Yesterday marked six months since my gastric sleeve surgery; some days I can't believe it has been that long, and some days it seems like much, much longer. In this blog, I'll provide reflections of the last six months catered to the questions I'm most asked. If you have a question, please submit it to the suggestion box and I'll do my best to respond in a future blog.
I have absolutely zero regrets related to this decision. Yes, there are many changes to my lifestyle because of it, but, to my thinking, each change is totally worth it.
I don't regret not doing this sooner. I know other people who have had some form of bariatric surgery do wish they'd done it sooner, but I'm not one of them. The road I took to get here was long and winding, fraught with victories, and pitfalls, and disordered thinking. There are certainly parts of the journey I wish didn't happen, but I know, with complete certainty, that I needed to experience it all in order to be ready to make this kind of commitment.
Giving up soda was easier than I feared. I've allowed myself two tries of it since surgery, and I don't know that I'll do that again. It simply doesn't taste good anymore.
Speaking of taste, mine has changed. Before surgery, for example, I LOVED Hint water, now I can't stand it. The amount of "added sugar" in my diet is significantly reduced, though I do still enjoy ice cream from time to time.
Ed has been relatively silent in the last six months (read more about Ed here). I have yet to bring myself to get on a scale outside of a doctor's office for fear of what it might say, and I definitely have stretches of time when I don't see any change in my body; but for the most part, I feel more free of Ed than I have in many years. I'm no longer obsessed by food, which is helped by needing to focus only on protein. I exercise regularly and am motivated to do so because my body is actually responding to the work I put in.
I feel better in general than I have in, well, a really long time. I recently tried paddle boarding for the first time; the fact that I was able to concentrate on the process rather than the fact that I was standing on a board in public in my swimsuit, is a major victory. The only prescription I'm on is to treat menopause symptoms without hormone therapy (you can read about that whole process starting here), my energy is up, and that overall sluggish feeling is gone. My mood is significantly improved.
I do feel hunger. I also feel full. My level of intake varies from day to day, and I'm working to roll with that. After trial and error on how not to waste food or stock the freezer, my husband and I now eat most dinners over two nights.
These are the questions/answers that come to mind tonight, but, again, I'm happy to answer other questions you have. I want to help destigmatize this process, and you can help with that by asking your questions. Thank you all for your support!