lsheshequin

I enjoyed reading your post and totally empathize with the stresses that you have experienced since your surgery. I am coming up on my 2 yr anniversary (May 11th) and am also not where I'd like to be. Reflecting on things I realize that I've also had some major life changes (a new, more stressful job, the sudden death of my father) and with the stress comes the old habit of emotional eating. I'm really trying to get back on track...but it's so hard! I hope things get better for you (and me). Good luck. [emoji846]

At this time last year I was just waking up in recovery and weighed in at about 245lbs. My highest recorded weight was 255lbs. Today I am 168lbs. I still haven't reached my goal of 150lbs but I am happier just the same. I had no complications and have been able to eat pretty much anything (in moderation) as long as I do it slowly. I still struggle with crunchy, salty Snacks - definitely my number 1 vice. I've been exercising regularly and have so much more energy. The shopaholic in me loves being able to shop in pretty much any store now...my wallet not so much. Just gotta find a way to buckle down and say goodbye to those last 15-20lbs.

Hi there, I'm in Thunder Bay, ON. I had my orientation/intake appointment at the Bariatric Centre here in December 2014. I had RNY surgery on May 11, 2015 so I'm coming up on my 1 yr anniversary. I'm down 80lbs and about 20 lbs from my goal weight. I've stalled for about 6 wks now, but that is entirely my doing - haven't been as diligent with my diet lately. I had no complications and I'm much happier since having the surgery.

Thanks for the kind words everyone! I feel great - like I'm fully alive now! @@Cervidae - my cravings are SO strong and I give in more than I care to admit. ☹. I try to distract myself by doing things around the house like cleaning out a closet or doing laundry. I just finished an apple even though I REALLY wanted a bag of popcorn that my son has stashed in the cupboard! That's a victory I guess. Sometimes though, I just go to bed for the night rather than stay up and munch or agonize about munching...sigh...here's hoping that one day it'll get easier.

I think mine qualifies as a success story . Yesterday was my 9 mth surgiversary and I am now at 169 lbs. That's a total loss of 82lbs from my HW, and 70lbs from my SW. My weight loss has been a slow but steady 1-2 lbs per week since November, and as long as it's coming off I'm ok with that. I still struggle with evening snacking (crunchy, salty snacks) but I've met with my dietitian and psychologist (both members of my bariatric team) and they've given me some good strategies for working on that. I've joined a gym and work with a personal trainer 2-4x per week and I'm finally starting to see some good results with that. Hopefully I can reach my goal of 150lbs by mid-summer. The pic below shows me at my heaviest and CW yesterday.

Hi there! I'm from Ontario (way up north in Thunder Bay) too! In a few days I'll be 7 months post-op (RNY). I had my surgery here in Thunder Bay and had no complications. So far I've lost 74 lbs in total (about 8 of those were during the pre-op Optifast phase). I've been struggling a little for the last couple of weeks - not eating more, but making bad choices as to what I'm eating (CARBS!). Thanks to the support of the TBay Bariatric Centre and my personal trainer I feel like I am back on track. This site is another fantastic support. Hearing how others struggle and meet their challenges makes me feel not so alone, and the success stories are a great inspiration & motivation! Good luck to you on your journey!

I've really been struggling for the last 2-3 weeks. I had RNY on May 11/15. As of today I am 178 lbs, down from 250 lbs (72 lbs). At 5 & 1/2 months out I feel I should have lost a little more. My weight loss has been quite slow since about the beginning of August. Today I finally came out of a 3 week stall. However, I know that the slowed weight loss is entirely my doing. My appetite has definitely returned and I have been making bad choices quite regularly over the last month or so. I do fairly well during the day, although I have had a slice of pizza more often than I should. However, it's mainly the evenings that are my downfall. After the kids are in bed and chores are done I end up snacking and the Snacks have changed from veggies & fruit to chips, pretzels, popcorn...anything salty and crunchy! I know it's not wise and everyday I tell myself today I won't succumb to the cravings...but I really feel like I'm losing the battle. I truly don't want to screw this up but it's so hard! I've recently joined a gym and have a personal trainer who requires that I keep a food journal but even that doesn't seem to be helping! I am due to see my nutritionist as well as the bariatric centre's psychologist in a couple of weeks and I'm hoping that they will have some support and tools to offer. I just don't know how to wire my brain to keep the motivation. Feeling so down.

The stories and photos are all so inspiring - thanks for sharing! On Sunday I hit 5 months post-op. So far I'm down 71 lbs from my HW of 250 lbs. In the first couple of months I lost quickly, but since the beginning of August the rate has slowed to 1-2 lbs a week. Guess I'll have to live with that. At least they're not going up! I've just added exercise to my life so maybe that will speed things up a little again. Either way, I am very happy to be where I am now and look forward to a longer, happier life!

So on Sunday I hit 5 mths post-op. Overall, it's going ok. I'm down 71 lbs total, 60 from my surgery date. Some days I can really feel the difference, other days not so much. I've always been a bit of a shopaholic - that has definitely been more fun lately. Although, after having shopped in the plus sizes for so long I'm still trying to find my way around "stylistically." I constantly worry about overeating and stretching my pouch. Some days I really have to be mindful and not allow myself to eat over 1 cup of food, and feeling like I could eat more. Other days, a 1/2 cup of whatever and I'm stuffed. Kinda weird. I wish that would stabilize a bit. I've been taking pics on the 11th of each month as a visual gauge for myself. This is something that I really need do to keep myself on track I think. While I see some difference, I would be lying if I said I didn't wish it was more noticeable. The first pic on the left is me at my HW of 250 lbs, the middle pic is 3 mths out at about 195 lbs, and the one on the right is last night at my current weight of 179 lbs. I apologize for posting pics so often, lol. Wishing everyone a great journey!

I also have the Mirena IUD. Up to surgery my periods were extremely light, usually only 1-2 days in length, and only every 3 months or so. Of course as luck would have it, I got my period the day of my surgery! But then, I had light, breakthrough periods every 2-3 weeks after surgery. I'm about 4 and 1/2 months post-op now and everything seems to have calmed down again - haven't had any bleeding for about 3 weeks now so I'm hoping it's all gone back to normal. I was alarmed at first but it is definitely due to the changes in hormones associated with rapid weight loss.

So I just joined a "health facility." My physical fitness level is non-existent so I'm anxious to see how this turns out. The only form of exercise that I truly enjoy is cycling (real bikes not stationary) or swimming (in lakes not chlorinated pools). But because I'm from the Great White North (Canada) where we have winter for like 6 months a year, cycling is limited, as is swimming in lakes. The gym I joined is a little pricey, but it comes with a personal trainer which I really think I need as I don't do well with "doing it yourself" initiatives - especially when it comes to personal life matters. Given the fact that I work full-time, have 3 kids (ages 6, 4 & 3) and my husband works out of town M-F, I'll be happy to get in 2 weekday lunch hour sessions, and 1 weekend session when hubby is home. My first session is on Wednesday! Deep breath, "I can do this"...should be interesting!

Hi there, I had surgery on May 11/15. I am down 67 lbs in total (from highest weight), 59 lbs from surgery weight. I too feel like I should be down lower. I'm now at 183lbs and very happy to be under 200 but over the last 6 wks or so I've only been losing 1-2 lbs a week. Seems like a snail's pace! However, I know the total amount down also depends on your starting weight. My highest weight was 250lbs. I've noticed that the members on here who have lost more/quicker also seemed to be at a higher starting weight. Anyways, I'd be happy to exchange updates. Lately I've been struggling with an old vice - salty snacks! Think I need to go on a liquid diet for a couple of days or something to get it out of my system!?

4 months and 65 lbs down. Slowly getting there!

I've been on Celexa for 8 years. My surgeon did not advise me to stop and the surgery went ahead as planned. The only caution I was given was to be on the lookout for the possibility of it not working as effectively post-op due to the malabsorption issue. If that was the case then my dosage would've needed to be tweaked. Thankfully, the surgery hasn't seemed to have impacted anything so far (4 months post-op)!