Crossed the half way marker to goal!

Mar 15, 2015

Well I wasn't going to post a weight update until I hit "Onederland", which is less than a pound away, but after taking my weight and measurements today, I realized i've crossed the half way marker! 20lbs lost pre-op and 41 since surgery on December 31st. I'm not one of those people who can only weight weekly, I HAVE to step on the scale daily, but then, I don't get frustrated by stalls there either as I've also been tracking my measurements and know that the weight has been steadily coming off even when the scale hasn't said so because the measurements have. Yesterday I finally HAD to break down and buy some new jeans. I really hated doing that as I Love the jeans I had and hate replacing them before they're worn out. I spend a bit of money on good quality jeans because my job really takes a toll on them and durable denim is a must for me. But when you pull them up and they fall back down, and tightening the belt makes you look like you've crapped your pants or that you should have a male appendage filling in some of the front, it's just time to give in and go shopping! I also can't help but play with the numbers at this point, because the results of this surgery tend to amaze me at times. Besides having lost just over 61 pounds since last spring and 41 of that since January 1st. Since surgery, I've lost 1inch around my neck (which was always the thinnest part of my body anyway), 6.5 inches from my waist, 2 inches around my bicep, 7 inches from my hips, 4.5 inches from each thigh, 2 inches round each calf and 3.5 inches from around each ankle (so my edema is slowly receding as well)...I have always been more bottom heavy with my weight carrying most of my noticeable weight in my rear end and legs. I've also gone down a cup size in my bra and i'm okay with that. It's nice to see that it's actually just my girls filling the cup now and not a bunch of fat creeping in from under my armpits and upper chest. I didn't start tracking my measurements until the night before surgery, So doing the math, I've lost over 26 inches from my body in 73 days! That's over 1/4 inch per day average. Weight wise, having lost 41 pounds that averages out to just over a 1/2 pound a day or about 4 lbs a week. I didn't lose 4 lbs a week at a regular pace, I had my stalls, but doing the math helps put things in perspective and maybe helps to understand how stepping down as we lose weight is necessary...If I calculate 4 lbs per week of weight loss, at one year I'd lose 208 lbs! There is NO way my body is going to do that. At my one year mark, i'd weight 34lbs! LOL...I've come to realize that as I stall, my body is also calculating. It's adjusting and relearning how to balance and communicate with all the different hormones that impact weight whether it's fat stores or energy levels in the blood. All these different hormones, proteins, amino acids, and other chemicals have a precise function, the need for them to be balanced and in some cases synergized with each other is crucial for balanced healthy weight and metabolic function. The disease of obesity is the result of a malfunction of this system. In some cases, constant routines of fasting diets or binging episodes, other conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, injuries or trauma can all be reasons why a person goes from just being overweight to suffering from obesity as a disease. If any one of these chemicals malfunctions for whatever reason, it ends up effecting the body and can ultimately end up creating a chemical equivalent of a 50 car pileup on our body's chemical highway. TSH, Leptin, Adiponectin, Ghrelin, T3,T4, Calcitonin and just a few of the various hormones, proteins, amino's and chemicals that help regulate our body's metabolic process and ultimately impact our weight. Their communication with each other as well as a host of cells and organs in the body and various areas of the brain is a complex process. When we have this surgery, all these functions are impacted, the brain and body are going though a "re-boot" process of putting everything back on track and ultimately trying to synchronize everything for the body to run in the efficient level it's meant to. It's a  process that takes time. The body and brain need time to adjust to all the changes that are occurring with the weight loss. Imagine putting a puzzle back together. You can't just randomly start grabbing puzzle pieces one at a time and fit them together. The brain and body are adapting and at times, waiting to see if this is a temporary event or not. There are initial responses to sudden calorie restriction that go into effect, then once the brain and body realize this is not temporary, the process continues but there may be slow downs and speed ups as the traffic jam slowly clears. Eventually, the chemical highway WILL flow smoothly again. When we hit a certain weight where we're getting optimal energy at a certain caloric level and also maintaining at the ideal weight, we've finally re-set that switch and are where we're meant to be. I didn't gain 4 lbs a week to get to my max weight (thank God!) so I don't expect that my body will continue to average 4lbs of loss a week and let me shrink into non-existence either. I do expect that my weight loss will be a process of speed ups and slow downs as I go, while my brain and body adjust and eventually get everything sorted out. I have my job to to, they have theirs. Ultimately, we on the same page and working towards the same thing. getting to a healthy ideal weight and homeostasis. So I can be patient with the stalls, understanding when the loss fluctuates week to week because I know it's just my body and brain trying to adjust and eventually I'll get where I need to be. It took me 14 years to get to my highest weight and a lifetime of habits and poor choices to cause my disease. I don't think waiting a year or two for my brain and body to fix the mess, to unclog the highway traffic jam is really that unreasonable. I'm simply grateful that I've been given the tools for them to fix it in the first place! If you're frustrated by your process so far, do the math. keep track of the weight, but take measurements too. But more importantly, realize what a complex process it is for the human body and brain to fix years of chemical imbalance and be patient. 

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