A year ago today, I had gastric bypass surgery. It was the best decision I have ever made, although not one without its own set of challenges.
Among the positive changes that have occurred this year:
~In the last year, I went from wearing 26/28 (3-4x) pants/shirts to a size 14/16 (L-XL). I am half the person I was at my highest weight.
~I am not ashamed of my body (at least with clothes on, lol) and have been swimming in public a few times. Prior, I had not been swimming in over a decade.
~I wear skirts on a regular basis, go dancing weekly, and have tried some of the activities I was too large to try before, like kayaking.
~I no longer have to worry about fitting into chairs/booths, can see my collarbones, and have so much energy that I never even think of napping my afternoons away.
~Sleep apnea is gone, PCOS is gone, skin tags/dark skin patches of insulin resistance is gone. Blood pressure/pulse is low.
~I hate to equate this with weight loss, but I found the love of my life after I lost weight. I started dating after I recovered some confidence in myself, that only occurred after I lost a significant amount of weight. I found my soul-mate and couldn't be happier.
Of course, this surgery isn't without its pitfalls.
~It took months before I could eat anything but soft foods. I had two endoscopies to alleviate strictures.
~I will always have to monitor my labs closely, as I already suffer from some nutritional deficiencies.
~It is HARD to follow the diet/vitamin requirements. Sometimes my inner brat emerges and doesn't want to take the third calcium dose of the day or eat protein first. Think about how many weeks/months in the past you were able to follow a prescribed diet before "caving" and eating off plan. Those same desires exist after surgery, but the consequences for not following are more serious.
Truly, I don't know if I'd recommend WLS, especially RNY, for those without a significant amount of weight to lose or serious comorbidities. You definitely need to be mature and understand (or at least be able to want to learn) about nutrition, vitamins, and blood test results. You have to be your own medical advocate, as not every doctor or pharmacist truly understands the needs you will have afterwards. You need to realize that serious issues can occur years down the road, like Reactive Hypoglycemia, that will forever alter what you can and can not eat.
While it truly is an "easy" way to lose weight quickly, the weight loss will stop and then it becomes up to you to maintain and follow the rules of your tool. I am really happy I made this decision, as it has given me my life back.
and thank you for a truly honest, and lifting, commentary about post-op life. It's no picnic, but it's manageable, and the payoffs [barring complications] give us our lives back.
Btrinny, I met my love on OKCupid. I went on a lot of first dates, and even considered giving up on the process, before I met him. Prior to losing weight, I never dated, as I was so ashamed of my appearance. Thank you for the support!
Jiffy, thank you! I could have written more, like GERD is gone now and I am no longer the subject of scrutiny/ridicule in public. Now I'm a typical overweight middle-aged woman; no one is analyzing my shopping cart at the grocery and silently judging me. Daily hygiene tasks are no longer feats of contortion. I began taking agility classes with my pup and can run the course with her. Little things that have really improved the quality of my life.
I feel absolutely wonderful. I wish my perception of myself was what others see, though. When I look in the mirror, I still see the morbidly overweight woman that I was, even though I know that perception is no longer accurate. It's weird. When I was 348lbs, I didn't "see" how big I was. Now that I'm 170, I don't "see" average.
Work hard to change that perception of yourself now. I think that's how a lot of us gain the weight back--in our heads we still think of ourselves as that fat person we never wanted to be but were used to being. So when we begin to gain weight again, which probably happens to everyone, we say, "Well, that's me" and begin that old litany of why we should be fat--or what ever head games we played. Allow yourself to see how small you've worked to become and make that who you are in your mind so when a few pounds come back on and stick, you'll take fast action to deal with them.
I had my one year recently also and I thought I was doing well till I see how well you're doing. You're rocking it! I know what you mean about perception. I didn't realize how big I was till I lost 100 lbs and saw a photo from a year ago and when I did I cried. As far as you not seeing average, I think that will come in time. Best of luck in your continued weight loss!
Jen-
Congratulations! you have made wonderful progress not only with weight loss but in other areas of your life. I hope I can say the same things in roughly 15 months!
I am glad you stated some of the challenges your face with your RNY. I fell like I get a better picture of what to expect when people write about "both sides" of the surgery.
One year anniversary
