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miamiblake33

5 months post op - Bathing Suits & Exercise, OH MY!

Rating: 2 votes, 5.00 average.
I will be 5 months post op on the 11th of this month. I have lost a total of 72 lbs. I feel fantastic. My smaller body amazes me every single day.

I went to Florida over vacation. I've never owned a bathing suit. I would always wear a pair or shorts and a t-shirt. I didn't even think about packing a bathing suit this time. I'm just so used to not owning one. When I got down to Florida and sat on the beach in my usual shorts and t-shirt, I began to think about a bathing suit. In my mind, I'm still a heavy person. My poor cooked brain hasn't caught up to my shrinking physique. The next day, I did it. I wandered into the bathing suit section of a Dillards in Tampa, FL. I was so uncomfortable among all of of that spandex and strings. I couldn't choose one. I couldn't imagine myself in one. I was out of my element. A lady who worked there clearly saw me struggling and asked me if I needed help. Of course I told her no. For whatever reason, she didn't listen to me. Maybe she has been in my position before. Maybe she has seen people like me wandering around the bathing suit section of her store before like they are heading to face a firing squad. I told her I wanted something to cover up my stomach. I wasn't one of those Mom's that had their stomach rebound perfectly after having a baby. Nope, mine stretched, and stretched, and stretched. It look like pizza after the cheese and sauce has fallen off. It is ugly! Now, with 72 lbs gone off my body, I have a flap of skin that hangs like a manta ray off my stomach. Hideous. So, that little beasty has to stay hidden. I also wanted a skirt type bottom. I'm feeling like I can fit into a suit, but we need to go gently into that good night. No way was I going to expose both thighs at one time. She started plucking suits left and right. She pointed me into a dressing room and instructed me to try this bottom on with this top...etc. When I looked at the size of bottom she was sending over the dressing room door I freaked out. Mediums!!! I immediately told her I was NOT a medium. She insisted I was. Well, she was right. The mediums fit and I found a suit. I know I will eventually shrink out of that suit too, but I'm going to frame it and hang it in my room like Michael Jordan's retired jersey. My first suit is really something equally as incredible.

I can eat just about anything I want too, and that scares me. I can drink coffee now. Thank goodness, I missed my coffee. I can have sugar in small amounts, it doesn't upset my stomach anymore. I can eat some high fatty foods. It doesn't take long until I get full though. If I eat crap, I feel like crap. My body lets me know right away. It is just not worth it.

I take my liquid vitamins religiously. I love them. I love love love my little potion in the morning. It gives me an energy boost and starts my day perfectly.

I currently weight 175 at 5'7". Most people think I'm thin enough at this weight. I'm stuck on that stupid BMI chart saying I should be at 159 lbs to be "normal." Ah, what the hell? It is just another 16 lbs. I've gotten rid of 72 lbs in 5 months, I can whittle down a few more. Let's see how I look and feel at 159. I might not like it at all. Yet, I've never been that thin, so I don't know. I would like to know what it feels like to be a normal BMI.

I exercise six days a week. I started using an app called run. It is helping me to train to run a 5k without stopping. I'm on week six. It is an amazing process and I've loved every second of it. The key is to go at a pace that feels comfortable. Not like a knucklehead and start out like you are friggin' trying out for the Olympic team. Start out slow! You have the rest of your life to fine tune time and speed. Just completing the workout is the key. I use the run app 3 times a week. The other 3 days, I follow a full body weight training routine that I found on bodybuilding.com. It is for beginners and simple enough that I can do the exercises without appearing like a manatee trying to climb a coconut tree. I spend only an hour at the gym. I don't like spending anymore time then that. Get it done and out. It usually doesn't even take that long...but since I've been going for four months I've met some people. Some of them are chatty and I'm way too nice.

This is the best decision I have ever made for myself. I only wish I had done it sooner. To any of you on the fence, get off of it. Stop wasting precious time and just get it handled. A gastric sleeve is one of the least dangerous surgeries out there. Yes, things happen, but you are more likely to die driving in your car or walking down the street, or choking on your tongue during a late night food bender. Just stop it. Enough is enough. Take care of yourself. It will be a journey, but you will be so glad you decided to take the wheel of your life and finally get in control.

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Comments

  1. jerzeygirl's Avatar
    Excellent post, and it's so exciting isn't it... I know the first time I felt comfortable in a bathing suit was a day of joy. I wish you continued success, and I'm sure your journey will remain exciting!
  2. sraebaer's Avatar
    We can all relate! I too am running, and started very slowly. It took me months to work up to 3 miles.

    That first summer I bought a bathing suit with a skirt, this year I bought one without. I guess I need to get a frame too!

    I wouldn't worry about those silly charts, you sound healthy, happy, and at a great weight.

    Isn't it fun to talk to people who understand the excitement in these things? Who can understand the thrill of shopping in regular sizes? (I too would NEVER wear a suit in public when I was fat.)
  3. Jeanne Loves the Sun's Avatar
    You sound like you are doing sooooo very well! I'm newly sleeved and almost 6 weeks out. The weight is not falling off like I wish it would. I just started back to gym and it's hard right now.
    I'm looking forward to having A post like yours.
    Congratulations and keep up the good work!

    Jeanne
  4. Pam G's Avatar
    You've read my mind and wrote down everything that was in there!
  5. Ann2's Avatar
    Yup. Yup. Yup!!!!

  6. Christie13's Avatar
    You've had an amazing journey. I can tell you that the BMI scale is flawed. It is not a perfect measure because there are many variables besides height and weight. My sister is 5 years post op. When she got to her "healthy BMI" she looked like a skeleton. Now she is 20 lbs above BMI and looks fantastic. She looks healthy and is a size 3. So I can say BMI is not always right for everyone. Just go by what feels right and healthy for you!
    Congrats on your new found comfort in your bathing suit! While weight loss is exciting, the NSV's are like the icing on the cake!
  7. Sandra3's Avatar
    You are doing great! Since the beginning you did show that you did think about the whole process for a long time and it does show.
    Don't worry about the skin, mine was at it's worth around month 5 and now that I will be at one year in two weeks it's much much better. I will get plastic surgery at some point but mainly because I have issues with my tummy muscle. The apron can be hide with good clothing. We also do need time for our brain to adjust to our new size. Just this morning I was looking at one of my pants wondering if it was really mine because it seemed so small! it's almost my husband's size now so I was confused for a few seconds and then realized that it was really mine.
    Also my opinion about the BMI: it's just an indicator, it's not absolute truth for everyone. When I was "slim" I was already considered as "overweight" in the BMI chart. My family doctor always told me to ignore it, or in my case to add at least 20 pounds (I do have huge bones). Right now I'm still obese in the chart but just look overweight. For several reasons I want to get in the overweight category: because it will be better for my health, because I need a cushion (a little afraid of the regain part) but also for insurance reasons: When I bought my house I had to pay more for the insurance's loan just because of my weight. I will gladly keep that money to buy shoes
  8. Shirl's Avatar
    Great to hear from you! And ✨Congratulations✨ on your successes so far!

    I can't convince you that you are bathing suit ready at any size, but we are! Maybe I have the opposite of body image dysmorphia because I have no qualms about wearing a bathing suit even nowadays.

    The best thing I can share from personal experience is to enjoy and embrace each stage of your journey. Don't let the little things get in the way of you fully enjoying a day in the sun.

    I was in Maui last October for five days, it wasn't until the last two days that I got the courage to take off my cover-up. I bought an one piece suit that has fishnet like lace all over so it looks like a two piece. I felt all eyes on me, part of me was def conscious about the appearance of loose akin in my inner thighs, but I didn't let that keep from enjoying my last two days! I have no idea when and if we will ever get another opportunity to travel there again. Later my partner told me that several of his female colleagues who saw us at the beach told him how stunning I looked.

    I was wearing the same bathing suit in my travels in Guatemala last December and it was starting to feel loose. I washed it in hot water and put it through the dryer to shrink it some to no avail.

    Needless to say, can't wait for spring break! To find me another like it!!!

    Keep up the great the great work!