5 months post op - Bathing Suits & Exercise, OH MY!
by
, 01-05-2017 at 05:55 AM (2867 Views)
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.