2-year Anniversary of RNY

Yesterday was the second anniversary of my RNY. The day got away from me without posting but I'd still like to share my reflections on the last 2 years.

First of all, at a weight of 244 pounds (5'0" tall & a HW of 250+) and having been well over 200 for 30 years, I could not have imagined what life would be like today in so many ways. I had T2 diabetes that was not under control even at max doses of 3 oral meds, with an A1C of 9.5. I was on 2 meds for high blood pressure, meds for high cholesterol. I used a CPAP machine for sleep apnea. I've had asthma since I was a toddler that made it very difficult to be active. My back, knees, feet hurt. And I couldn't walk the 1 short block from the train in the morning to the door of my office building without stopping to catch my breath. See below my pre-op consult pic:

I was miserable and knew that I was a ticking time bomb.

About 5 years before a friend had begged me to have gastric bypass and I was offended and very angry. I knew I was overweight and needed to get healthy but having surgery was offensive to me, a last chance before death or something.

Then in August 2016 a friend had a RNY and as I watched her lose weight and do well, I thought more about it and decided to investigate. On February 2, 2017, I had a consult with my surgeon and my insurance quickly approved things due to my multiple co-morbidities and long history of trying to lose weight on my own. On February 28, 2017, I had a RNY and my new life journey began.

I joined OH right after my consult and it has been a true life saver for me. My surgeon's program isn't very good with few resources and not very good info, so having real life people (albeit virtual) who had experience and who I was accountable to, has made all the difference and led to success. I won't review all of my struggles and successes, but coming to OH and participating in the Menu Thread, asking questions, and taking daily responsibility for my life have been key. My biggest message to folks is:

Weight loss surgery isn't MAGIC!!

Surgery is a tool and provides the opportunity to make changes in your life and to some extent gives you a head start. But without changing your way of eating and moving, without addressing your habits and issues, without committing to changing your life for the REST of your life, NOTHING changes in the end.

In October 2017, I hit my goal of 125. In the beginning, I just wanted to get below 200 and dreamed of being below 185, then 165, then below 145 (which I had lost to one time doing WW). 125 was the high end of a normal BMI, which at 5' tall, isn't all that accurate, but a great point. I had a Dexa scan at that point and my total body fat was 16.7 and frankly although I was very active, I looked too thin. Since then I've maintained my weight loss between 117 and 120 but added a bit more fat into my diet (small portions of nuts & slightly higher fat protein & dairy). My Dexa scan yesterday has my TBF at 19% which I am happy about at my age (almost 52). In July 2018, I decided to find a personal trainer to help motivate me and increase my strength, balance and flexibility. Since I decided to have surgery, I had been doing cardio (at first short gentle walks and working up to speed walking, hiking, swimming laps/water exercise, running and a few other things) but I wanted to add strength training which I had real trouble with. Since July, I have changed shape, tightened up, become more confident in my body and learned that after a lifetime of inactivity that I LOVE to move my body, be active, exercise and challenging myself to see what my body can do. An amazing milestone this week was that my trainer asked me to become certified as a personal trainer and to work with some of his clients, particularly obese women and people who have had WLS and are really struggling...people who can related to my journey. What a great opportunity to share what I have found!

Here are a couple more pics:

First is me (in front) at Christmas before surgery:

Me in October 2018 after running a 5K:

Me on Wednesday at my 2-year appointment with my surgeon:

My "guns" thanks to Gary!

In the end though, it's not really about how I look (ok, yeah I am a little proud of the hard work though), it's about my new health (co-morbidities ALL gone) and that I can live an active life that I never ever dreamed of. Do I have regrets? Well, I sometimes think that I should have had surgery 5 or 10 years before, but I wasn't ready for the commitment. Yes, there are foods that I miss sometimes and occasionally I miss binging (SAD isn't it?!) on a gallon of ice cream or a family-sized bag of chips or "getting my money's worth" at the Chinese buffet! Sometimes I resent having to stay vigilant with protein and fluids, vitamins and tests, being responsible for everything that I put into my body and do with my body...BUT I am an adult after all and that is the price of health and strength and my new life. In the end, it's worth it. I do struggle, especially with sweet and salty/fatty carbs. Sometimes I fall off the wagon and eat too much of the wrong foods. Sometimes I cancel a workout and hide in the covers. But then I reevaluate, take a deep breath and get back to plan.

Thanks for being here my OH friends and for sharing my journey! Here's to one-day-at-a-time for the rest of our lives!

Congrats and what an amazing opportunity to become a personal trainer and help others! Are you going to do it?

Yeah I think I will get my cert and see where it goes. I'll definitely keep everyone posted.

Great Job, Janet!

Thanks!

You look great and I'm jealous of your guns!

I'm gonna show your guns to my trainer and ask how come mine are not like that! We need to work harder.

Thanks for the compliment! In my experience it's lots of protein and pushing with heavier weights on a regular basis.

Thank you for being here and sharing your story with us. You are an inspiration! Congrats on your many victories.

Thanks! We'll keep cheering each other along!

Congratulations, Janet! I love your quote, "One day at a time for the rest of our lives." Your hard work has paid off for you and you have become a source of inspiration for others, like me. Thank you for sharing your journey.