10 months and counting!

Nov 15, 2009

I have recently celebrated my 10 month anniversary of my WLS. It seems like a lifetime ago. My world is so changed and my appreciation for each day has grown in leaps and bounds. I have lost 87 lbs thus far and have 12 lbs left to achieve my goal set at surgery. I am down from a size 22W to a 10 Petite. Intellectually I get it all, but emotionally I am still a little stunned and blocked about this whole process. My choices are better now, my portions are smaller and my body is enjoying its new found size. My knees are not nearly as painful and my energy and stamina are very high. i still have bouts of the "blues," but I always have especially this time of year.  I know I am smaller, although I do not quite see the impact everyone else sees.

I have been stuck at this size/weight for some time now and I suspect it is a result of more carbs and less activity. My body does seem to be reshaping itself which is really interesting to me. My golf season is slowing down and I have just returned to the pool for aquatics classes and am planning on taking Zumba classes shortly, but my current activity level is not as high as it should be. My hunger has not returned but my appetite is healthy. I don't crave or constantly think about the next meal, but I am more aware of it than I wish i were. Breakfasts are the best meal of the day for me now & I never ate breakfast before. Lunch is the toughest meal of the day for me as I am usually out and find myself having to make choices from a limited selction of options. Dinnertime has become a fun time for us as we now try to eat something different every night if possible. Someone told me that variety is good for the weight loss process ,so I am trying to incorporate as much variety in my daily menu as possible. Some nights a grilled cheese sandwich is exactly what my pouch is wanting and dinner  becomes soup and sanwich night for us.

Eating out gets easier as time goes on. I can now eat grilled or broiled fish where I could not in the beginning. I was a ribeye steak girl prior to surgery and now I have little to no interest in steaks in general. I will opt for a crab cake or a piece of fish before even considering a steak.

As the Holidays approach, I do find myself concerned about weight gain and temporary insanity. My friends and family are all on alert to talk with me should they see me re-establishing bad habits. I am cooking Thanksgiving dinner for a very small crowd this year and have chosen wonderful recipes that I am both excited about and comfortable serving. I am not a huge fan of the turkey part of Thanksgiving, but this year I will without argument start my meal with a few ounces of turkey and then have a spoonful of everything else. I have set a goal is to get 2-4 lbs off before Thanksgiving and sustain it as best i can throughout the Holiday season. 

So I mentioned I was wearing a size 10 petite. This is still hard for me to wrap my arms around. I have given all of my pre-surgery clothes away. Every single item with the exception of one outfit I wore a week or two prior to my surgery. I have kept that to put on again on my 1 year anniversary. My gift to me so to speak.  I have those flabbly upper arms and some belly blobs and of course there is the butt and leg skin. My girlfriend Pam calls it "old lady butt." I will probably have the arms fixed next spring as I am outside in short sleeves and my flapping arms are distracting to my students when I teach. I think I will do my best to tighten the belly, butt & legs and see where that takes me.

Folks ask me all the time if it was worth it. I can say without hesitation this was an amazing opportunity for me to have the chance to live a full and rewarding life and I would do it again in a heartbeat. There have been so few setbacks and so few curve balls, that I can honetly say it has been easier to live the past 10 months than the previous 20 years! I do hope I stay on track and continue to enjoy the support of my family and friends, without whom I would not be where I am right now. This has been a total team effort and I am truly grateful to everyone who loves me.

Happy Thanksgiving to all....................................Dona

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