1 Year Surgiversary, 134 Lbs Lost

Today is my 1 year Surgiversary!  I had RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery, which is a weight loss surgery, 1 year ago today.

Before and After, 134 Lbs lost

I weighed 304 Lbs at the start of this journey, and today I weigh 170 Lbs. I've lost 134 Lbs and 103 inches so far, including 12 inches from my chest, 15 inches from my waist, and 17 inches from my hips.

I was wearing a size 4X or 24W pants, and size 3-5X tops.  Now I am wearing size 12 or medium pants, and they're loose, and medium tops.

My health has improved dramatically.  I have an entire cupboard of meds that I no longer need. Instead of taking 6-8 asthma meds per day, I am down to only 1 rescue inhaler.  I used to need my rescue inhaler 4-6 times per day, and now I can go months without needing it at all. I only need it when my asthma is triggered by a cold or flu, allergens, or super cold weather. That is a life changing to me.

I couldn't walk for 10 minutes before and now I can walk for hours, swim laps for 1-2 hours, and ride my bike all day long.  I so miss bike riding, but there is about 5 feet of snow on the ground right now, lol.

I used to have to shop at Pennington's, and now I can shop anywhere, and the clothes are much cheaper. I'm wearing a top that cost $7.00 and pants that cost $12.00 right now...before the weight loss I could never find deals on clothes like this. 

I am happier and feel hopeful about the future. 

Me fitting into 1 leg of my old pants

 I was thrilled that I could finally do the "fitting in 1 pant leg" thing today, lol.  I am half of the woman I was, and couldn't be happier about that.

Me in one of my old tops

 The black hoodie below was and still is my favorite. Sam and Dean Winchester from the TV series Supernatural (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) sold it to raise money for mental health awareness. I was very depressed at the time, and the words "Love Yourself First, Always Keep Fighting" spoke to me. I knew I had to learn how to love and fight for myself. I knew I had to lose weight because I was living in constant pain, both physical and mental.

My old favorite hoodie

Side view of my old favorite hoodie

I'll keep this hoodie forever, even though it's so big on my now. I still even wear it around the house at night; it's super warm and cozy. 

I had a great year, and I'm not done yet. I still want to lose more, so I can reach my goal weight.

52nd Birthday vs 53rd Birthday; What a Difference a Year Makes!

Hi guys,
I have lost 90.8 Lbs since I started my weight loss journey on January 11th of this year.
Yesterday was my birthday, and I wanted to compare photos of last year's birthday with this years, to see the difference.

Here's a side by side showing my Dad and I, last year (on left) vs. this year (on right).  I was way bigger than my Dad, and now I'm smaller.

Me and Dad, last year vs this year's birthday

 The next photo is of me and my Mom.  I was enormous next to her last year; my head was way bigger than hers, never mind my body.  This year I'm only a little bigger (she wears a Ladies size medium and I'm in a Large or XL, depending on the style).  Last year I was wearing a size 5X men's T'shirt.

Mom and 1, last year vs this year's birthday

This last photo makes me sad, as my beautiful fur babies, Mac (black standard poodle) and Benji (white toy poodle) are no longer with me.  I miss my boys very much, but I don't miss the extra almost 91 Lbs I used to carry around.  Mac weighed 70 Lbs and Ben only 8; I've lost more weight than both dogs combined.  

RIP baby boys; Mommy misses you and loves you.

Me and my beautiful boys on the left, me with my watermelon "cake" on the right.

Watermelon "cake" 

If you want to make your own faux cake out of Watermelon, here's a link to a blog for a beautiful looking watermelon cake...much prettier than mine.watermelon cake recipe  I was short of time and not very skilled at cutting it into a cake shape, lol.  Also, we had no small berries for decoration.

12 Weeks Post Op RNY, already lost 45% of my Excess Weight!

Hi Guys,

I am 12 weeks, or 3 months, post op now!  So hard to believe that 3 months has gone by since my RNY gastric bypass surgery!

I went from 304 Lbs to 230.2 Lbs, since starting Optifast on January 11th, in preparation for surgery.  That's a total of 73.8 Lbs gone!  Woohoo!  I'm so happy about that.

I met with the dietician for an hour via telehealth today, for my 3 month post op visit, and it went really well. She said I am doing great, and that I've already lost 45% of my excess weight.  She said most patients don't lose 45% of their excess weight until 6 months post op, so I'm ahead of the game!
I'm so pleased as I've really been working hard; following all of the rules for eating and drinking, and getting plenty of exercise.

I joined the local pool and started swimming laps, an hour each time, in addition to bike riding and walking. 

I've gone from a size 4 or 5X to a size 1X top, and also a 1X bottom. Soon I'll be out of the X sizes and into regular sizes, and I cannot wait!  I'll be able to save so much money because the X sizes cost so much more.

Me, Christmas 2017, and last week, April 2017

 The above photo shows me, before RNY surgery, and now.  The first photo was taken this past Christmas, and the second photo was taken last week (April, 2017).