Cross posted in progresspics.
I posted comparisons photos here a few days ago, and wanting to clear a few things up.
A lot of people were asking about my routine and diet. I had every intention of replying to questions, but I was at work and then ended up having a busy evening at home with my family. By the time I got around to checking things again, the post had sort of blown up and there were a lot of comments. Tbh I didn’t read them all or the msgs, but I did notice a few nag comments.
I want to be transparent - and just an fyi - my goal/motive isn’t to trick people, because guess what? These results still took an insane amount of work and dedication and I’m not about to let these naggers take that away from me.
Yes, I did undergo a procedure called vertical sleeve gastrectomy in 2021. I chose to have the procedure to help with PCOS, but also my endometriosis and adenomyosis. I thought the lifestyle change/weight loss would help alleviate my symptoms and chronic pain. I have since had a total hysterectomy and hoping all these things combined will improve my quality of life.
If you don’t know what vsg is, then you’ll have to look it up.
It obviously helped me lose weight quite rapidly in the beginning as the procedure makes it close to physically impossible to overeat.
Here are the other things I did at the same time (that had nothing to do with the surgery) that gave me the results I am left with today.
-Weighed every single piece of food with a food scale.
-Tracked everything. Food, drinks, calories and macros in the app called MyNetDiary. I use the free plan.
-I weighed myself nearly every day and tracked it in a note book which I still have sitting on my kitchen counter. I wrote down my weight, the date and time, and my symptoms, because flare up’s were happening so frequently and I noticed how my loss or gain was correlated with my cycle.
-Stayed below 50g of carbs most days (for the first year- much more loose with this currently) I’d say I was doing loose or dirty Keto.
-Stayed in a calorie deficit every day. I ate approximately 1200cals per day. Sometimes more sometimes less.
-Inadvertently did intermittent fasting. I rarely eat breakfast (I have two coffees and use cream and Splenda) and some days not able to eat lunch until 1-2:00. Supper around 6, and stopped eating by 8pm.
-Drank a TON of water.
-Made it a priority to get 8 hours of sleep every night. Easy for me because I go to bed early (8:30-9pm)because nothing brings me more joy than my bed and I love sleep.
-I quit alcohol completely for the first 6 months.
-I quit smoking.
-I walked for exercise and used a rowing machine.
-I got rid of social media for about one year.
-I did regular blood work and saw my doctor regularly because I was dealing with other diseases that I was trying to get treatment for.
-I researched, read books, watched YouTube videos etc on disordered eating and became mindful of my thoughts and triggers surrounding food etc.
The point is that if I had the surgery and continued to live my life as I had been, I would not be where I am today. Yes I would have lost weight for the first 8 months or so but then it would have come back plus some. People who get this procedure and continue eating garbage, don’t fix their mental health, don’t fix their bad habits… are not going to have the same kind of results.
I took a couple of days to write this out and at one point wasn’t even going to bother, because I don’t owe anyone an explanation - but decided that the folks who are on here looking for inspiration and feeling like they’re a failure because they’re not seeing rapid wild results deserve an explanation - please know that if you stay consistent, if you push through the plateaus (I went through plenty of them), if you dedicate one year to sticking to a solid routine, you will see the results! I promise.
My SIL came to me roughly one year into my journey to ask what my daily routine was. She has no idea that I had surgery. I told her exactly what I’ve listed here. Diet, tracking, fasting etc…… she lost close to 50lbs in 7 months. My own father started following my plan and lost 30lbs in an alarmingly short amount of time…. It is absolutely possible to see the results without surgery (if you don’t have a health condition getting in the way of things). Please talk to your doctor if things seem off or if you’ve been giving it your best for months and literally nothing is happening. You may have a health condition that is to blame.
I’m sorry this was such a novel, and I apologize for the delayed explanation.
For the naggers and trolls, keep scrolling you toxic losers lol.
