browngathers

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

Five years ago today I had gastric bypass surgery. I lost over a hundred pounds and my body mind and spirit morphed into the person I am now.

it has been a wonderful experience. Of course the obvious...I can now wear clothes off of the rack, size 6 or 8. I am 62 and until the weight loss I would not wear pants because I felt that my thighs were unattractive. Now, the main item in my wardrobe is leggings. I am now more self confident and happy when I look at myself in the mirror. For the most part I am still slim. At first I was on the scale everyday checking my weight losses and then once that stopped, checking to make sure there was no gain. I have since relaxed on that and chart my body by how my clothes feel and also maintaining a healthy diet. I basically eat what I want, but what I want is now based upon more healthy choices. I eat primarily organics. Meat consumption, maybe two or three times a month and then it's grass fed and/or organic. If I want ice cream I eat the one made from almonds or coconut, and I enjoy it.

i never ever want to be obese again! So of course there is still a bit of a maniac on the inside of my head, pointing her finger at me and scaring me with her threats that I am going to gain weight and that even with the loss I look fat. What can I tell you? She lived with me for 58 years+.. I have kicked her out, exorcised her, cursed her, and she left. But every once in awhile, when there's a crack in the cement, she slips back in grinning like she thinks she is going to stay. I keep her at bay, but I believe she will always be lurking right outside my door. After all, we have a history.

No plastic surgeries. I decided to live with the floppy upper arms, small apron of skin hanging around the front of the stomach, and thighs that look like tree trunks on the front. I just don't want another surgery if it's not a life threatening situation.

i have no regrets and believe that this procedure added years of an improved lifestyle to my story.

I am 21 months out from RNY and weigh 120-122 pounds. Happy with the loss, loving my new size, and just like everybody else, watching the scale and trying to do what needs to be done to keep the number from creeping up.

 Woo hoo!

Went to the doctor yesterday for a general check up and when I weighed I got a big surprise......I have lost a total of 96 pounds! Since my scale stopped working a few months ago, I have not been weighing myself. I measure my weight loss by taking my measurements once a month, and by observing my clothes size changes. Wow....96 pounds!

Wel it has been gradual, and filled with periodic plateaus but girlfriends, I am down over 60 pounds as of today.
My blasted weight watchers scale, bought only a couple of months ago, is malfunctioning, so I suspect I am closer to 70 pounds down but I will be conservative until I get another one.
It feels good, no great. So far I have been living with clothes that I had and they were too tight. But now, I am going to have to go and buy some clothes cause everything is getting to be baggy on me. Believe it or not, this girl has not had a pair of jeans since she was in Middle School. I never felt that I could wear them. I was ashamed of my big thighs. So I have been waiting for the day when I would lose enough weight to wear me a pair of jeans. I think I am just about there.

I was  amazed at how it felt to sit down and realize that I am sitting on my hip bones. Never felt that before!
I even felt like I needed to introduce myself to my hip bones, since we have never met in the past. LOL

Anyway, everybody have a marvelous holiday, and keep on doing what you need to  do for your favorite person....if you don't do it for you, then who will?

Three months out. Down 46 pounds. It's been slower than allot of folks whose numbers I have read, but it is what it is. I feel that it's better for me because perhaps my skin has had time to try and keep up with the loss leaving me with less sagging skin on the other side of this process. Who knows. I was at a plateau for over two weeks, but the inches were still dropping. Now the pounds have resumed dropping. Thanks to OH members, I was never worried about the plateau. I knew that the loss had to resume, and it has! Upward and onward!

20 days post op, 21 pounds down!

Today  I am 19 days Post Op. Not a happy camper. I think that my expectations were somewhow distorted. Perhaps I read too many accounts by OH members who said they were up and bouncing around within days after their surgery. Of course the pain from my wounds has all but subsided. And my little incisions are healing beautifully. One of them is already just a lil browm spot, soon to disappear. No problem there. But NOOOOOO energy! And for the past two days I had such severe gas pains and discomfort. Then this morning I got up with a terrible pain on the right side of my back. It's hard to move. I suspect it's the gas moved to the back. I asked myself, if I knew what I now know, would I have had the courage to go forward with this procedure. Needless to say, I know that I have lost weight. Clothes that have not fit since January are now fitting just fine. Bad breath is also a factor coupled with bad taste in mouth.  There is also a numbness and tingling in the left thigh.Tomorrow is my post op appointment with my surgeon. Spoke with him on the phone the other day and he said sounds like I am doing just fine.

The problem for me is that I have never been sick other than a cold. So I have never experienced anything like this.
All of my OH buddies tell me that it gets better. I believe it. I am also a very positive and optimistic person. Just that now, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Yep. Surgery was on July 8th.  I am coming along, one day at a time. Still on pain meds, but feeling a lil better each day. The day of the surgery I was a wreck. First of all, before time to go to the hospital, I wondered, "What will happen if I just don't show up?" I was soooo scared I laid on the surgical table, waiting to go into surgery, crying, cause I was sooooo scared. Never had any surgery except for child birth years ago and I just felt so vulnerable and alone. The doctors were kind and gentle, and assured me that what I was experiencing was normal. It's a big step. BUT I made it. No complications, all went well and I left the hospital after two days.

Yesterday morning I woke up and went through the old, "What have I done to myself" routine. I texted a friend who has had WLS and she said, "Okay. That is temporary. Get your ipod and your journal and write down everything you are feeling.
Today I can say that it did pass and I can also say that I am feeling better today and walking more and the gas is moving out. So one day at a time......

Will keep you posted.