I HAVE NO REGRETS.
But there is a lot of fear that comes with weight loss surgery, and I can't be the only one who has gone through the anxiety and worries that I have felt and still feel. I lost about 30 pounds before surgery, and since my surgery have lost 30 more so since November ( about 6 months total) I am down 60 pounds. I can expect to lose 80 or even 100 more pounds by my year anniversary of surgery. I am so ecstatic, but there is one dark cloud that hangs over me; loose, excess skin.
I'm sure there are a lot of people who are on the fence of weight loss surgery and/or an extreme weight loss journey who have this fear as well. And we just have to face it. There is no way of knowing if we are going to have to deal with it (but we should absolutely expect it). We can't know how 'bad' it will be, how it will effect us or what it will make us feel. What we can know is that it can't stop us from achieving our goals. Although it has been giving me extreme anxiety as of late as I inch closer to my 2 month surgery anniversary, I know that loose skin is just one "side effect" if you will, of an incredible weight loss. We call stretch marks our tiger stripes, so just give me some time to think of something for skin.
I have been researching some ways to avoid the worst of it at all costs by keeping my skin healthy- moisturizing, hydrating, exercising (strength training is key) and getting in my protein goals. But in the end of the day, there isn't much we can control- a lot of it comes down to genetics, age, and how long you've been obese. I have been hyper-aware of skin removal surgery in my future, and again, won't let ANYTHING get in the way of my goals. Luckily, a lot of people in the field have told me I am young, with not 'much' more weight to go (like I mean over 150 pounds) so I could be fortunate enough to fill the space with muscle and have that toned body, but then again, I'm staying realistic.
It's ok to have this fear. We're human beings, and we're not perfect. We have scars, abnormalities, fat, skin ETC. A massive amount of weight loss is an amazing feat and we cannot let our fears stop us. Whatever happens, will happen and I will deal with it as I go.
We have fears about going through the surgery, will it hurt? Yea, it can be painful, but will that pain out-weigh co-morbidities that go along with obesity? Is the liquid diet hard? Absolutely, but if we didn't follow this diet, we could get sick and hurt our newly cut stomach. There are tons of fears to have, it's a whole new lifestyle to take on after surgery. But once you overcome the fear, embrace this change, you begin to really enjoy life again and everything you worried about seems so small.
But there is a lot of fear that comes with weight loss surgery, and I can't be the only one who has gone through the anxiety and worries that I have felt and still feel. I lost about 30 pounds before surgery, and since my surgery have lost 30 more so since November ( about 6 months total) I am down 60 pounds. I can expect to lose 80 or even 100 more pounds by my year anniversary of surgery. I am so ecstatic, but there is one dark cloud that hangs over me; loose, excess skin.
I'm sure there are a lot of people who are on the fence of weight loss surgery and/or an extreme weight loss journey who have this fear as well. And we just have to face it. There is no way of knowing if we are going to have to deal with it (but we should absolutely expect it). We can't know how 'bad' it will be, how it will effect us or what it will make us feel. What we can know is that it can't stop us from achieving our goals. Although it has been giving me extreme anxiety as of late as I inch closer to my 2 month surgery anniversary, I know that loose skin is just one "side effect" if you will, of an incredible weight loss. We call stretch marks our tiger stripes, so just give me some time to think of something for skin.
I have been researching some ways to avoid the worst of it at all costs by keeping my skin healthy- moisturizing, hydrating, exercising (strength training is key) and getting in my protein goals. But in the end of the day, there isn't much we can control- a lot of it comes down to genetics, age, and how long you've been obese. I have been hyper-aware of skin removal surgery in my future, and again, won't let ANYTHING get in the way of my goals. Luckily, a lot of people in the field have told me I am young, with not 'much' more weight to go (like I mean over 150 pounds) so I could be fortunate enough to fill the space with muscle and have that toned body, but then again, I'm staying realistic.
It's ok to have this fear. We're human beings, and we're not perfect. We have scars, abnormalities, fat, skin ETC. A massive amount of weight loss is an amazing feat and we cannot let our fears stop us. Whatever happens, will happen and I will deal with it as I go.
We have fears about going through the surgery, will it hurt? Yea, it can be painful, but will that pain out-weigh co-morbidities that go along with obesity? Is the liquid diet hard? Absolutely, but if we didn't follow this diet, we could get sick and hurt our newly cut stomach. There are tons of fears to have, it's a whole new lifestyle to take on after surgery. But once you overcome the fear, embrace this change, you begin to really enjoy life again and everything you worried about seems so small.
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