sassyjonz
1 Year and Goal!
Feb 19, 2011
My surgiversary was this past Thursday. I had my annual appointment with my surgeon and he declared that I had met my goal weight which for him was 168. I had actually reached that goal weeks ago. After consistently maintaining a weight of 163 and 164 for the past 2 weeks, at my surgeon's office I weighed 165 at 4pm in the afternoon on thursday with my clothes on. And I now weigh 160 as of Friday and again this morning. So, I have now reached my personal goal. I am still not comfortably in a size 8 and my surgeon and I discussed me losing a bit more to account for any possible bounceback regain as I settle into maintenance. I have decided that another 5 pounds will give me a window between 155 and 160.
So, what's different after 1 year? So many things. I feel more normal now. And my definition of normal is not feeling like the biggest person in any room, being able to shop in any standard size store, buckling the seatbelt on the plane with lots of room to pull on the strap, crossing my legs with ease, exercising without pain and a whole host of other things I couldn't do at over 100lbs overweight.
I caught the tail end of a surgery war the other day and the OP said that DSers never want people to know the downside of DS. I don't think that's true at all. If any pre-op spends any time on the DS board, they will hear a great deal about the downside of the DS. So much so that I think people get the wrong idea about the DS and that is why the only thing you hear about is the gas and the poop. That seems to be what people complain about the most.
I think that mature people understand that in life there are trade offs and with any WLS, not just the DS, there are trade offs. In exchange for this great tool that helps us lose weight rapidly with, let's face it, very little effort, we have to take our vitamins, drink our protein shakes, get some moderate exercise, watch the carbs and put up with some minor annoyances like gas and smelly bowel movements.
Now, I personally think that the gas and smelly bowels are rediculous and the numerous posts about them are absurd. It's as if people thought their gas and crap smelled like roses before their surgery! NEWS FLASH!!! Everyone's sh*&%t stinks! Maybe it stinks a little worse after surgery but ask yourself one question....is it a deal breaker? Would you really go back to being obese because you can't stand the smell of your gas and your poop? The answer is really easy for me. Hell no!
But I digress...other downsides? They aren't directly related to the surgery but a byproduct I guess. Simply the realization that my problems were not miraculously solved by losing weight. That being overweight was not the scapegoat for all that was wrong in my life. Once the weight was gone, many of my problems and issues were still there which caused me to realize that I was eating to deal with those problems.
I have no regrets. The benefits far outweigh any downside. The difficult first several weeks of feeling crappy were worth it to feel the way I feel now. The general good health I am experiencing, the energy and increased mobility.
Maybe one day I will make peace with shopping. Right now I feel like I am always trying to catch up and it is always a chore that I never have enough time for. I look forward to the day when my weight stabalizes and stays the same for a long period of time so I can actually build a wardrobe.
I also look forward to the day when I find the love of a good man. Apparently that is something that had nothing to do with my weight either because that situation has not improved with weightloss. Or maybe it's true that a good man is just really hard to find. Especially at my age. I only wish I had done this 20 years ago when it still could have made a difference in the direction of my life. I might have been able to get married and have children, something that is not possible now.
So, my hope for year 2 is to maintain a weight of between 155 and 160 with no more effort than my current routine which is 2 to 3 days of workout and watching my carb intake. I will weigh only twice a week and I will make adjustments as the scale dictates. My goal will be to increase my exercise regimine to include something new and to increase the number of laps I swim. I will also try hard to NOT miss my midday vitamins.
I am also going to get out more to events and functions and I want to take at least 2 vacations this year which may be ambitious but if not 2 at the very least, 1.
So that's a wrap on year 1 of my DS journey. An overwhelming success!! GOAL!!!!
