Good Morning. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon

I keep hearing that saying on the boards and have probably used it myself, but is it true? It depends. I've come to believe that getting to goal is a sprint. We have a limited honeymoon period to lose as much as we can as fast as we can. That's the sprint. Maintenance is the marathon. Don't get so happy with the sprint that you lose sight of eventually just kicking in an jogging the rest of the way. The marathon still requires vigilance and adjustment, and you have to fight complacency and keep track of where you're at and what you're doing. How do you stay motivated during a marathon? I've only run a 6K, so I'm not entirely sure. I would think the water stations along the way are markers and places to replenish your desire to continue. They break the monotony...sort of like getting your labs checked ever year or 6 months, or weighing yourself every week or so. So when you hear someone describe this journey as only a marathon, maybe eventually, but you start this race in a sprint. 

Happy Independence Day, LWs.  Tell us how you are more free and independent now. Have you made your decision to have WLS? Does that make you feel free? It sure lifted the "weight" off my shoulders and I got a sense of freedom from that. What about those that are in their first year post-op? Tell us your freedom stories. Have a great 4th of July. 

--gina
  

I'm kind of inbetween the sprint and the marathon right now.  Still losing, but will be ok if I stop.  So how I figure you run a marathon is by keep on keeping on, and that is where I'm at.

My father died on the 4th of July many years ago.  He had a heart attack, probably his 3rd, and was 49 yrs old.  That has always weighed heavy on me.  Even though I had high blood pressure, cholesterol and some valve issues, and knew I needed to get the weight off, I couldn't do it alone.  With surgery, I have now lost 97lbs, and will make it to 100, I'm sure.  At 62, I have more energy than I know what to do with.  I am off all but one med and that should go away in Sept.  My knee is still bad but I now will look to getting it fixed where I wouldn't before when I was heavy.  I have my life back and am looking forward to many more years to enjoy my ponies and my family.  I did this because I wanted my life back.  And I have it.

Price, I am totally relating to what you're saying about your father's death at such a young age.  I lost my father to heart disease when he was only 51.  I can never totally relate to people the profound impact that had on my life.  Then my mother had a heart attack at 59 and had to have bypass surgery.

I too feel like I'm getting my life back, and hope to have many healthier years.

My sprint has slowed down to a marathon whether I wanted it to or not...I still want to lose weight but it's going extremely slowly.

I've always enjoyed this day to remind us of our freedoms. This year, I am also free of insulin, of other meds and all because of my decision to have weight loss surgery. I am in better shape than I have been in a decade.

Liz

Im afraid I am now in marathon mode but agree that the first 6 months are more of a sprint than a marathan...really wish I would had maximized that time by exercising more and getting more protein in but overall I feel satisified where I am..98 pounds gone which is a lot to celebrate for sure. I am free of my addiction to sugar. I remember celebrating last year by eating some chocolate ice cream with hot fudge on it...so glad I am past that!

Thanks for the reminder.....I'm definitely hitting the marathon phase (even though I'd still like to drop another 5 pounds).

It's actually a relief to "maintain"....I've never been able to do this before.  We actually just got back from the beach and I actually lost a pound (even eating more carbs and more fried foods....I tried to balance that with more walking).

I think I've settled into a good pattern.  I now eat normal sized meals....a few healthy snacks and some nibbles here and there of goodies.  I just feel like a normal sized person and that is priceless!

Ps......I wore a size 4 tankini on the beach and I WASN'T the fattest person this year and wasn't embarrassed to walk down the beach or take a dip in the pool, etc.  That in itself was worth the price of this surgery!!!!

Gina, I've almost felt like this whole journey is a marathon.  Everything seems to take a long time.  The time from my first WLS information session to surgery was 9 or 10 months.  It took me over 5 months to get my full energy back after surgery--don't know why it took me so long.

I had hoped to have 90% of my weight off by my 6 month anniversary, and that didn't happen.  Fortunately, the weight is still coming off, and I have to remind myself that I'm in this for the long haul.

I am feeling more freedom in my own skin.  Last week I bought my first strapless bra in more than 15 years so I can wear some cute tops that show my shoulders.  Plus the bra didn't feel like it was killing me while wearing it.  I can wear most things and look ok in them.  I can curl up in my lounge chair.  I can be in a crowd and feel like I fit in.  People now ask me for fitness advice--they just assume I'm fit.  It's all a brand new world to me, and I'm a real part of it.

"I had hoped to have 90% of my weight off by my 6 month anniversary"

Good grief, is that even possible??

My surgeon has pretty high standards and even he only tries to get us to lose 50% by 6 months.

I'm in the marathon phase and have been since mid-April. The first few months the weight flew off, assisted by some complications during weeks 3.5-7.0. When it slowed, to about a 1.5 lbs/week, I was actually glad and felt that it was more "normal." Then it really slowed down, then picked up, and eventually leveled off .I am 4'11" and weigh about 110 lbs and have been maintaining at this weight for about 3 months, give or take a pound or two.

Everyday, I am grateful for the WLS. It has truly been a gift and has given me my life and health back. Sleep apnea gone, pre-diabetes gone, hypertension gone, joint issues gone. I welcome being able to run at times. Since I have been weight training, I have defined muscles that can be seen in certain places, where the loose skin doesn't cover it up. My energy is so much higher, My mood has improved. Everyone tells me that I look like a different person. I may look different, but I also feel like a new person. I never want to go back to where I started from. Hard to believe that I have lost 100 lbs during the past year. WOW!! Remembering where I came from, helps to keep me motivated, as well as the absolute well-being that I have now.

I wish I could wear sleeveless shirts or dresses or a bathing suit, but I would rather have the loose skin than the fat suit that I used to wear.

My tools for success: tracking, weighing, and measuring my food, weighing daily, exercise, including weight training, and support from OH and outside support groups and people.


Happy 4th of July,

Gail

I'm still trying to sprint!  I'm not at goal, I can't give up, but for god's sake, it's tough.  I'm HUNGRY.  I thought this process would turn off the hunger signals in my tummy or my brain, but honestly since about 6 weeks post surgery I've had hunger.

It's also gotten tougher to motivate myself to keep up the sprint exercise routine.  I've gotten to the point where I feel great, look pretty good, and I therefore am making up excuses.  Maybe it's time to find that therapist to help me with the long slog, cause I feel myself slipping....

I'm on the cusp of a hundred pound loss, with 18 more to goal.  I knew going in this would be the tough part, the part I'd never accomplished before, but at 6 months out, I'm feeling that there isn't that much benefit left from the surgery, it's now all willpower.  A marathon of willpower, and that's very disappointing.  After spending about $12K on this process, I really was expecting a miracle.  Maybe expecting too much, maybe I'm just weak and a wuss.

Anyway, how do you stay motivated to reach the goal?  I keep telling myself, this is my one last chance to get to goal.  The benefits so far have been far more that I would have imagined.  My life is completely changed from a year ago, but I still have a long road to travel.  Time to suck it up and pick up the pace.  So I'm gonna sign up for a 10K, it's not a marathon but it will help me with my goal.  Yup that's the secret to weight loss, keep running and increase the distance, or pick up the pace.