Smanky

Oh I do love a list.
-No longer needing to take Nexium. (fingers crossed on this one)
-Fitting into vehicle seats without the crippling self-consciousness.
-Sleeping better without the apnea and snoring.
-No more sore feet and the hobbling it causes.
-Getting fit and hitting the gym again.
-Getting back down to an AU size 12 and being able to wear more sustainable clothes (NONE of the sustainable labels go above a 14 - and I'm keen to go thrift shopping)
-Being able to buy clothes I want to wear, rather than just what fits.
-Getting my chin back. It's pointy, and I miss it.
-Food no longer consuming my life.
-Getting my social life back.
-Getting my libido back.
-Being happy to have my photo taken.
-No longer being a shut-in. AKA - rejoining the world and living again.

Or the fear that the chair might get caught on my butt and I’ll stand up and take it with me. 😜. At my heaviest there was one conference room at work that the arms of the chair cut so deeply into my legs I had almost permanent sore bruises on the side of my legs. Every meeting there was a constant reminder of how fat I was and how I didn’t fit.

155 lobs down and I have multiple inches on either side of me in those chairs. I don’t even come close to the arms now. It’s amazing how things like this can just make your whole day.

-get rid of that stinkin' cpap machine
-run a sub 10 min mile
-do real pushups
-be under the weight limit on my kid's trampoline so I can jump with him
-go horseback riding
-have more energy!



Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

I had low standards lol. For me I was excited to fit into non plus sized clothing (I used to be a 34 in US womens jeans. I'm now a 12), when I had my blood pressure taken at the doctors office I wanted them to be able to take it on my upper arm like a normal person instead of having it on my wrist because it didn't fit my upper arm, when I had to do tests at the doctor's I was looking forward to not having to ask for a plus sized gown anymore, to being able to fit into the back seat of a car again (the seat belt in the back seats used to never fit me. it made family road trips difficult), to being able to sit in a booth at a restaurant again, to not get out of breath walking for more than 5 minutes, etc. Those were all the things I looked forward to most. And I've met all of those goals.

I have an entire list.
- Go off all my meds (BP meds, hormone meds, etc.)
- Maybe lose my CPAP.
- Fit in a kayak.
- Run a sub-10 mile.
- Do a pull-up.
- Go back to being able to ride horses.
- No more seatbelt extenders on airplanes.
- No more sitting down gingerly to see if the chair will hold me.
- Increased mobility (palms on floor)
- No more "we'd like a table, not a booth, please"
There's more but that's the big stuff.

I am glad that most of us are doing everything we can to avoid getting the virus and most of us decided to have the vaccine. It's our way of helping the society

And that is one reason why I did get vaccinated—because I can, and the sooner we reach "herd immunity", the sooner it's safer for the immunocompromised like you and a very, very close friend to go back out into society. Did I have misgivings? Oh, yeah... but as an obese person, that thing has got its sights set on me and I decided the benefits far outweighed the risks.

(Not here to preach! If you have questions or concerns, talk to a doctor you trust.)

As soon as I could get the vaccine, I did. I got both. As soon as I could get the booster, I will get it. Before the vaccines were available, I did everything I could to not get it, including wearing a mask, washing hands, keeping my distance. I still do those things because of delta variant but at least this time the odds are with me and if there is a breakthrough, over 99% I won't die from it. Peace of mind.

I started by getting the virus at the beginning of lockdown. It was mild and turned into long Covid. That made me mad instead of scared and it was the straw that broke the camels back for taking control of my health. I started loosing weight on my own Aug 2020. I switched insurance plans and doctors through the market place until I found good ones who listened, really listened to me. Yeah, it took that much maneuvering because many doctors hate fat people. That’s just the way it is, move on, even move across the country but get yourself some good doctors.

The main thing is to DO. Like Nike said, “just do it.” If you are working your plan and getting your shots and wearing your mask, you still need to contribute back to society. Start caring for people other than you. (Yes getting the vaccine is also about caring for other people.). You will be so tired and you will be alive and fully engaged with the world. You will have meaning. Go on, do it.

Now if you are at the stage of being paralyzed by fear. Get mad and get a therapist for that. Feelings need doctors too. I see my therapist online for a check in. It’s like tuning up my car but it’s my head.

Third and lastly, my relatives lived through worse than this and lived to tell the tale; Holocaust, Irish Potato Famine (no wonder I’m fat), The Great Depression, Soviet take overs, Vietnam War, Spanish Flu 1918. If they can do it, so can I. We can all do something to help.

1 week from today I have my surgery! I can't believe I actually went through with this program let alone and 1 week from surgery. It's for sure the hardest thing I have ever done. I met with anesthesia on Monday and am meeting with my surgeon tomorrow. I'm down 21 pounds on the liquid diet (I did 3 weeks) and I can't believe it. I have wanted to cheat so many times, last night I sat on my couch and stared at the phone number for my favorite pizza place but I put it down and preoccupied myself with other things. I am determined to make this work.

Anyone else in the home stretch?

I thought I was near the home stretch, but my clinic has come to a screeching halt with the hospital postponing all non-emergent surgeries again due to the past month's pandemic spike. (sigh)

Summerseeker, I hear you! I had a 12 month wait for my health cover because it's an already existing condition. It was long, frustrating and nudged my depression about, but once I had the surgeon/dietician appointments at the end of July, it got a lot easier. I just needed the "this is definitely happening" confirmation that a surgery date gives.

Don’t worry @STLoser, @shoppgirl & @SummerTimeGirl, you will eventually be able to eat more fruit & vegetables. Just slowly incorporate more. At the beginning I could only eat 2 or 3 green Beans or a small floret of cauliflower. I started adding heaps of vegetables to Soups, omelettes, bolognaise, etc. as well. Now I easily eat a good cup of mixed vegetables like green beans, asparagus, broccolini, sugar snap peas, etc. every night. I also eat lots of lettuce (it’s a slider for me). I have blueberries with my rolled oats every morning & another serve of fruit most nights. (Fruit is a good snack, a natural sweet substitute. Plus high Water content & fibre.) I get 4-5 serves of fruit & vegetables in every day.
Yogurt is high in Protein & was a handy & easy source for me (mine gives me 15g yoghurt tub or 22g yoghurt drink). I still eat it as an afternoon snack almost every day or sometimes I dice up fruit to add to the yoghurt & eat it as dessert.
Every little bit counts.

Wow, that is cabin fever madness. We miss the gym too, but can at least leave the house for our allocated exercise time. What you guys went through is rough.

It's honestly a doddle turning lots of vege dishes into decent pre-op eats. Soups are definitely our friend, and we have a hero veg in cauliflower on the list. I'm going to make cauliflower fried rice tomorrow (cauli rice, brocollini, mushrooms, scallions, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, a drop of sesame oil and maybe a little Sriracha for heat).
A delicious veg stew can be made out of onion, garlic, squash, spinach (stems and leaves), celery, sweet paprika, smokey paprika, ground coriander, cumin, ground chili, saffron (good pinch is essential), a good stock, crushed tomatoes. It's hearty and fills you up without feeling punitive.
Thai salads is a great idea! Same with curry (tomato based). With all herbs and spices allowed, it's actually pretty easy. And only two weeks.

Hello forum, I'm a 50 year old Australian and proof that you can be both vegan AND morbidly obese 🙃. As I'm sure is a familiar refrain, I'm a life-long struggler with my weight. My last best effort to drop weight the analogue way (in 2019) was looking really successful - I'd gone from about 128kg down to 105kg and was SO CLOSE to two digits. I was loving fitness, and enjoying my new eating habits.
Then the dreaded Panini hit us all in 2020, and the gym closed, and we locked down and I spent 2020 eating my feelings and regaining all the weight I'd lost. Again. Wit's end time, despair time, and so I decided to pursue my last hope. I did research on doctors and procedures, took out top hospital cover and dug in for the 12 month waiting period. Finally contacted my surgeon in August, and my surgery date is fast approaching.
So it's almost chocks away. And I am champing at the bit for it. I cannot wait to get active and fit again.