I know I'm three months behind on my blog and have lots to catch up on (especially July, we did lots of fun stuff!), but I've had several people ask for an update on my weight loss since my surgery so I thought it was time for a progress report.
On May 12, 2011 I went in for my pre-op appointment at my doctor's office and they took this "before" picture (294 lbs.):
My doctor is Christina Richards at The Bariatric Medicine Institute in Salt Lake. I looked into gastric bypass surgery fifteen years ago, but was very worried about the death rate, complications, lifetime malabsorbtion of vitamins, expense, and gaining the weight back because of changes to metabolism during pregnancy. Since I'm done having kids, last year I did some research on weight loss surgery and found that my insurance now covers it at 90%, the death rate is even lower than just getting your gallbladder out, and there are several new surgical options. I decided on the vertical sleeve gastrectomy where they cut away over 85% of the stomach, but leave the pylorus valve intact and don't do any rerouting of the intestines. This procedure makes it so I can't eat very much at one sitting, but I do digest all the calories and fat I eat, and absorb all the vitamins and nutrients.
For the week before my surgery (so starting on May 16th) I had to be on a liquid diet. I could only have protein shakes, water, Crystal Light, and sugar-free Jell-O. It was rough, but I lost 16 lbs! I had a lot of people ask if I had an amazing "last meal". We always eat at my mom and dad's on Sunday evening, and my mom had previously asked if I had a request for something special. I told her just to pick something since she knows what I like and I have too many favorites (hence the being morbidly obese). Unfortunately, my dad decided to make pot roast and mashed potatoes instead of whatever my mom suggested, neither of which I care for (especially since it was some cut of roast that I especially hate because it's in thick, tough slices instead of falling apart). I was emotional anyway and decided to just have broccoli for dinner and pout about it (and cried when I got home). So, no, I really didn't have the last meal I hoped for, but I am so, so grateful to my parents for feeding us every week and it is nearly always absolutely delicious. I still sometimes daydream of an awesome last meal, something like a fabulous Vegas buffet!
On the morning of the 23rd, Tammy came over to watch Christian (and took Faith out of school early to do fun stuff) and my mom took me to Salt Lake Regional Medical Center. I had a fairly long wait for my surgery because of problems with the patient ahead of me, but my mom is excellent company! Everything went well with my operation and I was in my recovery room by about 5:30 pm or so. I didn't have much pain, but the hospital was short on nursing staff so I was very irritated that I couldn't get unhooked from all the machines every hour to walk the halls like my surgeon recommended. I also didn't get much sleep because every time I started to drift off, the oxygen sensor machine's alarm would go off. Apparently the pain meds made me so sleepy that I wouldn't breathe deeply enough.
I was very glad when they finally decided to release me the next afternoon, and Tony and the kids came to pick me up. I did extremely well recovering, especially when I took at least a small percentage of the pain medication that I was prescribed (I HATE feeling drugged and kept trying to go off the Lortab too early). By the 31st I was off the pain meds entirely and feeling pretty normal again. After the surgery I had to be on a liquid diet for two weeks, then two weeks of soft foods (like yogurt, cottage cheese, cream soups, baby food). When I was ready for my first real food, it was a celebration and Tony brought home snow crab legs! I love them and they have never tasted better.
By June 6th I was feeling great and went on lots of excursions with Tammy and the kids (see past blog entries). Here I am at the Ancient History Museum at Thanksgiving Point (264 lbs.):
This one is from July 22nd (241 lbs.):
And I was feeling fabulous about my weight loss until I saw this pic my dad snapped of me at the hot tub in Park City on August 5th (232 lbs.):
(I think that this is proof that wearing a swimsuit makes you look at least fifty pounds fatter. Being in a sitting position and being photographed from that angle certainly don't help things, too.)
Here I am petting a baby camel at the Davis County Fair on August 20th (225 lbs.):
And an official "4 month" anniversary photo on September 23rd (212 lbs.):
Graphing
I started at 296 and was 212 at four months (I was technically 294 when the "Before" pic was taken, but was 296 just a few days before that).
My surgery has been a great tool for losing weight, but it has still been quite difficult. Weight loss surgery is not the "easy way out" that some people say. It doesn't keep me from eating unhealthy foods, snacking all day like I used to, or emotional eating--I have to battle those on my own. It does keep me from overeating at meals. I am proud of how I have changed my diet :) I have cut out sugar, flour, potatoes, and rice from my diet. I eat only three meals and one snack per day. My meals consist of about four ounces of food, except my breakfast which is almost always a super low-carb protein shake. I always eat my protein first (at least two ounces) then vegetables, then fruit. My snack is usually string cheese, nuts, or fruit.
I'm not doing enough high intensity exercise (at least according to me and my trainer) but I am walking and doing some Just Dance 2 on the Wii with my kids. My doctor says that my weight loss is at the top of the charts and is excellent with my current exercise. Still, my goal is to start today with some aerobic stepping with weights!
It feels awesome that so many people have started noticing and commenting on how great I look. It has been an amazing journey so far and I can't wait to see the progress I make over the next six months! My goal weight is 150 lbs. (I think I saw that number on the scale one time when I starved myself when I was 16 years old) so I have lost 84 lbs. and have 62 to go.
