1 year out and living strong!

Hello all!  My surgery was August 10, 2010.  I can’t believe the year passed so quickly!  I remember hearing people saying that, but never thought my first year would go so fast! 

I started this journey mobidly obese, but active and had no co-morbidities… yet.  I had been overweight since starting college, and didn’t see how overweight I really was, until looking at pics recently!  It took me about 1 ½ years to decide on surgery….. after losing the same 50 for the 3^rd time…. and weighing even more.

I had a “typical" recovery, as normal as it can be, I suppose.  For the longest time I had an aversion to protein shakes, cottage cheese, and greek yogurt after those first weeks.  I don’t remember really caring about what I was missing, which was a blessing!  Anyhow, my journey is going well.  I am down 95 pounds since surgery, 109 since pre-op starvationJ.  I am active, eat protein first, and follow the water/food separate rule well.  I eat about 5 times day, averaging 1400-1600 calories a day, burning average of 400.  Still losing .5 to 1 pound a week, slowing down as I partake in more summer treats. 

Almost everything is different!!  I need less sleep, I can jog for ½ hour and move the next dayJ, I have said good-bye to Lane Bryant forever, people don’t recognize me, I look and feel younger, my tummy is predictable now and I can eat intuitively.  Gardening, walking, taking the stairs… it is all different and so much easier.  I guess that sums it up “everything is easier!".  Today I biked with my husband and it was effortless, well almostJ.  I can’t fully describe or explain that feeling.  It is Sweet!!!

I still have some head hunger and emotional eating, but it is different.  My relationship with food is closer to normal than ever, and I am learning more daily.  My tastes have changed.  I treat myself more than fellow sleevers, but I eat a huge variety of healthy foods too, and move!  I am reading “Shrink Yourself" and am proactive about dealing with the head stuff!  Still checking in with my therapist too, love her!!

I still want to lost 15 pounds, then try to get some of this skin removed.  My goal is to do that in a year, giving me time to lose the rest and maintain for awhile.  There are days the skin really bothers me, makes me feel like the hard work is shaded by the skin… but most days I feel free and great!

 

If anyone is like I was, overweight, relatively happy with life, losing and gaining over and over, looking for more…. This might just be the tool for you.  It has made so much more possible for me, and so many others.  My biggest advice is to continue working on the head stuff, that doesn’t disappear as quickly as the weight.  Thanks for reading!  See pics below!

 

Me on the far right last summer


Me this summer

love this post..congratulations, miss! happy you have more normalcy in your life after surgery.. i really identified with this post and you and am hoping to have as consistent and normal a life as you 1 year out and beyond.

You look like you are already there!!  Thanks for the support, and looking forward to reading your 1 year post!!!

Beautiful !!!!

Thanks so much for posting!  It's great to see people further out that are doing so well and so happy!!

Congratulations on your new life!

Oh!  You're so darn pretty!  Loved your post! Sums me up pretty good too!  So happy for you and keep rockin what ya got girl!

Thanks girl:), love seeing you on here, with the same doc. and all:).  You keep rockin what ya got too, and hope we meet someday soon:).  Do you head to the support groups?  Great progress!!!

You look BEAUTIFUL!! Congrats to your success!

You look wonderful!  Congratulations on your success!  Your story is very inspiring!!  I'm 6 days out from surgery and can't wait to see what this next year has to bring.  Thanks for sharing!

I remember being 6 days out and reading a much inspiration as I could!  You will do great, and I look forward to hearing about your year!!!