19 and 1 year out...

I had my surgery July 21st of 2008 so i am almost one year out...i felt so great but about two months ago or so I feel like i've gone downhill. I feel like i'm in this depression that i can't get out of and i'm currently on medication but I'm NOT happy with how i look and i see other people on here who look so amazing with no extra skin (dont get me wrong i am soo happy and proud of them) but it's like how have i only lost 105 lbs and its been a year? I feel like i'm doing somethhing wrong right now its gotten to the point where i hate looking at myself in the mirror bc all i see is this nasty skin. I go to the gym and it hasn't seem to be helping and idk if my insurance company will cover it but i am meeting with the plastic surgeon on july 29th but then again i am only 19 and can only afford so much...its so hard to talk to other people about the place im at in my life right now bc they dont understand. my mother thinks im being too negative and looking at the glass half empty instead of being i lost 105lbs and im still on my way. i feel like the more weight ive lost the more self concious ive become and i'm not really comfortable in my skin and i HATE the attention i get when someone makes a big deal about how much weight ive lost....i just wish i knew more people my age who could actually relate to what im going through

I love you and you are beautiful!!!

Love your Obesity Help Bestie :)

It definitely sounds like you're on the right track with going to the gym, I'd just say that I've heard that protein intake really fuels your body to burn fat and drop weight more quickly. So does water/low cal liquids... I'm sure you already know that, but I'd maybe just try and focus on eating simple foods, like simple protein like chicken breast meat, fish, getting lots of liquids, and I just have to personally say that I LOVE Nectar Protein Powder, it is so, so good and it isn't like a big bulky thick shake. It makes getting my protein an enjoyable experience, not a totally gross one. I'd aim from about 90 grams of protein a day at the least. It sounds like a lot, but you can do it!
Also, being one year out doesn't mean its the end of the road by any stretch of the imagination! In fact, my surgeon and most surgeons say that the window of time for rapid weight loss is through the first 18 months after surgery, so you've still got 6 good months to really kick butt. And even then, I have a friend who has finally reached her goal weight at the two year mark. That is very common for gastric bypass patients... for lap banders it can take up to 5 years. Oh, and one last thing - everybody hits plateaus... I'm in the middle of one right now! It's not fun, but it happens. Just keep using the tricks that you know will work - protein, exercise, water intake, and you'll be there in no time! Good luck!

I can so relate. This brought back memories.   I'm getting close to 40 now, but the very first time I lost 100 pounds I was 18 years old.  I lost it at the time just through diet and exercise.  I also hated my body and was probably the most unhappy at the time.  I was so hard on myself too because I also felt that I should be happy of what I had accomplished but that was further from the truth.  I thought I looked like an old lady all wrinkly and saggy skin everywhere.  I also hated the attention.  I didn't know how to deal with it and I was so out of my comfort zone.  I even got to a point that I really hated being thin and wished I was fat because that was all I knew.  I eventually ended up seeking counseling because I  felt so incredibly lost.  That really helped.  I think in a way I sabotaged myself because I gained all my weight back.  I had the DS 3 years ago and have lost the weight again and i am so much happier this go round.  Of course I am a lot older now and more accepting of myself.  

Hang in there sweetie, it does get better with time.  Good luck to you.

 Melissa

i know what you mean i hate the attention from guys now too because i dont feel like its genuine. even when somebodys like 'ohh you look so great' i start squirming and feeling uncomfortable because i'm not quite sure how to take it, thank you for the advice though =)

Actually I think you are quite gorgeous! I would give anything to be where your at. I dont know about loose skin because i'm not as far out as you and the band is a much slower process. I think everyone believes that the excess skin wont bother them, they're just happy to lose the weight, but thats not necesarily true. A 105lb loss is amazing and of course your gonna have lose skin it comes with the wls it is impossible to have no loose skin. Look i'm only 16 and I may not know much but for what its worth I think you are very pretty. Maybe you need some counseling. I did counseling and it really does help. As far as your insurance paying for a tummy tuck,it is possible especially if you can prove its effecting you in some way. alot of people have so much skin they get a rash where the skin hangs over on your stomach and the insurance pays for a tummy tuck for you. Look into and you might find something that applies to you.

Good luck.

Corina

thank you sweetie. i went to a psychiatrist and he put me on 2 anti-depressants and wanted to mood stimulants but guess what you gain weight with them!! i didnt come this far to gain the weight back, i'm working through my own issues and have such a great support system. i think it's alot tougher when you're younger because society has this standard of what a young girl should look like and i need to realize i'm not the average young girl. it's definitely a mental thing with me i hate recieving compliments somtimes because i dont feel like there legit but i'm working through it and it's going to be a slow process but that's okay...good luck with everything <33

hi
i'm hoping to have the gastric bypass. i was talking with my counsoler and she said one of the biggest problems that you'll have is the attention you'll start getting from other people. i even had the same problem when i lost about 50lbs a few months ago. i gained the weight back simply because i didn't know how to handle the atttention. you've been overweight all this time and now you're thin. you're getting all this attention you don't know how to handle. please keep talking to your therapist. the attention you're getting is attention you deserve for doing something so hard. maybe you could even talk to your friends on how they handle unwanted attention from guys. if it's something you've never had to handle before than i see nothing wrong with asking for advice.

goodluck :]