3 weeks post-op vs. 8 months post-op Rear View

Pics: 3 weeks post-op vs. 8 months post-op Front View

ONE HUNDRED POUNDS!!!!!!!!!

The milestone I have been waiting for, longing for, hoping for....has finally arrived! I stepped on the scale this morning to see the numbers 214 smiling back at me! I will admit, getting a 36 hour stomach bug is one heck of a way to lose those 3 last pounds to make it to 100, but I'll take it however I can get it I guess! :) After my last post about my weight stabilizing out, I actually started slowly losing again, and now, thanks to the stomach bug, I am there! I can honestly say that if I don't lose another ounce I will be happy because I never in my life thought I would be able to say I have lost 100 pounds!

I am just 2 days shy of the one year anniversary of my initial consultation with Roller Weight Loss clinic, where I weighed in at 314 pounds and made the decision to have weight loss surgery. I look back to one year ago when I was at my lowest point with my self-esteem and literally desperate for something, anything, I could do to change my life and start seeing the numbers go down instead of up. I was very hopeful and optimistic about the surgery but I think deep down I still had thoughts that I would never lose the weight, that I was destined to be obese, self-concious, and unhappy with myself for life. After almost 10 years of being very overweight, or morbidly obese in medical terms, I did start to lose hope that the "real me" deep down inside wasn't ever going to come out.

Over the next 6 weeks, as I approach my one year anniversary since surgery, I will be moving into the maintenence phase of this surgery, that I will remain in for the rest of my life. I have already passed through my first set of holiday meals, and it was easier than I thought it would be, maybe since I had already had 8 months of limited-eating practice :) In fact, it was nice to be able to enjoy a nice and tasty meal with my family without feeling miserably sick and full afterwards, followed by crying over the next several days at how my clothes were getting tighter and tighter. I returned home from the Thanksgiving holidays weighing one pound less than when I left--that sure has never happened before!!

Well, I will quit droning on and on about this, my biggest milestone to date :) I will post new measurements and sizes soon as well as an official 100 pound pic! Thanks to everyone for your support and encouragement!!!

Stabilizing

Well this is my first month to report a weight loss of zero pounds. It seems as though my weight has finally stabilized at 220, and this makes sense because the last time I was at my healthiest adult weight (in high school) it was always between 210-230. I think this is where my body is comfortable being, and I am personally great with it too!

The surgery was expected to help me lose 60-80% of my "excess weight to lose" which was 132 pounds. I have lost 94 pounds which means I have lost approximately 72% of my excess weight--falling right in the 60-80% range!

I am very comfortable with my eating patterns and lifestyle now, I feel great, and I truly eat to live now--not live to eat! My love of food no longer controls me. I still have cravings occassionally and of course I enjoy the taste of food, who doesn't? But I can now be completely satisfied with a few bites instead of a few whole servings of a meal. Like I said before, I am completely at peace with my current weight, but I will say that I know adding regular exercise would probably enable me to lose 10-20 more pounds not to mention exercise is just a good thing to do overall! I am setting myself a goal to start exercising more than once or twice a week and see if I can lose a few more pounds before having another baby. But I can honestly say that if I don't lose another pound, even with exercise, I could not be happier with the results from this surgery. Some people like to say weight loss surgery is the "easy way out" and I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion, but from my standpoint nothing about this experience has been easy, but everything about it has been totally worth it!!

I will post new measurements soon because I know I am still losing inches, as my clothes keep getting looser and looser :)

New numbers!

Today I am celebrating my 28th birthday...at my lowest weight since before college! I have new measurements to post and new pictures, since I haven't posted pics since August. I continue to lose slow but steady, 5 pounds and 5.5 inches in the past month. I feel great and so very blessed that I have been able to lose this weight. 39 pounds to go!!

Newest stats compared with 4 weeks ago:

BMI: 33.4 then, 32.6 now
Waist: 40 inches then, 38 inches now
Hips: 48.5 inches then, 47 inches now
Thighs: 29 inches then, 27 inches now
Calfs: 15 inches then, 15 inches now

And on that note...

As stated in my last post, one of the biggest motivating factors for having this surgery was to be a healthy mother for my child and future children. With a pre-pregnancy weight of 300 pounds, I was tremendously blessed to have a non-complicated pregnancy with Ayden. But, after having him, I realized that not only did I want to be healthier for him, but also while pregnant with any of his future siblings. I just found an interesting article on this very subject. Also more incentive to take my seven yucky chewable vitamins everyday! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32692882/ns/health-diabetes/

Slow but steady...

I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted...time seems to passing so quickly! Believe it or not, I am just around the corner from my 8 month surgery anniversary! Currently I have lost 88 pounds, about 44 pounds from my goal, which is so unbelievably exciting! I never thought I would be able to say that I only needed to lose about 40 pounds to be at a healthy and normal weight! I am still feeling great, although the period of rapid weight loss definetely seems to be over. But that really doesn't bother me, I am still reveling the in the joy that comes with not having gained any weight in almost a year! Although the scale is slowing down, I have lost 8 inches in the last 2 months! I know that now is a crucial time to be exercising and toning, so I am really trying to make an effort to make those things more of a priority. I am excited to reach my goal weight for many reasons, but the number one thing on my mind is having another baby :) That is my ultimate goal for next year! Here are my newest measurements compared with 2 months ago:

Waist: 43 inches then, 40 inches now
Hips: 51 inches then, 48.5 inches now
Thighs: 31 inches then, 29 inches now
Calfs: 15.5 inches then, 15 inches now

STATS Today 9/9/09
Weight: 226 lbs (-88)
BMI: 33.4 (-13)
Body fat: 34.9% (-20%)
Jean size: 18
Scrub top size: 1X
Scrub pant size: 1X
Bra size: 38 D