17.9.10

Roller mama...

is what my son now calls me. I finally fulfilled a life long dream and bought a damn pair of roller skates. It has always been a secret fantasy of mine to join roller derby. We have a league in my town, and they are always looking for members. Even when I was tiny ( I consider myself at 140 tiny) I was too scared to try out. I played field hockey in high school and loved it. But ever since roller derby 're-emerged' I have wanted to do it. I think I'd be good at it, and plus it looks like so much fun! So I took the first step and bought some skates. At least I am getting some really good cardio. You should see me on them - someone my size busting their ass every 5 seconds must be a sight. But I always get up and keep going. I hope to skate home from work when it cools off. It's a little under 2 miles away from my house, so I think that would be a fun way to exercise.

Oh Yeah....

Weight: 340
Pounds Lost: 25

Good start, eh?

I finally talked to my mother about losing weight. She and I have .... different opinions. She is a nurse and was overweight for about 15 years. When I was younger she just gained 80 pounds out of nowhere - and her doctors couldn't figure it out. She just kind of gave up after that. She ate very badly and set a poor example of emotional eating for my brother and I. When I was 19 she had gastric bypass done because her blood sugar levels where getting near the type 2 range. She went from 230 to 130. I am happy for her, but I don't agree with the way she's done it. She still doesn't eat very healthy - she uses protein powders and eats tiny amounts of high calorie foods instead of actually eating nutrient dense foods. She rarely exercises, but instead keeps her calories under 1000 a day so she won't 'get fat again'. She has gained back 10 pounds of the weight she lost so far, but I've heard it's normal to go really low and then come back up a bit after surgery. She really tries to push gastric bypass on me. I have absolutely nothing against anyone who has had it done - but I don't think it's for me. I'm 23 years old, I still can turn my life around. I'm not immobile or even out of breath from tying my shoes. I can bench press 60 pounds, and squat 100. I think I'm capable of exercising.  I don't feel like I'm 'morbidly obese' just too damn fat. I feel, in my 'heart of hearts', that if I don't do everything within my power to lose weight on my own that gastric bypass would be a cop out for me. I understand it to be a major - life altering surgery for people who have no other options. I feel like I do have options. So anyways, she and I don't talk about weightloss. Now we do, and I think she understands where I'm coming from. She's even agreed to have a session with Peg, my nutritionist. I'm really happy - I feel like I have an ally instead of a naysayer now.

So how do you feel about gastric bypass? Have you been told to get it - or have you gotten it? I would love to hear thoughts or experiences.

4 comments:

jo said...

Congrats on your loss!!!!

Congrats on your skates!!!

You go, girl!

I had no idea you were so young. I hated that when people said that ot me when I was your age. Aaack, I'm old enough to be your mother! (45)

My take on gastric bypass? Not for me, no, thanks. To each his/her own, though.

I think you'll do fine with waht you're doing!

inkpenart said...

My sister and I both had RNY gastric bypass surgery. I had mine done 16 months ago and my sister had it 11 months ago. I've lost 154lbs (& I've stayed at the same weight for 6 months now) and my sister has hit -100 recently and is still losing.
It's NOT an 'easy way out', don't think that at all.
I WILL say that I would NOT suggest anyone young doing it. It's SO hard to just not be able to eat normally, even though I'm pretty much used to it. It's still really frustrating for me.
I think we all have the best intentions to make ourselves go exercise or 'diet', or actually eat an actual portion size and then try to not think about how hungry we still are! But I do believe that everyone isn't just naturally made to be thin & we're just all going about it wrong...I believe some people are just lucky & the rest of us aren't! There's proof that you can have 3 people all eat and do the same thing and all have different results. If that doesn't prove it, I don't know what does.
I think it's great that you're young and determined to try it the hard way & I hope you succeed.
After being on 'both sides of the table' as it were, I can honestly say and SEE that there is NO POSSIBLE WAY someone can actually ONLY eat the medically necessary & healthy amounts and kinds of foods we're 'supposed' to and not be completely miserably hungry all the time.
Maybe if someone was raised to never overeat or eat junk, but to grow up as a normal person eating normal food and eating at restaurants, there's NO way to eat the way I have to eat now and not be starving.
I don't do protein powders or anything, they taste so nasty, I just can't do it. I'm not any more 'unhealthy' by taking vitamins instead of eating them IN my food...I'm actually getting my vitamins now, instead of all the fat and sugar and junk I got along with them before surgery!
So if you're mom is eating such a low amount of calories on purpose, but eating high cal food, she must not eat much.
I still eat what I want except for bread (it grosses me out), like rice, pasta, chicken, potatoes, steak, veggies, etc. I can eat anything EXCEPT crap food in a way! I can't eat hot dogs, pizza, corn dogs, tater tots, hash browns, pancakes, cookies, breaded food, etc. All of it is high fat and/or is similar to or has bread or breading and it makes me nauseous to eat, so I just avoid them altogether.
So as far as my surgery went, it basically FORCED me to NOT eat what I should be avoiding anyway. Otherwise, I can eat just fine, but going out to eat or to holiday things can be really frustrating when I just wish I could chow down like everyone else.
It crosses my mind, I wait a few, and get on and get over it.

My mom had stomach stapling when I was a kid (I'm 38 now), and she stretched it out until she had to get a revision and get the staples replaced. She's still been extremely overweight my entire life, but how she's able to eat big amounts still, I don't know.

Good luck with your trek & I hope you make it! (But don't rule out surgery for good!)
Check out obesityhelp.com....it's a FANTASTIC site relating to all of the types of weight loss surgeries and each one has a TON of forums regarding EVERY TOPIC people with the surgeries have dealt with and it gives you a Pre, During, and After Surgery view that you can't find anywhere else.
There is SO much great insight on it by reading what everyone else is or has gone through at every stage of the process and after. You might even tell your mom about it since she had surgery. She'd probably enjoy reading it and get ideas on food...I know how easy it is to forget how to do stuff right as time goes by!

Marci said...

One of the best and most respected books out there in the weight loss community is by scientific researcher Gary Taubes called Good Calories, Bad Calories. He researched back 100 or more years to all the diets ever tried, the different cultures and why some are fat and some are not, how they came up with food pyramid, the thought that eating fat=getting fat and much more. One of the most eye opening books I have ever read. Before you decide on surgery do yourself a favor and read this book. I work in a hospital and 8 of our nurses have had stomach stapling or gastric bypass. None of them went down to the weight they wanted to and most
(over half) have gained it back. Its not about the amount you eat, its about WHAT you eat, and plain and simple Carbohydrates cause weight gain. You need to know the science behind why you gain weight if you ever want to lose it and keep it off. Good luck to you! I know its hard, been thru it myself but there is a way and its not pills, surgery or magic, its fact.

Unknown said...

Do not do it! I have three coworkers who have had the procedure done and each have had complications. One even extremely serious! They have lost weight but, no more than they would have with diet and exercise. I am in the obese category and would love an easy way to lose weight.....there isn't one.