I can't eat more than 1/2 cup or so at a sitting. Bread gets stuck, Pasta and rice come back, ice cream makes me dump. I want to nibble all day because I can't seem to get in more than 1000 HEALTHY calories a day and wine gives me horrific heartburn. I am either constipated or have poop Soup - usually the first leads to the second -- and I still can't have even a small glass of Water with a meal or I will horf it all back up. Regular water sits like a lead brick in my stomach still (after 2.5 years!!) and I still sit on the potty before I pass gas just in case.

That said...

I wear a size 6/8.
I can shop in ANY store.
My teenaged daughters now borrow my clothes and I borrow theirs. (Wait -- is that good or bad?)
I can fit in any seat AND cross my legs.
People don't look at me like I am Satan on fire when I sit next to them on the bus, the theater, the airplane.
I can put junk food in my grocery cart and not feel judged.
I can (and do!) walk 6-10 miles a day without pain the next morning.
I can keep up in Zumba class and still do another workout after.
I can dance all night without feeling it the next day.

I hike, bike, kayak, and play outside with my kids comfortably.
I no longer sweat like a horse the second I walk outside.

I am healthy. No longer pre-diabetic, no longer morbidly obese, no longer ruining my knees, hips, feet and back with excessive weight.


If this was the "easy way out", so be it. It damn sure was the SMART way out.

EDIT TO ADD:

It seems that some of you are taking my "litany of complaints" as real hardships and I want to correct that. None of the things I listed above are the end of the world nor are they even more than little blips on my radar.

When my ass hurts, I get up. When I'm cold, I grab a blanket. I choose not to eat bread, rice, pasta or ice cream and as much as I loved them before, they make me feel so urpy, I no longer WANT them. The poop soup/constipation, along with the juicy toots kind of sucks, but I think some Probiotics would correct that issue. I don't drink when I eat, nor do I drink for an hour after and it's not killing me. I don't need regular water, and while I miss it from time to time, a squeeze of flavor drops or a splash of fruit juice works for me. My inability to drink wine sucks the most, but it's a small trade off in the grand scheme of things.

Congratulations on all of your hard work.

Great post. It was never "the easy way out", the easy way out is to do nothing, stay obese and die an earlier and unhealthier life.

Enjoy your new life, you earned it!

Edited October 21, 201510 yr by 4MRB4PHOTO

Great post, I laughed, and laughed hard when I read the "Never trust a fart" line, SOOO true.

Outstanding progress.

You have really changed your life and are able to LIVE it with zest.

I can't eat more than 1/2 cup or so at a sitting. Bread gets stuck, Pasta and rice come back, ice cream makes me dump. I want to nibble all day because I can't seem to get in more than 1000 HEALTHY calories a day and wine gives me horrific heartburn. I am either constipated or have poop soup - usually the first leads to the second -- and I still can't have even a small glass of Water with a meal or I will horf it all back up. Regular water sits like a lead brick in my stomach still (after 2.5 years!!) and I still sit on the potty before I pass gas just in case.

That said...

I wear a size 6/8.

I can shop in ANY store.

My teenaged daughters now borrow my clothes and I borrow theirs. (Wait -- is that good or bad?)

I can fit in any seat AND cross my legs.

People don't look at me like I am Satan on fire when I sit next to them on the bus, the theater, the airplane.

I can put junk food in my grocery cart and not feel judged.

I can (and do!) walk 6-10 miles a day without pain the next morning.

I can keep up in Zumba class and still do another workout after.

I can dance all night without feeling it the next day.

I hike, bike, kayak, and play outside with my kids comfortably.

I no longer sweat like a horse the second I walk outside.

I am healthy. No longer pre-diabetic, no longer morbidly obese, no longer ruining my knees, hips, feet and back with excessive weight.

If this was the "easy way out", so be it. It damn sure was the SMART way out.

LOVE THIS POST!!

it is funny, last evening we had a transformation recognition night atthe hospital where i had my surgery. The funniest part is the stories about all those things mentioned here. We came up with the thought that we could be millionaires if we just developed an easily portable, discreet, butt pillow/cushion that is also heated and easily carried aboard airplanes buses etc. The weight loss butt pillow.

We also discussed how home depot sells heated battery powered sweatshirts, and how i own several pairs of fingerless gloves that I use at work and in my home when working or being on the computer etc. But the real point, was even the surgeons who spoke reiterated many times how this is not the easy way out, or cheating or the like. Also, how we are in this for the long haul and every day is the next step in our journey.

Sounds like you have it a lot more rough than I do. Nothing makes me sick and I'm pretty regular. I don't drink with meals because that's the rule. Not sure what would happened if I tried. I know that if I try to drink too soon AFTER a meal, I feel way overfull and uncomfortable. I also have to take omeprazole twice a day or I have terrible acid reflux.

But I'm right there with you on all the benefits. Seems like my journey may have been a little *easier* than yours, but certainly not *easy*.

Oh, I do have too many pokey bones now! I hate my pelvic bones! The are always digging into my forearms whenever I try to use a laptop or play on my tablet. My collar bones and the vertebrae in the back of my neck poke out and hurt to itch. And my upper ribs show when I'm not wearing a bra. Yuck!

@@LipstickLady thanks for sharing! Now I know some of the things I have been thinking are short term (I am 4 weeks post surgery) are not! Good to know so I can mentally prepare myself that this will continue!

I have been warm-natured my whole life even when I was slimmer and almost always warm and would get nauseous when too warm. The last week I have gotten cold faster than anyone and am tolerating warmer temperatures better than I ever did. I would rather be cold-natured than warm as I can add more clothes, move around more to warm up, use blankets, drink warm beverages, etc to warm up. Good to know this may be a long term side effect! I may even be able to wear long sleeve shirts and sweaters instead of short sleeves in the Illinois winter!

@@Stevehud, I may need to look into that heated sweatshirt and pick up some fingerless gloves. I've lost just over 80 lbs so far and the chills are setting in, but compared to the alternative I'll take it!!!

Outstanding progress.

You have really changed your life and are able to LIVE it with zest.

Not only that she's doing it with style...living well and happy, the best revenge. I don't have any real problems but some saggy skin, but I'm not being a wussy, nothing that a little compression clothing won't take care of.

Maybe it because I'm not at my goal yet, but for where *I* am right now, if I felt like you do in the 1st part of your post, I'd be feeling very upset/regretful.

So I must ask.. when you were working your way towards your goal and having these issues, were you as convinced it was the right move?

Maybe it because I'm not at my goal yet, but for where *I* am right now, if I felt like you do in the 1st part of your post, I'd be feeling very upset/regretful.

So I must ask.. when you were working your way towards your goal and having these issues, were you as convinced it was the right move?

Not one second has gone by pre or post op where I have regretted my decision. Not one moment, not one glancing thought, not one fleeting wish...

The complaints I listed are absolutely nothing compared to the list of complaints I could have made while I was obese. I got my life back, and I gave my family the gift of being the absolute best possible me I could be.

I am abso-freaking-lutely thrilled every moment of every day.

Maybe it because I'm not at my goal yet, but for where *I* am right now, if I felt like you do in the 1st part of your post, I'd be feeling very upset/regretful.

So I must ask.. when you were working your way towards your goal and having these issues, were you as convinced it was the right move?

Not one second has gone by pre or post op where I have regretted my decision. Not one moment, not one glancing thought, not one fleeting wish...

The complaints I listed are absolutely nothing compared to the list of complaints I could have made while I was obese. I got my life back, and I gave my family the gift of being the absolute best possible me I could be.

I am abso-freaking-lutely thrilled every moment of every day.

I get it. And like you I'm absolutely loving where I am at the moment. Keep on enjoying life!

@@LipstickLady,

Ah LipstickLady how droll.

I have not experienced as many drawbacks as you have but hope to have many of the same benefits. The journey is lifelong and I agree certainly not easy, but definitely smart!

@LipstickLady This post made my day. Poop Toots. Never trust a fart. OMG I was laughing so hard on the way home reading it. No, I do not find the subject funny, in fact I suffer from it, that's why I have to laugh at it, because it is SO true!

This morning, after my morning coffee, I felt it coming on and knew I had to run to the bathroom....

Yeah, I didn't make it. Luckily, I work from home, so the only people who saw and smelled my poopy pants were my 3 Basset Hounds.

You are and continue to be an inspiration to me. Like you, I wouldn't change a darn thing. Except my poopy pants.