AwesomeForever

I came to this website after I had surgery. I was home for several weeks and searching the Internet on my new laptop computer. I was thrilled to find a way to keep a chart that would help me see how I lost. Now, I am excited to be able to show newer post ops how I lost weight in small increments. Thus not to worry when they stall and reach a plateau. I weighed far in excess of this original posting back in February 2007. I went on my own self determined weight loss for the umpteenth time. I did have help from a dietician during some of the months in the summer of 2007. I would bounce what I was doing off her with the hopes of a new direction should I need it.

I lost 81 pounds prior to surgery and was probably a fit and start loser during 2007. I did lose 12 pounds while away in Dominica with all the steady walking over the hills in the high humidity. Yet, I came back to work with the same restrictions and lack of thought by my supervisors to properly use me at work. It had been 7 years since my on the job accident. There were days when all they would have me do was office work. Granted that I spent a lot of time walking around the workroom floor but it was not fully utilising me. It was in those months that I learned about RNY surgery from my friend Pat. He was to have the surgery in July. In August 2007, I went with him to an informational seminar at the hospital.

At that time, I had lost 50 pounds. I was on my way to losing more but knew that one time I had lost 55 pounds on a weight loss program and gained all that back and more. We are cautioned not to think about the numbers on a scale. I was enjoying the new energy associated with losing weight as well as the control I felt each and every meal. I was eating sufficiently for my health needs.

I was continuing my traveling with a week long family trip to DC that summer. All the walking and needing to find a bench often to sit on made me realize that I needed to address the problem with my knees. I did find an orthopedic surgeon who specialized in knees. I was able to get cortisone shots in my left knee. What a difference. I was walking longer and at a faster pace.

I was told that I could return in three months and did for more relief. To my amazement, he reintroduced himself as he did not recognize me at a smaller weight. This happened another two times and he must have made a notation in the charts because now he knows me.

I am sure you have similar incidents to report where people do not recognize you at a smaller weight. I have many even from people who worked with me for 25 years and saw me from a distance or from behind! You will have many instances where you will think am I losing fast enough? is this surgery working? am I stopped right now? amd I done?
I hope my chart shows you that you can lose and will lose at a varing pace. This is only the first year. I had surgery in 2008, I have had peaks and valleys in my maintenance. I arrived back from a trip to Europe lower than I had left. It was a great trip with many of long days walking from the days at The Louvre, The Vatican, Pompeii and a concentration camp in Germany.

Your life changes and your activity level will vary. I am retired and home most days. It means that I have to work harder to maintain my weight.

I would love to hear your story. I would love to hear if I have helped you with this chart.

#RNY #Gastric #bypass #surgery #weightloss #community

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

You Need to Remember All the Hard Work You Have Accomplished.

Looking Back Before RNY Surgery

Infant Maya, 2004

2007

Some early photos prior to surgery.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Advocacy Training at OAC Convention

I am fired up and ready to go to Washington to advocate for the Treatment and Reduce Obesity Act.

It was my second day of advocacy training as I went last year. I felt like a fish out of water last year. I learned a lot from the people selected to be on my advocacy team in the mock visits to the legislators. It is right and a good thing to share our story.

The training gets you to focus on why you are there and to ask for support of the bill. There will be points brought up that may lead the conversation away from asking the question we learned. The legislator's aid will not want to say no. Steering the conversation back and telling why you personally are an advocate for this bill with a concise telling of your story is what you can do.

How did obesity effect your life? How would early intervention therapy have helped you? This bill is aimed at changing the benefits for Medicare recipients. Please go on line to see this bill and write your representative and senators to advocate for their sponsoring of this bill. Email the Obesity Action Coalition and find out how you can get more involved.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

In the Air and I am Awake

Today, I flew from Logan at six am. It was a sleepless night. I am not going to sleep on this plane, I am sure. Have you ever just known that you wouldn't sleep? I am an insomniac and have less sleep per week then I should have. I get four and a half hours steady at the most at night or in the early morning.

Since I am retired and do not have a set place to go, I can sleep in mornings. Oh, I get up and get busy most of the time but this past week has been harder than usual. I could say that I was on Phoenix time. All week, i was awake until three or four in the morning. I was up all night for no reason too many days. Why? I have no stress or anxiety there is nothing that comes to mind as a reason why I am up.

I do go to bed many a time and just lat there unable to sleep. I get comfortable let my mind settle yet sleep doesn't come. I could be there hours. I know get up you might say but I want and need rest. So, I try.

How do you get your rest? Do you hit the bed and fall right to sleep?

I am up in the air and up most nights! I see many who are awake who have had weight loss surgery as I have had. I had sleep problems before I had surgery. So, I am wondering if you did also or did it come on after surgery?

I am up in the air where thinking is limited due to less oxygen and my system is dehydrated. I know that my nose was going to need help so I put saline solution in my nostrils this morning. Look it up! You now know that I am up in the air. I am awake. I am above the clouds heading to Chicago.

#insomnia #weightlosssurgery #rny

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Through the Ages

I enjoy traveling. It is easier now on many different levels. First of all, I no longer require a seat belt extender. I no longer have cruel people directly trying to hurt me because of my size.

On one of the trips pictured below, I had a man's elbow stuck in my arm the majority of the trip because he felt it was necessary to cross his arms because an obese woman was next to him. In reality, he could have changed seats with his wife who was on the window of this three across seating.

How have you been treated as an obese person? Did anyone make fun of you with snide remarks? Did anyone do something offensive to you?

Another incident happened when sitting down in an extra room seat on a plane. I needed the space because my left knee has no cartilage and the journey was far too long to have my knee cramped.

I sat down and for some reason, perhaps swallowed wrong, I started coughing. Did that ever happen to you? I wasn't sick. I covered my mouth. Yet, the woman next to me started complaining. She wanted me moved. I was obese not a leper.

I show photos of me large and small. I was on the top of Mt. Snowden and asked that the leader of my group take my photo. It was a raw crisp day on the top of the mountain and I wanted it documented that I was there. I was so happy that I bought the wrap around scarf down in the gift shop on the base where it was delightful, warm and sunny.

This is my first time adding many photos and I was unaware that they would be ordered backwards.

The top one is me relaxing on my deck. I love that it was sprinkling out but I am able to sit and read on my new lounge.

The next photo is of me and two of my siblings. I am the oldest. My sister had already had weight loss surgery and is 4" shorter than me. My brother Bobby is lucky that he got the tall genes as he followed the two of us in birth order.

After traveling to Europe for five week and just back for a few days in October 2010, i was off on another trip. I went to San Antonio Texas to meet some people in the YouTube community. Rosemary, Connie and I went to an indoor market the name of which escapes me now where I found this nice shirt and skirt outfit.

My grandson is now almost twenty and a Marine. I was so happy that his mom had moved back from Texas. They stayed with us for some time and I would get to hold him after work. I think, I might have left my jacket on because Letter Carrier uniform shirts get all gross from the ink and was too dirty.

One year after going to Dominica with the youth of my church, our plane was diverted from landing in San Juan Puerto Rico. We were circling for hours then landed in St Croix. It was a beautiful island resort that we we put in overnight. I didn't get to see much of the island until the next day when, the ride to the airport was in daylight.

My first trip to England, I debated whether to go on a trip just for pleasure. Yet, I was going to go with church members from my church and other people who my former pastor knew from his other appointments. This is a photo of me at not my largest size. I had a great time and enjoyed this trip so much that I signed up and went on many other trips with Don Rudalevige. I have plans to go again next fall, 2014!

I could not imagine climbing into the front of this transport in 2002, when I first went to Dominica. This was taken 6/12.

10/10 in San Antonio

6/12 Dominica waterfront in Marigot.

Here's my Marine, Anthony, the last hour that he was home. Off to boot camp at Parris Island the next day July 9 we always had a special bond. Having him living minutes from us and getting unexpected visits when he came to eat, use our gym facility, eat, swim, eat...hug, eat. Did I mention he ate what I made. It was easy to get him over, I would post a photo of what was cooking and the phone would ring or his pals would bring him over. So sorry that Facebook was bombarded with meals back then! Not.

I hope you enjoyed through the ages.

#travel #weight #loss #surgery #weightlosscommunity #rny #gastric #bypass

Friday, August 9, 2013

Completely Real

http://youtu.be/ByLLY3w0D18

Please note I am proud to have lost all this weight through RNY surgery.
I I had lost 193 pounds. It was a great accomplishment.

It was more than I wanted to confess to my friends. The friends who thought I was in the 200s when I was actually much higher in weight.

One young friend had the look of shock when he asked a question and I actually went further and told him how much I had lost. He is a tall well built man who probably weighs 250 or more. I can't imagine what went through his mind when I said I had lost almost as much as he weighed.

My PCP gave me a copy of what I weighed for my physical. I was 186 at the time. A dear friend, Marily, who is tall and thin said I was losing too much weight. Have I told you that she thought I was her weight? She is perhaps 5 9 and weighs 126. I was 60 pounds heavier than she was and she thought I was her weight.

Are people telling you that you have lost enough weight? The very same people who saw you wearing clothes that had multiple Xs or numbers now made to look smaller than they are. I think some stores that I do not need to frequent now have 1s and 2s which are certainly not true 2s.

So you will see if you watch the whole video the completely real me. I was far over 300 and my clothes did not have those pretty fake numbers. My clothes were tight my clothes were not quite in fashion and my clothes did not coordinate with anything much. I either wore something that came as a set or wore jeans.

Life is real. It is what you make of it. I chose to make my reality different. How about you?