The Wonder of Size 8

Just in case you forgot, this is where I started:

Even now I am not going to tell you what I weighed in that picture.  Suffice it to say that it was enough to count me as morbidly obese.  I was fortunate that I was as healthy as I was at that size.  No diabetes.  No heart problems.  No high blood pressure.  "Just" all those extra pounds.  I survived cancer.  Had a good portion of my thyroid removed.  Had that pesky gallbladder taken out.  Then there was that nasty hysterectomy.  Nothing like a few medical issues to help you gain weight.  (Side note:  Did you  know that they tend to mix appetite enhancers into chemo and other cancer meds?  It's supposed to help cancer patients keep their appetite through treatments.  I'm pretty sure that I didn't need that help.  I am probably one of the only people you will meet who actually gained weight going through cancer treatments.)  Throw in some personal upheavals and viola! you have the above picture.

Over the years I had manged to lose weight.  I lost 50+ pounds through Weight Watchers once.  Obviously I gained that, plus more, back.  I think that I joined Weight Watchers 4 or 5 times.  I weighed more every time that I joined.   It's a good plan.  If you can stick to it.  I couldn't stick to it.

Occasionally I would manage to lose some weight through my own hard work.  That didn't stick either.  I was a stress eater.  The more stress, the more I would eat.  Which would increase the stress, which would cause me to eat more, which, well, you get it.  Bad situation.

So, even "just" the extra pounds started to get to me.  I just plain couldn't do things.  Like wear normal clothing.  Or play with my grandkids.  Or be comfortable sitting in seats at events.  Or do a lot of normal, every day things.  I had to do something.

I know a lady who is kind of my hero.  She doesn't know that... until maybe now.  This lady had horrible health problems.  She was in even worse shape than I was weight wise.  But she took a huge leap of faith and started a journey that changed her life.  I remember getting a phone call from her one day, asking me to pray for her, because she was going to do something that she was a little scared of doing, but that she had to do.   So, I prayed and I watched her journey and her absolutely amazing transformation into an energetic, vibrant, happy ...  and much thinner... woman.  I am so happy for her and proud of her and what she has done for herself!

I knew a couple of other people who had changed their lives.  Complete changes.  Changed their eating habits, their mentality of food and life, improved their health, which in turn improved their happiness.  Their energy levels were up, their faces were always smiling, and they had lost or were losing great amounts of weight.

That's what I wanted.  I wanted to be able to go up and down my stairs without gasping for breath.  I wanted to be able to sit on the floor and play with my grand kids.  I wanted to lose weight and be healthy.  When you have as much weight to lose as I did, you have to take some drastic steps.  Steps that get the weight off, that keep it off, that change your whole outlook on food and life and health.  I decided to start stepping.

My first step was to visit a doctor.  And start a journey towards weight loss surgery.  Now, if you have pre-conceived ideas about how bad weight loss surgery is, please just stop reading now.  This is my story, my journey, and my blog.  Negativity is not allowed here.

For 6 months I was on a doctor monitored diet and exercise program.  I met with a nutritionist, and a psychiatrist.  I had to learn healthy eating habits, give up unhealthy foods and drinks, and re-learn how to eat.  I lost 35 lbs in 6 months.  Then, I met with a surgeon.  Then I waited for insurance approval.    Here is what I looked like after the 35 lbs were gone, but hadn't had surgery yet.

Once the insurance company was satisfied that I had done what I was supposed to do, and that they might not be wasting their money by approving surgery for me, I was finally able to schedule surgery.  We are now 8 months past the beginning of this journey.  That last, big, scary step was scheduled for Jan 19th, 2015.

My last, big, scary step was to have gastric sleeve surgery.  That is not bypass surgery.  The gastric sleeve surgery is a procedure where they actually remove 75 to 80% of your stomach.  That leaves the ability to absorb nutrients, so there aren't the supplements needed that are needed after a bypass surgery.  

I dropped 20 lbs. the first week after surgery.  I went back to work a week and a half after surgery.  I gave up caffeine and my beloved Diet Pepsi.  I gave up sugar and carbs.  I ate and drank protein in any form I could get it.  I changed my diet completely.  I changed my thoughts about food.  I changed my life.  I lost weight and I lost weight.  I started being able to eat real food again.  I ate, but I read labels and compared nutritional values.  My cravings for sugary foods, for Diet Pepsi, for carbs was gone.  That surgery, with that sudden stop in letting me eat bad things, changed me.  It gave me the tool, the opportunity, to change and to stay on track.

This is size 12.  I honestly thought I wouldn't lose any more.  I couldn't fathom that I was even a size 12!

By the time that I was able to eat whatever I wanted to again (because yes, with this surgery, eventually you can eat whatever you want to) I didn't want to eat the things that made me gain all of that weight in the first place!  Do I eat a lot of things?  You bet I do!  I occasionally have pizza.  I ate a tiny piece of cheesecake and part of a cupcake at our Christmas party last night.  But here's the thing... today, I don't want more cheesecake or another cupcake!  I don't crave them anymore.  And, even if I did... I like my size 8 jeans too much to go back to size 26!!!!  I have my tool... my surgery... to help me to be healthy and I intend to use it!  This was much more than a weight loss surgery.  It was a complete change in life habits.  It may not work for everyone, but it has done wonderful things for me!  My size 8 jeans are proof of that!

I truly don't know if I will lose more weight.  My original weight goal is still 9 lbs away.  But I will be ok if I don't get there.  I am beyond thrilled with where I am right now.  I darn near slept in the size 8 jeans when I was able to get them on!  Shopping for clothes is fun again.  So is playing with grandkids.  Food is not in control any more.  I am.  And I like it this way.