Naas

Thank you for this post. It relates to my experience so also. As months post-surgery roll on, I find that the weight problem is a mental issue as much as it was a "scale" issue, and I certainly still have the potential to put food in my mounth when I'm not hungry. Post-surgery, however, such thing will hurt and feel much worse than pre-surgery mindless-eating, so that's a very good deterrent. I am not totally hunger-free however, and don't know if being a former pre-diabetic (surgery fixed that issue, no longer need meds) has something to do w/ it. I think it's a mistake to see surgery as a total and complete "magic eraser" of our weaknesses when it came to food. Also, hunger is fundamentally a good physical signal that our body needs fuel to run on- taken in its proper context it functions well, that trick is to provide good "fuel" and only adequate amout, especially with the new reworked stomach post-surgery. I'm still learning the ropes and sometimes it's touch and go b/c I do get hungry, but it's always a question: it it a real need for energy my body needs or is driven by boredom, emotions, or simply bad habits kicking up? It has to be a conscious choice. It's unfortunately not always a walk in a park for me, but so much easier than what it was pre-surgery.

"Stranger Here" by Jen Larsen - this is her account of the weight loss process she went through. Definitely not sugar-coated, and there are parts that I definitely disagree with, having gone through the experience of the weight loss surgery myself, but the book is definitely thought - provoking. If it rattles your cage a bit or makes you uncomfortable a bit, it makes you examine your own motives and that can be a good thing. One thing is for sure: weight loss surgery does not fix what makes us unhappy, that which originates from our thinking and from the way we approach life.

Just wanted to say congrats on triple digit victory!!! It is simply amazing, and you have to absolutely bask in every single moment of it! Yes, we all have more to go, but we have to celebrate the awesome achievement now!!!!! That's so terrific!!! What you described resonates a lot what I'm going through right now (I'm approaching the lowest weight that I remember at 167lbs, totally new territory for me, like venturing to the North Pole, lol). And b/c of weight loss I found me a new hobby- I learned how to alter my clothes b/c got tired of constantly buying new ones- but isn't it a great feeling when you put something on and it's actually too big??? Just wanted to say how inspiring your achievement is!!

Wow! Congrats! There is more to come! Big 30! I always picture the weight I lose as a suticase I used to carry around and now it's no longer around. This is just the beginning, you'll see, and you need to let your body adjust b/c it went throught a dramatic shift - it has to recalibrate how it uses the nutrition it's getting and that takes a while. Don't get discouraged by any plateaus, sometimes it's just a little breather you need before the next plunge downward in your weight loss. All I can say, it's a wonderful ride, not easy, but really, really life-changing! you are doing really well!