It's Friday and I'm headed out to Mexico, by myself, not knowing what to expect. I get to the airport and meet up with 2 other women who are there for the same thing. We all greet each other as we learn we're waiting for the same ride to see the same doctor. One laydee brought her bestie who had the surgery the previous year so she was instantly our "guide". We get to the medical facility (no it's not a hospital like here) and we meet with the doctor. My doctor explained the process thoroughly. He doesn't do more than 3 surgeries a day and does the proper blood work to determine if he'll proceed or not. I felt at ease. We all swapped stories on how we ended up in Mexico and what we were looking forward to after the success of the surgery. The nurses are such angels and catered to our every need. As I'm getting blood work done and medication I notice the facility is clean-cleaner than back at home believe it or not and I am the last one up to bat. The nurse comes in and says "ok the laydeez before u went well and ur next". HOLY SHYT my heart starts beating a tad bit faster and my tough girl exterior slowly fades. I can NOT believe I'm really about to do this. If I don't make it what will become of Mason?
It's hard to believe these were my thoughts TEN YEARS ago!! If ever u wanna quick rewind, u can find them---> here<---but I promise I won't bore u with updates! By now there are so many new innovations to weight loss surgeries and let's not talk about the popularity of Ozempic n nem. I have no judgement in whatever tool folks decide to utilize but I'm here to tell ya...as someone a decade in the game...can we be real here???
No judgement zone and no flex-if I must cut to the chase I can tell u I have no magic tricks nor diet secrets to reveal. U gotta be real with urself. By being real with urself it's stripping urself naked n standing in the mirror to get a goooood look at the reflection. Do I like what I see? How did I get here? Do I wanna change it? and How do I get to the point of loving what looks back at me in this mirror? These are convo's to have with self to reflect n reset.
Making the decision to fly off to Mexico n drop $4k was the best decision I can stand behind on today. It has been a full on rollercoaster ride with twists n setbacks to comebacks. Where am I currently in this journey? errr uuuh...stagnant n content. I still have baby weight n Toot is a whole FIVE chile. I'm no slacker though...I've been doing pilates for about a year and LOVING it. I don't have the pressures of doin it to lose weight. I even wanna look into doin pickle ball to stay active. I am horrible at water, still enjoy fried chicken n every now n then I can tear into some red meat so please do NOT look to me bout nothing diet related. I do have an interest in fasting but it's more for a spiritual space. I guess I dropped in to say...my journey has now evolved pass utilizing my WLS to lose weight n pretty much maintain what I have and if I just so happen to get in the mode to intentionally lose along the way-so be it.
The misconception folks have when u freshly get surgery or whatever method is...you'll drop instantly to the point of being down 100 lbs in 2 wks lol. You must TRULY go back n look at ur childhood pics for an idea of ur body type. For me...I know as I'm NOW 220lbs, my ideal weight is 185. I've always been a smaller frame so I know it's there and I'm tall so it carries well but none of that means anything with an unhealthy lifestyle. As I'm a whole DECADE strong in the game, I can add...focus on changing the mindset n allow urself to adjust to a new lifestyle-this is NOT EASY!! Kudos to an amazing trainer (Ken) who was the foundation after my surgery to instill dieting n exercising throughout my journey. While I haven't attended bootcamp in a few years; her voice is embedded in my head n kicks in as needed.
I am ecstatic for all of you who take the leaps of faith to do WLS and/or bussin ur azz working out. The hardest part is starting AND being consistent so I also salute those trying even with small steps becuz they eventually turn into bigger steps. As we get older, I truly see (and feel) the importance of exercise. DO IT DAILY!!! I know with work and life, it's hard. I'm a horrible snacker at work and these days popcorn for dinner ain't so bad. At the end of the day...shyt gotta get real uncomfortable before u become comfortable and even getting to ur goals takes even MORE work to maintain it with so many factors (excuses) we allow to break the dream. You cannot afford cheat days! You cannot afford to skip due to holiday's, weekends, vacay's...celebrations and if ur an emotional eater-stop it. You gotta figure out a way to channel that energy elsewhere for the greater good n bigger picture.
Or you can have vivid reminders of where u started n make the sound choice to NEVER go back again!! When Marci sent me this pic from the cruise circa 2012, I told her this pic of my big azz would NEVER see the light of day in fear of being meme'd n memories of a time when I didn't love myself in the way I do today. I can boldly share it today after 12 yrs becuz I know the WORK I put in for the new version of me. Kisha 2.0 was born ten years ago after leaving Mexico and my weight loss journey turned into a spiritual one alongside becuz once u remove JUNK u have better clarity n making decisions becuz u value who u are with discovering what no longer serves u. This shyt bigger than Nino Brown!!!
Hell...I'm amp'd up n motivated as I type this post n feel a boost of energy to take a random walk right now. Even if it's just 20 min u HAVE TO be moving! Thank you to accountability partners who check in and share their struggles n we end up doin shyt together. I have a platonic friend who every time he sees me on FT he'll bark at me to get off the couch. I roll my eyes n oblige. U really do need to embrace a TEAM of support. It will sound like nagging at first n u will huff n puff then thank em in the long run.
I don't wear my WLS mark on my forehead to promote it becuz I don't wanna be a poster child of the sleeve yet I'm open to the community becuz we share similar stories. I see stuff all the time about how sleeves "stopped working" and "pouch tests" along with folks who've been stalled or gained weight. Ultimately...consult a nutrionist and learn ur body. It's the hack to losing weight n maintaining. I always tell yall...I wish I would've seeked counseling BEFORE and after surgery instead of jumping head first becuz if ur an emotional eater or don't have exercise as apart of the lifestyle you will yoyo and for me, I felt distraught. Your not skinny enuff to sit at the Kate Moss table yet ur no longer big enuff for the plus size n feel stuck in between or have survivors remorse to those left behind-it's a lot of emotions to juggle.
As I close out with what will be my FINALE post to celebrate my "Sleeversary", I've left more than enuff content from beginning to now with the ups n downs of what I learned and before/after progress pics. Yall can also reach out throughout my socials n...well yea yall know where to find me! I appreciate chall reading n allowing me to freely speak in such a space becuz this is a vulnerable topic for me to share and I appreciate chall for the embrace!
