Rdsegobia

Yesterday was my one year Surgiversary!! Woohoo!!!! Hard to believe that I have made it this far, but alas, here I am... *AND* I have not only survived but I am loving life. There is so much to reflect on, but overall, I truly believe this was the best decision I have ever made and I am now a happier, healthier version of me. That’s not to say that the past year hasn’t been without its share of ups and downs … plenty of those! However, all in all, if I had to go back to the point of no return I can honestly say I would be willing to do it all over again.
Here’s how things are looking…
HW: 305lbs
SW: 265lbs
CW: 173lbs
Total weight lost: 132lbs
Clothes: From a size 5X or 26/28 to a size L or 10/12
Health: Diabetes - Controlled without medication (Fasting glucose avg.105 with no meds from 155 on high dose of meds), Blood Pressure - Controlled without medication, Cholesterol - Controlled without medication, Previous Spine Injury - Controlled with OTC meds as needed.
Fitness: From being able to walk less than 15 minutes on a treadmill in physical therapy to having completed 10+ 5K races with my most recent at a sub-13 minute mile pace. Registered to walk my first marathon in September 2016.
Goals: I don’t have a target weight, as this was never about a number for me. My surgeon would like to see me at 150lbs. We’ll see. Non-weight goals have been my focus all along and this is the direction I continue to move.
What have I learned? LOTS!!! I could seriously write a book, but then again, couldn’t we all?!?! Here are the things that really stick out to me. As a graduate speaker at my program, these are the things I try to stress to new patients as they begin the process.
Listen to your team! They really do know what they are doing. My NUT has been super supportive and told me that it was better to ask questions than to worry myself over nothing. I eventually stopped calling her regularly, but just having those niggling little questions answered was a huge weight off my shoulders. When they say drink X-amount of Water, drink it. When they say eat X-amount of Protein, eat it. There really is a reason behind your program and following it will help you a 100 times over.
Listen to your body. It will talk to you … and I don’t mean all the gurgles and sounds from your new sleeve! When I found myself getting sluggish and tired I needed to look at my protein and water intake. Was I getting enough? Usually the answer was a resounding NO. When my sleeve revolted and I had uncomfortable cramping, had I eaten something new or different? YUP … usually, but as I continued to re-introduce more foods I found the discomfort would lessen and go away much faster. Certain foods may never like you again. Find something new to try. Your palate will change some & you might like something that you never did before. You know your body better than anyone else. If something seems wrong, don’t ignore it, ask. But try not to let it control you either.
Stalls happen, get used to it. I started out weighing myself every day and it quickly took a psychological toll on me. I needed to stop for the sake of my own sanity. I actually had my husband hide the scale on me and only allow me to have it once a week. Now it sits in the bedroom, but I still only weigh on Monday mornings (surgery was a Monday so I stuck with that day). Stalls have plagued me throughout the past year beginning with the dreaded 3 week post-op stall. I don’t like them & I get frustrated, but I am now used to them. Current stall has lasted me 2 ½ weeks so far. The scale will move eventually and I will move on with life until the next one.
Choose NSVs as goals and reward yourself when you reach them. Non-Scale Victories are my best friend! I started walking shortly after surgery & built up my distance from one block to the point of doing 3+ miles at a 25 minute mile pace in just 3 months, as an incentive I registered for a popular local race. When I finished my first 5K I bought myself a treat (Coloring Books! Not food-based). When I finished my first 10K I went shopping for a new bedroom comforter set. When I reached my first sub-13 minute pace I bought new running sneakers. My NSVs have kept me motivated and kept the focus OFF the scale … which often doesn’t move as quickly as I’d like.
You will change … maybe not your morals and values and the things at the core of your being, but your outlook and your confidence and the way you see yourself. It will be difficult at times. Make sure you have a good support system to help you through, and if you don’t consider seeing a therapist. So many times my husband and my best friend have listened to me rant and rave like a crazed lunatic. They let me cry it out & yell it out, and in the end, talk it out. Sometimes it has been stupid piddly sh!t that set me off, but right then it was all I could focus on and I needed to vent in order to move past it. People say things that they don’t mean to be negative, but being in an overly sensitive state I found things that normally didn’t bother me were my total undoing. I have (mostly) come to terms with the new “ME” … I don’t hide behind my weight anymore. I am not invisible. But I have had to learn how to handle this new found confidence and channel it in a positive way. My friends don’t treat me any differently than before, but some acquaintances and co-workers have been snide and negative. Let it go … they don’t define you, YOU do!
This is *YOUR* journey, and yours alone. You will have people support you and encourage you, and there may be those who try to tear you down. Your weight loss will be different than the next person, and different still than the person after that. Do not compare yourself to others or try to keep up with anyone else. I did not go through with my WLS for anyone other than myself, and that is the only comparison I should make. What’s the quote? “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Take the first step, and the next, and the next. Keep moving forward. Remember now and then to look back and see where you’ve been, and look ahead to where you are going, but don’t forget to stop and see where you are right now. Live your life, don’t just exist while trying to get to your goals.
I still have a long way to go, and goals that I want to achieve. I want to LIVE my life and not be limited by my size...I want to take a trip and not need a seat belt extender for the plane ride. I want to go to the caverns this summer and not be told I am too big to go in the crawl spaces. I want to try zip lining and be able to fit in the harness. I want to go on a cruise and I want to wear a bathing suit without being embarrassed. I want to be in a size 8/10 at least ONCE in my life. I want to be in photos with my children and grandchildren and not always be hiding behind the camera.
The good news is that I am on my way! And even better, I am determined to not only reach my goals, but to enjoy myself as I do. This summer I will do my first 10-mile race, and in September I will walk a marathon. We have a family trip planned and it will be my first plane ride since WLS. I can’t wait to just sit down & buckle up! I bought a bathing suit for the first time in years that doesn’t cover more than it shows. And I have started smiling and taking “selfies” with my granddaughter on a regular basis. My husband and I have grown even closer than before, and together we are building our “life after children”.
By the way ... in the photos I attached, the before pictures are literally from the day before my surgery and then two weeks after surgery. The after photos are from two days ago … almost exactly one year from my WLS.

It looks delicious!

Had one of the freshest, and best tasting salads I think I've ever had yesterday, and figured I would share it. Found it on Green Valley Kitchen and it was amazing, and really inexpensive.
Avocado is one of my favorite foods, but post-op it's hard to use an entire avocado before it turns brown so make sure you have others to share this with as you probably can't eat the whole thing...
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 small-medium avocado, diced
1 handful of fresh Italian parsley, minced
4 oz of feta cheese (I use the fat free Athenos brand)
2 tbsp minced red onion
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar (I use the Pompeii jalapeno infused red wine vinegar - yum)
Fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Add them to a large bowl.
2. Peel cucumber, dice it into a size close to the cherry Tomato halves. Add to the bowl.
3. Remove pit from avocado. Remove with spoon, dice into cubes and add to bowl
4. If not using crumbled feta, cube it and add it to the bowl.
5. Mince red onion and add it to the bowl.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar and black pepper. Pour over salad.< /p>
7. Add parsley and stir gently being sure not to break up the avocado too much. Serve right away
NOTE: If you are not going to eat this right away, then save the avocado until right before serving...otherwise it will turn brown.
Super-easy and quick to make, and super delicious and nutritious!
Below is a picture of the salad (from the site, not from me)

I went clothes shopping today and for the first time I enjoyed it!! Got myself some large size blouses, before were 2xl and I just didn't like seeing myself in the dressing room in those big mirrors.

Sleeved: 04/03/13
Height: 5'3"
HW: 237
CW: 142
Adjusted GW: 125-130
NO PLASTICS 100% NATURAL

You are doing awesome! Looking really good.[emoji1]. Look at that waist. I understand about going to 150 lbs. that's where I would like to be at also. Well my daughter and I start boot camp classes tomorrow at 5:30 am. We went and sign up today. I liked the location is just about 5 minutes away from my house. We paid for 6 weeks - three times a week and 2 days of Zumba classes! I'm excited will see how it goes. I will keep you guys posted.

For sure it helped that my daughter signed up for the class cause I know if she wasn't going with me there was no way I would have got up at 5am to do exercise. It's a plus to get an exercise buddy for sure!

We made it thru boot camp! But holy cow it was really hard!! I set my alarm at 5am and it was hard to get up but I'm really glad we did it.
I liked the instructor it's more like a mini personal trainer since the group is really small. I'm going to Zumba tomorrow afternoon and then Thursday boot camp.

Congrats!!!! You can do it baby girl????????????
Sent from my LGLS770 using the BariatricPal App

I been YoYo dieting for so many years. Back in 2009 I was 270lbs. Our company have a family party every year in October. I remember taking that picture and hiding it cause I felt so ashamed at how big I was. I remember I signed up at the gym ymca and went straight for one year. I lost 80 lbs and unfortunately letting my self get back to 253 lbs.
This year when we went to the party another picture was taken and I got my old picture out. I now have it here at my desk at work to remind myself I don't EVER want to be at that weight again. This time I don't see this journey as a diet is all about changing my eating habits and remind myself everyday to see food as fuel.

Dr's appt went great. I've lost 71% of my excess weight. I'm right on target. He wants me to lose 13lbs and be at 160. I want to be at 150. So we will see what happens.
This is me today.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using the BariatricPal App

Lorri716 I would love that!

I been YoYo dieting for so many years. Back in 2009 I was 270lbs. Our company have a family party every year in October. I remember taking that picture and hiding it cause I felt so ashamed at how big I was. I remember I signed up at the gym ymca and went straight for one year. I lost 80 lbs and unfortunately letting my self get back to 253 lbs.
This year when we went to the party another picture was taken and I got my old picture out. I now have it here at my desk at work to remind myself I don't EVER want to be at that weight again. This time I don't see this journey as a diet is all about changing my eating habits and remind myself everyday to see food as fuel.

Lorri716 you are doing awesome!! Did you had any complications? I was one of the very lucky ones!! Only normal gas pain at the beginning, no nauseas, I could eat all lean meats with no complications.

Surgery date 8/10/2015, HW 253 lbs, CW 196 lbs (incl 2 weeks pre-op) 41 years old, height 5'6"
Hi everyone! I been learning so much from everyone's comments and still in the learning process. I was sleeved on 8/10/2015 and just this week I hit below 200 yaay super excited!! Haven't seen this number since 2010.

Walmart have them in the Latin foods isle. I usually use them when I make shrimp with the chipotle sauce

Not sure how far you are from surgery, but what has worked for me since 2 months after surgery has been the ground flax seed 2 tablespoons with one glass of Water every night before going to bed.
I'm actually drinking it right know.

Sent from my Z970 using the BariatricPal App

Last week was the week from hell! I ate everything that wasn't nailed down. Gained 3 lbs. Yesterday I did well until I had a custard from Rita's. Didn't gain or lose today I've done much better. I'm determined to stay on plan today. Hoping to see a loss tomorrow. I have my 8 month follow up w the dr on Thursday also with the NUT. That ought to be fun. I guess I can't complain it's been all me. I'm 25 pound from goal and want to get there by my 41st bday in July. Hope you are doing much better. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using the BariatricPal App

Surgery date 8/10/2015, HW 253 lbs, CW 196 lbs (incl 2 weeks pre-op) 41 years old, height 5'6"
Hi everyone! I been learning so much from everyone's comments and still in the learning process. I was sleeved on 8/10/2015 and just this week I hit below 200 yaay super excited!! Haven't seen this number since 2010.

So I have done exceptionally well in the past with my weight loss. I was banded in May 2010 and proceeded to lose about 120 pounds. I was eating right, exercising minimum 5 days a week. I even ran a 10K! Then last January I got a bad ankle injury and was in a boot for 3 months and then had to go to Physical Therapy for another 3 months. My exercise took a huge hit and that one injury completely derailed me .... physically and emotionally! I ended up getting depressed and gained 20 pounds last year and I am PISSED at myself!
So here I am, a year later, still clawing my way to find my motivation and get back on track. Its funny how I KNOW what I have to do but end up doing what feels COMFORTABLE....I tell myself the same stupid things I told myself before I got banded:
- "Its ok if you don't want to go to the gym today, you are super busy with other things"
- "You had a rough day, that extra (whatever) will make you feel better"
- "You can start fresh tomorrow"....
- yada, yada, yada.......
I am fortunate that I didn't gain back more weight but I feel every single one of those 20 pounds on my body and soul....and I DON'T LIKE IT! So I am going to stand in the uncomfortable truth that I have choices every moment of every day. I can choose to get up and get my workouts in (and not scroll through Facebook for 1/2 hour). I can choose to not put extra things on my salad that would raise the calorie count. I can choose to weight, measure and track my food on myfitnesspal app. I can choose to get my Water in.
So here is the manta I need to keep telling myself to get me through this tough part of getting back on track: I owe no one anything. I don't owe any apologies for gaining weight. I don't have to feel shame for gaining weight, it happened. It is in the past and now IT'S TIME TO MOVE FORWARD.
That old "stinkin' thinkin'" has to go! Time to get back to who I was, who I am meant to be!
Stay strong everyone and I will do the same!

From 334 to 194 and maintaining. May try for a few more lbs but I'm happy where I am. Sleeved Dec 2014 got to 194 in Jan 2016 I'm 5 ft 8 in and 27 yrs old

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using the BariatricPal App

I was sleeved April 20, 2015 and have my one year follow-up appointment today,
This year has flown by.
I am over half-way to goal.
I am regaining my mobility. A year ago I needed my mom to drive me and a step to get into her SUV (I couldn't get into her sedan). I couldn't do my own grocery shopping, and couldn't walk or stand very long. Today, I am driving myself, and will probably stop and shop after my appointment.
I am swimming laps 3-4+ times a week (since starting to use a fitness tracker a few months ago, I have swum over 150 miles in laps).
I sleep well and don't oversleep much anymore.
I am starting to be able to participate in life again.
If I don't get at least an "ata girl" at my appointment I am going to be disappointed!