Back in 2004 I weighed 328 lbs. I was a 27 years old. I had struggled somewhat my entire life with my weight but was usually only about 40 lbs from my ideal weight. At age 22 I was 185 lbs. that year I also became pregnant with my daughter and ended up ballooning upto 290lbs by the time she was born. I struggled to lose the weight but with my hypothyroid it was almost impossible. I went thru a depression and ended up gaining more weight. By the time my daughter was 3 i weighed 328lbs.
At this point I had never been so big and just walking up the hill to my home was a struggle. My lower back hurt when I woke up in the morning and it was hard to get up out of bed. I was always in denial about my weight and never thought I was that big. One day that all changed. I was on my way to work with my then 3yr old during a snow storm. The radiator in my car broke about 5 blocks from my house. It was cold, windy and snowing. There was about a foot of snow on the ground. My baby girl only weighed 36 lbs and I could not physically carry my child back to our home. I was so damn fat that I couldn't walk 5 blocks in the snow with my baby. I had to wait in my car in the freezing cold for 45 min for someone to come and get us. I was helpless. I knew that day that I had to do something if not for me then for her.
The next day I began the process to have weight loss surgery. The surgeon recommended the full gastric bypass. After all the different pre op appointments to get clearance for the surgery the date was set for 11-30-04. I was so scared that I would have this surgery and that it wouldn't work. 3 days after surgery I was released. They weighed me before I left the hospital and I had already lost 15 lbs... I don't know how that is possible.
My first post op appt I had lost another 25 lbs! Four weeks later next post op...the scale didn't move! I was crushed. I couldn't believe it. Everything I went thru...only sipping broth, eating one tsp of puréed food as a meal and I lost nothing. It was devastating. The doctor came in a said that it happens sometimes and not to get upset. Well he was right. after that I started to lose weight rapidly and consistently. Within a year I lost 100 lbs and over the next year I lost another 83lbs! I weighed 143! I was down to a size 2. I started at a size 28 and that was getting tight. I have never in my life been a size 2! In my teens the smallest size I got into was a 12. At my largest I was a size 16 but it was all in the right places - thighs,butt & boobs. I never had a belly (until I gave birth).
I honestly didn't like being a size 2. I looked like a stick. Crazy story...I didn't even see how small I was. They say it takes the brain time to catch up with the rapid change. So one day I'm at a family function and I see a cousin who is very thin and I made a comment about how thin she was and asked her what size she was. When she said that she was a size 2 I was like WHAT?! That day I decided I had to try to get some weight back on. For the first time in my life lol and it was hard. I spoke to the doctor and it turns out I wasn't eating enough. I was still eating portions for someone who was a few months out from surgery! Big mistake. The reason this happened was because after surgery i stopped following up with the nutritionist. i thought i could just figure it out on my own - guess not. I wasnt eating much because I just wasn't hungry and would forget to eat sometimes. Doctor said I had to eat bigger meals and to increase the amount little by little. I managed to put on 15lbs in a year lol. My body used to do that in a week.
Anyway so now we are 3 years post op. I feel great. I fit into a size 6. I have tons of energy life couldn't get better except that now I have all this saggy skin on my belly and my thighs. My breasts are wrinkled and saggy. Wow I look good with clothes on but naked is a different story. I have no choice but to live with it at this point insurance won't cover because I didn't have any complication from the extra skin like rashes or anything.
Fast forward to 2012 I now have 2 kids and weigh 165 lbs. Put on 35lbs during second pregnancy, much better than the first time. It took me about 8 months to lose it except for 8 stubborn lbs! I finally decided to get a tummy tuck and breast lifted and filled out with implants. I had these proceedures done in Aug of 2012. This year I will be having a thigh lift with a butt lift and fat transfer to fill my butt out again. I want to also get an arm lift but we'll see.
I managed to keep the weight off for 5 1/2 years now by keeping a healthy diet. I know a few people who have had Gastric bypass and they end up gaining the weight back. After 2-3 yrs the surgery no longer manages your hunger and your able to foods with more sugar. My advise would be to really change your mind and the way you think about food. Eat only when hungry and eat healthy. You have sweets occasionally but don't buy them and have them at home. Eat lots of veggies with your meals. Take all your daily vitamins ans supplements. If your going to have this surgery done you have to know that you have to put the effort in this is a big help to get the weight off but it's up to you to keep it off. It's not easy getting used to drinking water all the time instead of soda but you get used to it. You have to be determined to succeed and to change. I would do it all over again. I'm young, healthy and I feel great. This has changed my life.
At this point I had never been so big and just walking up the hill to my home was a struggle. My lower back hurt when I woke up in the morning and it was hard to get up out of bed. I was always in denial about my weight and never thought I was that big. One day that all changed. I was on my way to work with my then 3yr old during a snow storm. The radiator in my car broke about 5 blocks from my house. It was cold, windy and snowing. There was about a foot of snow on the ground. My baby girl only weighed 36 lbs and I could not physically carry my child back to our home. I was so damn fat that I couldn't walk 5 blocks in the snow with my baby. I had to wait in my car in the freezing cold for 45 min for someone to come and get us. I was helpless. I knew that day that I had to do something if not for me then for her.
The next day I began the process to have weight loss surgery. The surgeon recommended the full gastric bypass. After all the different pre op appointments to get clearance for the surgery the date was set for 11-30-04. I was so scared that I would have this surgery and that it wouldn't work. 3 days after surgery I was released. They weighed me before I left the hospital and I had already lost 15 lbs... I don't know how that is possible.
My first post op appt I had lost another 25 lbs! Four weeks later next post op...the scale didn't move! I was crushed. I couldn't believe it. Everything I went thru...only sipping broth, eating one tsp of puréed food as a meal and I lost nothing. It was devastating. The doctor came in a said that it happens sometimes and not to get upset. Well he was right. after that I started to lose weight rapidly and consistently. Within a year I lost 100 lbs and over the next year I lost another 83lbs! I weighed 143! I was down to a size 2. I started at a size 28 and that was getting tight. I have never in my life been a size 2! In my teens the smallest size I got into was a 12. At my largest I was a size 16 but it was all in the right places - thighs,butt & boobs. I never had a belly (until I gave birth).
I honestly didn't like being a size 2. I looked like a stick. Crazy story...I didn't even see how small I was. They say it takes the brain time to catch up with the rapid change. So one day I'm at a family function and I see a cousin who is very thin and I made a comment about how thin she was and asked her what size she was. When she said that she was a size 2 I was like WHAT?! That day I decided I had to try to get some weight back on. For the first time in my life lol and it was hard. I spoke to the doctor and it turns out I wasn't eating enough. I was still eating portions for someone who was a few months out from surgery! Big mistake. The reason this happened was because after surgery i stopped following up with the nutritionist. i thought i could just figure it out on my own - guess not. I wasnt eating much because I just wasn't hungry and would forget to eat sometimes. Doctor said I had to eat bigger meals and to increase the amount little by little. I managed to put on 15lbs in a year lol. My body used to do that in a week.
Anyway so now we are 3 years post op. I feel great. I fit into a size 6. I have tons of energy life couldn't get better except that now I have all this saggy skin on my belly and my thighs. My breasts are wrinkled and saggy. Wow I look good with clothes on but naked is a different story. I have no choice but to live with it at this point insurance won't cover because I didn't have any complication from the extra skin like rashes or anything.
Fast forward to 2012 I now have 2 kids and weigh 165 lbs. Put on 35lbs during second pregnancy, much better than the first time. It took me about 8 months to lose it except for 8 stubborn lbs! I finally decided to get a tummy tuck and breast lifted and filled out with implants. I had these proceedures done in Aug of 2012. This year I will be having a thigh lift with a butt lift and fat transfer to fill my butt out again. I want to also get an arm lift but we'll see.
I managed to keep the weight off for 5 1/2 years now by keeping a healthy diet. I know a few people who have had Gastric bypass and they end up gaining the weight back. After 2-3 yrs the surgery no longer manages your hunger and your able to foods with more sugar. My advise would be to really change your mind and the way you think about food. Eat only when hungry and eat healthy. You have sweets occasionally but don't buy them and have them at home. Eat lots of veggies with your meals. Take all your daily vitamins ans supplements. If your going to have this surgery done you have to know that you have to put the effort in this is a big help to get the weight off but it's up to you to keep it off. It's not easy getting used to drinking water all the time instead of soda but you get used to it. You have to be determined to succeed and to change. I would do it all over again. I'm young, healthy and I feel great. This has changed my life.
