Long over due Blog- 8 months post-VSG

Jul 12, 2019

Okay, so I was blogging freqently before my VSG surgery and then Poof! I disappeared. So first things first. NO, I DIDNT DIE ON THE OPERARING TABLE. My procedure went very well. I only spent 1 night in the hospital. The surgeon, the PAs, and the nurses at Atrium-Mercy were great. In the 1st 24 hours I felt like crap, couldnt not get comfortable at all, was fidgtitting the whole time, and had a bit of an elevated heart rate, but other than that, the procedure was fine.

The weeks following my VSG went very well. My recovery was quick and I didn't have any major problems with eating or food. In fact, I was able to get back to a "normal" diet within 6 weeks. When I compared myself to others, I actually got concerned because I didnt have a lot of the post-surgery issues that others had. At times I even doubted they removed my stomach.

But the restriction is there, and the results speak for themself. The day of surgery I was 270 lbs, which was 50 lbs lower than my starting weight (320 lbs). I lost 30 pounds from when I had my 1st surgery consult in February 2018 through my pre-op diet which started on 11/12/18. And then once I got on my pre-op diet I lost another 20 lbs.

Between surgery (11/26/18), and April 2019, I lost another 50 lbs. That put me at the 100 lbs lost mark. My weight loss has slowed significantly since April, but as of today (7/12/19) I am down 107 lbs (at 213 lbs). Overall I'm really happy with my loss, but I still want to hit my goal of getting under 200 lbs. I'm only 13 lbs away but that seems like a lot to me. I track my food. I work out 4-5 days a week. I run and bike now. I am determined not to regain any of this lost weight.

I have been very lucky. No complications, not overly restricted, no GERD or dumping syndrome, can eat most foods I ate before. The physical part has been easy. The mental part has been the hardest. The mental part of not eating, when your body tells you you are full, but your mind is telling you to eat. The mental part of comparing yourself to other WLS patients. The mental part of worrying too much about the scale, and not how you look and feel. The mental part of WLS has been my biggest struggle.

Here are some of my NSV (non-scale victories):

• Shirt Size- Went from a XXXL to L
• Dress Shirt Size- Went from a size 20 neck to a 16.5
• Pants Size- Went from a size 44 to a size 36
• I can now wrap up in normal size towel.
• I can run 30 minutes without stopping or walking
• I can lift 120 lbs (bench press) and do 100 lb squats
• I can take spin cycle classes now

But long story short, I'm so thankful I did this. Is it easy? NO, but I knew it wouldnt be. But the things that I can do now that I couldnt do before, make it all worth it.

0 Comments