S/O to "the camp"

in the diet and fitness board, i posted about a boot-camp-type challenge i signed up for.

this friday... nov 9, will be the 9th anniversary of my gastric bypass operation. i was 247.4 lbs when i got on the scale in the operating room. i'm 5'2". i was afraid of losing mobility as i got older. i was scared, so i got the operation.

since then, my lowest weight was 147.2 lbs, my ankle stopped hurting, i ran two half marathons one marathon and countless 5ks. i became vegan for a while (working on going back). i also met my SO.

being with my SO has brought me to...
re-gaining 32.8 lbs, and being happy in love. YUCK!

i've joined that weight loss challenge because i needed a kick in the pants.

what i've learned along the way...
* i'm worth working for
* the operation changed my physical stomach, but it did not change the mental/emotional reasons i eat... that requires therapy
* therapy is not a bad thing
* i'm not big boned... that's a lie
* chocolate cake will not solve my problems
* if you take your eye off the prize (your health), the weight will come back on.
* surgery is NOT the easy way out

i will struggle with my weight my entire life because i am addicted to sugar... but my health and mobility are worth the struggle.

if you're thinking about having gastric bypass, think long and hard about it. in some ways you will never be the same again. in other ways the surgery alone canNOT change you.

so, here's to kicking ass in the 6-week challenge and here's to using it as a reminder of how GOOD it feels to move and to eat foods that are good for me!

i'm finishing 2018 with a bang and a smaller dress!

Re: S/O to "the camp"

Re: S/O to "the camp"

This is a great post.
Both my BIL and my SIL had weight loss surgery.
Both were morbidly obese (My BIL was about 550 lbs at the time of his surgery).
Both had drastically different resutlts.

BIL thought of the surgery as a "magic bullet". He thought he wouldn't have to do any work, just go under the knife, and the weight would just fall off and stay off. And in the beginning it did.
He never worked out.
He couldn't eat much or keep much down so he started losing weight like crazy.
However, due to not being able to eat like he used to he ended up on a diet of pretzels, lollipops, soda, soup and sushi. He basically ate all carbs, all the time. He never exercised.
He has since gained back more than half of what he lost. And while he's not 550 lbs again, he's still very overweight. He also looks extremely unhealthy and has aged 20 years.

SIL on the other hand used the surgery as a tool. She changed her lifestyle. She eats healthy and balanced, she watches her calories and portions, she works out.
Her weight came off and stayed off.
She worked on the reasons she ate just as much as the physical side of it.
Like you said, so much of weight gain and loss is mental. You can make your stomach smaller, but you can't change your mindset or the reasons why you overeat, why you turn to food for comfort, etc without therapy, a desire to change, etc.

Congrats to you on making positive changes.
It ain't easy!