Good day everyone! I guess I'm supposed to tell my story so here goes. I was 285 lbs on May 10, 2011. After being overweight or obese for virtually all of my life and following a recent diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes I decided that it was time to do something about it. I met with my surgeon for the first time on May 10th. Went through all of the pre-op testing and worked on losing the 20 to 25 lbs that the surgeon had told me was mandatory and non-negotiable. No loss, no surgery. I had my RNY on October 20th and had lost 35 lbs up to that point. I will be 27 weeks post-op tomorrow, April 26th and my weight about a week ago was 182 lbs. Like most bypass veterans, I am a huge proponent of this surgery and would very much like to "give back" by doing what I can to answer questions and help folks who are going down the same path.

I've been married to the same extraordinarily patient lady for 36 years. We have two sons and the world's cutest grandson. One slightly spoiled ( ) black labrador retriever and an amusing if slightly psycho cat. I'm semi-retired and enjoy all things nature - fishing, camping, photography, gardening, astronomy, birding and anything else that takes me out into the fresh air.

There seems to be an awful lot of friendly folks here on the forum and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone! Have a great day!!

Congratulations Bernie! Good to see you back!!