Three Years!

[sraebaer]

Today’s the three-year anniversary of my sleeve surgery! It has been fun and easy! I lost all my weight and have been at a normal BMI for the past 2 years and 3 months, losing over 75 pounds. I have three keys to success, besides following every rule your surgeon and nutritionist told you about.

1. Positive attitude. Unless you have some major medical complication and have a reason to feel sorry for yourself, no whining! Enjoy the ride. Quit complaining that you have to do a liquid diet, that your family is eating junk food, or you’re not having fun because you can’t eat and drink as much as your friends. Who cares. You’re thin and healthy. Priceless.
2. Activity. Get off your butt and exercise! Find something you enjoy and do it. I know exercise has helped tone my extra skin and keep my weight off. I love the outdoors, it’s my stress reliever after spending the day teaching middle school special education. I even became a runner, something I never thought would happen. Since school started I run 3 miles every morning at 5 AM. I hike 5 miles a day during the weekends to give my legs a break. My best memory of my psychiatrist was when I said I loved walking he told me, “Well then you’ll have no problem losing all your weight!” He was right! I know my surgeon probably has to tell everyone they will lose a certain percentage of their weight, but 60 to 70% at 12 months was not good enough for me.
3. Support. My husband has been AMAZING, I couldn’t have done this without him. He has been totally supportive from day one. He never ate in front of me while on the liquid diet. He has been my shopper and chef since I started eating real food, always following our “rule of 2” for dinner, a protein and veggie. I’ve been introduced to new foods I’ve never tried before, like scallops and raw tuna. (Fish is totally my favorite, goes down much easier than meat.) He shares meals with me at restaurants. He will be the first to say, “Stop snacking, I’m cooking dinner!” or “Aren’t you eating a little too fast?” Now he’s my fashion consultant, answering the “Should I wear this or this?” question every morning. He’s always complimenting my looks.

I started at a size 20/22 and am now at an 8/10. My only goal was to look like a “normal” (not skinny) person, and I do. I love mountains more than anything in the world, so my favorite NSV was an “advanced” guided hiking trip at Glacier National Park this past summer. And I plan to be skiing a lot this winter. When I retire at the end of this school year my options are endless.

My life is no different than before, just so much better. We still eat out all the time, however I make the right choices. (I didn’t overeat while fat, I just ate carbs and hardly any protein.) I am not perfect in any way, I follow the rules most of the time. I weigh myself every day, so if I’m up just one pound I know to get back on the maintenance track. I have never counted calories, only liquid and protein. I am 59 years old and finally have my life back. Do you know how much fun it is to pick anything out of your closet and know it will look cute? (OK, I do spend too much on clothes now.) Wear a swimsuit in public? Get your picture taken without hiding behind a family member? Attend a company function and know you’re not embarrassing your husband? Sit on a plane, at the theater, or in church and know you are not squishing over onto a stranger? I have done everything from zip-lining, stand up paddleboarding, kayaking, jumping off a “high-dive” rock, to riding every roller coaster at World’s of Fun with my students, and just living a normal, amazing life. Thanks to the North Kansas City Bariatric Clinic, I have my life back. I plan to keep this weight off forever, and I know I can do it.

My goal for next year? I’m at the high end of normal BMI, I’d like to be a little closer to the middle. Maybe 10 more pounds. To do this I plan to cut out almost all junk food and alcohol, and drink more water.

before:after.jpgF6B525D2-F79F-443D-82D1-CAFD1450A211[1].jpg3 years later....jpgSharon Hike 5.jpg

[Shirl]

You're picture perfect of health and beauty!

My motivation to reach a lean and healthier me is so I can be active too! I have always been adventurous, raised my kids on camping trips and hikes, but when they got too old and too cool to hang out with big momma, my adventures stopped. Now I'm going to do it for me, with or without them.

Thank you for sharing your key pillars of your success, those are things I am trying to work on always!

Sending you immense Love, Peace and Light.

[Kevin_Sly]

You look awesome!!! GRATZ

[Ann2]

Oh, Sharon!

Respect!

You're my role model for my next (third) surgiversary!

[RehabNurse]

You look fabulous and have worked your sleeve for all of its advantages.

As a side note, I also run on an almost-daily basis because I've become somewhat addicted to it. I run five miles per day, sometimes on the treadmill and sometimes on the streets in the subdivision where I live. I've realized that running is my form of weight control in the maintenance phase.

[Merry Mary]

You look great, happy and healthy. I agree with the positive attitude and exercise. We each made the decision to have VSG and own the positive and sometimes negative that comes with it. For exercise, find something you enjoy, even if it's chopping wood, and it won't seem like work.

Keep up the good work and enjoy the runs and hikes!!!!!!

[WANAGL]

HAPPY SURGIVERSARY!!!

AMAZING SUCCESS!!!

I love your pics...You're the picture of Happy and Healthy! You look MAHVELOUS Dahling!

Thank You for sharing your experience, strength and hope. And thank you for your continued participation on the site. Your knowledge and wisdom are invaluable to this newbie!!!


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[Kindle]

Congrats my fellow hiker! Lookin good. Excellent post....I think I'll just copy and paste it for my 3 year surgiversary coming up in December. (Of course I'll have to start that whole running thing ...or not)

[luckygirl]

Congratulations
Your post says it all! You look amazing and you appear to be enjoying your life so much.You are living the life so many of us strive for.Thank You so much for sharing your journey.It is so encouraging to all of us following in your path.

[TinaO]

Thank you so much for sharing! You look so happy and healthy.

[Pam G]

You look fabulous and have worked your sleeve for all of its advantages.

As a side note, I also run on an almost-daily basis because I've become somewhat addicted to it. I run five miles per day, sometimes on the treadmill and sometimes on the streets in the subdivision where I live. I've realized that running is my form of weight control in the maintenance phase.

How did you get up to running? I can still hardly walk! Lol. You're pretty young, are'nt you?

[Sandra3]

What a great post! I hope you will have a (well deserved!) happy and fun retirement!

[sraebaer]

Young? My 60th birthday is coming up in December, so no I wouldn't say I am young. I started running after walking long distances became really easy. Then I would just run short parts of my walk, like first just the downhills, then added some flats, and finally the hills. After a few months I could run, no problem. So I guess you could say I did it in "baby steps," worked my way into it tiny parts at a time.

Or maybe you're talking about RehabNurse, she looks quite young and beautiful!! I would like to be as thin as she is!

[Pam G]

Young? My 60th birthday is coming up in December, so no I wouldn't say I am young. I started running after walking long distances became really easy. Then I would just run short parts of my walk, like first just the downhills, then added some flats, and finally the hills. After a few months I could run, no problem. So I guess you could say I did it in "baby steps," worked my way into it tiny parts at a time.

Or maybe you're talking about RehabNurse, she looks quite young and beautiful!! I would like to be as thin as she is!

o

Oopsie, yes, I was replying to RehanNurse, but I like your response, too!

[RehabNurse]

How did you get up to running? I can still hardly walk! Lol. You're pretty young, are'nt you?

I'm not that young...I'm 35 and approaching that 'middle-aged' category at the speed of light, it seems.

Not all fat people led sedentary lifestyles prior to the sleeve. I ran 5 to 7 miles per day in my early 20s and, although my weight was normal back them, I still struggled to maintain. Since I had been a chubby teen, I was fighting against my body's high setpoint by running and watching what I ate.

After years of yo-yo dieting and unstable weights throughout the rest of my 20s and early 30s, I once again started running at age 32 (three years ago). I went from 180 to 128 pounds. Once I stopped running, I regained all that weight plus more quickly and fiercely.

I now realize I will need to run at least five days per week to maintain my weight. With the combination of shitty genetics plus living in today's modern day obesogenic environment, 45 to 60 minutes per day of vigorous exercise at 75 to 90 percent of my maximal heart rate has been one of my saving graces.