Thrilled but still nervous
I am 15 months post surgery.. I lost 150 pounds in the first year and reached goal, and have been maintaining (actually still dropping a tiny bit) in the past 3 months.
a
I can't quite figure out how to post before and after pictures in the body of this message, but let's see if this works!!
Seems to work.. but the pictures are small.
I can't begin to tell you how this surgery has changed my life.. I'm now a thin person.. I have energy to burn.. Last week we had a family vacation with my 5 sons and their families at a cottage. I was overloaded with NSV's .. walking around shirtless (prior to this summer, I'd never even go swimming without a shirt on), stepping in and out of boats, tubing, kayaking, etc... Not to mention the fact that I am thinner than 4 out of 5 of my sons!! The list of changes and victories is endless.. The simple things that only a fat person would understand..
-being able to sit in ANY folding rickety lawn chair without fear of fitting or the chair collapsing
-wearing clothes that actually fit.. short sleeves that end at my elbow or short pants that end above my knees, clothes that don't bind and not having to forever tug away to keep the material out of my folds of fat so I'd look thinner (who was I kidding)
-being able to snack withou****ching others to see if they were giving me disgusted looks of non-approval
- catching my reflection and not turning away in disgust
- effortlessly retrieving anything that I dropped to the ground (instead of trying to pick it up with my toes) or not thinking twice about running back up the stairs to retrieve an item I'd forgotten
-sitting in the sun.. shirtless!! and not sweating unbareably
-feeling NORMAL..
I live in fear of gaining the weight back.. I've lost weight before.. significant amounts of weight by starving myself.. and as soon as I relaxed,, the weight would be back plus more..
I still weigh myself daily.. after being at the cottage for a week (with no scale) and snacking and eating without much thought.. I feared I'd come home and see a gain... nope.. I was actually down a pound....
It seems that I can now eat anything I want.. I really don't pay much attention to food anymore.. It doesn't preoccupy my thoughts constantly like it always did.. I eat chips, ice cream. anything I want.. I just don't eat very much of it.. I stop as soon as my stomach tells me I'm full..
I was diligent about protein first.. absolutely no sugar (even buying sugar free ketchup). Now I've relaxed these habits.. and feel guilty.. I keep worrying that any second now the weight it going to pile back on... but it doesn't ..
I stay the same weight .. I love the fact that I don't have that internal dialogue with myself .. should I eat this.. etc.. This must be what it's like for a normal skinny person.. they just eat until they are full then stop. It's so easy it makes me nervous.. I can eat Lay's potato chips.. but after a handful I've had enough.. (there was a time when I could polish off most of a Costco sized bag!!)
I keep telling myself that I shouldn't touch this stuff... that I'm playing with fire.. that it's a slippery slope.. but somehow I'm managing to maintain without feeling deprived.. without the calorie count/fat content rules running through my head.
I'm curious how you other veterans deal with this... am I inviting disaster? Am I still enjoying the soon to finish side effects of mal-absorption and will it end in another week or month and then will a potato chip cause me to pack all the weight back on.? or will my self limiting tool (pouch) always remind me when to stop.?
I look at my fat pictures now and don't really see me in there!!.. I knew I was fat.. but wow.. I was huge.. I guess that's because I never wanted to be in a picture.. I was so disgusted with my reflection that I never really looked at it.. I don't really recognize myself in my skinny pictures either.. I still surprise myself when I slip between someone's chair (and a wall) and thought I would have to ask them to move.... but more and more I'm getting used to this new fantastic body (wrinkles and snaggy skin and all) and I gotta tell ya.. I'm just thrilled.
J
a
I can't quite figure out how to post before and after pictures in the body of this message, but let's see if this works!!
Seems to work.. but the pictures are small.
I can't begin to tell you how this surgery has changed my life.. I'm now a thin person.. I have energy to burn.. Last week we had a family vacation with my 5 sons and their families at a cottage. I was overloaded with NSV's .. walking around shirtless (prior to this summer, I'd never even go swimming without a shirt on), stepping in and out of boats, tubing, kayaking, etc... Not to mention the fact that I am thinner than 4 out of 5 of my sons!! The list of changes and victories is endless.. The simple things that only a fat person would understand..
-being able to sit in ANY folding rickety lawn chair without fear of fitting or the chair collapsing
-wearing clothes that actually fit.. short sleeves that end at my elbow or short pants that end above my knees, clothes that don't bind and not having to forever tug away to keep the material out of my folds of fat so I'd look thinner (who was I kidding)
-being able to snack withou****ching others to see if they were giving me disgusted looks of non-approval
- catching my reflection and not turning away in disgust
- effortlessly retrieving anything that I dropped to the ground (instead of trying to pick it up with my toes) or not thinking twice about running back up the stairs to retrieve an item I'd forgotten
-sitting in the sun.. shirtless!! and not sweating unbareably
-feeling NORMAL..
I live in fear of gaining the weight back.. I've lost weight before.. significant amounts of weight by starving myself.. and as soon as I relaxed,, the weight would be back plus more..
I still weigh myself daily.. after being at the cottage for a week (with no scale) and snacking and eating without much thought.. I feared I'd come home and see a gain... nope.. I was actually down a pound....
It seems that I can now eat anything I want.. I really don't pay much attention to food anymore.. It doesn't preoccupy my thoughts constantly like it always did.. I eat chips, ice cream. anything I want.. I just don't eat very much of it.. I stop as soon as my stomach tells me I'm full..
I was diligent about protein first.. absolutely no sugar (even buying sugar free ketchup). Now I've relaxed these habits.. and feel guilty.. I keep worrying that any second now the weight it going to pile back on... but it doesn't ..
I stay the same weight .. I love the fact that I don't have that internal dialogue with myself .. should I eat this.. etc.. This must be what it's like for a normal skinny person.. they just eat until they are full then stop. It's so easy it makes me nervous.. I can eat Lay's potato chips.. but after a handful I've had enough.. (there was a time when I could polish off most of a Costco sized bag!!)
I keep telling myself that I shouldn't touch this stuff... that I'm playing with fire.. that it's a slippery slope.. but somehow I'm managing to maintain without feeling deprived.. without the calorie count/fat content rules running through my head.
I'm curious how you other veterans deal with this... am I inviting disaster? Am I still enjoying the soon to finish side effects of mal-absorption and will it end in another week or month and then will a potato chip cause me to pack all the weight back on.? or will my self limiting tool (pouch) always remind me when to stop.?
I look at my fat pictures now and don't really see me in there!!.. I knew I was fat.. but wow.. I was huge.. I guess that's because I never wanted to be in a picture.. I was so disgusted with my reflection that I never really looked at it.. I don't really recognize myself in my skinny pictures either.. I still surprise myself when I slip between someone's chair (and a wall) and thought I would have to ask them to move.... but more and more I'm getting used to this new fantastic body (wrinkles and snaggy skin and all) and I gotta tell ya.. I'm just thrilled.
J
Way to go John. Congratulations on your tremendously successful journey to date.
I'm still at the losing stages of my journey but in my opinion as long as you keep your head screwed on straight and make sure that you keep a tight rein on the portion control you should be okay. If you continue to watch the scales and have a 3-5 lbs range that you will maintain, if you gain more than that then you have to reduce your intake until you are back to goal, I would think it would work. It's the whole oh it's only 5 lbs, not worth worrying about it mindset that you have to ensure that you don't fall into.
I wish you continued success and so glad that you have a fun, NSV filled vacation. It is a special type of freedom that we get to enjoy as thinner, healthier people. Just another reason to love our tools. Enjoy the rest of the summer.
I'm still at the losing stages of my journey but in my opinion as long as you keep your head screwed on straight and make sure that you keep a tight rein on the portion control you should be okay. If you continue to watch the scales and have a 3-5 lbs range that you will maintain, if you gain more than that then you have to reduce your intake until you are back to goal, I would think it would work. It's the whole oh it's only 5 lbs, not worth worrying about it mindset that you have to ensure that you don't fall into.
I wish you continued success and so glad that you have a fun, NSV filled vacation. It is a special type of freedom that we get to enjoy as thinner, healthier people. Just another reason to love our tools. Enjoy the rest of the summer.
"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." -Robert Collier
Join Kingston Ontario WLS Support Group - Online @ OH
HW: 267 SW: 248 GW:155 LW: 132 CW: 143-148 
Wow, you look great. You and your family must be so happy and proud of your total tranformation. Here's to many healthy years ahead to enjoy with your grandkids!
Tracy
Tracy
Highest weight ~ 360, Surgery weight ~ 280, Current weight ~ 171
Referral to bariatric registry ~ April 29, 2011 SURGERY ~ September 27, 2011
My 
is Gailupnorth.
Congratulations John! Having 5 sons would require you to have that energy that you've gained - good for you!! I can't wait to go tubing or eat in public and not feel scrutinized.
As far as weight gain goes, I have heard it said that the malabsoptive aspect of RNY lasts for approximately 18 months before the body begins to adapt. Be careful with slider foods especially ice cream or high calorie drinks because those will catch up with you. Otherwise I would suggest continue as you are unless you see an uncomfortable gain then go back to basics.
As far as weight gain goes, I have heard it said that the malabsoptive aspect of RNY lasts for approximately 18 months before the body begins to adapt. Be careful with slider foods especially ice cream or high calorie drinks because those will catch up with you. Otherwise I would suggest continue as you are unless you see an uncomfortable gain then go back to basics.
is jennifer_rpn______________________________
Looking great!
As for the slippery slope thing, you are still early out of surgery. The body us still very forgiving up to the 18-24 month out mark. Be careful, although you can eat some junkfood right now and still lose that will not last forever. There will be a day that the body will not be so forgiving so still be careful with that.
As for the slippery slope thing, you are still early out of surgery. The body us still very forgiving up to the 18-24 month out mark. Be careful, although you can eat some junkfood right now and still lose that will not last forever. There will be a day that the body will not be so forgiving so still be careful with that.
17+ years post op RNY. first year blog here or My LongTimer blog. Tummy Tuck Dr. Matic 2014 -Ohip funded panni
Windsor WLS support group.message me anytime!
HW:290 LW:139 RW: 167 CW: 139
John you've done a fantastic job and I think you deserve to enjoy every moment of it. Your family must be SO proud of you! As long as you, your surgeon and NUT are happy with your progress then you're good. You seem to keep a close eye on your weight, and ultimately I think that, along with our pouch, is our best tool.
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
John, I'm so happy for you!! I know how exciting it feels to be able to experience such a different life than what we were used to when we were morbidly obese! I can relate to how you feel, because sometimes I feel guilty too as it seems so easy. I am also nervous about regaining, but am determined not to forget how life was at 271 lbs. I believe that being nervous also means we are aware of what could happen if we stop working our pouches and we can use those feelings as a way to keep us on track. If you feel yourself slipping and regaining, catch it before it takes control of you and get back to the rules. Don't forget your pouch will always work for you when you follow the program.
150 lbs gone is a huge success!! I have 10 more lbs to go before I hit my goal of 150 lbs...just think, you have lost a whole new me!! Great job John!!!
Kim
150 lbs gone is a huge success!! I have 10 more lbs to go before I hit my goal of 150 lbs...just think, you have lost a whole new me!! Great job John!!!
Kim
Cheryl D. is my 
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