sallyjr
I Almost Missed November
Nov 29, 2008
On October 29, I reached a normal BMI. NORMAL! I have never ever been normal! But I was curious what it would look like on me, and I thought since I had come this far, it would be a shame not to at least try for a normal weight. Well, it turns out I love how I feel at this weight, and if I had my extra skin removed I would be well into the middle of the range. I still don't know how I look at this weight, because I cannot possibly be objective yet (I have some body dysmorphia issues - some days I look great, other days I look fat or floppy to myself).
Of course two days later was Halloween, and here a month later we've had Thanksgiving, and I once again find that maintaining a weight is much harder than losing, though I am determined to do so. I have fluctuated by as much as five pounds, but I'm convinced most of that is water weight when I sleep too little or eat too much because I have yet to eat the 15,000 extra calories five pounds would require me to eat. I actually look forward to going back to routine days when holidays are over so the temptations to overeat are gone and I can slide back to my regular weight. Plus, I feel unhealthy when I overeat, but the food demons in my head won't allow me to leave certain foods alone when I'm around them, and as a non-dumper, I have to rely on my wits (ha! - I could be in serious trouble there) to keep from eating them.
I love living my life like normal people seem to live. They overeat on holidays, then they hit the gym harder and eat super low carb for a week or so, and things get back to normal. I think I can maintain like that, and by reminding myself, just like I did on the way down, that I can say no to most things for now, and always have them later if I want them. Binge delayed is often binge denied.
Now here's hoping I can get through the wonderful season of our Lord's birth while learning a healthier relationship with food and end up with nothing but good memories at the end of it. My goal? To start 2009 weighing within two pounds of my lowest weight so far. I think I can I think I can I think I can...
Best wishes to all of you as well.
Goodbye Gallbladder
Oct 12, 2008
I had some mild discomfort a few weeks ago that lasted over 24 hours, so I called my surgeon's office and he ordered an ultrasound. It showed I had polyps (couldn't have stones, like a regular person, nooooo!). So he recommended I get it out within two weeks. By the time he told me this, I was feeling all better, so I said what if I wait until it bothers me again? Apparently if it goes really bad you get an infection, fever, and you have to have it taken out as an emergency surgery - not a good choice! So I had it done two days ago and got to come home that evening. My husband said the surgeon told him I also had a hernia he fixed, but DH didn't know what to ask about it, so I'll get the details at my two-week follow-up.
The IV drugs were fantastic, the take-home drugs not so much. Plus, they're constipating me so I'm trying to go it alone. Oh, and I have a big rash in the shape of all the adhesives they stuck to me during surgery, despite having a big red bracelet on my arm that indicated I had an adhesive allergy! The liquid diet they brought me after surgery consisted of chicken broth (fine), sugar free jello (peach - yech! - plus it didn't say sugar free, so I didn't trust it), apple juice (uh, people, I don't drink sugared juice), and a fruit popsicle (again, not sugar free!). What if I was diabetic? Oh well, at least they didn't bring me Ibuprofen!
Here's to healing up fast, so I can enjoy my week off work!
Score!
Sep 13, 2008
Today I reached my original goal weight! I set it kind of arbitrarily, thinking that it was a nice round number (150), 170 pounds less than I started, and only 7 pounds above normal BMI. I'm sure I have more than 7 pounds of excess skin, so I'm sorta normal now. That said, I will continue to lose down to 140 if I can, because I just hate to have come all this way and stop short of actual normal. Then, if I do lose some weight through skin removal, I will still be in the normal range, just mid-range instead of high. I can decide whether I like how I look and feel at that weight then.
My labs at one year turned out great - the calcium was fine, so I guess what I'm doing is working. I can see it's going to be tough to change my eating style, if necessary, in order to stop losing. It gets easier as the habit becomes longer lived, and I like how I eat. However, I may just stop losing eating as I do and not have to worry about it.
I tried on a pair of Levi's the other day - my experience is that they run tighter than other brands of jeans, but my size 10 Lee's are a little baggy, so I thought I might be ready for a pair of Levi's size 10. Well, they went on just fine, but they were too tight to be flattering - I looked like I was trying to dress like my teenage students. So I took them off, then realized they were Levi's size 8 on a hanger marked size 10! I didn't get them, even though they were a cute style and they were a dream size, because I don't want jeans that tight for school. They didn't have that style in a 10, but I found another pair in size 10, so I bought it. In pants (not jeans) I'm probably solidly in a size 8 now. Unbelievable.
Well, I don't post often because I'm busier than ever - I've gone back to school to get my master's degree, my husband and I are taking a class at church, and I enrolled my daughters in dance classes - but I read the boards almost every day. If there's something I can add to what others have asked or said, I try to give back some of what was offered to me when I was pre-op or newly post-op.
I wish everyone had a journey as fulfilling as mine. OH has been a large part of my success, and I thank the people here who have contributed to it. We learn a lot from each other.
P.S. My new goal is to figure out how to post some before/during pictures here!
One year and still sailing!
Jul 23, 2008
I've been shopping up a storm due to the upcoming school year. I had nothing to wear, and spent hundreds on sizes 8 and 10. Unbelievable! Me in pants that are a size 8? Already? I still have about 9 pounds to go until I reach my pre-plastic surgery goal. I don't have to stop losing there, it was just my minimum goal. After plastic surgery, I hope to be in the normal range of my bmi, which is about 16 pounds from where I am today. It would sure be easy to get a transfer addiction to shopping, though. I could only buy clothes through mail order when I weighed over 300 pounds, and now finding things in the store is just too easy.
I had my yearly labs drawn today, and I'll see my surgeon in two days. I hope to get good news about my calcium levels (and other levels as well). I've been working out at the gym religiously to get the last few pounds off, and now I actually get irritated if I don't get to go. Me? Who do I think I am, anyway? Now I'm mowing my lawn on the hottest days at noon, then following it with 30 minutes on the elliptical and a swim. Seriously! I really like to work up a sweat after so many years of being sweat-challenged. Sometimes I feel like a racehorse in the starting gate, stomping to get out. I just can't sit still like I used to. I sure get a lot more done, too.
I'll post more after my surgeon's visit. Later!
Another Good Month
Jun 30, 2008
I have my one-year surgiversary in less than a month, and I'm hoping to be half my starting size by then. I only have six pounds to go for that goal, so I'm going to give it a shot. If not, oh well. It's not a race, it's my life. If I don't get there by a certain date, I'll get there another date.
I am able to eat so normally, I think most people wouldn't be able to tell I've had surgery (except if they saw me naked - plastic surgery will be the next chapter in my journey!). I do try to keep my calories below 900 most days for the time being, at least until I get to my pre-plastic surgery goal - just 16 pounds to go for that.
More later.
I Got Out There!
Jun 05, 2008
First of all, I flew for the first time in 16 years. In four flights, I never worried about walking down the aisle, fitting in my seat (there was extra room, plus I could cross my legs!), needing an extender, or hanging over the armrests. I even had extra room in the bathroom! Then I walked and rode rides at three amusement parks in two days, went to a water park the next day (I rode one of the rides in my swimsuit!), and then I left on a three night cruise. I went to the beach in the Caribbean, walked tourist towns all day, shopped 'til others dropped, and never needed a rest. I ate "normal" food, dessert every night (hey, I was on vacation!), and enjoyed every minute of it. I went to one of the great outlet malls in Orlando and bought - I couldn't believe it - a size 8 red dress!!!! I wore it on the cruise one night, and I must say, that's about as stunning as I get! Then I went to the beach in Florida (I could have stayed there forever) and spent two days at the Kennedy Space Center. All the lines, the walking, the heat, the waiting - none of it got to me.
Best of all, I got on the scale when I got home, and although I'm holding a little extra fluid from lack of sleep, I lost 4-1/2 pounds in ten days! I'm down 148 pounds total, and I have never felt better. For any pre-ops reading this, I offer hope. Your life can truly be different. And for those who are already on the journey, Get Out There!
More adventures later.
Uh-oh! I missed a month!
May 01, 2008
I did have my calcium retested - doc could not believe how much I was taking. It was still low. I think the big ol' horse pills I've had no trouble swallowing were going right through the pouch without stopping to dissolve, get absorbed, anything! So I've ordered some powdered calcium that I plan to use on a full stomach (I have been taking my calcium on an empty stomach up until now) and I'll have it rechecked at my one-year appointment in three months. I feel like this is the answer to get on top of this before I start breaking ribs when I sneeze.
The only other problem I've had is constipation. Well, here's my confession. When I finally decided I'd had enough, I started using glycerin suppositories. Gross? Maybe, but not as bad as chronic constipation. It has solved my problem, so I'm happy and I won't go back to the days before I started using them. Small price to pay for losing the weight, in my opinion. And it allows me to go when it's convenient for me - weird, huh? I get to "regulate" myself just like regular folk! Someday, I may consume enough calories to not need the help, but until then I will just consider it another OTC "supplement" I need as a result of my surgery. Again, totally worth it for me.
Hope everyone is as happy with their surgery as I am with mine. I highly recommend it!
At Seven and a Half Months Out, a One Shall Appear...
Mar 08, 2008
I finally have it - a "1" in front of my weight! It's been over 20 years since I stepped on a scale and saw that. I am elated! The total so far is 121 down, and that includes losing only 3 pounds from month six to month seven! I celebrated by going shopping today, and I could buy clothes - even pants! - right off the rack at Target! Where regular people shop for bargains! I might be a regular person, too (except in the area of regularity, but we won't go there right now and kill this buzz). I even bought some cute RED shoes! I may never wear them in public, but they are cute!
A week ago, I did have a semi-scary eating episode. We were having chicken that I had overcooked, so it was too dry. I measured out 3 ounces, but I could tell right away it was not going down right. I should have stopped, obviously, but I just wanted to get in some protein before getting to my beautiful salad that was waiting for me. I ended up eating 2-1/2 ounces, but it was far too much. I got no salad, and I barely got fluids in for the next 24 hours! How it could be stuck that long, I don't know. I finally called the surgeon covering my surgeon's practice for the weekend to see if I could eat meat tenderizer. She thought it wouldn't hurt anything, and said if it hadn't cleared by the next morning, I would need to have her scope me out. Gross! She did say the flu epidemic was hitting the hospital hard, so they were discouraging otherwise healthy people from going to the ER if they could help it. Well, say no more! I drank the meat tenderizer dissolved in warm water. It helped a little, and then I had CL lemonade, which helped some more. By the time I got up the next morning, it seemed to be much better, if not all the way gone, but my pouch was sore for two days. I hope I didn't do any long term damage to it. Stupid dry chicken. It was the first time anything like this has happened - stuck food (otherwise known as the dreaded "foamies") has come and gone in a few hours before, and it hasn't happened at all in a long time. Nice to know the pouch still works. Live and learn - my life is apparently an ongoing experiment. I should have paid more attention in science class.
I am so happy to be living this life and following this journey. To those who may read this as they contemplate the RNY, don't be afraid. Be afraid of life passing you by without it. I missed many, many years I can never get back. But I will not linger on my regrets. I'm far too happy to go there, and it's hard to focus on regrets while you're smiling!
Until next time...
Still Happy
Feb 01, 2008
Time for a quick update. I saw my surgeon a week ago for my six-month follow-up, and he and I were both pleased with my progress. I was officially down 110 pounds! I feel so good, and it showed. I could hardly stop smiling.
The only thing showing up on the labs he had gotten back so far was that my body was already leaching calcium from my bones. Yikes! I had adjusted my calcium levels down to help with the constipation, but no more. I'm on 1800 mg per day (horse pills times six) and happy I'm not breaking a rib when I sneeze yet. I'm learning to live with a certain level of constipation (saves time to only go every three days!), and I am working on a higher, healthier carb eating plan to help with it, too.
I highly recommend this journey to people who are willing to adjust their lifestyle permanently. There is little I can't eat, but there are things I choose not to eat for my health. And I feel so great I don't have words to describe it.
Later.
Happy 6-month Surgiversary To Me!
Jan 23, 2008
I'm so happy to be here! Today I had my blood drawn for Friday's six-month follow-up with my surgeon. They pulled five vials of blood, but I didn't bat an eye. I feel so healthy that I'm not worried about the results, either. According to my scale, I've lost about 110 pounds in six months (20 pre-op, which means 90 since surgery - an average of 15 pounds per month). I'm very happy with my results.
I've also had an improvement in my constipation problem now that my calcium intake is down. I found that the calcium I bought last time had more milligrams in it, but I continued to take the same number of pills, which meant I was getting over 1800 mg of calcium per day. I think that was part of my constipation problem, because it is improving now that I've lowered my dosage. And I added two Fibercon and upped my water. I'm practically "normal" with this routine - okay that might be an exaggeration, but still. At least I'm going more than twice a week.
Lots of people are commenting on my weight loss, and I try to be gracious about their compliments. But sometimes they just go on and on and I start to feel very self-conscious and have to change the subject. I still pick and choose who I tell about my surgery, but I don't care if everyone knows, truly. I know it gets around even to those I don't choose to talk to about it, and that's fine. It's really no secret, just a little too personal to share with people I don't know well.
One of these days I might put up a ticker or some photos. I will try to post again after my appointment the day after tomorrow to share what the good doc says about my progress. I know I haven't weighed this little in over 20 years, so regardless of what he thinks, I'm happy.
