I can't believe it that I'm here in this threat. Me! Underwater! After 2 years!
I will try to keep this short and sweet and post a few pictures. If anyone has any questions, just let me know
On December 25, 2011 - yes, Christmas! - I decided I wanted to go to a pricy restaurant (at least, pricy for us) and I needed an excuse. I decided I was going to lose the 10 lbs I gained since starting a new job that August and once I lost that 10 lbs, my husband was going to take me to that restaurant. It took 3 weeks to lose 10 lbs by eliminating junk food and limiting portions, but I did it. But by the time I got to the restaurant, something else had changed. Instead of my usual caeser salad, steak, potatoes, and dessert, I just had steak and asparagus.
I was pretty committed to keeping that 10 lbs off and I decided that if I lost another 15 lbs, my husband was going to take me out to shoot sporting clays. Then the next 15 lbs earned me an opportunity to try indoor skydiving. At 199 lbs I was suppose to go to the local theme park, but I didn't make it by the end of the season. I went anyway at 205 lbs and rode every ride in the park (my husband tapped out with 3 to go claiming nausea but I soldiered on LOL)
I had plateaued at about 205 lbs in October and by January had gained 5 lbs back. I knew I needed to make a change or submit to the inevitable regain. I went to my doctor's office website and started looking at weight loss surgery one night when I found HMR. It is a doctor-supervised diet that allows you to drop down to 800 calories a day healthfully. I started attending class in February and by May, I was at my goal of 100 lbs lost. I stuck with it to try to get to a normal BMI and in July I weighed 155 lbs.
I maintained for 6 months and felt great. Through HMR I had started running and had also taken up Krav Maga and rock climbing. However, the sagging skin on my stomach bothered me whenever I was active, created problems with the way clothes would fit, and as my husband put it "kept me from appreciating the weight I lost." During the fall I consulted with 6 surgeons and in November, I scheduled an extended abdominoplasty with muscle repair for February 7th. It has been just a little bit over 2 weeks since the surgery and I am loving my results, even if I am still swollen.
Here are a few pics: