Jes_Lynn

Hey guys and gals, I apparently do things sort of backward because I posted in the general discussion area before the introduction forum. Figured I'd make it known that I am aware of that fact... Anyway, I'll leave that post out there since I think it get's a little intense for an introduction. Keeping things light, I'm Jes. I'm post (kind of mid) weightloss, and had my surgery around 5 years ago. I started off at 310 lbs, and am now down to 167. Still have 25 or so to go, but pretty stoked with the results thus far. I don't really know anyone personally who has gone through significant weightloss, and I think it's due time that I start giving out and receiving advice in that area. So this is my "Hi, how ya doin" post; I think I covered all the basics! [:

Hi everyone, I'm new here, and have never been a part of any sort of online community like this. Just a quick idea of my story: I'll be 26 in July, and at 5'6", was 310 lbs when I had my surgery 5 years ago. I now weigh 167 lbs which is a huge, amazing, out-of-this-world difference of almost 150 lbs. I would still like to lose another 25 lbs or so, but I am still so thrilled with how far I've come so far. All that said, I'm joining this group for a couple reasons. I'd love to help and give advice to anyone starting out on their weightloss journey, and I'd really like to get some support and advice of my own in regards to some issues I'm encountering as a result of mine. I have always struggled with such low self esteem in relation to my weight. It's been a battle since I was 9 years old, and even after such a huge weightloss accomplishment, it's something that still runs my life. I now have a whole new set of issues to deal with. Mainly, the after-effects of losing so much weight. I feel like I have done irreversible damage to my body, and hate the way it looks now just as much as when I was morbidly obese. My embarrassment over the fact that I was ever as big as I was has impacted me so heavily (ha, pun) in so many areas of my life, and nobody can understand what I'm going through. I am terrified of dating, and definitely still see myself as grossly overweight. So here I am, I guess I just need to feel like I'm not the only one hitting these issues. This post took a pretty glass-half-empty turn, which was is so out of character for me. I'm a super positive gal, I just feel a little lost. Thoughts?

Hi JessyM, Thanks very much, and I'm from Washington state. I lost a ton of weight in my first year. I think I hit 100 lbs around the 6 month mark, but I've been told I was sort of an extreme case in that regard. I had one fill, but then they reversed it at around 8 months to steady and slow my weightloss. In all honesty, I did not exercise at all for the first 3 years (at which point I had lost about 120 or so). Since then I've maintained with a very slow loss, but about a year ago I started exercising in addition to being pretty nuts about what I eat, and have started steadily losing again. There are some crazy ups and downs that go along with significant weightloss that nobody really tells you about, but I'd say it's still the best thing I've ever done for myself. Good luck on your journey; it sounds like you're well on your way!

I had my surgery 5 years ago, and just this year had to have my gallbladder removed. I had small persistant issues starting around a year after my surgery. This year, my gallbladder threw a freaking temper tantrum, and I got hit with about 4 gallbladder attacks in about a 2 month timespan. Oh my good gracious, I can't tell you how painful those suckers are! I have never been in so much pain in my entire life. After the first one, they did a ct scan and found a whole mess of stones in there. They suggested I schedule sugery to remove the gallbladder, but I was stubborn. After being hospitalized for the 3rd time, they finally sort of forced the surgery on me. My suggestion: if they find gallstones, just get the surgery. Since having it removed, I feel a thousand times better. Only side effect I've noticed is that I can't handle my alcohol as uhhhhh gracefully as I could before.