Kristen's Journey From Pre-Op and Beyond

[KristenVSG2014 1,872]

Well, I've officially hit my first lengthy stall. Bum bum BUM!!!

I was 173.4 this morning which is where I've been hanging around for the past month. I guess because I had such a huge loss in June my body needed to take a break in July.

My husband and I have decided to go back on Whole30 in August. After we went back to eating off Whole30 my body started to ache all over again, joint pain returned and my itchy, flaky scalp returned.

Maybe by next month I'll be in the 160's! My cousin is getting married mid-September and I found a really cute dress to wear to his wedding but I need to lose about 5 pounds for it to completely zip. Goals!

[Ravend26 103]

Your results are beyond awesome and your story is amazing and so inspirational, thanks for sharing!

Edited August 9, 2015 by Ravend26

[KristenVSG2014 1,872]

Monthly Update!

I weighed in at 169.0 so I hit my goal of being in the 160's. Woo!! These last pounds are taking longer than I anticipated. At this point it doesn't look like I'll hit my ultimate goal weight by my surgiversary because it would require I lose more than one pound per week and I don't want to stress myself over something like that.

I got myself a FitBit and I'm so excited to try and figure out how to meet those dang goals. Right now it's been raining every day so I was only able to get to the track one day but I'm planning on getting back into running this fall. My friend asked if I would do a 15k with her in March and I would love to!

My stomach is looking very wrinkly and sad. The skin on my legs is starting to firm up a bit. I asked my boss if I could bank a vacation week from this year so next year I could take off four weeks in a row to get plastic surgery. He said yes! Now I just need to figure out how to finance it. But I'm probably a year away from that for now so I'm not worrying too much yet.

I went shopping last Friday. After six hours I had two pairs of shoes. And I only bought those because they were on sale. I don't quite know what my sense of fashion is right now but I don't like anything on the racks. I'll figure it out. I guess I'll just have to spend more time trying stuff on.

My cousin's wedding is in a few weeks so I'll be seeing family that hasn't seen me since before surgery. I'm excited to see their reactions. I'll laugh if my grandpa doesn't recognize me. ????

Current measurements

Neck - 12 1/2

Under breast - 34

Waist - 33

Hips - 39

Arm - 13

Thigh - 22

Total inches lost

Neck - 2 1/2

Under breast - 11

Waist - 12

Hips - 14

Arm - 3 1/2

Thighs - 5 1/2

Edited September 2, 2015 by krisrpaz

[newmebithebypass 713]

Wow what a journey I look forward to joining you on the losers bench

[KristenVSG2014 1,872]

I went to my cousin's wedding last night. I actually felt beautiful in my dress. My mom took a picture of me sitting down. No problem with it. I love my sleeve!! Here are some pics.

 

[KristenVSG2014 1,872]

I'm so late with my update. On October 1 I weighed in at 167.6. I lost 1.4 pounds in a month. My measurements stayed exactly the same. This was my lowest amount ever lost but 1) I still lost weight, 2) I'm super close to goal, 3) my skin tightened a LOT over the last month.

I've noticed a trend in the way my body loses weight. I have weeks where the scale reflects large losses but my skin looks very wrinkly then I'll hit a 3-4 week stall but my skin tightens up during this time. I'm very happy with the progress my saggy thighs are making! I can't wait to post my one year pictures next month!!!

Here's an awesome before and after of my skin from over a year ago when my PCOS was out of control vs now.

[laura4923 137]

You look beautiful!! Congratulations ????

[KristenVSG2014 1,872]

I've had two people tell me in the past week it's time for me to stop losing weight...

Nah. I'm going to hit my goal. Thanks for the opinion though!

[Lutasha 102]

This is the coolest thread! Your story is so inspiring! Keep up the good work!!

[KristenVSG2014 1,872]

This is the coolest thread! Your story is so inspiring! Keep up the good work!!

Thanks for reading! I just re-read over all the posts from the last year. It seems like so long ago. I can't wait to see what I accomplish in the second year post-op. ????????

[Sgt7546 69]

I'm just starting the process but your story inspired me. Congratulations on your success.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Csimmons2011 2]

This is so inspiring! I have a quick question (sorry, perhaps I missed the part where you mentioned this) but what excerise plan do you follow?

[KristenVSG2014 1,872]

This is so inspiring! I have a quick question (sorry, perhaps I missed the part where you mentioned this) but what excerise plan do you follow?

No, I didn't quite mention an exercise plan. I have a condition where certain joints are very hypermobile and at times it causes extreme pain. Whether my joint slips out of place or I overextend the joint, my muscles become very sore. I have good days/weeks and then bad ones. I've learned certain actions that cause my joints to slip so I try to avoid them. That's scrubbing my tub, washing my dogs in the tub, pushing a full grocery cart and washing dishes for more than a few minutes.

My joints most effected are sacroiliac (SI), entire spine from cervical to lumbar, knees, ankles, and wrists. When a joint is out of place the muscles and nerves surrounding it become very angry. They spasm, get very stiff and sore, and sometimes develop painful pressure/trigger points.

As you can guess it is very difficult to maintain a structured exercise plan. I work closely with my chiropractor who tells me I'm not allowed any high impact exercise, only walking to avoid jarring my joints. I used to do Zumba one or two times a week and work through the pain but it got to the point I couldn't function anymore. I also have to be careful about stretching because it's so easy to overstretch muscles. You know how you get DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) after a difficult workout? I get it after pretty much any activity beyond a normal day and it lasts almost a week.

But, I'm a very stubborn person and I constantly do things I'm not supposed to. Last week I was cleaning my house and decided to haul two 50 pound bags to Goodwill by myself. So I carried them to the car then threw them up on the platform. I felt like an Amazon woman. I've been sleeping on a heating pad for a week now because the back pain has been horrible. It hurts to be in any position.

A few months ago I did a 5K and really wanted to do it in under 45 minutes so I ran some of it and at one point I overextended my stride too much and my SI slipped out. I was stubborn and waited too long to have it put back and it ended up taking three visits to put it back where it belongs.

So the short answer is I try to walk the track at the high school when I can. Sometimes I get bored and I run. Most of the time I'm just trying to get through a normal day (full-time job with a standup desk).

Edited October 21, 2015 by KristenVSG2014

[Dub 9,922]

I just read through this thread.

This AWESOME thread.

You are my hero.

No excuses. No quit in you. Finding a way to win.

I've very impressed with your approach and you results.

[KristenVSG2014 1,872]

Aw, thanks, @@Dub! I've seen a lot of your comments on the boards and I can tell you've got what it takes to be successful! Thank you for reading my post. :-)