Bariatric Diary: Happy New Year!

I for one have never been happier to start a new year. This past year has brought on lots of changes in my life. I come into 2011 with a renewed spirit and a new body to go with it.

The holidays are one of the many challenges you will come across as a bariatric patient. You have the fears of what you will eat, when you will eat it, and how your body will be affected. I am a big believer that the whole process of recovery is a mental game. I told myself going into the holidays that it was just going to be business as usual and that it wouldn’t be a big deal to watch everyone around me eating the normal foods and enjoying what might have been my favorite dishes from the past. I have to admit that those things didn’t bother me so much. The thing that did get under my skin a little was everyone being so darn concerned with my diet. I quit counting how many times people would ask what I could eat, if it was hard for me to pass up certain foods, or if there was anything special I needed for food options. I would have never thought my eating habits would affect so many people!!

So as I start this New Year, I have for the most part overcome any difficulties I once had from my surgery. If you remember, a few months ago I had to have a couple endoscopies to dilate my stomach due to a stricture. It’s a miracle, it worked!! My food options have expanded greatly and I am maintaining my weight without any major fluctuations. There are still foods that I cannot eat and others that I have psyched myself out from eating.

One thing I will mention that I have found to be the most challenging part of the surgery is shopping for clothes. One thing you take for granted many times when you are bigger is the options your smaller counterparts have when clothes shopping. Before, I would head straight to the big and tall section and pick from a limited supply of clothes in one of a handful of colors. Now, I actually have to shop through the entire store. Don’t get me wrong, I like having more options and more trendy clothing but who would have known shopping was such hard work. This probably isn’t an issue for all bariatric patients, but I have never been a big shopper. This is slowly changing with my new body and my shrinking closet.

Now the information you all want to know. I started off in January 2010 at 354 lbs. Based on being 6 foot tall I had a BMI of 48. I was wearing a size 50 waist in pants and 4x in shirts. As of today, I weigh in at 198 lbs with a BMI of 26.9. I am now wearing a 38 waist in pants and XL in shirts. So as you can see I have made a big transition in less than 8 months since surgery.

The journey continues…..