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I have struggled with my weight since I was five years old. Late in 2016- at 28 years old at my heaviest weight- I had my first appointment with a bariatric surgeon in Akron, Ohio where I live and began the steps towards gastric bypass. I was so scared. But I knew that I would rather risk my life than live like this forever. I feared that my parents would bury me in 20 years and that my sister would become an only child. I knew I had to do something. I had tried everything. Between the ages of 8-28 I had tried everything under the sun. I could not lose/maintain the weight loss. On June 26, 2017- I had gastric bypass surgery. I have lost/maintained 180 pound weight loss. I have a whole new life. It is quite beautiful. I look forward to living everyday. I share my journey on Instagram - (my name on there is Maddie5088) and I also have a public Facebook Page called Mornings with Maddie. I created a blog almost a year ago that focuses on sharing my journey, creating/sharing healthy recipes. You can find it here - foodfitnessandbeauty.com I share body positivity, kindness, self love, inclusivity, healthy recipes, grocery hauls, I do monthly giveaways, how to meal prep, affordable/easy meals for bariatric patients and I do Q and As for Bariatric patients. I have felt very called to share my journey with the bariatric community! I hope you come follow along my story! It’s been a heck of a ride! Xoxo Maddie

Oh ok Friday! You got this Good Luck 🍀 and know we're rooting for you. Take advantage of the pain meds to get up and walk as soon as you can. Walking all the air they put into you before going home. Make sure you have all your pills you'll need at home to stay comfortable. Don't push yourself to do too much too fast. Stick to your surgeons instructions. They're not mean they're trying to help you so there are no complications. Be patient with yourself. New normal is weird. If your surgeon is like mine he wants you to have best possible outcome (then his numbers look good too) 😂 You go GIRL! 👏🏻 🎉

My 4 month follow-up was yesterday. I'm down just over 50 lbs and (according to the numbers) have lost 33% of my excess weight. It's a good feeling, especially when combined with wearing clothes that wouldn't fit at the beginning of the year. Fortunately, my dog keeps me active, even in the lock-down. I do miss going to the gym though, and I'd just gotten into a good workout groove when everything came to a grinding halt. The people I see at work keep telling me "you're melting away" and my wife is very encouraging as well, so I've got plenty of support thankfully, but I know I've still got work to do. The biggest goal I have right now is to get under 250. I'm only about 7 lbs away. That will be a big day for me. The only real struggle I have post-surgery is the uncomfortable "heaviness" feeling that comes when I eat beef or chicken. I'm told this is a normal thing and could last a while, so I'll continue to put up with it and/or avoid the steak and chicken breasts. Hope ya'll are all doing well.

I hope your surgery went well. Sending out positive thoughts and vibes your way!

What about finding a weight-loss surgeon and asking for a recommendation of a doctor that takes Medicaid and is supportive of WLS? Working it backwards would hopefully ensure you end up with a primary care physician that is supportive! Keep turning towards Joy and Pursuing health

I am leaving for the hospital now and this is just what I needed. Thank you! See you in the post op forums! 😊

I recently had a really bad bought of constipation, which I thought was impossible given my surgery... hell, it even shocked the surgeons office, they said I was their first patient who had the Loop Duodenal Switch who had a constipation issue... -_-" Anyway, the doctor said to cut out banana's because I was eating one every day and those are known to cause constipation issues. I was also told that my iron level was probably elevated and that also causes issues so they took me off iron for three days and then told me to take one less multivitamin a day and add in one WITHOUT iron. It worked so... how are your iron levels? Do you eat banana's? I started looking up foods that cause issues and I would suggest the same. Maybe increase foods that help you go. Also, I took Miralax, but it didn't really help. Took Milk of Magnesia and it worked better for me.

Just way better not to judge people I think, you can't know their reasons 🙂 And sometimes surgeons aren't clear with people that there are things they have to get on with booking and then when they do it's months beyond what is workable. Just because you don't understand it doesn't make it an invalid or wrong choice. The question had zero to do with patience or people not being willing to wait, it was just a question. Please don't read things into it that weren't there and create unnecessary negativity where there was none.

Its been 15 years and 10 months since my surgery and I have lost 196 lbs and kept it off. I have a goal for this year of getting down to 164 lbs from 199 lbs where I'm at now. I was 24 lbs heavier just over 2 months ago. I've been using an app called myfitnesspal.com to lose the weight. It took my a little bit to get the hang of it but now I'm comfortable with it. I pick my foods and it gives my the serving size and calories and deducts the calories from my daily limit. It sets up your plan by diet, starting weight and goal weight. As you lose the weight you change your current weight and it adjusts your allowable daily calories to keep you losing weight. I tried it free for a month and was shocked at how much I had lost so I purchased a one year plan and it wasn't expensive. I have the app on my phone and it is easy to use. I hope that this information is helpful for someone.

I turned 60 two months after having surgery. Six months before surgery, my primary care physician told me I was looking at a major cardiac event within the next ten years that I might not survive. That was the turning point that made me decide to have the surgery It was one of the best decisions I've ever made, and I feel wonderful. My doctor says I've probably added 10-15 years to my life expectancy. I just wish I had done it 30 years earlier!