Imwichya

This is a long post. I promise there won’t be many like this. My hope is that my story will help inspire someone that is on the fence. My story is about some really good decisions I’ve made including marrying my wife. I submit to you that our respective journeys are about decisions and commitment to a process. The surgery fixes the physical for a period of time, but it does not work on your brain. The short and sweet version: HW: 602 lbs I very rarely admit to this. SW: 552 lbs CW: 260 lbs Total weight loss: 342 lbs On this day 2 years ago, I made one of the best decisions of my life. At the time, I had no idea how great I was going to feel or the new experiences I was going to enjoy. All I knew was that I was about to turn 50, and I came to the realization I had to make a change. I always told others, that you can’t do the same thing over and over and expect different results. That was my a-ha moment prior to the surgery. I decided I was going to undergo weight loss surgery. I decided I was “all in” on this process. The day I went to initially meet with my surgeon, I stepped on the scale and weighed 602 lbs. It was hard to look at. Every part of my body hurt... my knees, my back, my ankles, etc. Almost impossible to walk. To put it into perspective, I could barely walk for a couple of minutes without pain or having my heart beating heavily. The good thing was I had normal BP, sugar, cholesterol, etc. I can’t even explain my mental state. I had slowly withdrawn from almost all aspects of living. I am the by-product of losing weight successfully and then gaining it back with interest. I could always lose 75-100 lbs on my own. But since I had a lot more than that to lose, I would eventually hit a wall and revert to my bad habits. I initially wanted to have VSG surgery because it was less invasive and quite frankly I was scared of surgery. Although my surgeon recommended RNY, he left it up to me. I researched a lot and decided RNY. I asked soooo many questions. I spoke with people that underwent surgery. I also decided that I was going to pay out of pocket for the surgery. I felt it was an investment in me. I also didn’t want to chicken out during the insurance process as other times. From my initial consult to surgery day (about 60 days), I lost 50 lbs. 27 of those were during the liquid diet. And no, I did not cheat once during the liquid phase. Was I scared about surgery? Absolutely. But I also understood, statistically, men of my weight do not live long lives. My surgery weight was 552 lbs. I was blessed to go through the surgery without complications. The 1st 6 months out, I focused on the nutrition aspects. The only physical activity I tried was water aerobics. At about the 6 month, I weighed in at 425 lbs. I felt things were beginning to slow up. I decided to hire a personal trainer. My first conversation with him was that I knew I needed to exercise for my health but there’s no way I could ever have the passion for going to the gym like him and others. My first goal was to walk a 5K. I accomplished that 6 months after. It took me 1.5 hours to finish. But I did it. What an incredible feeling. Today, I do that on a daily basis. Both walking and jogging. I have never felt this good during my adult life. I have embraced this new lifestyle and now look forward to working out. During these unprecedented times we are facing, I have found alternatives to going to the gym and refuse to allow the situation to dictate my life. Today, I stand at 260 lbs. This is the lowest weight I’ve been since high school. It’s important to build the right team. To my wife, my surgeon, my primary physician, and my trainer.......THANK YOU. I would not have been able to achieve these results without your support, encouragement, and advice. I also look at my own level of commitment during this journey. As I said, I hope that my story helps others.

Thank you for your kind words. Congratulations on your weight loss. At the beginning, it’s rough. But stick to the plan. It works. Wishing you much success in your journey.

Thank you.

Thank you for your kind words.

Thank you

Thank you for your kind words.

Thank you for your kind words.

Today marks my 5 month surgiversary!! As of this morning, I am down 156 lbs from my high weight and 130 lbs from surgery. I am blessed that I’ve had little complications through the process. Still have a long way to go. A big THANK YOU to all that have supported me throughout the journey. It’s one of the best desicions I’ve made in life.

@magpie26Congratulations to you as well. It doesn’t make sense to compare ourselves to others. There are too many variables to consider (like starting weight etc.). Wishing you continued success on your journey!!

Good luck to you. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

@Frustr8Glad to hear that you are moving toward surgery in July. Wishing you much success and a speed recovery.

Ok. I am officially part of this club!!! I turned 50 last Friday!! I had my surgery in April.

Congratulations and well done Sprinkles. I had my bypass on April 12th. As of this morning, I have lost 100 lbs. from my HW and 64 lbs. from SW. Still a long way to go. I crave nothing. I have been able to tolerate most foods. Although I haven’t and won’t try the sugary stuff. I need to pick up the pace with exercise. A lot easier on the knees without an additional 100 lbs.

I’m almost 2 month’s post op. I have not had any issues so far with eating. Very small quantities. It is incredible that I used to be able to eat a 24 oz. bone in ribeye. Now with 2 oz. I am satisfied.

After the 2nd night, I was able to sleep on my side. I have had good sleep ever since. Thanks for the suggestions. Best of luck to you as well.

Well, it’s almost here. Tomorrow, I will finally have RNY surgery. Although I’ve enjoyed many incredible moments, many have been based around food. I am looking forward to new adventures. Starting with a trip to Disney!! It has been quite a journey so far. Gaining and losing 100s of lbs. The straw that broke the camels back for me was losing 50 lbs last year. I was working out and eating right. I fell off the wagon and not only gained back the 50 lbs but an additional 40 lbs. I was devastated. I’m approaching 50 years of age and I feel myself slowing down. Missing out on activities with family and friends. It is time for a change. I have spent time during my pre-op journey reaching out to all that encouraged me throughout the years letting them know that their advice did not fall on deaf ears. My only wish would be to have had my parents living to watch this transformation. I am so grateful to my wife who was and always will be supporting me throughout this process. I am also grateful to all my family and friends for their support. So let’s do this!!

I also was 14 lbs heavier when I went home from the hospital. Today marks one week after the surgery. I lost 2 lbs total from my pre surgery weight. So don’t worry so much about the first week.

Ok. So I have 1/2 of the formula. Had my gbp on 04/12. I turn 50 in June.

Hope you get your surgery soon!

So far very little pain. Mostly around an incision. My biggest issue is lack of sleep at night. I’ve never slept on my back. My knees are bad so I don’t worry about getting up too fast. Lol. So far no dizziness either. I haven’t had any issues getting fluids. So much that it was worrying me that I’m drinking too much fluids. Not walking as much as I’d like (bad knees). I walked more in the hospital due to all the pain meds they were pumping into me.

I had my surgery 4 days ago as well. If it isn’t for the incisions on my stomach, I would question if I really had the surgery or was used as some placebo test. The hardest thing is learning to sleep on my back. No issues with liquids.

Hello all, i just got home from the hospital. I had a great experience. Honestly, I thought it was going to be worse. I did take all the pain medications I could take. So that could be a part of it. They also kept giving me anti nausea meds for precautionary measures. The nurses were top notch. Certain movements do give me some discomfort. I think the worst part was the drink for the upper GI test.

Hi everyone, I just got home after my RNY GBP. I had mine on Thursday the 12th. I was expecting much worse. So far so good. Very little pain or discomfort. I did take the pain meds as prescribed. I think the worst part was that liquid you have to drink for the upper GI.

Thank you all for your wishes.

Taina good luck to you as well.