June 19 marked the one-year anniversary of my gastric bypass surgery. It’s hard to believe it has been a year. It all just seems like a natural part of my life now. Well, for the most part. I do miss a few things – fried chicken, carbonated drinks, an occasional libation, Blackbird Bakery… But I’m so much healthier now, I know the trade-off is more than I imagined it could be. I still eat sweets occasionally (more than I really should), but overall, my health and habits exceed what I thought I could do initially.
As of today, I’m at 215 pounds. I weighed 300 pounds when I first met Dr. Gray in November 2023. On my surgery day last year, I weighed 281 pounds. If you’ve followed my journey at all, you’ll know that I never set a numerical goal of any type. My goals were health-related, quality-of-life-oriented goals. But I’ve learned over the past year that I have to take some numbers into consideration. Weight is one of them. Now that I’m down to 215, I want to get down to 199. It may take a while to get there, but it is my goal. I’ve plateaued again, staying between 212-216 for about six weeks. I know part of the reason is lack of exercise. I have been on the road so much in the past month, I’ve not been going to the gym. As I said above, I’ve also been hitting the sweets more than I should. When you’re out and about and socializing with others, it’s hard not to fall into old habits, even when you take your own food with you. Eating on the road is tough. No excuses, just explanations. As of August 1, though, I should slow down considerably and be able to spend three consecutive weeks at home. Hopefully that will help me get back on track.
Other numbers I’ve been paying attention to? Clothing sizes. When I started this process, I wore a 5X in women’s tops and a size 26 in pants. I currently wear a 1X in tops and either 18 or 20 in pants, depending on how they’re made.
A1C. That’s what they call the number that measures your past three months of glucose levels when you’re a diabetic patient. A normal A1C is considered to be anything below 5.7. My last number was 5.8! It may be higher at my next visit, but I was thrilled to be that close to normal! I’m currently off all of my diabetes medication, except for an occasional shot of insulin if my numbers are really high before bedtime.
Number of medications I take regularly. I used to be on about 20 medications. No lie. And I took most of them on most days. I’m down to 10 meds now, and two of those are vitamins to make sure I’m getting everything in that I need after the surgery.
I should be going to the gym 2-3 times a week. Hopefully I can get back to doing that in a couple of weeks, after Hindman and the beach. I’ve never been a fan of going to work out, but I am a fan of losing 15 more pounds, so I’ve gotta get back in there.
But there are lots of great things happening that don’t involve numbers, too. I can go for walks without having asthma attacks. I can cross my legs, not just my ankles. I can bend over and tie my shoes without getting out of breath and crying. I don’t have chronic diarrhea and have to constantly worry about how close I am to a bathroom or if I’ll have an accident if I go away to a writing retreat. I don’t have acid reflux and indigestion, anymore. I don’t have to sleep on a wedge pillow in order to get relief and rest. I have a lot more energy and am being more productive most days. I can walk around all day at Dollywood – and I can ride roller coasters again; I can fit on all of them now! Living life now is so much better, so much more fulfilling than it has been for too many years. I really wish I’d investigated having this surgery sooner. But I’m glad I did it now instead of continuing to live an unhealthy, unsatisfied life.
I’m not where I want to be yet, but I’m so much closer than I was a year ago. Persistence and perseverance. I’ll get there. Hopefully by the end of 2024!
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