Amylou

Welcome to the other side.

My staples the first few days were - sugar free pudding Greek Yogurt V8 Crystal Light chicken Stock/broth Sugar Free Jello You will not believe how little will fill you up. Like 1 ounce of yogurt. Baby spoons or demitasse spoons helped. Also, write down your Water intake. The pain meds made me loopy and if I didn't write it all down, I lost track.

I had a RNY done in June of 2015. I was SO nervous in the months and weeks and days leading up to my surgery. I would fluctuate from being super excited to being scared out of my wits. It wasn't the actual surgery that scared me, it was the PERMANENCE. The results would be forever, and that was the hard part to wrap my brain around. The morning of surgery, however, I woke up calm and focused. I just wanted to get to the hospital and get it over with. I was so exhausted of worrying about it I just wanted it done. It's been an amazing 16 months. I'm so so SO very happy with my results. Not that it's been easy every single day. But I do not regret anything.

Mine have always been very painful - cramps. No Advil has really been hard. My cycles are now also significantly shorter - closer to 3 weeks between periods rather than 4-5ish.

15 months post-op - I have a personal trainer I work with for 30 minutes twice a week. On those days, I also run 30 minutes or more. Then three additional days a week, I run at least 45 minutes and do more resistance training for 15-20 minutes.

I'm a year + out now. I have been eating sashimi since 3 months post op and I have it at least once a week!! I've had rolls a couple times now but I have lost my taste for them - I much prefer sashimi.

AND seriously, you will not believe how much can fill you up. Like a half of a scrambled egg. Or a couple tablespoons of Greek yogurt. Don't over-portion. Don't be afraid to back away and not finish. I remember my first container of Greek Yogurt took me Breakfast and lunch to finish.

I had my RNY at Abbott. Loved my surgeon, love my results, hated Abbott. HATED Abbott. Nursing staff sucks, they put you in a general ward with all elderly patients - very small dingy rooms. Now, I was there for one sleep, so you can do anything for 24 hours but still...I wish I could have gone to Waconia. BCBS MN wouldn't cover at the same rate there.

My One Year Surgery-versary, I was talking to a co-worker saying how it'd been a year and she said "Yeah, I remember when you first started, I said to myself 'Man, she sure is FAT'". I was so surprised by her comment, all I could do was nod. Seeing people who knew the 'old me' who don't recognize the 'new me' and I have to basically re-introduce myself. People who know about my surgery - and I've been very open about it - who have no problems asking how much I've lost now and what my goal is...so with some simple math they can figure out what my starting weight was. I'm proud of my weight loss but not as comfortable with the world knowing my starting point...

Breaking up with food was the hardest part of this whole journey for me. And even a year+ out, I still miss food. Some days are worse than others but it's still a struggle. Food is involved in so much - social events, celebrations, traditions. I know how my brain works and I have to be really restrictive because I cannot have just one bite - especially of certain things. It's actually easier to avoid the bad stuff entirely than it is to fight with myself if I have a bite. I have very minimal self control. I LOVE my new body though...and I've loved seeing the progress that comes with being good. You need to break up with food the same way you'd have to break up with an abusive relationship. it hurts for a long time...you miss it...you think you need it for comfort and support. Truth is, you don't. You'll be happier and healthier without the junk. You'll find your 'zone' and you'll feel so amazing when you stay in the zone, you won't want to stray. You can read about my food break-up on my blog if you like - www.gastricallydifferent.blogspot.com.

I am. 1 year post op. Surgery done at Abbott.

It's been a year. A year ago today was my RNY. I blogged about it today so I'm not going to re-write my entry but I'm so very thankful to be on this side of the process. Not one moment of regret has passed my mind this year. There have been times where I've gotten down but never to the point of regret. Celebrating tonight with a nice long workout after a t-ball game and a baseball game. Before and now photo - top two are the night before surgery last year - bottom two are last night post workout. Difference of 115 pounds.

I took 2 weeks off and it was about perfect. I wouldn't have been able to go back after a week...I was ready after 2.

Listen to me - HEALING IS HARD WORK. Even if you're not feeling like doing much, just the process your body is going thru to heal is enough to tire you out. Your only job should be drinking enough Water and getting your Protein as much as possible. Give yourself a little credit. You had major surgery a week ago. Your body is about to do some amazing things for you - give it some time to get ready. Rest. Hydrate. It's tough but it just gets better. You'll turn the corner soon - like probably this weekend - and then it'll be smooth sailing.

I never thought it'd happen but it has. I'm in love with exercising. And I need it daily for my mental health more than I need it for my body. I'm blowing my own mind lately - because I actually look forward to running. What?? I have found Sons of Anarchy and save it for treadmill time. This dynamic combination has allowed me to push myself resulting in conquering 4 miles running straight. Not fast or pretty...but running for 55 minutes straight is nothing I ever thought I would be able to do or want to do. Thank GOD for my RNY. Seriously, I'm so very blessed to have had the opportunity to have this surgery...and have had the courage to do it. Tomorrow is my 1 year Surger-versary. I'm celebrating with a run.

11 months post op. I've been religious about logging every.single.bite on myfitnesspal since 2 weeks pre-op. Once I started eating real food, I was at about 400 calories a day. I worked my way up to 700-750. But I haven't lost more than 5 pounds since early March. The last 5 or so days, I've increased my calories to around 900 and lost three pounds. Could no loss be because I wasn't eating enough? I workout at least 4x per week at 75 minutes a workout - 60 cardio and 15+ with resistance. I'm down well over 100 pounds now. I just wish I knew the magic secret to start losing at a more consistant rate - I'm less than 30 pounds from goal now!!!!

Celebrated my 125 pounds lost with some ink - my first!!! I knew as soon as I started this journey that I would document it in some way with a tattoo. After reading some of Glennon Melton Doyle, I knew what I'd want my tattoo to say - "I can do hard things". Just because something is hard or challenging isn't an excuse to not do it. I have done hard things, I will do hard things, I CAN do hard things. Now every time I look at my feet, I'll be reminded that I am strong and capable of doing hard things. The flowers are just some plumeria that remind me of tropical vacations.

11 months

She said I could increase calories at my last check at 9 months post-op but she didn't say to what. I'm scared to increase. I have my little niche now where I know what and when to eat...increasing sounds like opening up pandoras box.

11 months post op - Best feeling yet was going to a regular-sized department in the department store, trying on some pants and needing a smaller size. Ended up buying them and nearly floated out of the store!!!

I can't remember the weight I was at but I know it was a day when I had finished a good walking workout on the treadmill and I cranked up the speed to a jog and just wanted to see if I could do 5 minutes without stopping. I did 20. And I didn't want to die afterwards. I'm still not fast and it's not pretty but I can run up to 35 minutes now. I can go longer however my knees are mad at me for the next few days if I do.

Try finding an AA meeting in your area. It is SO COMMON for WLS folks to turn to alcohol. You are not alone.

This is the one thing I haven't been "good" about. I jumped back in with coffee at 3 months post-op. I'm not one to drink it all day long but I do have my two cups in the morning with sugar-free creamer.

Plastic surgery is in my future but not my near-future. It's going to be summer soon and the thought of wearing tank tops give me the willies - my upper arms are hideous!!! I workout and do weight training but it's not helping the flappy skin that hangs under my arms. Has anyone found a product that works in tightening skin?? I can go out blind and start trying some but thought if anyone had had any luck with something, maybe you'd share and I could start my experiment there??

Pre-GB, I could easily slam 16+ ounces of Water or anything non-carbonated in one motion. 11 months post op, the very most I can swallow in a row is 5 swallows. Any more and it's coming back up and it's super painful.