Encouragement from a DS "failure"

I had my surgery in May of 2010 when I was 19 years old. It was a god-send, as I was suffering with serious effects of having the lap-band (I couldn't eat, would throw up every meal, etc). 

Recovery was fast and easy for me. I was/am young. I was up and hiking mountains (literally) within 3 months of my surgery. 

I lost about 100 pounds quickly. Painlessly. Withou****ching what I ate, or counting carbs, or anything. I think I had lost 100 pounds (of my 230 pound goal) in the first 9 months. I was active, but not epically. The DS did it's thing and I did mine. 

And then... it suddenly stopped. Weight loss stopped. Exercise stopped. I moved to Florida to work as a suicide crisis counselor, and my heart broke for the world. And I just stopped. After the summer of 2011, I gave up. 

Fast forward, I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder (which I had been dealing with, undiagnosed/unmedicated, for 8 years). I finally went on meds and my life was changed. I can honestly say that, after about 2 years of relentless emotional deadness, I woke up. 

I woke up, traveled the world, moved to Princeton to go to graduate school, and then I fell in love with a man who is now my fiance. 

But my "failure" at the DS was haunting me. 

So two weeks ago, I decided to get back on the wagon. I have a long way to go, and it's not going to be easy. But I finally feel mature enough to handle the DS for what it is: A TOOL. A TOOL, not a magic wand that will fix your life. 

And I've already lost 10 pounds, just doing what I am supposed to do. I work out almost every day, because I love to, and I eat a lot of protein and try to limit the carbs. I take my vitamins, I eat my calcium chews like they are going out of style, and I pay attention to my body. 

And guess what, this is the best I've felt in years. 

So for those of you out there who, maybe like me, avoided this site for a while because you felt like you weren't a superstar at losing weight... take heart. I've got a long way to go, but the DS is there for me, even 2.5 years later. 

Just some encouragement. 
Hope to be on this board more often. Because even as a "veteran" - I could use support. 

 

Marz K.

 Excellent Post.

Welcome back!

 

I'm glad you have finally found the help you needed for so long. Sometimes we forget that losing weight doesn't fix every problem in our lives, and that more is needed.

Best wishes to you on your new health and new life.

Larra

Thank you for posting your story. I needed to hear it as my exercise regimen has sort of fallen off the wagon since the holidays and this might be the kick in the pants I need to get back in there.

Congratulations for having the courage and tenacity to get back to DS living. 

Good to hear from you, Marz. I keep coming here because it helps keep me focused on the "prize." I had a weight gain of around 20 pounds over the last six months so I am working my DS. It still works! Good for you to try to get to a healthier weight. See you around?

You're an inspiration!  

Hi Marz,

You are not alone here. I know many are doing exactly what you are, revisiting the tried and true low carb, high protein, lots of vitamins, and calcium, hydration, and exercise. I took it one step further, going gluten free. This week I lost 6 lbs doing all this. Don't give up, it sure is worth it, making your goal. Finally after 18 months since my surgery, watching my weight loss, my husband is going to start low carbs, high protein. My son joined in too. I'm happy I can finally clean out the carbs out of the  pantry. I'm not really tempted to eat those things, but it will be easier for them if its all gone- out of sight. Good luck with your renewed interest in your health, and using your tool. It really does work if you want it to.

I'm very inspired by your resilience. I wish you the very best of luck as you get back on track. Please let us know how you are doing.

I'm inspired by and grateful to you for posting this.

NIce, inspirational post. I wish you success!

 

Nicolle