Message from a July 2008 member
Good luck to everyone having their surgery this month!!
I had surgery one year ago this coming Wednesday, July 8th 2008.
Here are some of the wonderful things that I accomplished this year, things you can do, advice... things you can look forward too!
1. I have lost about 69 pounds. That's approximately 1.5 pounds a week. Official weigh in will be Tuesday at my docs office. I had the lap band, if you are having RNY expect to lose more than that!
2. I went from a size 22/24 (inching into some 24/26) to a 14/16!! I actually bought a medium top at Old Navy last week!
3. I have none of my old clothes left and my closet is constantly changing! Please learn to shop at Goodwill or consignments stores! You will end up broke otherwise! LOL The good part is, no more LANE GIANT! Clothes are so much cheaper when they are smaller! Also, don't buy too many smaller clothes ahead of time. I find that I have to try stuff on and make sure it fits because my body shape keeps changing.
4. I am always a little jealous of RNY people, but then I don't think I want to lose faster than what I already am. Adjusting to this ever changing body can mess with your mind. Learning to shop in regular sized clothes stores is a big adjustment too! I always felt like a fake... like I don't belong here, better get my fat butt back over to the plus sizes.
5. I started walking a month after my surgery. Since then, I have run three regular 5k races and one 5k trail race (that's through the woods!) I can run about a mile now without stopping. NEVER, NEVER would I have thought a year ago that I would enjoy running or even WANT to run! I also signed up for my first 1/2 marathon in February of 2010. My goal is fini**** without dying. LOL! I read a great book called "No Need for Speed" by John (the Penguin) Bingham... that was my inspiration to start racing. Also, go to youtube.com and watch any one of the videos on Team Hoyt!
6. I don't get tired any more! I have lots of energy!
7. I don't avoid the stairs anymore... it's not really that big of a deal to climb them.
8. I can breathe at night when I am sleeping. Sleeping is so much more comfortable.
9. I always could manage to cross my big fat legs, usually by picking one up and placing it over the other.... but now I can cross them at the knees and then stick my foot under my ankle! Very lady like!!
10. I have gone down a cup size or two in my bras.
11. I had to have my wedding ring resized to a smaller size!
12. I have found a protein shake I like and drink one nearly every day and I take my vitamins every day. You have to establish a routine and stick to it!!!
13. Take care of yourself!!! Stop trying to take care of everyone else and worry about yourself! You know what I mean! I think most of us here are very giving people and sometimes we neglect ourselves. Make this about you! This is something I have been trying to do! I take care of me first, then I can better care for others.
14. Know that you will make mistakes. You are not perfect. But, that also means DON'T GIVE UP! Pick yourself up right away, dust yourself off and start again!
15. I have mostly wonderful support from friends and family, but OH is always my backup support... sometimes your OH friends are the only ones who understand.
16. Follow your doctor’s instructions, but also be an informed patient!
17. I got a staph infection a month out from surgery. I went to the doc RIGHT away and was put on the appropriate antibiotics. You have to be on top of things like that!
18. Waking up from surgery is anticlimactic! I was so excited about the surgery! When I woke up I was still fat... it takes time. I wanted to start this great new life I was hearing about!! But it took time. It got better as the weeks, months, rolled on. You have to be patient!
19. I have bones!!! And they are hard and pointy!! The first thing I really noticed was my ankles. They are so little and sharp and boney! LOL! And I have a clavicle and shoulders! I've been soft and squishy for so long I had no idea what bones felt like! Another one of those things you have to get used to.
20. The surgery won't make your significant other love you more... it won't make your kids behave better... it probably won't make you love your job...it won't make your relatives more tolerable, or any of those other things, but IT WILL make you like yourself more, put a smile on your face, change how YOU react to people. Basically, it can't change anything other than YOU! And that's okay.
21. I no longer have borderline high blood pressure! YAY!
22. It is freaky how LITTLE you will eat!! At first I thought "there is no way I can live on this little food!" Another mental adjustment to make.
23. All those mental demons that go you fat need to be dealt with or you will self sabotage. Do a couple of months of therapy or longer if you need it. Therapy really only can make your chances of success higher.
24. You will have to learn to deal with your EATING buddies! You know who I mean!! Thankfully my eating buds decided to join Weigh****chers a few months after my surgery and they are losing weight now too!! It's awesome!
Good luck with all your surgeries! Remember success isn't how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started!
I had surgery one year ago this coming Wednesday, July 8th 2008.
Here are some of the wonderful things that I accomplished this year, things you can do, advice... things you can look forward too!
1. I have lost about 69 pounds. That's approximately 1.5 pounds a week. Official weigh in will be Tuesday at my docs office. I had the lap band, if you are having RNY expect to lose more than that!
2. I went from a size 22/24 (inching into some 24/26) to a 14/16!! I actually bought a medium top at Old Navy last week!
3. I have none of my old clothes left and my closet is constantly changing! Please learn to shop at Goodwill or consignments stores! You will end up broke otherwise! LOL The good part is, no more LANE GIANT! Clothes are so much cheaper when they are smaller! Also, don't buy too many smaller clothes ahead of time. I find that I have to try stuff on and make sure it fits because my body shape keeps changing.
4. I am always a little jealous of RNY people, but then I don't think I want to lose faster than what I already am. Adjusting to this ever changing body can mess with your mind. Learning to shop in regular sized clothes stores is a big adjustment too! I always felt like a fake... like I don't belong here, better get my fat butt back over to the plus sizes.
5. I started walking a month after my surgery. Since then, I have run three regular 5k races and one 5k trail race (that's through the woods!) I can run about a mile now without stopping. NEVER, NEVER would I have thought a year ago that I would enjoy running or even WANT to run! I also signed up for my first 1/2 marathon in February of 2010. My goal is fini**** without dying. LOL! I read a great book called "No Need for Speed" by John (the Penguin) Bingham... that was my inspiration to start racing. Also, go to youtube.com and watch any one of the videos on Team Hoyt!
6. I don't get tired any more! I have lots of energy!
7. I don't avoid the stairs anymore... it's not really that big of a deal to climb them.
8. I can breathe at night when I am sleeping. Sleeping is so much more comfortable.
9. I always could manage to cross my big fat legs, usually by picking one up and placing it over the other.... but now I can cross them at the knees and then stick my foot under my ankle! Very lady like!!
10. I have gone down a cup size or two in my bras.
11. I had to have my wedding ring resized to a smaller size!
12. I have found a protein shake I like and drink one nearly every day and I take my vitamins every day. You have to establish a routine and stick to it!!!
13. Take care of yourself!!! Stop trying to take care of everyone else and worry about yourself! You know what I mean! I think most of us here are very giving people and sometimes we neglect ourselves. Make this about you! This is something I have been trying to do! I take care of me first, then I can better care for others.
14. Know that you will make mistakes. You are not perfect. But, that also means DON'T GIVE UP! Pick yourself up right away, dust yourself off and start again!
15. I have mostly wonderful support from friends and family, but OH is always my backup support... sometimes your OH friends are the only ones who understand.
16. Follow your doctor’s instructions, but also be an informed patient!
17. I got a staph infection a month out from surgery. I went to the doc RIGHT away and was put on the appropriate antibiotics. You have to be on top of things like that!
18. Waking up from surgery is anticlimactic! I was so excited about the surgery! When I woke up I was still fat... it takes time. I wanted to start this great new life I was hearing about!! But it took time. It got better as the weeks, months, rolled on. You have to be patient!
19. I have bones!!! And they are hard and pointy!! The first thing I really noticed was my ankles. They are so little and sharp and boney! LOL! And I have a clavicle and shoulders! I've been soft and squishy for so long I had no idea what bones felt like! Another one of those things you have to get used to.
20. The surgery won't make your significant other love you more... it won't make your kids behave better... it probably won't make you love your job...it won't make your relatives more tolerable, or any of those other things, but IT WILL make you like yourself more, put a smile on your face, change how YOU react to people. Basically, it can't change anything other than YOU! And that's okay.
21. I no longer have borderline high blood pressure! YAY!
22. It is freaky how LITTLE you will eat!! At first I thought "there is no way I can live on this little food!" Another mental adjustment to make.
23. All those mental demons that go you fat need to be dealt with or you will self sabotage. Do a couple of months of therapy or longer if you need it. Therapy really only can make your chances of success higher.
24. You will have to learn to deal with your EATING buddies! You know who I mean!! Thankfully my eating buds decided to join Weigh****chers a few months after my surgery and they are losing weight now too!! It's awesome!
Good luck with all your surgeries! Remember success isn't how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started!
HIGHEST 273.5 / PREOP 263.5 / CURRENT 198 / GOAL 161.5
Wow! You have come so far! Thank you for sharing this information with us. It's such an exciting time but it is filled with questions, expectations, anxiety. I am so thankful to have OH. It has been such a blessing. My family and friends are supportive but they cannot relate. Thankfully I have a lady at work who had her surgery 3 years ago and plastics a year and a half ago. So she has been very helpful! Thank you for the encouragement and good luck with your continuing journey!
Yes, thank-you for your wonderful post.
I liked it so much that I copy & pasted it to a document so
NOW I have it -- for whenever I may need it in the future!
having lost considerable weight before I know you are right saying you feel like you don't belong in the smaller section- I felt like someone was going to tell me- "hey fattie- what are you doing here- get back over in Blimp section." it was a weird feeling- hopefully this time i will handle that better. (thankfully- i did KEEP my skinny clothes)
thanks again- your experience is very encouraging!
You rock!!! 
Sharing that information is so inspiring. It keeps me focused and reminds me that I too will get there.
I loved your quote at the end. Going to save that and put it in my daily journal.
Keep up the awesome work! You're doing fab! Slow and stead wins the race!
Hugs,
Sher
Sharing that information is so inspiring. It keeps me focused and reminds me that I too will get there.
I loved your quote at the end. Going to save that and put it in my daily journal.
Keep up the awesome work! You're doing fab! Slow and stead wins the race!
Hugs,
Sher
“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching.?-Author Unknown
awesome Thanks. I go in @ 5:30 am tm and this is exactly what I needed to hear. 
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