For those shy "lurkers" out there on this forum, this is for you!
At 5'6" and 195 lbs, I was a miserable mess. I wouldn't go anywhere that I might run into people I know. I rarely rode my HD motorcycle with my husband. When we traveled, I was glad that people met me as my fattest instead of being able to compare what I was before. The self talk was all negative and frankly I felt older than my actual 56 yrs. I was feeling humiliated and overwhelmingly depressed.
In May 2013, I had a tearful soul baring discussion with my husband, and told him that I really wanted to get the gastric sleeve procedure. Being low BMI, Mexico was the option. Surprisingly, he understood completely and was very supportive.
I researched and found Dr Ramos-Kelly in Tia Juana, and was on my way. (An excellent choice, BTW.)
Now 6 months later......what a whole new world I'm living in!
My stats are as follows:
6/16/2013 188lbs 41-38-43
Post surgery, I was 198 lbs!
6/26 183 lbs 41-33.5-38.5
7/16 172 lbs
8/19 161 lbs
9/18 151 lbs
10/26 146 lbs
12/14 139 lbs 38.5-29.75-37
I have other stats of my thighs, arms and neck, but you get the picture!
I am walking with my husband everywhere, enjoying going out with family and friends, riding my motorcycle, being a much more involved wife, nana, daughter and sister. The change is remarkable.
I feel like I have a new lease on life, and long years ahead of me as a healthy woman instead of a depressed stay at home gal.
I could go on and on about the impact of being overweight, and how I got there. But I think everyone on this forum knows that when I say some of it was me, and some was out of my control, well, you'll understand.
And I could talk on about the ups and downs of post surgery too. Safe to say, it is a journey of trial and error with reading this forum for any and all tips to incorporate into my routines. All of you have helped immensely! I'm sorry that I haven't been more vocal, but honestly, I learned more from you all than I could have ever shared.
For those considering the surgery, it is a very individual decision. And a big one. I am happy with mine, and followed pre-op and post-op instructions so that I would be as complication free as possible. Indeed, I had none. I feel lucky. But, it was not easy and took alot of troubleshooting and more than a few errors in judgement to find my happy place. The journey continues.......
How low will I go? Well, I wished for 160lbs as the benchmark of when I met my husband. Then I thought, gosh, maybe I could get to when I had kids back in the 80's; 141lbs. I've surpassed that and now wondering when the weight loss will stop. I am not nor ever will be model thin. That is unsustainable. I want to be healthy. So, we will see. I feel pretty darn good right now!
Now I'm having fun selling all my size 14s and 12s on ebay, and out spending that fun money on my grandkids! I'm living a whole new life that I thought was gone forever.
Thank you forum friends. Your questions, answers and journeys are hugely responsible for why I am a new woman today!
I plan to continue to "lurk" on this forum, for I'm now ready to learn about ongoing maintenance, and I need all the help I can get!
ColoradoGirl
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