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One Year Out Gastric Sleeve Surgery With Pics--no Rules, Just Right!
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Yesterday, December 7th was my one year surgiversary. It has been a great year and a rough year. A healthier year and a sicker year. An anxious year and a peaceful year. Contrasts, to say the least.
I started at 207 lbs and a 36 BMI. From the beginning I had trouble following the Protein rules because everything made me gag--things like almond butter which I loved before and Protein shakes which I thought were pretty good before. So I did the best I could in finding protein sources, but fell way under the allotted amount.
I also struggled with eating too fast--a lifelong habit. I had many occasions, especially in restaurants, when I was involved in conversation and would forget to slow down. food would get stuck, and I made more than my fair share of trips to the bathroom to "let it out". One time I was in a clothing store after eating and then drinking Water on top of it. The liquid started to come up on it's own and I ran to the bathroom, thanking God it was not in use by anyone else.
At about six months out, it seemed to dawn on me that "Hey, I can only eat a small amount and it's okay. Just take your time with it and enjoy it."
I had some unrelated female, back and thyroid health issues which often kept me from exercising. Because of these things and because I was so fed up with dieting rules and didn't try very hard, I lost slowly. Slowly compared to many on this forum, but according to my doctor, I'm on track or a little ahead of the game.
My cholesterol is down from 275 to 216 and my sleep apnea is completely gone.
I have had some problems with acid reflux. I had a very large hiatal hernia repair at the time of the surgery, and don't have good tone in the upper sphincter. I am still dealing with this to see if anything besides taking PPI's can help. My doctor suggests converting to the bypass, but I'd have to be in pretty bad shape to do that. I waited a long time for my insurance to cover the sleeve for a reason!
I encourage anyone who is on the fence to take the plunge and do it while you are young. At age 55, the loose skin especially in the face is an issue. I don't care too much about what is covered by clothing. My brother says he knows some people who had the surgery and their faces looked drawn at first, but eventually filled out. I hope that is the case with me.
The lack of hunger is a good thing and a bad thing. I'm getting used to it, and do have to often force myself to eat. Going out to restaurants is not as satisfying because if you're not hungry you don't get that great satisfied feeling from eating. Now I eat pretty much what I want, trying to choose healthy, natural foods and keeping mindful of my protein intake. I still have chips and chocolate on a regular basis, though. I have a rough time giving those up.
The absolute BEST part is not always being unhappy with myself about my weight. All the diet books are gone (and I had a huge stack). I don't immediately go to the "how to lose weight" articles when I open a magazine. I eat what I like and enjoy it in small amounts. I take my time with it, eat slowly and when I'm done, I enjoy the conversation, rather that craving what I'm going to have for dessert. When I go out, I don't feel self-conscious and try to cover everything up. It's very freeing!
I'm not sure where I am going to end up, but I have 12 lbs to go to reach my goal weight. I have already reached my goal size. Everything is different than when I was young. I used weigh 10 lbs less than I do now, but I was a size 14. I celebrated my anniversary by buying a pair of size 10 stretch black corduroy jeans! Down from an 18-20. Yeah!