From my guts to yours: The 10-year anniversary of my gastric bypass surgery

I'm getting really sick of talking about my weight lately, but it's been exactly ten years since I had gastric bypass surgery and that seems like a milestone worth noting.

I started at 309 pounds. I was a size 24/26.

This morning, precisely ten years later, I weighed 167 (which is only two pounds above the lowest weight I've ever been, even in high school). I'm a size 10.

That means I've lost 142 pounds.

I was trying to think of a way of illustrating how painful it was to carry around all that extra weight, but all I could come up with was five gallon water bottles. Every time I change the water bottle at our office,  I feel like a huge wimp and I used to carry around over three of those ALL THE TIME.

I think it goes without saying, but the surgery was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It worked for me and that makes me an advocate for others who wish to pursue it. It's dangerous, yes, but far less dangerous than a lifetime of obesity.

People are starting to give me shit about my recent weight loss and how little I'm eating these days, but I'm still technically OVERWEIGHT according to my BMI. I need to lose two more pounds to get into the "average" weight category. I'm actually starting to think I might reach my original Pie In the Sky goal of weighing the same amount that I've lost. (154.5 pounds) That would make me half the woman I used to be, which is still very weird to even think about.

Anyway, here I am ten years later. Joel kept trying to get me to pose, but it's an AFTER photo, you don't pose! (Right?)

If you want to read about my weight loss surgery, I've been writing about it for years. Just start here. The rest of the story is on the sidebar over there. -------->

Comments

[carrie]

Beautiful... I'm still waiting for MY after pic, but I'm getting there. You look amazing. And also, I think I have those same earrings.

[Lori]

Today I'm six months (26 weeks) out from my RNY. Including pre-op weight loss, I'm down 88 pounds. My highest weight was 331 on 8/31 of last year. I wore a 26/28 (24 if it was stretchy, and I owned practically nothing that wasn't stretchy!), and now I'm in a size 18/20 (16 if it's stretchy, hee!). I'm down 60 pounds from surgery, which obviously averages 10 pounds a month. There is no WAY I would ever have been able to do this without the surgery. I'm with you (as you well know)--it's one of the best decisions I ever made. I'm happier and healthier than I've been in 20 years. Even with the difficulties that have come along with it, I haven't regretted it for a second. (The most important thing is the surgeon. GET A GOOD SURGEON!) Amanda, you give me hope that someday I'll meet my goal of leaving the Fat Girls' Club. So proud of you!

[Alison]

You look great, Amanda!

[jules]

You look fantastic and, of course, those WLS blog posts are how I found you in the first place!

[L]

You look amazing! Oh how I covet your gorgeous and sexy hourglass figure. Your waist! Enjoy.

[Sara]

Glad you found something that worked for you. As you know, I've chosen a different route (working out and changing my eating habits). I have lost just shy of 90 pounds (taking me from a size 24 to a size 10), but more importantly, thanks to the working out, I've lost 60% of my body fat. The other thing I have this time around that I didn't have before is a personal trainer helping me deal with the mental aspects of weight loss. I think that's one of two things missing from your post - one, there should be some exercising going on as well; and two, you need to deal with the mental issues that are going on. Otherwise you run the risk of gaining back all that which you have just taken off (even with surgeries, people do pop things inside by overeating because they didn't deal with the emotional issues). I'm not trying to freak anyone out here, just making sure it's not all just a bed of roses, because I've lost and gained and lost before, and I don't want to have anyone go through that unnecessarily.

[Georgia]

You look fabulous, Amanda!

[Liss]

Pretty sure she's in therapy for the mental issues you talk about, Sara. Amanda, I am dumbfounded that the BMI would still call you overweight. I really think there is something wrong with that. You look healthy, and THIN!

[Monica]

You look great! Keep doing whatever you need to do to feel good.

[B]

You clearly don't look like you need to lose any more weight, regardless of what BMI shit says. It tells me I am hovering on average but I know I'm in shape/healthy. BMI is lame. Scales are stupid and not a great gauge for everyone.

You look great! I mean it. But shit, as someone who has had an eating disorder for years and years, (and always working on it - I swear that mindset doesn't go away unless you've got the brain power of a freaking beast) I can't help but be a little concerned!