100 Pounds Down

Tuesday, May 12, exactly 3 months post-op I made it.

 

Nearly 6 months ahead of the 'what to expect' laid out for me by my surgeon, I hit the 100 lb lost mark.

 

Now, I know what you're thinking:

 

"WOW, 100 POUNDS?!?! That's a TON of weight, you must look awesome! I wonder what it looks like to lose 100 pounds..."

 

Or, at least, that's what I'd be thinking were I in your shoes. And yes, I do look awesome. And yes, it's a ton of weight (more precisely, 1/20 of a ton, but close enough). And yes, I'll show you what it looks like. And yes, to answer the unanswered question, I still have quite a ways to go.

 

I started this whole mess at 415 lb. The photo below is from Day 1 of my pre-op diet on Jan 22, 2015.

 

Faces removed to protect the innocent

Once I decided to take the next step and have surgery, I decided to take regular photos to show the progression over time. I've seen a lot of photos Before & After, I've even seen a number of photos that show various checkpoint. But never have I found photos spaced out equally in time to demonstrate what the actual process and timeline looked like. Below, I now provide this for you. Don't worry though, a 415/315 side-by-side will be at the bottom should you want it.

 

Jan 29 - 395



Feb 5 - 385

Feb 12, Morning of Sx - 381

Feb 26 - 367

March 12 - 358

March 26 - 346

April 9 - 334



April 23 - 325



April 30 - 320

Before we get to the 100 pound masterpiece, let me be the first to say that the rate of weight loss is not typical, that it's not something I found a 'secret' to achieve or any of that nonsense. Our bodies respond differently to WLS and mine happens to have responded particularly well so far. Don't let my timing stand in for what you think your should be - and don't forget that I had 200 pounds to lose, so perhaps, if you're as lucky as I've been, the percentage of excess weight loss per week will be similar between you and I, but certainly not the raw poundage.

And now, the big one:

May 14 - 314 (101 lb lost!)

It's admittedly hard for me to see my loss in the mirror and I've still got a long way to go. That's why I initially decided to take photos - to try and subvert that nasty voice in the back of my head when I look in the mirror that says "You see? You're still fat, you've managed nothing and no change has taken place." Although this practice has been helpful, I admit that even in photos I sometimes struggle to recognize any change. Unless, that is, I do the old Before/After comparison, then the change is crystal clear:



This, friends, is what it looks like to lose 101 pounds