S&*% or get off the pot?

When I returned to work after my second child, one of my new co-workers (he just started in the section while I was off) had gone for WLS.  When he came back he talked about it, I was agreeing it was probably my best choice, but I wasn't committed.  I felt out in a couple directions on it and wasn't feeling warm and fuzzy about it.  I wanted to try, and also wanted to use a Wii Fit to try to get some "fun exercise" in.  Well, I got the Wii Fit, and I didn't get to use it right away, when I did, I was too heavy for it.  So I tried to lose the few pounds that would let me be at the upper edge of the weight limit.  But then it became a few more pounds and a few more pounds.  No matter how I tried, I couldn't get down to the limit.  I couldn't take it any more, I had to do something.  And that something was WLS.  The last winter before surgery, I would go public skating with my family, I'd end up on the ice for 10 minutes until my feet hurt unbearably, get off for 10 - 15 minutes and back on for 10 minutes.  Then I'd be off before the kids were.  I didn't realize how poor my quality of life was at the time.  It thought I was doing alright.  At one point, I would go to the gym, do Tai Kwon Do at lunch 4 - 5 days a week, and work out 3 hours on Friday night.  And I was able to do it, maybe not as well as some of the others, but I was doing it.  At this point, I couldn't do 5 minutes if I wanted to.

I had my surgery June 27, 2011, a day that changed my life.  I'm not sure how much weight I had lost by the following October (don't remember as the number didn't matter to me), but I went out that first day public skating, and I was on the ice longer than the kids, and my feet didn't hurt.  I was able to play with them again.  I was able to chase them, and work on my confidence (from age 5 - 13, I took figure skating lessons, didn't skate much after that though) and was able to go faster, and know that I could stay on my feet as well as stop.

Since June 27, 2011, I've had lots of ups and downs in my life, but I've been able to get through them.  My weight has been stable for over a year, not where I'd hoped, but nothing to be ashamed of.  One of the good things (for me), is that I was able to help out on the ice with the my son's hockey team (he's a Timbit) last year and I coached U6 soccer this summer.  I am now able to be a bigger part of my kids' lives.  I even play more road hockey with them now.

One thing to remember if you chose this path, you are not alone.  You have the support of the WLC and you have support from here.  If you run into trouble, all you need to do is reach out.

I wish you the best in your choice.

Cathy

I was very nervous about surgery and also worried about whether I would die in surgery or from complications.

Then I realized, I'm over 300 lbs, and I can't move easily, and I have a family history of heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. I looked at the mortality rate of the surgery (something like one third of one percent), and the mortality rate of people in their 40's and older who are morbidly obese.  The surgery seemed to me like it had the better odds, so that's what I went with.

And I'm so glad I did, now!

Hope you are ready for my opinion....lmao

My opinion..VERY EASY DECISION, not hard at all and I still, to this point don't see where the hard decision is all about, call me stupid/crazy.

As cliché as this sounds, you can die from crossing the street, so remove that thinking....you can die from being obese; heart attack, diabetes, etc so remove that from the equation...also remove your mother, your kids and your husband and ask yourself what you want.....me?  my answer to that, I wanted to stop idling, I wanted to start living and man am I ever!  lol

It's been only 3 years since surgery and 4 since I started to lose and I won't lie...I struggle EVERY single day to keep the weight off, I even gained 30lbs from my lowest but you know what?  At the end of the day, I would prefer to struggle any day with keeping it off then struggling to stay alive.  I sometimes get sad that I did gain the 30lbs and then I realize what the hell am I saying, I lost 250lbs, why would I complain about gaining 30, obviously some would say "well, it's a start to re-gaining it all"  but I know what I'm doing...everyone here that has lost 20lbs to 1000lbs, know exactly what they are doing and what works for each and everyone of us and THIS, the RNY "experience", is the best thing that could ever have happened to me...I just sometimes forget it a day here or there but reading your post made me realize exactly what I have acheived so I thank you for your post btw...lol

We need to focus on what could be the outcome in all of this, not if we are going to have complications or die...don't live on what if's..no use cuz odds are, you won't live to have them and will lose a lifetime of an amazing lifestyle change!

I hope it helps and I hope nothing but good things for you to come.  You have NO IDEA what the post life of all this is like...it's incredible, well for me it is!!  lol

A la prochaine,

Nathalie

Great Post Nathalie, thank you.