chiquitatummy

I can bend now and not almost die getting up

I bought a pair of size 8 jeans. I did a happy dance in the fitting room.

For me...this is HUGE! I was looking at my robot vacuum cleaner this weekend, so I was on my knees (something I avoided like the PLAGUE before WLS) When I went to get up, I thought "Can I do it without holding on to something?" AND I DID IT! One of the things that always terrified me, was falling and not being able to get up. It happened once (I dropped some papers in the parking lot and when I tried to get up, I couldn't! I had to crawl to a car and pull myself up. UGH).

Seeing my ribs again what I lay on my stomach!
Was looking at the bruising from surgery through my phone camera, and as I was laying on my back, I saw the two little lumps of my ribs protruding, and my belly laying flatter.
It made me happy to see that.
Also that my breasts are no longer resting on the fat that was on my ribs. They are getting their natural hanging shape back.
I can zip up my boots all the way up my calves, still a snug fit, but three weeks ago, it was not possible!

I started my journey Nov. 15 2020 : Preop-diet was for 2-weeks : My surgery date was Dec. 15, 2020.
So basically six months ago I started my journey- And it's been 5 Months from the actual surgery date .
As of May 15 2021, I've lost 105lbs !! YES... I only dreamed of losing this much weight...
I'm not done by far, but what a first six months........

I had one a few months ago- I recently joined my local volunteer fire department and when they went to find turnout gear for me, they had to really hunt for some that was small enough. And my daughter (who is also a firefighter) wears the same size as me.

Ha ha ha you made me laugh about leg thing. Stuff like that is crazy isn't it?
I had a a huge hump on my upper back right below my neck and I could not lay on my back at all before. If u tried, my head would not touch the floor. Don't even get me started on the boobs or butt! [emoji23]
It is so amazing being able to lay on my back now.
Also, sitting in chairs, besides fitting into them, is just more comfortable how that my but isn't pushing me forward as much.
I love this thread. It's awesome reading about everyone's NSV's!


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I can't wait to experience this NSV!

I can't wait to experience this NSV!

So many great comments in this thread! It's giving me life this week with the scale going back and forth between the same half pound.
I have three new weird/fun NSVs:
Laying flat on my back is sooooooo much more comfortable without extra padding on my butt pushing my lower back into a deep curve and my boobs flopping into my neck to choke me. It's a whole new world of physical comfort! I keep accidentally off-balancing myself because of my body mechanic habit related to really needing to put some force into swinging my leg up when I was 50 pounds heavier. This morning I nearly ended up on the shower floor because I put waaaay too much force into lifting my foot up onto my shaving ledge. I can balance and walk on my toes or my heels. I discovered this playing with my niece earlier this week.

So many great comments in this thread! It's giving me life this week with the scale going back and forth between the same half pound.
I have three new weird/fun NSVs:
Laying flat on my back is sooooooo much more comfortable without extra padding on my butt pushing my lower back into a deep curve and my boobs flopping into my neck to choke me. It's a whole new world of physical comfort! I keep accidentally off-balancing myself because of my body mechanic habit related to really needing to put some force into swinging my leg up when I was 50 pounds heavier. This morning I nearly ended up on the shower floor because I put waaaay too much force into lifting my foot up onto my shaving ledge. I can balance and walk on my toes or my heels. I discovered this playing with my niece earlier this week.

Last time I weighed this (244) was when I met my husband in 2004. I wore a size 20 then and a 2x, and my ring size was about an 8.5
I'm finding myself fitting into 18s and 1x now and it's so confusing and my ring size is 7.5.
I know there is vanity sizing with clothes so maybe they're just making them bigger, but the ring size makes no sense!

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It’s odd how bodies change- when I got engaged 13 years ago I was about 30 lbs less than I am now and I remember my engagement ring being on the verge of being tight. Now it is the exact right size. Maybe my fingers are getting bonier as I age. I’m hoping they just stay the same size though because I also have a multiple tone wedding ring that can’t be resized and I love it

Also, leave the fat on my fingers alone body, you have a veritable buffet of fat left on the stomach. Or the hips. Or thighs. I have a laundry list and the last place I’m interested in is hands at this point.

I haven't had surgery yet, but I have been doing A LOT of researching about how important exercise is to prevent re-gain. I have traditionally been very down on any exercise except walking because it's so hard for me. I'm down 32 lbs as I prepare for surgery and today I did a 15 minute dance exercise video without stopping! It wasn't pretty, I didn't get all the moves right, but I did the whole thing!

I've gone the opposite direction. My wedding ring started falling off and I almost lost it a few times. It couldn't be resized because there were 3 different golds, so I just put it on my key ring.
I went through a couple basic replacement rings until each in turn started falling off.
On our 35 anniversary last year my spouse gave me a new, wonderful wedding band that fits. She keeps the old one in her jewelry box.

I was wearing a fake wedding ring set because mine didn't fit. Now 3 months post op, my original set fits and is starting to spin on my finger.

This is sort of weird, but today I had an appointment with the surgeon who started me on this whole path. Years ago I went to him for an umbilical hernia, but it was small and not painful, so nothing needed to be done. Last year in January, I went back to him to have my gallbladder removed and mentioned that I had been having elevated liver enzymes for a while and would be seeing a specialist. He biopsied my liver when he took out the gallbladder. At my follow up, he said my liver was really bad (NASH, hepatic fibrosis), and recommended wls. He told me he couldn't see me living past 60 if I stayed that way, at 393 pounds. So I took his advice and had my Loop DS in July. Last week I had severe stomach pain and nausea and dry heaves, and would have vomited if my stomach wasn't empty at the time and I almost fainted, but was able to lay down in time to stop that. I've fainted before so I knew what was coming and was able to avoid it. The pain in my stomach was severe and then I noticed the hernia was big and sticking out and I couldn't push it back in and realized it might be the source of the pain. Anyway, I saw the surgeon today and he said the hernia was originally fat, but since I've lost so much weight,(148 so far), it is now intestine and the pain was because intestine got caught in the hole, and later when I laid down the intestines fell back through the hole and the pain got better.
Anyway, sorry this is long, but now I have to get this hernia repaired, but I got to show off my weight loss to that surgeon that recommended it, and he was so happy for me. It was a great feeling!
He is the trauma surgeon in the ER where my best friend works, and he saw her after my appointment and told her he didn't even recognize me!
It's just a wonderful feeling!

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wow...shaming people to reveal personal medical information is just as bad as shaming people to keep quiet. It is about freedom to choose how to live your life and how to connect with others in your life. For me, WLS was a very personal decision that I spent over a year thinking about and meditating on. So, my decision to only tell my spouse is no one's business and frankly, trying to shame those of us who choose to keep our WLS private, pisses me off. Shame on you!

I am loving all the responses in this thread, it's inspiring!
Over the last few weeks I've logged a few more NSVs: I can feel my hipbone - hello old friend! My wedding ring is getting loose. My tighter fitting shoes are feeling loose. And my new favorite NSV: I can walk up the hill near my house without dropping into 1st gear or needing to stop for a break! 😍

🙋‍♀️ ditto!
Also, um how shall I put this...feeling confident that I can comfortably reach the "in-between" crotch spot to give it a good wash.

Today I had an unexpected and surprisingly satisfying NSV. I noticed that my belly button shrank. It's about 50% shallower than it used to be! Who knew I would be so pleased about less depth to my belly button? 😆

To prevent future disease and illness. I was obese and generally healthy but knew I was on the path (like many of my family members) to diabetes and high blood pressure. Watching my mom suffer with her health now is a big motivator for me to do something to prevent being in the place she is in another 15-20 years. Realizing that my weight put me at high risk for Covid was another wake-up call for me.
I was also tired of feeling physically uncomfortable in my body (achy back, feet, hips, etc) and having no energy. I missed doing the things I used to do like hiking, rollerblading, and bike riding. I'd stopped doing them when I got heavy enough that it was painful and physically uncomfortable to be active. I'm only two weeks and a couple days out from surgery and already I can walk without discomfort around my neighborhood. My energy may still be low, but my back and feet don't hurt! It feels amazing!!! I'm remembering how much I used to enjoy being physically active.

1. I thought I’d be more depressed from less food and serotonin receptors getting cut out of stomach. But I’m actually CALMER than ever, less hyper and less depressed
2. Im four weeks out and haven’t seen a PIMPLE since my preop diet. I was always a believer that sugar or refined carbs cause acne, and it seems I am right, at least for my body. (Dr shalita, a high level dermatologist is Bklyn also has a theory/study proving this)

How can I put this…… Bob Ross is doing a nice winter scene of an empty snow covered field with a happy little stump poking out of the snow…. Fast forward a few episodes and he’s painting the same field in the spring…. The stump is the same stump as before, but without snow covering most of it he needs a lot more paint…. NSV!!

My feet have always been wide, even as a normal size child, so for me, that won't change, but it seems a lot of other people do go from a wide to a regular width when they lose weight. I'm still a wide because that's just my normal feet, but I went from a 10 back to my original 8.5 or 9 like when I was young, so I'm happy!
And my already wide feet were definitely even wider when I weighed more, so it is MUCH easier to find shoes now.

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