Surgery anniversary, personal story, inspiration and announcement
At 2 months shy of my 2 year surgery anniversary I want to share my experience with this community. I was 33yrs old, 5'9' tall and 333lbs. I couldn't clip my toenails, just barely fit the airplane seatbelt, couldn't put on shoes unless I sat down, my sleep was wrestles at best with snoring and being so physically uncomfortable in my body. Everything was a chore, I was always hot, every movement left me out of breath. I didn't want to go anywhere, talk to anyone or do anything. To say that I was miserable is an understatement. Gastric bypass wasn't for me so I figured surgery was off the table. I can't say where I heard about the vertical sleeve but I can say that I thought to myself "Yes, this is what I need!" I immediately went to the free information session and got going on the 6 months of insurance prerequisites. Oh my go**** was so hard. The 2 week diet that preceded surgery was brutal and I wasn't sure I could do it. I did. After surgery I was depressed. The diet was so difficult and watching how much I consumed in one meal didn't come easy and I often miscalculated when I was full and ended up throwing up. I stuck to the plan though. I stuck to the diet. I lightly exercised every day; mostly walking. What works for me is to make nutrition the central tool for weightless and exercise a tool for health. It worked. I was losing weight and fast. The first few months had ups and downs. I experienced all the plateaus and setbacks that I read on this forum all the time. One very difficult obstacle for me was protein. I found that I absolutely despised all types of powdered protein (soy and whey, any flavor). So I had to try and get milk and meat into my day to make up for it. 9 months post-surgery and there was a stubborn plateau. Eventually it started moving....up. I was terrified. Did I go through all of this just to end up back where I started? I had begun to eat what this forum refers to as "sliders". I could now tolerate some sugar, some bread, chips but of course that didn't mean that I should. I was facing the struggle of confronting food that I wanted, food that I could have but food that I SHOULDN'T have. Panicked, I started to do some research which lead me to the next most important decision I've made since surgery and this was to eliminate all grains, processed sugar and legumes from my diet. I focused on nutrient dense foods, lots of vegetables, some fruit, pasture raised meat, homemade bone broth and plenty healthy fats (butter, coconut oil, lard, ghee, tallow). That last component has been the difference between feeling deprived and feeling fully satisfied. As for my protein dilemma I found a wonderful solution - grass fed beef collagen protein. It's FLAVORLESS! Essentially it's powdered gelatin that is cold and hot liquid soluble making it perfect for smoothies or anything else really and you'll never know it's in there. The creep up the scale ended and I subsequently lost 40lbs more bringing me to my current weight of 180lbs. That was 1 year ago and I have stayed true to my plan ever since. I enjoy it and I make sure that I am not too militant; persistence not perfection will bring success, joy and fulfillment. I'm mentally and physically healthy with normal blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, the whole 9 yards. And to top it all off - I'm 7 weeks pregnant with our first baby! Something I never could have imagined 2 years ago. Thank you all for posting and being a supportive community. I am writing this in thanks and as inspiration to those who are experiencing those early struggles where relief feels so far away. I am not recommending that anyone adopt my methods or diet, it's what works for me and I hope that everyone here finds what works for them.
Not sure which brand she uses, but I use Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. There is also another brand some people like Great Lakes. (I chose Vital Proteins as I felt they were more transparent with where it comes from and it being grass fed.)
Both brands also make gelatin powder that will gel in cold liquids so you can make jell-o from scratch with a lot of protein.
Height: 5'9" // VSG: 4/14/2016
HW: 297# (while pregnant) // SW: 273.1# // CW: 187.8# //
GW: 145#
Lost thus far: 85.3# // Until Goal: 42.8#
Percent Excess Weight Loss: 66.5%
Thank you so much for sharing your story! We have very similar heights, starting AND current weights. :) It's inspiring to see! And congratulations on the baby! I am thinking this may also be in the cards for me soon. :)
VSG: 06/24/15 // Age: 35 // Height: 5'10" // Lost so far: 190 lbs
HW: 348 (before 2 week pre-op diet) // SW: 326 // CW: 158
TT/Lipo & BL/BA: 07/21/17 with Dr. Reish (NYC) BL/BA Revision: 01/11/18 with Dr. Reish (NYC) 
Unconventional Sleever & Low-Carb Lifer
