1 month sleeversary

1 Month

Starting weight – 301

1 Month weight – 269.4

Pounds lost – 31.6

Pant sizes down – 2

Shirt size down – 1

One month in.  Wow, feels like so much longer (in a good way). I have been reading lots of blogs about people that are 8, 9, 15 months, plus into their surgeries and I want to be there already. However, I also wanted to wake up from the surgery skinny too, so you don’t always get what you want! Ha!

I really couldn’t be more happy with the surgery and what its done for me, even in this little beginner stage – One Month. Not for just the weight and the dress sizes. There have been a lot of other amazing changes. 

Here are my amazing improvements:

1. I have gone from a 4-6 ibuprofen a day habit down to ZERO.  You’re welcome liver and kidneys!!
2. Sleep – SO.MUCH.BETTER.
3. Moving, biking, walking, stairs…. All seriously easier!
4. My shoes all fit again and, lo and behold, they don’t leave giant red lines in my feet anymore!
5. No more binging. Not even close to physically possible anymore.
6. Hey! Wow! Ankles!
7. Getting in and out of the car in a tight parking space - No problem!

The surgery was the best adult decision I’ve ever made for myself.  It was a selfish one (since I didn’t have insurance that covered it, that was $$ straight from our bank account - I'm really very forturnate that we were in a possition to do that), and I struggled with this decision before I did it. It felt like cheating, it felt like I was just too damn lazy to do it the “right way”, I felt like I was a failure and pathetic that I couldn’t just lose weight.

I had a long talk with some friends. I also spent the last 2 years struggling to lose 10lbs, while another friend of mine who got a lap-band lost 150lbs.  Was she a failure? Was she too lazy? Was she cheating?  No.

I didn’t think of her that way. I was jealous of her success, yes, but I was also a good deal more proud and happy for her.  Why wasn’t surgery an answer for me too?  As another good friend of mine sad to me, “You are not taking the easy way out, surgery and changing your life is going to be difficult.  Would you not take help if you had a medical condition that required surgery or medication?”

I finally gave myself permission to be unsuccessful at weight loss. I finally gave myself permission to seek help.  I wish that I had this done years ago.  Hindsight is 20/20, perhaps years of struggling and the up/down has given me an appreciation for what I have now.

One of the biggest differences post surgery is this has helped me stop using my body like a trash can. I can’t eat to solve my problems anymore; I can't fill myself up when I’m bored, tired or cranky.

I’m still a work in progress and I’m looking forward to what I have learned in the next month, and where I’ll be.  Exciting stuff!!

For fun, here is a picture of our dog enjoying life to the fullest. Kind of how I feel today.

Hi Ho Hi Ho....

...its back to work I went! 

3/4 day for me at the office. My gawds the emails - they do stack up!  It was really nice to get back into it though, and people were hella impressed with my weight loss.  My "cover story" is holding up, so I'm happy. I showed restraint as the cookies and cupcakes were passed around.

What is it with offices and the sweets, they just never stop.

I had my very first time with trouble eating.  I had some lemon pepper tuna and a 1/2tsp of olive oil mayo.  However, I was standing in the kitchen eating and I went too fast and the tuna was too dry.  Sat down at my desk and WHAM-O.... I popped straight up out of my chair like a jack-in-the-box. It felt like it was stuck and I wasn't able to properly swallow.

Took a couple minutes of me walking and swallowing in the hall to get it cleared up.

Alls well and lesson learned. Slower, wetter food still. I'm in the baby stage still, take care! Tomorrows menu is must more gentle.  Harder to get the proteins in without some kind of meats, so I just have to eat smarter.  All I can say is, Thanks the Gawds that I'm not lactose intolerant.

Todays food stats:

Calories in: 1,007
Fats: 34
Carbs: 108
Proteins: 59.5

Pretty good!   Getting close to ideal.

I think my weigh in tomorrow is going to be a biggie.   I started my period today (TMI sorry) and I had forgot all about that coming on, and I'm Oh so Close to my 10% body weight gone.  30lbs!   Which is a weight of 271 lbs. 

This mornings weigh in: 271.8lbs.  Just a mere pound away!   Exciting!

First of many.....

Yesterday afternoon I got the best compliment ever...  from my Chiropractor. 

"WOW, I can feel your collarbones". 

My neck adjustment was way easier too.   Talk about seeing some real benefits right away. She is so proud of me for taking control and making changes, she did also want to remind me that the VSG is not a magic bullet, and I am still responsible for what goes in my mouth, "you are what you eat". Yep, I am!!

There are a few other changes/Non-Scale Victories:

1. I put on a tee shirt without arm stretching it into a tent. Yep, just put it on. amazballz!

2. The stairs in our house are easier, and that's significant since we are in a 3 floor town home with high ceilings.  Its a lot of up and down. I don't dread forgetting something upstairs anymore.

Back to the Chiro - She is one of the few people that I've told about my surgery.  I'm not telling many people, a few close friends and the medical professionals that need to know. That sadly doesn't include my family, Husbeast (of course) is the exception. My family is just too messy to share with, they are the people that just have to tear down all efforts.  So, they are excluded.

I had a hiatal hernia repair while I was getting the VSG, and that is what all my casual friends, co-workers and family know.  It's a significant surgery in itself, and has about the same healing time.  I did pre everyone that I work with that as a result of my surgery (Hiatal hernias are exacerbated/caused by being obese) that I've been put on a doctor supervised liquid diet/diet and have joined a support group. 

I'm sure that there are going to be a number of people that will suspect, however I doubt that any of them will have the nuts to ask me straight out. If they do, I'll lie.

I'm so not happy to do that. However, here are my feelings on it:

I've been discriminated, teased and harassed long enough about my weight that I don't now feel the need to let everyone know that I had surgery to help me. That is between me and my doctor. Surgery is not the easy way out. It's going to be hard. Putting yourself first is hard. Making positive changes is good....no matter how they come. I'm proud of my decision, I'm proud of my efforts, and I don't need anyone looking down on me for not "doing it the right/hard way".

If there was someone you worked with who was sad looking, then they started looking happy, would you ask them what medications they are on? No, you wouldn't. That is personal, medical and none of your business.

I kind of figure that its going to be 6 months - year of people giving me the side-eye, then it will all blow over and they will forget.  Easy peasey lemon squeezy.

Okay. Enough of that song and dance.   Back to the happy.

Todays weigh in:  275.4lbs