livvsmum

It's definitely not an easy journey, but everyone's experience is different. If you feel that it is the right decision for you, stand by it! If you're prepared for the journey you'll be great!

How often after would you say? I remember wondering the same thing & I felt better thinking that I would someday be able to a piece of pizza....not 4 or 5....but 1. Now that I'm 2 years post op, I wish I had that problem! Unfortunately I can eat pretty much anything I want. I choose not to eat pizza or chips or any oft old vices. Some people can eat a little of that stuff and be fine. I'm not one of those people. I have to keep a tight rein on what I eat. It's a lifestyle change honestly.

So this week I had a definite NSV. I dug out the courage to go have some boudoir photos taken of myself as a gift for my husband. I still struggle daily with confidence in relation to my body. I still struggle with comprehending what I see in the mirror against what I see as myself in my minds eye, even after maintaining my goal weight for over a year and a half. I still struggle with feeling like an imposter, like a very obese person hiding in a thin body. Every day is a battle ground in my mind it seems. I've been in therapy since 10 months post op, and I don't see that ending any time soon. But.....I am still making progress mentally, emotionally, and with my self confidence. Never in a million years would I imagine I would be someone with enough confidence to pose for boudoir photos! I can't even remember what it was that prompted me to take the first step and schedule the appointment. I just remember thinking what an awesome surprise gift it would be for my husband. He has been an absolutely AMAZING support over the past 2 years. He has encouraged me to keep going when I wanted to quit. He has stepped up to help deal with some issues in our marriage that were contributing to my emotional eating. He has put in extra time keeping the "home fires burning" while I put in literally hours and hours and hours training for races and marathons. He has traveled, gotten up at the crack of dawn, stood out in the cold for hours to cheer me on at my races. And perhaps most poignant in my mind is that he has done the not always glamorous tasks involved with caring for me and helping me recover after my 2 surgeries - especially the tummy tuck which was especially non-glamorous and painful. I thought a book of my boudoir photos for him would be an awesome way to say thank you for the support. But once I made the decision, I actually had to go through with it. I was dreading it and super excited about it all at the same time. By the end of the shoot I felt confident, strong, and sexy. I was having a complete blast. I cannot wait to go back next week and see the pics. Maybe if I love them I will share one or two of them here. It just blows my mind the ways in which I have changed physically, emotionally, and mentally over the past 2 years. What an awesome journey it has been!

I did have a tummy tuck to remove excess skin 6 months ago totally covered by insurance. It wasn't a terrible amount of skin, and even without the TT, it would still have been worth it to me You definitely can be because it's not luck. It's hard work. If you put in the work, you WILL get the results :-)

Yes. Unfortunately so.....lol.

I would not have been nearly as successful as I've been without reading When Food is Love by Geneen Roth. It completely changed my perspective on so much regarding food. In fact in the 2 years since surgery I've read it 3 times. Each time I keep a journal & learn something new

I don't know if it qualifies as "awesome" but you are welcome to check mine out. It's linked in my signature. I started it in January 2013 while I was pre-op & still update it pretty regularly now at 2 years post op. In fact I was just sitting here working on a new post for tomorrow :-)

I feel amazing. So much more energy & way more confidence. Thank you :-)

I am 2 years and 1 month (exactly!!) post-op. My starting bmi was 43.5 and now it is 20.7 (146 pounds lost as of this morning) Absolutely, positively without a doubt or hesitation would I do it again.

133.8

Great job! Congrats!

At 3 months I had lost 60 pounds.

Great job! Keep it up!

For me it was running a 5k with my daughters. We did that, then I moved on to a half-marathon and marathon. Be careful what you wish for! haha

Great job so far! Keep it up!

I agree with some others. In the first few months I could not tolerate eggs, meatballs, chili, or basically any red meat. But as the months went on and the internal healing progressed those things quit bothering me. I can now eat pretty much everything I did before (though I don't!!!) without it bothering me. Since you asked for a specific time, I would say by 7 months post op I could eat most anything.

I tried most of what others have said above. I have found that ultimately my skin looks generally better when I am getting lots and lots of Water in and when I totally cut out sugar from my diet. However....skin is skin. It will rebound to a certain extent based on genetics, elasticity, age, etc. So some of it is what it is. In the end, I did have a TT and I am appealing insurance for a brachioplasty. Good luck!

Just take it slowly and listen to your body. It is a learning process for sure, and it's pretty all-consuming in those first weeks and even months. I remember around 6 weeks or so starting to really get my energy back and start to feel like myself again. But in all honesty I don't think I was fully "healed" internally until about 7 months or so. Then I found that foods that bothered me at the beginning stages didn't bother me at all. Hang in there! The first month or so is really about getting by.

I decided as a general rule, not to tell people. When people asked I just told them I completely changed my lifestyle to include lots of running, high Protein, low carb, and lots of Water. None of this is false. I just feel like my medical history is no one's business. However, my family of course knows, and a few select friends who I decided to tell. I will so though that the pressure of everyone watching me didn't seem any less because of not telling people. When they see you losing weight SO rapidly, people will just comment and watch what you eat and don't eat. It's just human nature I suppose, or curiosity, fascination, etc. So I don't think not telling alleviated that at all. Good luck!

A dose of MOM always works for me. I usually have to go to that option about 1 time a week since surgery. I also use miralax to keep me "regular", but it doesn't help once I'm already constipated. The ONLY time MOM didn't work was after my TT when I was SO terribly constipated from the pain killers that nothing....I mean NOTHING....worked. But for normal everyday issues, it should work like a charm.

I avoided sugar free ice cream mainly because of the amount of carbs in it. I did try it once fairly early on and it made me terribly sick. After that I stuck to sugar free popsicles or Jello. :-)

If I recall right at the beginning in the first couple weeks after surgery anything liquid counted as Fluid intake as per my surgeon. However, once I started to progress through the stages, fluid for Water intake transitioned to clear, non-calorie fluids. I personally don't count anything with calories or sodium (like broth), but I'm 2 years post op,and that's just how I've done it.

Amazing! You look fabulous!

That is awesome and inspiring! Keep up the amazing progress!

Hi. After reading your post I bought the book "when Food is Love". I had loving supportive parents, but this book really brings up my feelings and relationship I have with food. I too started to want or craved foods after about 7 months and it scared me to death! The feeling I still have regarding eating food is so much deeper then nutritional value and I continue to realize that this is a life long journey. I love love the book. Thank you! Wonderful! I"m so glad to hear that it helped you! I too don't really have "parent" issues like the author, but what she says can apply to sooo many other situations. Part of the struggle for me was figuring out what events led me to treat myself the way I do/did because I didn't have something obvious like the author. In any case, I'm so glad you like it!