Thanksgiving...a year later

Last Thanksgiving, I was 9 months out from my DS.  At that point in my life, I still jumped on the scale every single morning, eagerly looking for a lower number to show itself (I know, I know...bad idea, but I'm guilty of this behavior).  That Thanksgiving morning, my scale gave me a great present:  I had hit goal!  It was probably one of the best moments of my life.  I had never reached a weight goal that I had set for myself, ever.  And to have it happen on Thanksgiving Day...well, it just seemed like some higher power was trying to tell me something:  that I had so much to be grateful for, and this was one more thing to add to the list.

So, here I am, one year later...I hopped on the scale this morning just for ****s and giggles.  I weighed three pounds less than I did a year ago.  No matter how far out from my DS I get, I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the concept that I can maintain this awesome weightloss.  I don't weigh myself every day anymore; sometimes I go weeks between getting on the scales.  BUT...sometimes I just am curious and need a little reassurance that I'm doing the right thing and not screwing up this gift I was given. 

In pure terms of longevity, I'm still a relative newbie.  But I just can't say enough about how thankful I am for this DS of mine, and what it's given me:  a new lease on life, and the power of maintenance!  It is something I never really dreamed was possible, even after reading all of the statistics on long-term success.  And I can never thank the people here enough who told me about the DS, who gave me advice and answered my questions, and who became my friends.  I think you all know who you are; without you, I wouldn't be where I'm at today...thank you so much.

Thank you for posting such an inspirational story. I am only 2 weeks out and I think my scale is broken because I haven't lost any weight this past week. Your story helps to keep me focused on the big picture.

Oh Sandy my sweet newbie.... hang in there!  I promise you things will get better!  We have all been in your shoes and know all of the emotions and pains you are going through (as far as the DS).

I would ONLY allow myself to weigh myself ONCE a week, which was on Tuesday, because that is the day my surgery was on.  I faithfully wrote my weigh down each and every week.  Now is is soooooo cool to look back and see how the weight DID come off.  I also can see exactly what I weighed a year ago at this time and find that fun to do too. 

Blessings and hang in there Girlfriend!

Thank you for the kind and encouraging words of wisdom. I of course would love to lose 25 # a month but as a lightweight with Hashimoto's disease I knew I'd lose slower. I am not freaked or disheartened by the slow start since it isn't completely unexpected. My feeling is that the weight loss is inevitable and really is the least of my concerns.  I am focusing on recovering and trying to figure out what my new 'normal' will be. So far my recovery has been great with no awful surprises. Actually, it has been quite the opposite. Things I expected to happen never came to pass but other things I wasn't expecting have surprised me. For instance, I was expecting food to taste differently because everybody said this was very common. Nope, food tastes exactly the same. I just no longer want much of it. Also, in the past I would find a food I like and eat it until I couldn't stand it anymore. Right now it takes one serving for me to get to that point.  I really need variety like I've never needed it before. I've decided this is a good thing.

I think because of all the wonderful information and support from the vets I have managed to keep a very positive attitude, which if I am being totally honest is not generally a strength of mine. But I think it comes from the faith I've gained from being on this board (another weakness of mine - having faith in anything) that makes me know without the need for constant reassurances that this surgery has totally changed my life. I did it. I will never be fat again; I will never have to worry about heart disease - ever.  I will never have to worry that my pre-diabetes will turn into full blown diabetes - ever. I have significantly reduced my chances of getting cancer (this is huge for me.) I have put myself in a position to completely transform my life for the better. What a gift that is. I know in my soul that it is a done deal. I can't go back even if I wanted to and of course, I don't want to. All I have to do is let time work for me, instead of against me which is exactly how I used to feel (there's never enough time to...)

I just read back over what I just wrote and I realized that I am gaining more from this experience than just better health and a trim figure. I have never verbalized or even written about these two weaknesses before (attitude and lack of faith) and it just dawned on me that this surgery  has begun to undo two weaknesses that are very difficult to overcome.  You just can't fake that.  Also, I have never in my life been so very grateful for anything probably because like so many people, life has been an enormous struggle just to survive. It is difficult to be positive when you struggle to just stay afloat. It is difficult to have faith when it seems good things don't happen to you no matter what the effort. For me it was all about never giving up. I have no idea why I can't give up on things but I am happy to have this in my personality. It took me almost three years to get this surgery. Hard work does not always pay off but not giving up will produce results most of the time. At least that's been my experience thus far.

C O NG R A T U L A T I O N S ! ! !  CONGRATULATIONS!!!

 

Thanks for posting this, Heather.  It is always great to read success stories and yours surely made me smile!