One Year Appointment Completed! Woo hoo!

MY ONE YEAR JOURNEY :

http://www.obesityhelp.com/articles/before-after-vsg-with-annie-losing-68-pounds

A year ago on October 5, 2018 at the age of 65, I had VGS. I began investigating my insurance in August, found out we'd have to be self-pay...so from first consult to surgery was only 2 weeks, all of which were pre-op Optifast 800 days! A year ago I was sleeved at age 66.

Fast-forward to this morning, my first surgiversary. I weighed in at 122 pounds with a BMI of 21.4 at my annual appointment.

I feel fabulously, physically and mentally. I look so much younger (I'll be 67 in May). And I truly feel like I've been reborn. Down from 17 meds daily to 4 (plus vitamins) No more diabetes, no more uncontrollable angina, no more high cholesterol. Only down side - stress of second surgery caused lots of hair loss, but its on its way back!

Planning/Preparing

Remember when we were preparing for surgery? How many meetings, classes and such did we attend? We were told the more prepared we were the better our chances were for success. And they were right. Go through the house, car and work place and get rid of trigger foods. Stock up on foods that will keep you on track. I removed every bad carb/sugar temptation and replaced it with lots of protein, veggies, grains and fruits.

Food

? Minimum amount of protein--at least 70 grams to start
? Protein first at every meal
? Drank 8 glasses of water daily (or at the very least 8 glasses of liquids daily); Dehydration slows weight loss and makes you feel like crap.

? Gradually added healthy (colored) veggies, then non-starchy fruits, then whole grain
? Took my vitamins/minerals and Rxs daily and on schedule
? Ate 5 small meals a day - I could not get enough calories in doing 3 and my doctor said it was fine, as long as I didn't "graze" all day
? Chewed my food well and ate more slowly
? Didn't drink 15 minutes before or 30 minutes after a meal
? Avoided / minimized highly processed, high-carb foods and slider foods like potatoes, white rice, white breads, crackers, cookies, chips. I did eat (and tolerate) small amounts of air popped popcorn

? Moved more than I used to move and gradually kept moving even more
? Tried to sleep at least 7 hours a night; my natural rhythm is early to bed/early to rise and I live with a late to bed/late to rise husband and 2 dogs
? Minimized stress--for me, this meant I stopped feeling like I could fix everything for everyone, including my "adult children". I found it was good to surround myself with people who were basically kind, and eliminating a few toxic relationships, and avoiding over-scheduling myself with projects and commitments.

Journal

I have always journalled. It helps me identify when you feel like eating, stress factors and any triggers in your life. Once you identify these factors, this will help you put tools in place to keep you from eating. It became clear I was not taking time for me anymore. I purged my home I have to eat clean as there are no other options LOL, but retained some of my husband/family's favorites and just realized they were not for me any more.

Use a tool to track you're eating and exercise. I use MyFitnessPal. Once I started to track ever bite and drink it became clear why I do better some days than others.

Goals/Rewards

Make a list of goals for yourself. Make them realistic and small. Some of mine were move more, purge all junk from my home, eat more protein. If you didn't make a Weight Loss Surgery bucket list when you first had surgery do it now. GREAT reminder of all the things you can enjoy in life after losing weight.

MOVE!
Starting slow to avoid injury by walking and using some of the workouts on my Demand TV. Find something you love to do and it won't feel like a pain in the *** to do daily. I wear a FitBit and my goal is low (5,000 steps) but I exceed it most days.

Support

If it's an option "run" don't walk to a support group. Come here for support and participate in one of the food threads. It helps you be accountable and also great ideas for food prep.

Unsolicited Advice:

? Don't overeat, but don't starve yourself either. As your healing continues, eat more healthy food and raise your calories gradually. My maintenance calories (because I'm not very active) is between 1200-1300 calories; I make sure 90 grams of protein is in there!

And continue to visit and support this awesome, wise group of people on the same journey.

Where's the "love" button? Thank you for this happy read and for sharing your insights. And thank you for your kind and open presence on this board.