Neversaynever

awesome!

Gotta print that one and put it on the fridge!

awesome article

This article...HELL TO THE YES!

And I also consider it a gift, a present I thought was unavailable to me. You see I am 72 and 2/3 years old. I was afraid life had passed me by, I was doomed to die obese , lonely and in pain. Then I heard of the lifeline of Bariatric surgery, was I strong enough to grab a hold on that line or let it go by like some things in my,life had? But I reached out trembling in August 2015, and although many twists, turns, roadblocks ensued. last Wednesday at 7AM my RNY,bypass was done, God Bless Dr Needleman and even more bless the principles of Bariatric medicine that gave me a chance I almost missed out on. As I recover, I am a little sore from,my 5 little holes and the intestinal prodding that went on. But,it friends, it is bare-able, every day that passes I will regain more strength, my days changed from gray and dismal to sunny and full,of hope.FYI,I did it under Medicare and Medicaid no deductables, no co-pays. Things are going to be good for even great grandma aged person. if I can rock it all you youngsters should be able to, come join me, Frustr8 in the journey of life!

Love this topic! Started at 353 in July 2015, lost my first 100 lbs in six months, got down to around 185 in a year and just sort of went back to eating junk. I really liked how I looked and carried my weight well, but the pounds began to creep back on. In May, I found myself back at 215 and VERY unhappy about it. Been back on the high protein/low carb/no sugar thing since then, and now I'm actually lower than when I originally stopped losing! Only 29 lbs to go until I'm in the healthy BMI range, but I've got hips/thighs/boobs and wear a size 8/10, so I feel pretty good. Go on 12 mile hikes every weekend, currently training for 5k. It's so weird considering I've been above the 300 lb mark my entire adult life!
Just make sure you connect with people who live a healthy life or do activities with you! The hardest thing was having to distance myself from people who constantly pushed food/alcohol/unhealthy stuff despite my protests, and folks who ONLY wanted to hang out when food was involved. Get you some fitness buddies and you'll be good!

Great article! This especially:
I might have to needlepoint a sampler!

@neversaynever I love this article so much and I agree with every word. Thank you for sharing it 🙌🏾

That was great! Thank you for sharing!

it's me Frustr8, getting . ready to to go home. Bag of sodium,solution going into, my iv, once it gets done I'm history here. No more than cat scratches. Amazing to me too. write more later.

I think I qualify for this group. My highest weight was 325lbs and that was 18 years ago. My toughest weight loss journey began in 2000 and I was able to see-saw between 260 and 280lbs for quite a few years by low carbing. But no matter how much I adjusted my low carb life I just wasn't able to lose below the 260lb deck. I'm not even sure what that BMI would be? I only know I was miserable. And I finally surrendered a couple of years ago and threw out all of my skinny (size 14s) that I'd kept from high school on--just in case I "could" lose the weight. I really felt hopeless and like I would be doomed to living in a 260 or bigger body for the rest of my life. And my oncologist was gently, insistently, encouraging me to lose weight, lose weight, lose weight, have WLS. And I just kept getting mad at him, feeling embarrassed and frustrated, defeated, humiliated and like I was a ginormous epic fail.
The day I went to see my PCP with a staff infection in my foot, I weighed 287lbs. My BMI was around 49/50. I felt like I was dying and I wouldn't live much longer. I basically lived in my recliner chair and couldn't tolerate much walking or standing. I limited my showers cuz it was just so difficult getting in and out of the tub. I truly don't know how Mr. F. could stand me. I could barely stand myself. There was zero self-love left at that point.
I never have fully believed I could lose the weight. I never thought I would ever be under 200lbs again, nor believed I would ever see my old high school weight (150s). But here I sit--about 18 months-ish later at 162lbs. I'm only 12 pounds from my first goal. And I still nail-bite my food and over-plan every day. I'm still my own worst critic and have a raging case of body dysmorphia for which I am seeking help. I can empirically see how much weight I've lost, but I am unable to see myself as others see me. To me, I'm still fat, still so imperfect. And feel like I have a long way to go to reach my true goal of being in the normal weight category with a normal BMI. That's anything south of 145lbs for me--but honestly it feels as far away an unattainable as it did when I weighed 287lbs or 325lbs.
But somehow, this surgery, the attention to eating healthy, the exercise, the support community has helped me take baby steps down to where I am today. I've lost 124lbs. That amazes me. I just have to pray every day I can maintain my losses and be on guard against complacency that causes me to slide back into piss-poor habits and self-indulgent behaviors.
You guys are all a great group of women! And I look forward to watching your journeys.
So happy for Frustr8 to finally get the surgery she's worked so hard for!!! Congrats! You will be a rockstar!