Saw my surgeon for my 3-month followup visit. She says I'm doing great. She also confirms what I've observed empirically, namely that the rate of weight loss should be slowing down dramatically around now. When I asked her why that happens, she explained that beyond a certain body fat percentage, rapid weight loss starts negatively affecting the immune system and core body functions, and the body starts to resist it. She reassured me that this is normal, that what is happening is that my body has switched from just burning and flushing fat to using it to maintain my musculature, which is the beginnings of 'starvation mode' but not in a bad way. Because I'm taking vitamin supplements, the usual negatives of privation are not a factor, so I don't have to worry about weird metabolic freakouts and potassium levels causing heart problems (which is how most starvation victims die, when their potassium levels deplete far enough the heart can't function).
They took blood panels to be sure. I've been pronounced in excellent health, with the slight exception of elevated uric acid levels which I already knew about, since I've been having a really severe gout attack over the past two weeks. Last time I saw her my surgeon had opined that she didn't think I could eat enough red meat to trigger one of those anymore, and I promptly proved her wrong. I'm not too annoyed, though, this isn't a new issue, it's just something the surgery 'didn't fix' - but it was not likely to fix it in any case, and I'd adapted to it fine. I haven't had an attack in nearly a year, because I had trained myself not to eat trigger foods, and I'd gone overboard deliberately to see if it was still a factor. Well, ouch.
Other than that, I'm now cleared to travel outside New York City (hooray!) and even to resume eating vegetables in severe moderation. Now that my stomach is entirely healed, and now that the weight loss has slowed, eating vegetables is one way to keep my calorie intake lower as well as to increase trace nutrient intakes. I still need to avoid carbs, so most fruits are still a bad idea, but I'm actually excited to start eating cukes and broccoli and non-starchy vegetables. Even spinach salads, apparently, which are the best of a really watery bad lot of not-very-nutritional options (salads, which are either usually mostly water or just receptacles for the tons of dressing/bacon/meat/egg other unhealthy stuff you put on them to make them taste better).
I've lost 69 lbs since the pre-surgery diet started. I've lost 99 lbs from my peak weight of a couple years ago. By those metrics, the surgery is already a success.
I plan on losing at least another 40 lbs, and I'd like to get below 200 lbs even if only for a New York Minute. Just to see the number. My surgeon says that this is likely to happen over the next year, especially if I start exercising again and keep eating properly as I have been (I've never been praised for my eating habits before).
A couple of nights ago I saw a college roommate I haven't seen in 15 years. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed him until I saw him. I also was jealous as hell of the fact that he basically looks like he's 35. But anyway. Three of us classmates met up for dinner. One of us sent around the pics we took of the three of us and...holy shit, I'm an *entirely different shape*. I guess taking pics of myself in the mirror just doesn't show the difference, but, uh, yeah, I'm smaller. Well, narrower. Noticeably.
Amazing.
Weight: 262