6-month check-in

This afternoon I had my 6-month check-in at the hospital. I saw Erin, the bariatric nurse, who's wonderful; she weighed me and took my vital signs. Then I saw my surgeon's nurse, LeighAnne, who's also wonderful. She examined my abdomen (no hernias, happily, but there's a bit of a yeast infection in my belly button. They told me what to use and are documenting it; if it's a recurring, frequent problem, health insurance might pay for excess skin removal down the road) and said my progress is right on track. Then I saw the surgeon, Dr. S, who's also wonderful and was happy with my progress. 

After, LeighAnne put in an order for blood work so they can check my nutrient levels. I was confused about whether they measure my loss of excess weight from my highest weight or from surgery weight. She said my highest — but she kept saying I'd lost 50 pounds, not 75. She looked it up in the computer and saw that she'd been using numbers from my last appointment in April. When she looked at my numbers today, she went from being happy to thrilled. I've lost more than 50% of my excess body weight.

Comparison

That was such a relief and a boost for me. In spite of my attempts to not compare my weight loss with other people's, I inevitably do — and I come up short. Someone in a support group posted the quote "Comparison is the thief of joy," and I liked it so much I ordered a print of it to hang in my house, a visual reminder of owning my journey. 

I'm averaging 10 pounds a month, which I read somewhere was average. When I don't compare my loss with anyone else's, I'm thrilled. When I start comparing, I don't think I'm doing well enough. Daily I see posts in support groups from people bemoaning their "slow" losses of 20 pounds the first month (I lost 17) or 40-50 pounds in 3 months (I lost 35). 

Lesson: Don't compare. 

Real life, and in it for the long haul

I was supposed to see my dietician today, but my insurance doesn't cover it, and the out-of-pocket cost is a couple hundred dollars. Instead, LeighAnne asked how my eating is. I replied honestly that I make healthy choices about 80% of the time; she said that's real life, and that's what the program hopes for. I told her I can do anything for a short time, but I'm working to build healthy habits that will be the foundation for the rest of my life; she said that's the attitude of someone who keeps off weight for the long term. 

I left feeling like a success. Hey, I guess I am.