Anghelys Garcia

Hey Britt, I'm so sorry I'm long overdue for a response. But I hope all is going well with you and your journey! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

So I was reading a post of mine from a few months back. Generally the post was about my ongoing battle with depression and body image problems. Unfortunately I'm still going through these issues, and they were there long before my surgery, therefore they're not going anywhere unless I take action. Moving on from that, I've noticed that I have refrained from being active. This not only helped me physically, but mentally as well. I've just long interest in so many things that made me happy like exercise, getting my nails done, and other personal grooming/me time. Don't get me wrong I still partake in other "me time" rituals. But the most important ones have stopped. It's a little disappointing to say that I'm almost two years post-op, maintaining my weight, but really depressed. I suppose this is common for many of us as we no longer have the satisfaction of watching the scale drop. We are then left to face real life and the real world. On top of that I'm at a complicated stage in life as it is. I'm a senior in college, and will be graduating in 7months. I have massive anxiety about the future and my career. Overall I just miss feeling happy, I miss that high I once had when I first had my surgery. I'm determined to find it again though. Sent from my SM-G920T using the BariatricPal App

So I was reading a post of mine from a few months back. Generally the post was about my ongoing battle with depression and body image problems. Unfortunately I'm still going through these issues, and they were there long before my surgery, therefore they're not going anywhere unless I take action. Moving on from that, I've noticed that I have refrained from being active. This not only helped me physically, but mentally as well. I've just long interest in so many things that made me happy like exercise, getting my nails done, and other personal grooming/me time. Don't get me wrong I still partake in other "me time" rituals. But the most important ones have stopped. It's a little disappointing to say that I'm almost two years post-op, maintaining my weight, but really depressed. I suppose this is common for many of us as we no longer have the satisfaction of watching the scale drop. We are then left to face real life and the real world. On top of that I'm at a complicated stage in life as it is. I'm a senior in college, and will be graduating in 7months. I have massive anxiety about the future and my career. Overall I just miss feeling happy, I miss that high I once had when I first had my surgery. I'm determined to find it again though. Sent from my SM-G920T using the BariatricPal App

Hey there! Sent from my SM-G920T using the BariatricPal App

Hey there! I'm also 23, from NJ. Welcome! Sent from my SM-G920T using the BariatricPal App

@@Desiree92 @@NYGirlxo Hi Ladies! Thank you both so much for the warm welcomes! Again, I'm glad to have come across more people my age that I can relate to. Best wishes to both of you on your journey.

Hi Everyone, My name is Angie and I'm almost two years post op. I managed to lose over 170 pounds and have been maintained a steady weight since September. My surgery has definitely changed my life for the better; not only physically, but mentally as well. Before my surgery I was severely depressed, I've struggled with mental illness and body image issues since I was a kid. After the first few months to about a year I felt true happiness, almost like a high. I got taken off of my anti-depressants and had no depressive symptoms for almost a year. Unfortunately highs don't last forever. Despite my successful weight loss things have been going down hill, I no longer feel that happiness and satisfaction that i did when I first had the surgery. On top of that I've been feeling depressed and am starting to loathe my appearance. A lot things have gradually changed that have caused me to feel this way. To begin with, I quit my steady job. Holding a job was always hard for me when I was heavy; a few months after surgery I went through two jobs. The first one closed went out of business. Two weeks later losing that job I found another one, it was steady and stable for some time and I was actually happy at one point. But that steady job was beginning to make me unhappy after a while. What changed was that my old bosses were promoted and we were under new management. Long story short, the job went from a positive environment to a negative one. I went from feeling happy to go to work, to dreading it. So I left, and I don't regret leaving. But after leaving back in August many things just went down hill. I had two failed jobs between September and November. I started my senior year of college.....online. This is an issue because I am normally an onsite student. Despite the commute to school, I enjoy the classroom interaction and meeting new people in my classes. Also, having the face to face guidance of a professor works better for me. So I'm now an online student, and I loathe it; my grades are still good, but I'm unmotivated and am always home. So I have yet to find a steady job, and I'm attending school online, I'M ALWAYS HOME. On top of that I'm always alone...... I try getting out of the house, going to Zumba, going to the library or coffee shops to do school work....but the loneliness kills me. On top of that, not having any outside obligations gives me less of a reason to fix myself up. I went from wearing decent clothes and makeup every day to being dressed down or in pajamas most of the time. I feel so unattractive, and it makes my already existing self-esteem problems worse. I've been struggling with my body, it looks like a deflated balloon. I have so much loose skin, and I now have to stuff my bra. I lost all of my curves, and feel as though I don't look feminine at times. I can look amazing in clothes, but naked is another story. Overall, I can say that the honeymoon phase of my surgery is over. I no longer have the satisfaction of losing the weight because there's no more weight to lose. I no longer feel high on life, despite the negatives. I'm left unhappy, and In a way back to square one. I'm left to face reality without having the option to eat my emotions away as I once did. I guess the only difference from my depression pre-op is that I'd give up. My depression post-op still sucks, but I'm still fighting. I'd fight before, but I'm fighting harder than ever now. I don't allow myself to stay in bed all day, or eat my emotions away (despite a few instances), or allow my grades to drop. I'm trying to adjust, I'm trying to accept my new body, and accept that in order for there to be highs there must be lows. I'm falling but I'm getting up. I must accept that surgery wasn't a cure to my depression, but a tool to keep my health on check. I must learn to be an adult, and face life.

Hi Everyone, Thank you all for you kind words, advice, and helping me feel like I'm not alone. Looking back now, that first post was so much more negative than for what I intended it to be, and I left out so many details. I suppose I was feeling so overwhelmed with all of these emotions. I'd like to start by saying that in terms of the mental health situation, I see a psychologist/counselor. She's specialized in the bariatric department so it comes in very handy. Her suggestion for now is to leave the meds for last resort. I agree with her, I was on meds from ages 14-21, and would rather try and face life without them. Now in the case that I fall into a crisis, is another story. For the most part I try and keep myself busy, I try and attend classes at my gym, and I go to the library or cafe or Barnes and Noble for school work. I actually try and meet once a week with some of my classmates to work on side projects that could possibly benefit our careers. I also cook a lot, I'm always working on some kind of healthy dish. I also have a boyfriend of almost 6 years, but right now he's working so much that I don't see or speak to him as much, but I know he's there. It get's hard some days because he's my best friend and my most strongest companion. I try going out on the weekends when plans are available. I have one best friend, and she's far away at her college doing her thing. I have maybe less than a handful of close friends, but school and work consumes them. I am very social, but I never have a steady group of friends. I feel as though I outgrew a lot of my old friends. When it comes to new friends, I keep them at bay because have a hard time connecting with people. Sometimes I feel as those i choose to be lonely. I've come across a group of great girls. But they are so unmotivated and depressed, I'm trying to stay away from that. They're still amazing when their spirits are high, so I try and help them. But it gets hard some days. I'd rather surround myself by those who are high spirited and motivated. It pushes me. As for the job situation, I'm job hunting like all hell. I could walk into a retail store and get a job, but retail makes me anxious. It's unstable, and I don't like the crazy scheduling (why I left my steady job). I'm looking for something that wont interfere with my schooling, so part time with a steady schedule works best. Also, I'm scheduled to be evaluated by plastic surgeons next month. I'll go more in depth with that in another post. All in all, yes I am experiencing symptoms of depression, when I start to feel alone I feel a lot worse than what I really am. I went from being extremely productive, with a steady routine, to a lot less productive. I guess I just have too much time to think. Thank you all who took the time out to respond and connect, it helped a lot.

Hi Abby! Congratulations, and best wishes on your journey. You'll hit that -170 mark before you know it dear! Nice to meet you.

Thank you so much.

It's no problem, I'm open to connecting with people of all ages! Thank you for the positive messages and for welcoming me. Also, congratulations on your journey and may you continue to succeed! I can only imagine how great it must feel to feel like you're twenty again! I'm certain that your maintenance will be successful as well!

Hi Alyssa and all! I'm Angie and am also 23, good to see some strong hard working gals that I could relate to. I'm almost two years post op, so I can definitely talk about the fun stuff lol. The constipation is not so fun, I actually don't have any movements unless I take a certain natural laxative. As for exercise, I've recently gotten into Zumba. It's extremely fun and seems to be one of the few things that actually make me break a sweat now a days. I'm also a college student and I come across issues such as stress eating, and alcohol. I'm not sure if you could relate, but if you do just know you're not alone.