6 Months

Weigh In

Highest Weight: 320lbs
Weight Before Surgery: 311 lbs (-9lbs)
Previous Week: 241.4 lbs  (- 78.6 lbs)
Weigh In: 234 lbs (-7.4 lbs)
Total Lost: 86 lbs
Total Lost Since Surgery: 77 lbs

 

The Journey

86lbs in 6 months. I was feeling great. It was estimated with a DS that the average person loses 50% of my estimated weight loss (EWL) . Mine turned out to be 44%. I felt like I did something wrong. But I guess I did start out somewhat disadvantaged in that I started in a wheelchair. The numbers were getting to me, once again.

Weeks 21 and 22

Weigh In

Highest Weight: 320lbs
Weight Before Surgery: 311 lbs (-9lbs)
Previous Week: 244.6 lbs  (- 75.4 lbs)
Weigh In: 241.4 lbs (-3.2 lbs)
Total Lost: 78.6 lbs
Total Lost Since Surgery: 69.6 lbs

Before Surgery:

Week 22:

The Journey

 The past two weeks I had been really depressed and tired, so I didn't check in too much. Not sure why I was being such a debbie downer. Perhaps my lack of sleep? I had noisy neighbors in the apartment above me doing things like arguing and laundry at 2am, so I hadn't been able to get much sleep for awhile. This went on nightly. I tried to get back into my positive way of thinking. I guess everyone has moments from time to time when they just aren't feeling like themselves, and it is what we do at that time that helps determine what comes next. So I did what I could do. I picked myself up, brushed myself off, and got my head back into the game. I guess I just needed a couple weeks of alone time to figure myself out. :)

While there was nothing anymore I could do about the neighbor situation, as I cannot control what other people think, say, or do, I could change my environment. So my husband and I decided to move. We ended up getting a place double the size for not much more money. We are happy here so far!

5 Months

Weigh In

Highest Weight: 320lbs
Weight Before Surgery: 311 lbs (-9lbs)
Previous Week: 251.6 lbs  (- 68.4 lbs)
Weigh In: 244.6 lbs (-7 lbs)
Total Lost: 75.4 lbs
Total Lost Since Surgery: 66.4 lbs

 

The Journey

I started a new cardio routine this week and I guess it paid off because I lost 7 lbs this week! I've never lost that much weight at one time ever in my entire life! I started doing Turbo Jam, the Fat Blast Workout, which was on one of the DVDs of my set of Chalean Extreme. It is HIIT (high intensity interval training) that combines dance, kickboxing, etc. It was fun and didn't feel like a workout. I guess the results paid off or I was retaining lots of water. Either way, I was so excited to lose that much weight! The pictures of my progress so far made me cry every time. I couldn't believe how far I've come. And I hit my mini-goal of 75lbs lost, so a haircut was in store soon!

Week 19

Weigh In

Highest Weight: 320lbs
Weight Before Surgery: 311 lbs (-9lbs)
Previous Week: 252.9 lbs  (- 67.1 lbs)
Weigh In: 251.6 lbs (-1.3 lbs)
Total Lost: 68.4 lbs
Total Lost Since Surgery: 59.4 lbs

Before Surgery:

Week 19:

The Journey: Hair Loss

I knew it was normal to lose hair after surgery. I figured there was nothing I could do about it and I just had to let it happen. And I knew that it falls out and I was losing a lot of it, I just didn't realize how much until this week.

Our vacuum cleaner broke down. The suction didn't seem to work anymore. I thought it was just old but my husband said he would look at it. What he found in there, shocked me. I wanted to take a photo of it but was far too embarrassed. In it, was some of my hair that had actually clogged up the vacuum. There was so much of it, it looked like a wig for shoulder-length hair! After this incidence, I decided to up my protein intake to see if that helped, as I had read somewhere that lack of protein can make losing hair worse. So, I upped my protein shakes to three times a day.

I had also heard cutting your hair short helps as well. I wasn't really in favor of short hair, I'd always had mine long. Shoulder length would probably be the shortest I'd be willing to go.

Goals

My therapist thought I should set goals every 25 lbs lost. When I reached them, I should celebrate it in some non-food way. So for my next goal, losing 75lbs total, I decided that I would get my hair done. I hadn't had my hair done since before surgery. And, I figured, I should get it cut short because of all of the hair loss.

Changes

This week I also noticed big changes happening in my body. Every time I'd notice one, I'd mutter a, "whoa! Look at this!" My husband would laugh as , to him, it wouldn't be a big change; but to me, it was. Specifically, my arms were starting to get harder from gaining muscle, or , having access to it now from losing some of the fat over it; and also, I was starting to notice some definition. And I loved what I was seeing; it made me want to exercise even more!

Week 18 - My First Social Outing Since Surgery

Weigh In

Highest Weight: 320lbs
Weight Before Surgery: 311 lbs (-9lbs)
Previous Week: 255.9 lbs  (- 64.1 lbs)
Weigh In: 252.9 lbs (-3 lbs)
Total Lost: 67.1 lbs
Total Lost Since Surgery: 58.1 lbs

Before Surgery:

Week 18:

The Journey

This week I started noticing a difference in my arms from my arm workouts. It was my third week of doing Chalean Extreme and I was still doing the Shoulders and Arms from P90X. I enjoyed it, and, I enjoyed my progress.

This week I had my first social outing since surgery. It was outside at a BBQ by the river. I ended up getting sunburned badly despite only being outside for an hour and a half. I didn't end up using sunscreen. It was also a day of poor planning. I didn't even eat for the first time until 1:30PM. Needless to say, I was behind of fluids and protein by the time I got outside. It was 86 degrees outside and I should have been sipping my fluids like I know I am supposed to. I was embarrassed to look like the outsider, I guess, and distracted by having fun and being able to get out of the house for once, and I didn't. So, in addition to a sunburn, I also got dehydrated. Lessons learned! I ended up with a headache and an overall feeling of being parched. By the end of the day I was able to get in 12 glasses of water but still felt dehydrated. Perhaps I should have had something other than water.

There was a big hike down to the river. I knew there was no way I would have been able to do this before surgery, so it was a pretty big NSV for me. Emotionally, I was a little different. I noticed my social anxiety was there still. Before surgery, it was there a little, partly due to my insecurities of being overweight and being bullied about in public in the past. Now, it was different and a little elevated. I was nervous about seeing people I had seen before, and new people. Would I be judged like I was before by bullies? How did people view me now? Would I just seem like some weirdo with health issues now or that girl that eats a special diet? It made me so nervous.

Overall, though, my week was good. I was able to learn from my mistakes and move forward.

Week 17

Weigh In

Highest Weight: 320lbs
Weight Before Surgery: 311 lbs (-9lbs)
Previous Week: 257 lbs  (- 63 lbs)
Weigh In: 255.9 lbs (-1.1 lbs)
Total Lost: 64.1 lbs
Total Lost Since Surgery: 55.1 lbs

Before Surgery:

Week 17:

The Journey

 This week I kept with the exercise. Perhaps I did too much but it was just so fun! It was exciting being able to pick and choose what I wanted to do and not just be stuck walking or swimming due to my weight in the past.

I also seemed to have some food intolerance this week. I ended up with a few days of bad gas and pain to go along with it. I thought it was the Chinese food I had but someone mentioned it could be sugar alcohols or lactose intolerance. I had a full day of shakes and still ended up with it. I wasn't sure what it was. Guess it was time for more trial and error.

4 Months

Weigh In

Highest Weight: 320lbs
Weight Before Surgery: 311 lbs (-9lbs)
Previous Week: 261 lbs  (- 59 lbs)
Weigh In: 257 lbs (-4 lbs)
Total Lost: 63 lbs
Total Lost Since Surgery: 54 lbs

Before Surgery:

4 Months:

The Journey

I noticed now my hair was starting to fall out a lot. I knew it was to be expected. I wasn't too upset about it. It would grow back eventually. The exhaustion was still there as well.

For food, I was eating at least 2 protein shakes a day. I would add a couple Tbsp of heavy cream to it for fat as well. For some reason, I could eat several slices of bacon but only an ounce of meat so bacon became my go-to protein food. Lots of nights I ended up just having bacon for dinner.

I had some Gatorade this week but it ended up giving me diarrhea. I was confused as it was the low carb Gatorade so it shouldn't have given me the runs. Oh well. Off my food list for now.

I started Chalean Extreme this week. Squats were really tough for me. I could barely move my legs a tiny bit.

I ended up doing a nature walk this week at my local park. Below are some of the pictures I took.

Week 15 - HUGE NSV!!

Weigh In

Highest Weight: 320lbs
Weight Before Surgery: 311 lbs (-9lbs)
Previous Week: 262 lbs  (- 58 lbs)
Weigh In: 261 lbs (-1 lbs)
Total Lost: 59 lbs
Total Lost Since Surgery: 50 lbs

Before Surgery:

Week 15:

The Journey

This week I decided to increase my protein to see if that helped my lack of energy. I was only getting in 76-80g a day when I should be getting in a minimum of 90g with no exercise, or 120g if I do exercise.

I also realized that I can do anything I want to exercise and fitness- wise. Obviously not at this particular moment, but as far as goals, anything was possible. Nothing was holding me back anymore. The weight was slowly coming off. In the past, the weight definitely held me back from trying different programs. But now that it was coming off, the sky was the limit!

So I ended up ordering a few things: Just Dance 4 and Chalean Extreme.

I even looked up some workouts online. I had to pause it a few times and took it slow but I finished it. I woke up with sore abs and was happy because that meant I was getting stronger :) I even did a P90X Shoulder and Arms workout and Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home DVD.




What I Have Been Eating Lately

Tacos with no shell, extra sour cream and cheese. This is actually 2 meals here.

BBQ hot dogs and hamburgers :) First time using this BBQ in 2 years!

Didn't eat the potatoes but had some tri-tip at a restaurant, loaded in gravy and butter for fat, and took the rest home for 6 more meals.

Typical breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, 1/4 cup cheese, 2 bacon = 26g protein

Breadless pizza

NSVs

I had a HUGE NSV this week. I ended up donating my wheelchair, rollator, and cane to Goodwill. I no longer needed them. This was huge. I had been tied down to those things for years. And now it was time to say goodbye to them; to say goodbye to the person I once was.

It was an emotional day and I was crying, realizing how far I'd come. My life at one time had revolved around the wheelchair, as I couldn't walk anywhere.

I made myself sit in the chair to remember. It was less snug than it was a few months ago when I wasn't in control of my life and was in this chair. I felt trapped in that body. I didn't know if it was going to get better or not due to the insurance battle. Every day I would wake up praying for surgery. I remembered how life was in this chair, who I was in this chair, only a few months ago, and I felt so bad for her.

Before I was even able to afford a wheelchair, I was stuck in bed. I had to have people help me move around. The biggest NSV was being able to donate this because I got my freedom back. It was exhilarating.

Weeks 13 and 14

Weigh In

Highest Weight: 320lbs
Weight Before Surgery: 311 lbs (-9lbs)
Previous Week: 267 lbs  (- 53 lbs)
Weigh In: 262 lbs (-5 lbs)
Total Lost: 58 lbs
Total Lost Since Surgery: 49 lbs


Before Surgery:

Week 14:

The Journey


Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Weight loss is a mind game. Here I was 14 weeks out and I still didn't really notice that I had lost any weight. Sure, the numbers were moving and I saw pictures of myself but seeing and believing are two different things.

I ended up going out to breakfast with my grandma. She commented on how she was really noticing the weight loss. This took my by surprise. I still felt like my before picture and I thought that was how others viewed me as well, so I was kind of taken aback by this, but in a good way. I ended up having my husband take a photo of me.

I guess that 4X was getting big. It was too tight going into surgery, as I was a 6X. I kind of see it. But there are days I still feel huge. And then there are days I feel great and physically different and see the changes. I am not sure why I don't feel that everyday; it is like my mind is in a constant struggle to accept the changes I am going through. It is very hard to get your mind wrapped around it all. It is very much a mental journey as well as a physical one.


Or perhaps, I am focusing more on where the end result will be in this journey instead of enjoying where I am at today. I need to take it slower, take it day by day, and enjoy every part of my journey and stop worrying where I am at.



And there are days where I don't feel very motivated like a lot of people. But I keep telling myself I can do it and move forward. After all, I am only one person, and some things you just don't have much control over, so there is not much else you can do other than move in the right direction and stay positive.

3 Months

Weigh In

Highest Weight: 320lbs
Weight Before Surgery: 311 lbs (-9lbs)
Previous Week: 269 lbs  (- 51 lbs)
Weigh In: 267 lbs (-2 lbs)
Total Lost: 53 lbs
Total Lost Since Surgery: 44 lbs

Before Surgery:

3 Months:

The Journey

I was really starting to notice the physical differences in myself this week. Thanks to Muzy, I was able to do side-by-side photos to see the difference.  I showed this picture to friends, family, and facebook, where others said they noticed a difference as well.

I had my three month follow-up appointment at my surgeon's office with the PA. I told her about the whole chicken thing, how I used to be able to tolerate it and now I suddenly can't. She wasn't sure why that happened either but told me to stay away from it now, maybe introduce it again later. We also went over the rest of my labs. My copper was really high before surgery. She thought the surgeon might want to test for Wilson's disease since I wasn't eating anything that would cause that. I did some research and found out that the main ingredient in oral contraceptives is copper. I was on those before surgery. Not now as the malabsorption is tricky. They also cleared me for exercise. I was super excited! When I got home, I got right on my exercise bike and did 20 minutes.

 

The next day I even did a half hour program on the bike! This was a huge milestone for me as I haven't been on an exercise bike since 2008 when I injured myself. I also started lifting weights in my arms. I started with 2-lb dumbells. Have to start somewhere! I also found out it is more important for me to focus on strength training since I am losing a lot of muscle.

And I noticed I was going to have to make a trip to the thrift store soon, as my clothes were getting to big!

Food

I tried my first vegetable this week. It was a quarter cup of mixed greens with Caesar dressing. It was delicious! Yes, I said a vegetable was delicious :) I had been craving a Caesar salad, of all things, since surgery so was glad I could tolerate it finally :)