My First Anniversary!

On June 28th I marked my anniversary of my bariatric surgery.  I had a Roux-N-Y gastric bypass.  Since that day I have lost 155 pounds!!!

 In that year I've had to change all my eating habits.  I no longer drink Diet Coke or any other carbonated beverage.  In fact I no longer drink during a meal at all.  I eat small portions and wait at least 30 minutes before drinking.  I eat nothing with sugar.  I eat mostly whole grains and make sure I get at least 75 grams of protein per day.  I take a multivitamin, B12, Calcium and vitamin D every day.  I document every morsel that goes into my mouth to keep track of my calories.

In that year I have made a habit of exercising.  I go to the gym three days per week.  I use the stationary bicycle for an hour and do about 22 miles on the cardio setting.  After the bike I do 10 minutes in the massage chair.  I have tried the elliptical trainer and also done some upper body strength training.  I make sure I do more walking during my daily activities.  I park farther away from stores and walk around in shopping malls.

All of the above has paid off in so many ways.  I feel great and have begun to live a new life. There is no part of my life that has not become easier without those 155 pounds of fat.

There have certainly been adjustments I've had to make.  My wedding rings are now so big that I'm afraid I will lose them.  To prevent that I wear an extra, smaller ring as a guard.  This will prevent me tossing them out when I pull off protective gloves at work. Last year I was not even wearing my engagement ring because both rings could not fit on my fingers.

I've also had to get rid of all my clothes and get new ones although I've  had some donations from a friend who has also done bariatric surgery.  I'm delighted to be able to buy inexpensive interim clothing at discount stores.  Previously I could only wear clothing from specialty stores because of my size.

If you visit my Photos-Progress is a Wonderful Thing page on this blog you can see pictures from from the night before surgery and several intervals since.

I'm so happy I made the decision to save my life.  That is not an exaggeration.  I was literally dying.  I can't remember ever feeling this healthy.  I hope,if you are following my story, that you will be inspired to make positive choices to improve whatever your own body needs.  We all can influence our own destiny.  At one time I could not imagine a whole year without sweets.  I took way too long to make the choice and the commitment.   I have doctors who took great care of me.  I couldn't be happier.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan