nikisa

I just hit my 3 month mark post surgery. I lost 30 during my pre-op period and 45 since surgery. Started at 268 Now 193

I can't begin to tell you guys how excited I am to finally be under 200 pounds. When I met my husband in 1996 I weighed 150 pounds. 19 years into the marriage I found myself at 267. (At one point I weighed a whopping 298 but was able to lose 30 of it on my own and keep it off). I suffer from PCOS and not only was it hard to deal with my weight issues, but the side effects made it nearly impossible for me to ever really feel like a woman. The androgynous side effects of PCOS were an absolute killer for me. I'm a Greek girl and my given name is Kleopatra, so to walk into a room and tell people my name was often hard for me to do, my self esteem has not been very high for most of my life. I worked on that for years and have been in therapy for at least the last 3. When I finally came to terms with myself for who I am and not what I look like, I thought it might be time for me to seriously think about having weight loss surgery. I needed to make sure that I didn't allow the surgery to dictate my worth or my value. My self esteem is not mandated by what the scale says. I'm a good person, daughter, mother, friend, employee, and that matters more than anything. Today, as I write this, I am 2 months post surgery and down a total of 68 pounds. I went from a size 20W to a 14. I am more active with my kids and not nearly in as much pain as I was before. The PCOS is still there, but the side effects aren't nearly as bad. I actually feel pretty great about myself. The biggest change I've noticed is that I've had an easier time making friends lately. Where I was always so shy before and just wanted to hang out at home, now, when I get invites to go out with friends after work, etc, I say yes. Life seems fuller, busier, and more robust. I wish I would've had the courage to be more outgoing when I was bigger, but you know what? It's never too late and I'm taking full advantage now. Here's not not putting life on hold. Here's to taking chances. And here's to finally, putting ourselves first, even if it's just for a moment. I hope you guys are having a fantastic day and that you all take a moment to Celebrate the little things. I'm off to celebrate with a Protein shake :-)

When your husband can wrap his arms all around you when he hugs you. That just happened to me for the first time in 15 years! Great moment :-)

You look absolutely fantastic! Congratulations on your weight loss and best of luck with the rest of your journey. An unsupportive partner is not an easy thing to have to deal with but you are persevering nonetheless.

Thank you, everyone! I celebrated with a trip to Sephora and a new dress lol. :-)

I am 8 weeks postop and have lost 26 pounds. Starting weight was 268 I lost 30 pre surgery 25 post surgery CW 212 Some weeks are better than others but I'm holding steady. Loving the journey so far. I more notch and I'll need a smaller Fitbit :-)

I'm actually relieved to read your post! I'm 4 weeks post op and have lost 17 pounds (I lost an additional 30 pounds during pre-op). It sounds like I am "on track" so to speak. I've been trying to focus on my nutrition first and calories second without giving much credence to the scale. But that's hard. I have been stalling too. But there does seem to be a sort of rhythm to it. Congratulations on the weight loss. It sounds like you are doing great!

Hey there! Does anyone else struggle to keep down their multivitamins? I space mine out throughout the day and try to take them with food but it still get sick sometimes. Has anyone else struggled with this? What worked for you? Thank you! (Btw, I'm 3 weeks post op)

I have 9 total chewable that I have to take a day. I tried taking 4 at a time once.....big mistake. I like your idea of taking them before bed though. My calcium pills are the ones that give me the most trouble. I'll give it a shot. Thank you! Mixing with yogurt? Great idea!

Great work! Congratulations!

Thanks for the help everyone. I see my Dr on Monday. Let's see what he says .....

I miss being active and am thinking that I'd like to get back on my elliptical again. I'm 8 days post-op and feel pretty good. How soon after surgery did you try getting back to the elliptical or treadmill? Thank you!

That's wonderful news! Congratulations!

Hi everyone! I am 1 week post op. I think I have my protein intake figured out but I am struggling with a couple things. I'm averaging 16 oz of water a day and I'm taking in just under 600 calories daily. I've lost 7 pounds since surgery but am I doing this right? Not sure how to get more water in everyday and not sure if my caloric intake is on par. I'd love to hear what you think. Thank you!

Wow! Really great ideas. Very helpful too! I just downloaded the app Waterlogged. Thank you for the suggestion! I think it'll help keep me on track. Here goes nothing! :-)

You guys are so helpful! Thank you so very much for the insight. :-)

Thank you for the response. Do my Protein shakes count towards my water intake? If so, I think that gets me closer but not quite to 48oz. I try to keep a glass of water around me all the time but it's a struggle to get it all down. I feel full a lot. I wasn't given a calorie goal. It just seems like 600 is low. Then again once I start eating puréed food it might be hard to maintain even 600. I'm sure I'll be taking in even more.

That's fantastic! Have a great time!