Yesterday (May 3, 2016) was my 1 year follow-up appointment with the Bariatric program. May 7 of last year was my start of the medically
supervised weight loss program. The
appointment itself was kind of a letdown.
It was really for their benefit – record weight, height, and waist
measurements, discuss blood work, complete a medical survey, say ‘good job’ and
wave bye-bye. There was no benefit to
me, but if it helps them justify the program and keep it supported with ministry
dollars then I guess it’s the least I can do.
It was good for me to go from a motivational
perspective. I remembered how difficult
it was for me to take the stairs that first week. I remembered the effort and sacrifice that I
put into this journey. I remembered the ‘before’
pictures and how ‘crappy’ I felt about myself.
It was good to have this little walk down memory lane. What do we say at Remembrance Day? “Lest we forget”.
I’ve been able to keep off all the weight that I lost. All the medical studies that I’ve read report
that this is nearly impossible, in other words, gaining back some of the weight
lost is nearly the norm. To make it
worse, those that gained back weight – even as little as 5 pounds – typically never
lose that weight again. So I’ve been
very careful – weighing nearly every day and recording calories and
exercise. If my weekly average weight is
up 2 pounds over my baseline, I start reducing my eating or increasing my
exercise, or both. So far in the 6
months since I ‘graduated’, I have not ‘up’ more than 3 pounds or more than 2
weeks. Hopefully, the diligence will pay
off with successful long-term weight maintenance.
I’m thrilled that I was able to participate in this
program. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. My only regret is that I didn’t do it years
earlier. I feel 30 years younger and I
have a new lease on life.
