1 Year Out From Revision

Today I am exactly one year out from my revision to sleeve.  I have had a pretty good year.  As many of you may already know... I had my Lap Band out 6 months prior to my sleeve procedure.  My insurance company would not cover the sleeve procedure because my BMI was too low.  So... I had to gain weight (totally ridiculous and pisses me off still).  I gained a lot of weight... almost all my weight back.  On my surgery day I weighed 249.  That was just 10 lbs below my highest weight. 

Today I am 179, 70 lbs down from sleeve day and 80 lbs down from my highest weight.  I am living a pretty normal life.  However, I think I could maintain somewhere in the 175-180 range relatively easily.  I am sure you have all heard the theories on "set weight".  I am pretty sure I am at my set weight.  I would like to lose 20 more lbs in the next year.  That is so little compared to what I have already lost.. however, it is so much harder than it was earlier on.

I gained a good chunk of weight over the holidays and have been working hard to get it back off.  I have really cleaned up my eating, but I did have a couple days where I lost my will and ate a cookie or two.  I have been doing really great the last 5 days but I am still having cravings.  I joined WW online to give me some guidance because I felt like I was getting in a rut.  So far I like it.  The funny thing about WW is that in the past (pre surgery) I never felt like it was enough food.  I would fail because I was always hungry.  Now with my sleeve it feels like just the right amount of food.

I can eat a lot compared to many other sleevers.  I can eat 2 pieces of pizza.  For lunch I eat a sandwich with lots of veggies, some meat, and cheese.  I also eat a cup of raw veggies with that.  I am satisfied when I am done but by no means is it too much food.  I am hungry (for real hungry) every 3 hours.  I eat something every 3 hours during the day.  Usually it is fruit or veggies or a boiled egg.  Even when I was first sleeved I could eat a cup of food without any issues.  I was able to stay at about 800-1000 calories for the first 6 months.  Now I need about 1200-1300 to make it through the day.  My doctor is one who believes in eating many times a day and thinks I am right on target with my calories.  However, I need to increase my movement a lot to get a good loss at this point.  I also tend to fall off the wagon on the weekend.

Everyday I do choose between my love of food and my desire for weight loss... some days food wins.  No matter what, my sleeve has given me the life I had wanted.  I am comfortable in my body for the most part.  I am healthy, active, and eating a pretty balanced diet.  I could have never done that on my own.