I reached Goal! Pics! My journey (long) X-POST

I REACHED GOAL YESTERDAY!! I am very excited and proud of myself. I started out at 246, sluggish, tired, weary, and thinking I'd be fat forever. Thinking that there wasn't hope for me. You may say that 246 sounds like a light weight, but I was only 31, had high blood pressure (triple prescription dose meds!), borderline cholesterol, achy joints, and heading down a very dangerous path. I went to my surgeon for the consult, with the Lapband in mind. When I went there and listened to his options, the Sleeve was one of them. I was immediately drawn to it. It made so much sense. After researching it immensely, I KNEW it was right for ME. I reached my surgeon's goal/normal BMI at 7.5 months post op and my personal goal at 10 months post op. Here's some history and a list of things I've learned along the way.

• My first few weeks were absolute hell. On top of the normal swelling and incision pain, I got a C diff infection in the hospital. Massive, painful, dreadful, watery diarrhea 20-30 times per day that left me clinging to a bathroom because I didn't have control of my bowels. It left me raw, lifeless, dehydrated and miserable. I went through 5 antibiotics, one of which I ended up being allergic to, and that still didn't cure me. I ended up needing an experimental stool transfer, but it did the trick at month 5 and I have felt like a million bucks ever since (yes, I had this for 5 months, although the antibiotics at least helped with the symptoms from months 2-5). I could write a novel about my experience with C diff, but I'll stop with just a paragraph here. PM me if you want more info on this.
• Between the difficulty with fluids and my C diff dehydration, I needed fluids at the ER twice within the first two weeks.
• I struggled with nausea at first until I stayed hydrated. It's not been an issue since the first few weeks because I drink 16-24 oz of fluids before 9am almost every day. And then keep drinking between meals for the rest of the day, almost always reaching 64 oz. Often times reaching 100 oz.
• I have never vomited.
• I have never had foamiess or slimes. Lucky? Maybe. The handful of times I've over-eaten, I still suffer. I feel like I have an expanding balloon in my chest and it takes 20-30 minutes before this terrible feeling passes. I try very hard not to over-eat.
• I'm a fast eater and always have been. But now, if I eat too super fast, my tummy gets very upset with me. I think my vagus nerve gets tweaked. I have a 30 minute period where I get weak, shaky, sweaty and have an immense and immediate need to lie down. It eventually passes, but what a hellish 30 minutes it is.
• I followed my surgeon's diet progression on the pre-op diet (one week liquids) and the post-op diet (2 weeks liquids, 2 weeks pureed, 2 weeks soft, then regular food as tolerated) to the letter. I did not cheat. Does that make me a hero? No. Point is, I was committed to this thing from the start. I didn't want to slip up before I even got out of the gate. Because I want to build healthy habits. Because I left like this was my last hand of poker and I was "all in." Do I slip up now? Sure, I'm human and certainly not perfect. But I limit the slip-ups and try to learn from them.
• I am carb sensitive so I tried to limit carbs through my whole weight loss period to less than 40 a day. Carbs make me sleepy. Carbs make me crave more carbs, leading to a vicious cycle. Carbs don't help me get my protein in.
• I read a few books along the way. Anatomy of a Food Addiction by MA Anne Katherine. It's full of psychologist speak, but if you can get past that, it describes in sublime scientific detail what carbs do in your body, bloodstream and brain. Simply fascinating. And it helped me understand why I'm carb sensitive. Carbs are my drug. The other book I read was Women, Food & God by Geneen Roth. My counselor suggested this to me. If you can get past the new-age, zen rhetoric, it's got some helpful tips and theories about not mindlessly eating and not running from whatever is really driving you to eat.
• My NUT is a "normie" NUT even though she regularly works with bariatric patients. She hadn't even heard of Nectar proteins until I told her about them. Strange. Anyway, her plan would have me eating a lot more calories and carbs, a la the food pyramid. I told her about my carb issues and the science behind them… not sure she gets it still. But that's ok because I'm doing what's best for me and she's ok with it. My basic plan: 600-800 calories per day, at least 70g protein per day, less than 40g carbs per day, at least 64oz fluids per day, exercising 4-6 times per week for 30-60 minutes each. (I crept up to 1000 calories at 6-7 months post op and had to bring it back down to reach goal... it's a lot harder to reduce than it is to increase, so word to the wise.)
• Grazing can be dangerous. I eat 5-6 small meals per day. Well, three meals with 2-3 snacks, but each is so small, they are each small meals to me. At one point, I found myself eating 7 or 8 small meals per day. And the weight loss slowed down or stopped. HELLO GRAZING. Yikes. It's probably going to be my bigges****ch-out moving forward. Those were also the days when I was low on fluids. Because I don't eat and drink at the same time, eating was taking up the majority of time. So now when I want something to eat, I drink. It serves both purposes (need my fluids, can't eat while drinking).
• I was a volume eater before VSG. And no amount of food would satisfy me. I ate like crazy. Now, I can physically eat so little and don't often have true physical hunger… food no longer holds power over me. I eat for quality not quantity now. If something doesn't taste good, I stop after that first bite. It's just not worth it when I can only eat 10 bites.
• I don't have any "off limits" foods. But I do have lots of foods that I eat on vary rare occasions. All fried foods, all "recreational" white sugar (cookies, cakes, breads, pastas, etc) come to mind. I had a shamrock shake once… it made me feel really icky. Never again.
• I was a Diet Coke addict before VSG. I stopped the week before my surgery and haven't had any since. No looking back. I no longer crave it and I'm happier without it. I've taken up herbal tea as my new beverage of choice, besides water and coffee. I drink no carbonated beverages of any kind anymore.
• As for alcohol, I waited until 6 months post op to have it. It affects me a lot differently now. I get buzzed or even drunk really fast. The buzzed or drunk feeling then wears off pretty fast.
• I didn't do much exercise for the first 5 months due to my infection. But now I work out regularly. I run, play volleyball, do yoga, take core classes, and have a few DVDs in my basement.
• I have never been this small in my adult life. Ten years ago, I reached 164.5 pounds while on weigh****chers. And I gained it all back and then some. I will have to be very vigilant about my lifestyle moving forward (forever) so I don't have regain.
• I started out as a size 20/22 and 1x/2x. Now I'm a 6/8 and Small/Medium. I still can't believe it sometimes.
• I lost hair massively from 2.5 months post op until 5 months post op, and then more slowly after that. At month 5, new growth started. No one ever noticed but me and my hairdresser. But I had a bathroom full of hair for awhile. I'm back to normal now.
• I have some loose skin. My triceps, inner thighs and belly. I don't like it, but I don't plan to have plastics. It's part of who I was and I'm ok with remembering that fat girl. She was just as cute, funny, smart, assertive, adventurous and awesome as this skinny girl is.
• Counseling. How could have I left it out until now? While VSG fixed my physical issues with food, at least half my problem were my mental issues with food. I'm perfectly fine to admit that. I have been in counseling for several months now to work on the head hunger side of things, which VSG does nothing for. Through this process, I figured out why I eat when I'm not hungry (bored, stressed or out of habit). For boredom, I have to re-direct myself to other activities. This was hard at first, but now it's normal. For stress, I had to change the negative mix-tape playing in my head. I was (and still am sometimes) really hard on myself, really critical. I'm never good enough. It's my perfectionist self taking over. Well, I told her to take a hike and don't let the door hit her ass on the way out. She still comes around, spewing her verbal diarrhea at me, and then I go all Girl-WIth-A-Dragon-Tattoo on her. GTFO and stay out. Aren't I nice. :) For habit eating… boy this one is the hardest. I'm still working through it and night snacking is my downfall. After I've eaten dinner, before I go to bed. This is leftover junk from my WW days. Saving points all day long so I can eat at night. And now it's a habit I'm having trouble breaking. A work in progress, am I. I HIGHLY recommend counseling and/or therapy to almost everyone who's had WLS. The surgery only fixes the physical stuff, folks! And for 90% of us, it was waaaay more than just physical issues that got us fat.
• I love shopping now. I can shop ANYWHERE (except Lane Bryant, Catherines and the like). It's very freeing!

Some before pics:


Comparison of before & after side view:

AFTER!!:

And my hubby lost 20 pounds along the way:

Thanks to everyone here for their support and wisdom along the way! I couldn't have done it without all of you!! I LOVE YOU, VETS!!!!

Congrats, you look fabulous!

Thanks!!!

You look fantastic! Congrats!
We will meet up at a poker table sometime I'm sure.
cheers
donna

Thanks!!  For sure on that poker thing!  I'm patiently waiting for your goal post, too!

 What a wonderful insightful post. I loved reading every single word because I can never be reminded too often that this is a lifetime journey.  Your determination to get through those first months is amazing.

You look fabulous!  How cool that your husband shed some weigh as well.  What an adorable, slim vibrant couple.

Love the gardens behind you!

Thanks Lee!  It sure is a wild ride!  

Congratulations on a successful journey. After having complications, it is even sweeter getting to the other side. You look and sound amazing. Good for you!!!


Gail

Thanka Gail!

Congratulations on reaching your goal!!  Isn't being slim a fun thing beyond your wildest dreams??!!!  Sounds like you had a pretty tough road at times but you have won big time and should be so proud of yourself. We all celebrate your success. You and I started out about the same weight and with similar health issues. so great to dump those pills.

So let me officially welcome you to the journey of maintenance. I love your counseling remarks as I think many people need to address food issues in this was but don't. Lifelong habits are hard to change and professional help is important. 

I suggest you start setting maintenance goals just like weight loss ones like exercise, staying at a certain weight range for so many months, keeping protein up and so forth. also suggest continued food journaling. it really helps me.

All the best for your skinny future!!

Diane