maemaev
Well, it's my 7 year WLS anniversary and I've been asked to give an update so here it goes. My life has changed dramatically since my WLS - so much for the better, but some things are difficult and some things never change. My normal weight is now - 150lbs. My diet now consists of pretty much anything I want, but the amounts of food I consume are still noticeably less than normal. I eat about 1/3 of the portion a normal person eats and I eat about 3 meals a day with 2-3 snacks in between. I could definitely stand to have better nutritional habits, but old habits do die hard and eating healthy takes a lot of committment and dedication. I still struggle with making the best choices, but I am definitely more aware and informed of what, when, how and why to eat.
The biggest thing I want to communicate to people is that if you are a food addict, I urge you to address this in therapy or whatever form of recovery that works for you. WLS will most likely force you to stop the addiction from food because you won't be able to consume what you used to. Please be aware that if you do not address the issue you will most likely face that addiction in some other realm. My addiction manifested itself in a very destructive crystal meth addiction that nearly ended the new life I worked so hard and dreamed of obtaining for so long. I don't know the statistics of the addiction factor, but please be aware of this aspect - and inform and treat yourself in the best manner that you can to avoid such a horrible experience.
At the time of my surgery, I was single and living on my own. Since then I've had two serious relationships - 1 lasting 4 years and the other resulting in marriage to my husband of 1 year now.
Also, in ''94 I was diagnosed bi-polar - I mention this because surgery has brought forth so many life changing events. I am not sure how it might have affected my illness, but it has been a very rocky road mentally - so if you also have bi-polar disorder, be very aware of the ways WLS can and will affect you mentally, behaviorly and socially. It helps to stay in close contact with your doctors, therapists and support system because all these changes will likely affect you dramatically.
I am currently 9 months pregnant with my first child and due any day now. I have gained 45 lbs in my pregnancy which is totally freaking me out on one hand, but on the other there's not much I can do about it - so post-partum, I will be starting a more nutritional and somewhat limited meal plan and begin a more rigorous exercise schedule in order to lose the baby weight. In general, I am a little worried about losing the weight because committing to a healthy way of eating has always been a struggle for me, but I believe it is a key element to acheiving and maintaing your goal weight and I know it's something I will have to consciously work on for the rest of my life, but that's ok.
I hope that you can find something about my experience of some help on your journey. My only regret is that I didn't know about the surgery sooner, but all in all - I've had a great WLS experience. Good luck on your path and keep doing research.
