Journey to Find the Healthier Me

May 31, 2020 at 7:53pm
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Elle - on hiatus

everyone's experience is different! I know lots of people and not a single one has been like another so it's a ride that's for sure. Lol

And yes you can definitely gain the weight back! You can slowly stretch your stomach back out and eating unhealthy choices still has the same effect! It's a tool not a cure!

Exercising is inconvenient. Even with a treadmill in the house I find it inconvenient, but it's a necessity.. or else! Lol

Elle - on hiatus

May 29, 2020 at 7:07pm
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Well done, Darleen! This is the first time I've read an honest account of what it's been like to have this kind of operation. We have a politician (she's the second-highest ranked in the opposition party at the moment) who had one, and it was like one minute she was a large lady and the next minute she was super skinny. Like magic. Made it look so easy. I found myself thinking 'Maybe I could do that?' It's good to read an honest account of how hard it is, and the negatives that come with it. Also, I had no idea that you could gain all the weight back after having the operation. That's kinda terrifying.

I get the changes in attitude, I really do. Some of it will be because you have more confidence, for sure, but some of it is an inbuilt bias against overweight people that perpetuates society. I was watching the Jurassic Park / Jurassic World series of movies during lockdown and got pissed that the fat people were always negative people who were 'greedy' for money. I read a great article about it once that led me to write this blog entry

. The stigma is real, and it's so pervasive that sometimes we don't even realise that's the problem and we assume it's just us.

For me personally, it comes down to this issue that we HAVE to eat. I gave up caffeine because I could avoid caffeine altogether and after my decision not to have anymore, I didn't have any more. But you can't do that with food. You have to eat. It's one of the only addictions in the world where you can't go cold turkey and not have anymore and just abstain. I can do okay for a while, but then I'll fall off the wagon and it all goes right back to where it was. And I find exercising very inconvenient. I actually don't mind the act of exercising, in a low impact way (walking or swimming), but making time for it is tricky. I'm just lucky that I haven't had any health complications due to my weight yet. Yet. I'm sure it'll come and that'll be the kick in the pants I need to MAKE time for such things, huh?

May 17, 2020 at 5:03pm
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Robert Waltz Oh, I didn't think you were judging, just telling my sob story LMAO I worked so damn hard, gave up so much food, and it made me so sad.

👼intuey That's so true, thank you girl.

👼intuey

May 17, 2020 at 5:01pm
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I understand. But don't think of it like that. Think of it as making you the best you can be!

People are judging you no matter what body and clothes you're wearing. When you're big some people can't look beyond that enough to see the beautiful person standing in front of them. You're going to have to just forget about how your weight loss and new figure is affecting others. This isn't about them it's about you! You're getting healthy and fit. You're already gaining more confidence. Your figure might be the first thing people will see, but that's fleeting. It's YOU and your personality that will matter in the long run. Looks (either way) is only a package that holds that sassy spirit. After a while, that's what people will see when they look at you -- the whole package.

May 17, 2020 at 5:00pm
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Hey, don't mistake my personal anecdote for judgment. You made the right decision for you. Everyone's got a different treadmill to run on. You're doing great, and you'll keep on doing great.

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May 17, 2020 at 4:53pm
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That's fantastic, Robert! Congrats! I'[m doubley super proud of you!

I dropped down to a 1200 calorie a day diet and did lots of walking from January 2019 up until my surgery date in December and only lost 25 lbs. Trust me, I had tried eating less, exercising more, nothing worked for me and diabetes and HBP got worse!! Thus the drastic measures because I was about to be put on insulin and my BP meds were being increased.

And Amen to that. I'm all about doing things that make life worth living!! Tired of playing it safe all the time. I do take a lot more risks now and have a helluva lot more fun!

May 17, 2020 at 4:42pm
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👼intuey

Yeah, now that's the business right there. You go girl! Sorry you lost it the way you did but you understand what I mean. Cause yes, I am the same person as before, just in a smaller package lol.

OMG all the women in my unit at work (the good ones) started nagging me about wearing more tight fitting clothes. They were telling me to stop hiding my new body. I'm like "you know I'm 42 and not looking for another man, right?" They all laughed but told me, just like you to embrace it, enjoy it, and flaunt it.

That's never been my personality but I'm trying and have been wearing a tight tank top (like in my pic) with my leggings while out with my friend on our walks. Most skin I've ever shown and my arms have wings now so I'm self conscious but still... positive attention, so I'm embracing it a bit more and dressing a bit more flattering but I'm being conservative about it because I used to never WANT to be skinny because I wanted people to judge me on my personality, not my body... so I'm trying to balance my ideals with these new feelings. Seriously, complex. Lol

May 17, 2020 at 4:38pm
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Nope, I started eating less, mostly because I'd hit Peak Levi's - the maximum waistband size that brand manufactures for my inseam. And I will only wear Levi's. Or sweats when I'm not trying to impress anyone, which is 99% of the time. Maybe also because I had a heart attack and was teetering on the verge of diabetes, but what's the point of living longer if you can't do the few things that make life worth living?

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👼intuey

May 17, 2020 at 4:38pm
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Are you talking to me? Or carhartes02? Just wasn't sure

My daughter is considering a gastric band. She's not going to do the whole bypass just the band. She's been doing research, looking for a good doc. She has a few friends that have had it done as well. I hope she goes through with it. I think it would make her feel so much better. But I do worry about the excess skin. She'll probably have to have a couple of surgeries later on to remove it.

Good luck, Darlene. I hope you're starting to feel a bit better. I'll drop by your other blog here In a bit.

May 17, 2020 at 4:33pm
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Did you have the Bypass? Or lost weight for another reason? Either way I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who's had this experience. I mean my other friends mention it but we all have such vastly different experiences sometimes that I feel like the weird one out all of the time..

I'm with you on those other people though. I smile and nod and have moved on to the new people who are supportive and real.