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Brittany Nicholson / Jewelyn Butron
I first noticed that I was heavier than other girls of my age at the beginning of my high school years. I had about 25 pounds the previous summer and the first day about 175 pounds. Although I've never gained so much weight in such a short time, I did not feel like I was standing out because of my size.
Things really took a turn a few months later, though. I was 16 years old and I was experiencing terrible pains in my stomach. A medical examination revealed that I had a polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal imbalance that affects the ovaries.
In my case, the pain was caused by a rupture of the cyst. As a result, in order to regulate my symptoms and my menstrual cycle, I had to have a birth control injection every three months in the near future. However, I quickly realized that I was more hungry than ever since I started getting vaccinated.
In my first three years of birth control, I went from 175 to 250 pounds.
I could not stop comparing my body to other girls and wanted to change things. So I tried diet programs including Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem, or I ate with a considerable calorie deficit, limiting myself to 500 calories a day while I was playing at the gym with my father about three times a week. But I was inconsistent and practiced methods that did not suit me. Whatever I tried, I never saw any results, so I gave up before trying again a few months later and then again.
Frustrated, I thought, what's the point of being healthy if my weight does not move anyway? I ended up filling my fast food days. In college, for example, I spent time between clbades, my job, and my internship at the wheel to get a quick meal. My routine soon became about eating 3,000 calories of fatty foods and drinking two or three sodas a day. And by the time I was in law school, weighing 285 pounds, I had completely stopped trying to lose weight. I was busy, besides, nothing that I had done before was working anyway.
After graduating at age 25, I went to see my doctor to discuss weight loss plans.
He talked about surgery, which I had never considered before. Initially, I dismissed this suggestion as it seemed like a dramatic option. I could just reduce my consumption of sodas and try to lead a healthier life instead of paying a lot to go under the knife.
So, I gave one more shot at a lifestyle change. I stopped receiving the birth control vaccine because I thought it was responsible for my weight gain. I am committed to eating healthier foods and exercising. I was glad to see that I lost weight, but then my cysts came back and I had to resume birth control. I tried other forms of birth control to see if they could affect my level of hunger differently, but I soon realized that shooting was my best option. But as my weight went up to 280 pounds, I decided that a surgical procedure (vertical gastrectomy) might make sense to me.
Preparations for my surgery included six months of supervised courses on nutrition and exercise.
These clbades have allowed me to maintain a healthy lifestyle after a good surgical start. I had surgery in September 2018 and had 80% of my stomach removed, which meant I would feel much faster.
During my first six months postoperative, I lost 80 pounds. Since I was still adapting to the new size of my stomach, I had to eat about six ounces of food a day first. Month after month, I was able to add more and more food to my diet.
Many people who undergo this operation return to eat junk food and recover the weight they lost. But I was determined to do the work necessary to finally see a change in my body. I stop eating when I'm full and I eat treats in moderation. I eat about 1,000 calories a day (which is healthy for the size of my stomach), I do intermittent fasting and limit my carbohydrate intake.
A meal day usually looks like this to me:
- Breakfast (noon): Yogurt and fruits, or a protein shake
- Breakfast: Chicken or ground turkey with cheese and cauliflower or broccoli
- Having dinner: Chicken or turkey chopped with a fruit or with spaghetti
Even though it's not an intense workout, I make sure to exercise every day too: I participate in Orangetheory, an intense training course that includes cardiovascular and strength training sessions four times a day. week. And I also work at the gym (Planet Fitness) once or twice a week. In addition, I go for a long walk with my dog every day.
Although it may seem to some people, weight loss surgery is * not * the easy way.
I no longer feel like my life revolves around food. For me, seeing how a surgery has helped my body to change, has given me the motivation to stay healthy – rather than falling into a fad diet, and then giving up on it.
I want people to understand, especially those who follow me on Instagram, that surgery does not make the weight loss journey less worthwhile and that maintaining the lifestyle change requires a ton of concentration, hard work, and hard work. sacrifices.
Aryelle Siclait is editorial badistant at Women's Health.
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