Happy Tuesday! I hope you are all doing well and finding good health. I made the journey yesterday for my 8 month post op follow up. It is always a long drive and I use it as time to reflect. I reflect back to the date I first went for the conference and decided to pursue surgical weight loss. I think about the process leading up to the surgery and my journey since. I quietly pray for all of my friends and family as well as hold gratitude for those who have walked this journey with me.
Yesterday was an interesting drive. It was snowing at my house when I left and I had some snow for a few miles. Then it turned to rain, then to fog, then to hail, then to rain, then to snow, then to fog, then to sun, back to snow, and then to sun again. I admit I really enjoyed the time to myself, reflecting, and listening to my book on Audible.
My appointment went well. I saw my surgeon and dietitian. My weight went from 260 prior to surgery to 173 for a weight loss of 87 pounds. My BMI went from 41 to 27 and I’m now overweight instead of obese. I’m about 8 pounds from the goal they have set for me and I’ve lost more than 60% of my excess body weight. My blood sugars are consistently 100-145 on oral medications only. My blood pressure has gone from 150/90 to 105/68. Dr. told me yesterday my metabolic syndrome is no longer on my diagnosis list! He is pleased to report my statistics to the medical accreditation program they report to in hopes of continuing to show bariatric surgery is right for some patients.
My dietitian is pushing me to get my protein up a bit, although overall very pleased. She was excited to hear I’m still journaling. She states most patients have stopped journaling at this point and some then tend to creep back up with weight. Her observation and best practice is to continue journaling for many reasons and if only to track protein and carbs. She encouraged me to have healthy carbs like fruits and veggies. I got some more handouts on protein ideas which I will share with my readers. She was excited when I told her I journal ahead for special occasions so I can plan my meal and practice sticking to it. I told her my weight has stalled the last month and I go between 171 and 173. Her thoughts are my body is reconfiguring itself. My Secca scan showed I am not losing as much lean muscle mass as I was. Her thought is I’m gaining some muscle mass which might explain the stall. She again encouraged a push of protein, increase physical activity a bit, and then watch my carbs are not higher than my protein intake.
I’m waiting on my lab results to find out if my vitamin intake is sufficient. Overall it was a great visit. Of course I’m human so chocolate, ice cream, and cupcakes still play an important role in my life. Saturday I ate way too much ice cream and spent an hour being sick. I also had a relationship with potato chips on Sunday and they were oh so good. I won’t give these up entirely. Surgery was a tool and it really worked. At the end of the day it’s still up to me to keep making the decision to eat right, exercise, and stay on track.
My other personal areas where I would like to improve is my skin tone needs some work after shedding the weight. I’m also still working towards more variety for protein intake. I continue to celebrate many non scale victories as well.
Thanks for letting me share my journey. I’m open to questions or feedback you might have. Surgery is not the right tool for everyone. My goal is to support my readers in their desire to get healthy. If you are struggling and don’t know where to start, take the first step and start with something simple. Maybe try a small walk for a few days this week or eating off a smaller plate for a few meals. Here is a quote I made up that I say often to myself, “Any day of trying is better than a day of not trying or not caring and those days of trying do add up.” Blessings to all of you.
Mandy