Inner Surfer Girl

Being able to ride my GT as if I was 15 years old again at 162 pounds!!

Being on week 7 of a couch to 5k program and realizing just 9 weeks ago (missed two weeks) it was a challenge to do 1 minute walks with 15 second running intervals. Now, ran one 10 minute and three 5 minute intervals without stopping. WOW!
And, having your surgeon put your testimonial up on his website with pictures and all!

Sharing clothes with my 15yo daughter. I am now only 5 lbs heavier than her as opposed to 100 lbs heavier than her. Twice the wardrobe selections.

Today is my first day back to school following surgery. I am sitting in a desk chair and my stomach is not touching the desk and I can see the chair between my legs!! I want to scream this to every person in the class but telling you guys is far less disruptive lol

I don't know if this is an NSV or an SV, but I'd like everyone to Celebrate with me, by knowing that I completed the Spokefest Half-Century (50 mile bike ride in Spokane County WA) on September 7th! That was a huge accomplishment for me.

It started out as "friendly" competition with two co-workers (who haven't had bariatric surgery and are 13 and 17 years younger than me) and myself, riding bikes during our lunch hour, at the beginning of last summer.

Since then we each individually rode the Hiawatha Trail (in the north Idaho panhandle and Montana Bitterroot Mountains), one of us has been downhill mountain biking at the ski resorts nearby, and I rode around Lake Washington, both ways, once south and once north, the weekend before Spokefest.

Then all three of us did the Spokefest Half-Century together. We didn't do it for time or a public placing. We did it as a personal victory.

Since then I've also been riding from my home in to my office on in Spokane WA, a distance of 17 miles. So far I'm up to about 15 - 17 miles an hour by bicycle!

We still bike during our lunch hour, or run, or walk.

I'm simply amazed at the health improvements, (FINALLY!), that this decision to have the gastric bypass has given me!

So this is going to piss off a lot of people. But I call BS on everyone that says they are a "private person" or "its nobody else's business" when trying to justify why they don't admit to having WLS. Saying you had your gall bladder removed or a hernia repaired or any other number of fake surgeries instead of WLS is "sharing" a personal health issue, just not the one you actually had. If you needed a knee or hip replacement, would you fib and say you sprained something to explain your brace and/or crutches? Do you hide your need for insulin if you have diabetes? Do you all wear contacts instead of glasses so people don't know you have bad vision? How about if you needed your appendix removed? A kidney transplant? Can you seriously say you would come up with a "story" to cover up the fact you needed these surgeries?
What are you all afraid of? Why are you ashamed? This was a huge commitment for all of us. Why aren't you willing to stand up and defend your convictions by being honest about your decision to have surgery? Some people claim they don't want to hear negative feedback. Well how is the social stigma of obesity and WLS ever going to be overcome unless those negative people hear and see all of our success stories for themselves. Every time I am asked about my weight loss I see it as an opportunity to educate. Maybe next time the subject is brought up, that person can say "I know someone that had VSG and she looks and feels great! Why don't you give her a call".
I don't mean to offend, I just don't think "privacy" is the whole reason why WLS isn't admitted to and talked about openly.

Your reply is interesting because the longer I am in maintenance the more I think about trying to change to living the life I want. Obesity was the "elephant in the room" and now that's in control I am peeling away alot of other layers I want to change. I at times have a twinge of regret I am so old but mostly I am grateful that I have this chance.

I experienced a new NSV this evening and I have to say, I'm feeling pretty good after this one! My daughter had a dress in her closet that was MINE when I was a sophomore in high school. I wore it when I walked in the football homecoming that year. I remember feeling so beautiful in that dress. We were looking through old yearbooks and pictures a few nights ago and she said "Hey! I have that dress in my closet!" So tonight, she pulled it out of the closet and insisted I try it on. I was certain that it would NOT fit. Only, it DID fit! OMG! Wow! What an amazing feeling that was/is! I just can't believe it! People keep telling me how skinny I am and how great I look but I have such a hard time seeing/believing it for myself. I have spent my entire adult life wishing I could be THAT small again and looking at that picture and thinking how little I was and now...Wow! Just wow!

Inner Sufer Girl - I was wondering the same thing. About 30,000 people a year die from the flu but nobody freaks out about it.

I wonder how many people who freak out about Ebola don't get flu shots? We need to keep things in perspective.

Thank you all so much for your kind words and encouragement! I can truly say it has been a tremendous help in my journey so far. Each day gets easier with the divorce underway and my new life ahead of me. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me and my precious baby boys!!!!

You can order the samples directly from Sytrax as well.

I was updating some of the pictures I have in the house to include the newest Myrtle Beach pics and I realized that it's not so hard to remove the 'fat pictures'. Most of the photo's I had were of others because I didn't want to be reminded of what I looked like. I have to keep some of them as they are from important events, like both of my boys' weddings. But I'm updating others and finding that now I'm in most of them as I'm not ashamed of how I look.
Can't wait to add to the collection when the newest grandchild comes in the spring and has a healthy and happy grandma to love him or her. (Don't know if we're blue or pink just yet... )

Although I am pre-surgery...thought this journey thus far I have done alot of reading and tried to keep up with the latest information the pro's and con's of the post-op.
Contrary to what some may think, most of the GoodWill Stores here actually have some decent clothing..some even new, and since the medical bills with co pays, and now a 2 grand deductable for my surgery...going out and spending alot of money "that I don't have" on a new wardrobe, I will just pick up some things at GoodWill to hold me over through fluxuations. I DID however, make a promise to myself that the first 40 pounds...I will get something new..as a reward...the next 20 pounds..again..I will again get something nice....20...20..20..and when I reach my ultimate Goal...I VOWED...I was going to have that Black Leather Jacket I have always wanted..but couldn't because they didn't make my size and if they did..it just wouldn't look the same....why a black leather jacket you ask??? Because I have a brand new Harley Davidson motorcycle that I wearing that jacket would look just amazing on.

Well date was fun! dinner and talk then dancing. I wound up in skinny jeans because I just decided that it fit the setting better and rain was forecast ,(though it was dry) and we planned to walk from place to place. We didn't like the band at the blues place so mostly were at a dive bar that had a heavy metal cover band..loud! I was better dressed than 98 percent even in my jeans so it was a good call.
We hit it off but I realized that part of it is that he reminds me of someone I still carry a little flame for.
Anyway, good start!
I am in the mindset to not "miss" opportunities if someone appeals to me and is expressing interest. That was the big deal for me - how to meet people more "organically" and have it actually lead to a date or social event. I am pleased how this turned out so I feel like that is the better path for me over online dating.

You will be so glad you did this!

Water aerobisc would help you out a lot I am sorry you so not like the Water but you would get your exercise in as well as your joints would not hurt.

I would recommend against flying to west africa now, unless you have an important reason to do so. Otherwise, no, I don't think it's a bad time to fly. I'm pretty sure the risk of a plane crash (very low) is still higher than the risk of catching ebola on your flight. And your risk of dying in a car crash on the way to the airport is way higher than either of the above.
This outbreak is a huge tragedy and emergency in west africa right now, but it is not anywhere near as threatening for Americans as some news channels are making it out to be.
How many Americans die each day from guns? About 30
How many die in car crashes every day? A little over 3000
How many Americans have contracted Ebola in this country? I've only heard about two. And I'm guessing they'll both survive as well since their symptoms were caught early.
Here's a good article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2014/10/16/ebolas-very-contagious-ebolas-also-hard-to-catch-confused-heres-how-to-understand/

First off, I despise "The Biggest Loser." It's not real. It's edited to hell and back to fit some goofy writer's imagined storyline. But worst of all, it sets up everyone on that show (and any marks who imagine it's real) for future failure -- because dieting and exercise don't work long-term for 98% of those who lose weight that way.
Moreover, I'm disappointed to read the comments above by those who have deconstructed their own eating problems and determined that they became fat by overeating simply because they love food so much. However, I'd be totally fine with their statements about themselves -- if they didn't then insist that no one else could have other underlying reasons for their overeating / overweight.
Why in the world do you think the cause of YOUR XYZ must also be the cause of OTHERS' XYZ? And why do you think the causes of OTHERS' XYZ can't be valid for them because they're not valid for you?
S.M.H.

I had to go and renew driver's license today. Good thing because I really didn't look like my old picture at all anymore. LOL So my weight is my ACTUAL weight, not my "lie" weight. I was always too embarrassed to give my true weight for the past three licenses, so I lied. First time I said 250 and stuck to it, even when I ballooned up to 300 lbs and higher. Well not this time, I gave my real weight, 215lbs. Granted, that is still a big number and I really hope in four years I can give a lower real weight. But it feels pretty darn good to not feel such shame and take a pretty good picture!!!! LOL

I read something today that made a lot of sense to me. "What matters to success isn't the speed with which you lose weight, but whether you lose weight with a lifestyle you enjoy enough to sustain." -Eggface
Wise words. For me, anyway, the "diet" mentality has never worked. What does work is focusing on healthful choices first, working in the things I like, (often, but not always modified to make it more healthful) and moving my body. If I put on 5 pounds, I take it off by eating a little less, eliminating alcohol for a week and moving a bit more. THIS is a lifestyle I enjoy enough to sustain!

Well that went better then expected, Dr didn't say anything negative or positive just took notes. His only concern was that all the pre surgery requisition was happening on the same day as surgery and how would my surgeon adjust something that may come up in my results in time for surgery. What if something critical came up and I couldn't get it done that day or week!?
In Canada all those Dr checks take months to get into to see a specialist for endoscopy, heart specialist, radiology scan of abdomen etc. I have high blood pressure at the moment so I have to monitor that. My Dr is sending me for blood work and hopefully I can get into having my stomach & gallbladder X-ray!
Thanks for everyone's input!! I'm doing this surgery in T.J no matter what!!!

Great list! I packed most of those things from your list for my hospital stay last week. My mom gave me a ride to the hospital and left after I came out of surgery. After she left, I looked around the room for my duffle bag and couldn't see it anywhere. I asked a nurse and we both assumed she must had taken it with her. My cell phone was in the bag and it was off. I spent three days in the hospital without any of my precious items that I spent time planning, making lists, and packing. In the end, it really wasn't that big of a deal. I was kind of "out of it" most of the time anyway. I probably wouldn't have used most of the things I packed anyway. The hospital had towlettes, toothpaste, toothbrush, slipper socks, etc. It's good to be prepared, but don't fret too much over it. Hospitals sometimes prefer you to where their gowns for easy access to certain areas of the body. They cover your back up with another gown when you walk down the hall.
By the way, I asked my mom about my bag when she came to pick me up. She walked behind the hospital bed and pulled it out from hiding from behind the curtain. It had been with me all along. Oh well!

Earlier this year an intriguing new study provided all of us working in industry with some invaluable insights into the link between depression and obesity.
Conducted by Dr Aurelie M Lasserre of Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland, the study revealed that the atypical subtype of major depressive disorder is linked to greater risk of obesity; a link that’s not found in other subtypes of the illness.
The Study
The study was a prospective population-based cohort study that included 3,000 randomly selected Lausanne residents with a mean age of 50 years-old (53% women).
At baseline, 7.5% of the 3,000 participants met the criteria for MDD, with 37% having had a previous major depressive episode. Of these, about 10% experienced atypical depression and melancholic episodes, while 14% experienced purely atypical episodes.
The Findings
Dr Aurelie M Lasserre and her team found that the subjects who experienced atypical episodes of MDD tended to have a higher increase in adiposity [fat] than those with MDD, and were nearly four times more likely to be obese.
"For the clinician, the atypical subtype deserves particular attention, because this subtype is a strong predictor of adiposity," reported Dr. Lasserre. "Accordingly, the screening of atypical features and, in particular, increased appetite in individuals with depression is crucial."
The report, published in JAMA Psychiatry came to the conclusion that atypical MDD is a strong predicator of obesity, while those with melancholic, combined, or unspecified major depressive disorder (MDD) showed no greater risk for fat-mass gain than those without any form of MDD. The researchers found no evidence for medication or physical activity affecting the link between adiposity and atypical MDD.
“This study emphasises the need to identify individuals with this subtype of MDD in both clinical and research settings,” wrote Dr. Lasserre. “Therapeutic measures to diminish the consequences of increased appetite during depressive episodes with atypical features are strongly advocated.”

You were right. For the last 16 mths since my sleeve revision, I've belonged to the school of thought that I can eat whatever I want, just much less of it. 6 months ago I was 5 lbs from goal. I've now gained almost 20 lbs eating whatever I want. Since I can eat much more now, that way of thought doesn't work anymore.
It was a nice thought, however...
Just got back from vacation (3 weeks out of state) and I gained 3 lbs. Eating out, drinking local micro brewed beer, and not exercising. While I'm relieved that I only gained 3 lbs, hardly any of my clothes fit. My jeans r way tight.
Went grocery shopping yesterday. Not 1 article of junk food went into my cart (cept a couple of Lean Cuisines). Starting last nite, no more nightly glass of wine. In itself it wasn't bad (110 cals) but afterwards I think it's a fantastic idea to cook a frozen pizza or corndog. I snacked on 1/2 apple with almond butter last nite. I ate a home cooked, real food meal last nite. I'm not doing a particular diet (such as low carb, low calorie, etc) I'm just going to cut the snacking mindlessly while watching tv at nite. Thats where about 50% of my calories come from. From now on it will be chamomile tea ( i find that I hafta sip on something while watching tv) a pc of fruit or a veggie with Protein. I will consume more Water and I go back to the gym tomorrow. My dog will actually be walked everyday. I will attempt to eat real food (cept the occasional Lean Cuisine pizza) and drink no beer (not really a soda fan and I only drink maybe 1/2 a beer. I drink it so slow that it gets warm and I toss it).
I might even do the dastardly deed of counting calories...and keeping track of what I eat. Guess it can't hurt.
So all of u who said my way of thinking would make my world come crashing down, u were right. I'm bowing down in shame to u...
And for all the newbies out there who follow the same school of thought that u can eat anything just in small quantities - u r incorrect. U'd better come up with a better plan before u eventually fail. Cuz u will...