It was an extremely hard decision to decide to be "out" about my weight loss surgery.
There are so many misconceptions about gastric sleeve surgery. It's probably the ultimate, best tool for weight loss. But on the flip side, it's not even remotely the easy way out of being obese. It's hopefully going to put years on my life. It takes a lot of work and you have to follow the program to make it work for you.
That said, I'm so happy I did this for myself. It was a bit scary to work it through my head, but I had mounting health issues -- all a result of being overweight. Sleep apnea, high blood pressure, bad knees and feet, stress incontinence. Yikes, it seemed like every time I turned around it was something else and one physician or another was lecturing me on losing weight. I had to do something to reverse things or I figured what would come next -- adult onset diabetes? Heart issues?
I've had several non-sleeve accomplishments or NSAs already from my Dec. 27, 2011, surgery by Dr. Gregory Walton of WeightWise in Edmond.
My yoga instructor Thomas noticed about a week ago that my feet were no longer puffy. My daughter Kat noticed last night that I'm getting "curvier" from the rear view and admonished me that I wouldn't be any "better" when I lose all my weight, that she liked me just fine at 273 and she won't love me any more or any less when I become thin. I love that. And I'm having to safety pin up my jeans already to keep them up.
My all-time highest weight was 273, and I'd tried about every diet under the sun and things kept getting worse and worse. That's about the equivalent of a University of Oklahoma offensive lineman. By the time I had surgery Dec. 27, I was down to 256 and today I weighed 234, dry and unpainted this morning.
My goal is to eat quality food prepared by myself or others, only a whole lot less of it. I plan to post lots of recipes here.
I created this blog in case my experience would be useful for anyone else going through similar struggles. I'm not trying to encourage any of my friends to take this step. Something like that is extremely personal and an intense decision to make. And this is a big learning curve. I'm hoping my day-to-day experiences and observations and recipes might help someone else.
Big breath. About to go public on my Facebook page. I think it's important. I have no problem with anyone sharing this link if they choose.
I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. And I appreciate your support.
Best,
Carol
Oh my gosh, Carol! You are NOT alone. I am also frustrated beyond belief with my constant 'growth', but I'm too chicken to do what you did. I know it's a huge step, and everyone I know who has gone through it looks fantastic and feels so much better. I know I'm not telling you anything new when I say high blood pressure/blood sugar are killers. Congratulations on your big step, and I will look forward to reading and learning how you are 'takin' a load off'. Thank you for your courage.
ReplyDeleteCarol - Thanks so much for sharing your journey. Living a healthy lifestyle is such a struggle for many of us. I always gain strength, encouragement and hope when sharing with others. So grateful for your courage.
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