fine! I will say that them pushing me to gain weight does make me very nervous. I have worked so hard to lose it I don't want to gain it back. I just pray that what I do gain comes off easily after the baby is born. However, scared or not I will do what it takes to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, no doubt!
5-23-08 - 12 Month Update
May 23, 2008
I still haven't got the feeling of hunger back and I'm very thankful for that. I still love to eat but now I have the tool to help me eat with control. VSG makes it nearly impossible to overeat (at least for me). I do find myself wanting to snack more of an evening now and that is not a good habit so I have to watch that. I track my food with Sparkpeople so that helps to keep me keep myself on track.
My energy level is much better than before. I have the energy to work all day, clean my house and play with the kids too while before I would find myself wanting to fall asleep on the couch the moment I got home from work.
I am so thankful that I was able to have this surgery - GOD is good!!
2-13-08 - 9 Month Update
Feb 13, 2008
1-25-08 - 8 Month Check In
Jan 25, 2008
I wanted to meet this goal before I posted an update since I was so close. that is why I'm doing my 8 month update at 8 1/2 months out.
I have began exercising again a couple nights a week and have been using Sparkpeople.com to keep track of my nutrition to make sure that I stay on track.
As far as the hunger I said that I was starting to feel in my last month update, it has gone away again. I only felt hungry 2 or 3 days and then it went away again. I hope it doesn't come back for a few more months even though I'm at my doctor's goal for me I want to lose another 7 pounds so that I will have a normal BMI for once in my life - thank you God for VSG!
I'm feeling great and I doing great - hopefully next month I will have met MY goal.
12-15-07 - 7 Month Check In
Dec 14, 2007
I'm starting to feel hunger again. It is a different kind of hunger than before though.....I feel empty.....I eat a couple bites and it goes right away......WONDERFUL!
I haven't been exercising like I should. This week I started walking on the treadmill again, I can still walk a mile in 15 minutes which was a very nice surprise. I've been exercising on my exercise ball and doing a toning video every other day.
My doctor recommends that I should weigh 175 - which is only 12 more pounds - WOW! I'm hoping to get to goal by the end of January so that is why I've started exercising again. According to the BMI calculator, I will be normal BMI at 168 pounds so after I hit the 175 mark I plan to keep going to get to 168. I can't imagine how it would be to be "normal"
I've changed my avatar to my before/now photo......I can not belive the difference! VSG has been a wonderful tool. Hopefully next month I will be very close to goal!
11-13-07
Nov 13, 2007
I could not be happier with my results thus far! I'm now six months out and I've lost a total of 98 pounds as of this morning. I never thought this would happen for me and it has! I feel so much better about myself and I don't feel like I need to hide behind my husband, my kids or my friends anymore. I just feel so good and so proud of my accomplishments. I know without God's guidance this would have never happened for me and I will be forever grateful! I also want to thank my friend Julie for being such great friend and true support person for me through out my journey. It has been a good one!
I'm OVERWEIGHT!
Oct 28, 2007
I feel super. I no longer feel like the largest person in the room every where I go, I'm wearing a size 16 now (down from a 28) and no longer feel embarrassed when I hand my clothes to the cashier at the check out.
I do still feel like I have a long way to go but I would like to lose the next 10 pounds before I go to the doctor in 3 weeks so I will be down a total of 100 pounds in six months. I know I could have never accomplished this without the VSG!
9-20-07
Sep 20, 2007
I weigh 3 pounds LESS than my husband
I have ribs!
I have collar bones!!
I CAN JOG!! My son and I have started jogging this week. BOY DOES IT FEEL GOOD! I have not jogged in at least 14 years (Since I quit playing sports my jr. year of high school)!
VSG is WONDERFUL - I thank GOD every day for the opportunity that He has given me - just had to share
9-15-07 - 4 months already!!
Sep 15, 2007
I haven't worked out much this month....we've been busy.....but that is no excuse I'm going to get back to walking every day and I'm going to do two miles a day now instead of one.
My hair is still falling out by the handfuls - I'm hoping that will stop by the next time I write my monthly update. My hair was very thick before so it is not really bad now....I just won't be having it thinned for a while .
People are really starting to comment on my weight loss now . People I work with are telling me things like I'm getting skinny, I'm going to have to carry rocks in my pockets, I look very healthy and very nice, etc... It is really great and encouraging to hear. I remember before I had surgery looking at other people's profiles and seeing the weight they had lost and thinking to myself that it would never happen to me and boy am I glad that for once I was wrong If you are reading my profile and thinking the same thing then I want to tell you that it can and will happen for you just the same as it did for me ~ GO FOR IT!
My next goal is the lose another 22 pounds so that I will weigh 199 by my next visit to the surgeon in November! I'll update on that next month - I'll get there - I know I can!