I made goal. And now the hard part begins.
Huh. I made "goal" this morning. 11.5 months since surgery, the scale read 159. I arbitrarily set my goal at 160 (my doctor wouldn't even give me one). It's funny because when I started this whole journey, 200 seemed unattainable, and as I closed in on 200 I changed my goal to 170 and then 160. And here I am at 159 and thinking about revising to 145 which is when I am "normal" on the BMI chart.
Reaching goal isn't changing anything in my life. I am not going to celebrate or buy myself something new. Because I know I will continue to measure and track my food in MyFitnessPal, eat smaller portions of dense protein, go to the gym 5-6 times a week. My life will still be about making (mostly) good choices and being committed to my health. I hope to avoid regain but know it's an uphill battle as I can already eat more in both quantity and variety, and the malabsorption will soon disappear. However, there are some people on OH who have been maintaining within 5 lbs of their goal weight for 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 years...and I will strive to be like them. I guess this is why WLS is completely different than a diet for me. God, it sounds cheesy to talk about a journey and a lifestyle change but I guess there is a reason those terms come up so often.
Anyway, I am sharing this news because I may be at my own random, arbitrary goal, but I don't know I would have made it without the support and advice from the folks here on OH. I know you have to weed through daily 3-week stall freak out posts, but there are some amazing, knowledgeable people on here and that's how I know that maintenance is the hard part. Somehow it doesn't feel daunting, and I credit having this amazing tool. When I eat correctly (dense protein first), I can eat very little. It's those slider foods that will get me (and all of you, too ha ha).
Here is a pic of me the day of surgery, and one from last week (buying a glitter jumpsuit and belt for a holiday party). I don't even recognize the person on the left - and frankly never felt that big. Now I don't always recognize the gal on the right, and I certainly don't feel that small.
Next life goal - PLASTIC SURGERY!!! I really need a lower body lift, breast lift, arm lift.
Thanks again for all of the help along the way, folks!
ETA: My 100 lbs lost and 200 lbs lost posts along the way:
Left photo - 351 lbs, size 26/28 / Right photo - 159 lbs, size 10/Medium
You look so great. I am so proud of you. If you don't mind me asking. How long did it take you to reach this goal? I am hoping most of my weight will come off in the first year but I know they say it can take up to two years to lose it all. Its people like you on this site that keep the newbies like myself going and inspired.
