Last week we had our 2 week follow up appointment with our weight loss surgeon. We were cleared to have pureed stage foods (yay! I was seriously going to puke if I had one more protein shake). Almost as exciting was the fact that my blood pressure was actually really, really good. So good that they told me I didn’t need to continue my blood pressure pill. Woo hoo!
In the weight loss world we refer to non-scale victories as NSVs. That was a HUGE one for me. I’ve had high blood pressure for awhile now. That, along with my sleep apnea and borderline cholesterol and glucose levels were what precipitated the decision to have a vertical sleeve gastrectomy in the first place.
I am losing weight almost every day. Which is actually kind of freaky and I’ll be talking to my holistic health counselor about it tomorrow. I don’t know why I get an almost panicky feeling when I see it drop another pound. I haven’t seen this weight in a few years. YEARS.
So I try to focus on the NSVs. Things like being able to wear the ring that was too tight for many years (pictured above). I like to call it my independence ring, since I exchanged the wedding rings from my first marriage for it. I can also wear a few shirts that were too tight for public consumption.
DH is experiencing NSVs too. He is fitting into running clothes that he hasn’t worn in three years. We went for a walk together the other day (3 miles!) and I was surprised to discover that my legs and feet didn’t hurt at all, compared to the agony I was usually in when I walked or ran 40 pounds heavier.
A PSA from the American Heart Association
I do not remember if I mentioned it, but I am a volunteer blogger for the American Heart Association. It’s a topic that is near and dear to my . . . heart (groan, I know). You do not have to have weight loss surgery to improve your blood pressure. Some easy ways to decrease your blood pressure include:
- Eat a better diet, which may include reducing salt
- Enjoy regular physical activity
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Manage stress
- Avoid tobacco smoke
- Comply with medication prescriptions
- If you drink, limit alcohol
- Understand hot tub safety
For more information visit the American Heart Association.
SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!
The BP thing is just freakin’ awesome!
I only wish mine would have gone down after losing my extra weight.
My Dr. says that even weight loss may not affect hereditary high BP. And my mom had it in her early 30’s.
I am SO excited for you!
Keep in mind the thrift stores for the next sizes down. I had to shop there every month for a while there. Gets might pricey to buy new when you are going down in size on a regular basis!
Thank you so much Cindy! Great idea about the thrift stores – I’ve noticed most don’t have a selection of plus size but hopefully I will be in “regular” size soon!