Hello name is Dee, March 1st will mark my 4 year surgerversery, Gastric Bypass, RouNY. Started out 208 lbs. My lowest weight was 113 lbs, I've stabilized at 115 lbs as of today. I must admit, I'm a bit of a "Peacock", only because I pride or pat myself on the back, for finding what works for me and making it a lifestyle instead of a life change. I found a (hard won) solution to be friends with the foods I love and to tweek them to fit into my life. With that said, it isn't always easy to be spot on. Life happens and my relatives make unplanned visits..but I dust myself off, and go forward. I didn't always have this attitude. For me, being overweight wasn't a good thing. I wasn't a 'Loud and Proud' BBW (Big Beautiful Woman). I was unhealthy. Period. All the health issues that come with being FAT..I had'um. Proud moment for my Doctor who watched me get FAT over the years, poor him who had to suffer threw me! My DENIAL FILE was pretty thick! Poor guy had to lug that to all his visits with me. He otta get a metal.

This surgery was a God send, and a 'Once in a life time' GIFT, from the ALMIGHTY above, as I see it, and I treat it as such. My second chance, if you will. I wont even get into the exercise thing..I do it, but I aint at the 'loving it' stage yet, still allergic to it, but who knows, maybe some day while I'm swearing and sweating I'll get an epiphany and fall in love with it. Yeaahh I wont hold my breath on that one. Anyhoo HI

Hello name is Dee, March 1st will mark my 4 year surgerversery, Gastric Bypass, RouNY. Started out 208 lbs. My lowest weight was 113 lbs, I've stabilized at 115 lbs as of today. I must admit, I'm a bit of a "Peacock", only because I pride or pat myself on the back, for finding what works for me and making it a lifestyle instead of a life change. I found a (hard won) solution to be friends with the foods I love and to tweek them to fit into my life. With that said, it isn't always easy to be spot on. Life happens and my relatives make unplanned visits..but I dust myself off, and go forward. I didn't always have this attitude. For me, being overweight wasn't a good thing. I wasn't a 'Loud and Proud' BBW (Big Beautiful Woman). I was unhealthy. Period. All the health issues that come with being FAT..I had'um. Proud moment for my Doctor who watched me get FAT over the years, poor him who had to suffer threw me! My DENIAL FILE was pretty thick! Poor guy had to lug that to all his visits with me. He otta get a metal. This surgery was a God send, and a 'Once in a life time' GIFT, from the ALMIGHTY above, as I see it, and I treat it as such. My second chance, if you will. I wont even get into the exercise thing..I do it, but I aint at the 'loving it' stage yet, still allergic to it, but who knows, maybe some day while I'm swearing and sweating I'll get an epiphany and fall in love with it. Yeaahh I wont hold my breath on that one. Anyhoo HI

Hi Dee,

So glad you are joining us on this journey. Sounds like you have figured something's out, hope you won't m be us asking you questions. Welcome!

Hello name is Dee, March 1st will mark my 4 year surgerversery, Gastric Bypass, RouNY. Started out 208 lbs. My lowest weight was 113 lbs, I've stabilized at 115 lbs as of today. I must admit, I'm a bit of a "Peacock", only because I pride or pat myself on the back, for finding what works for me and making it a lifestyle instead of a life change. I found a (hard won) solution to be friends with the foods I love and to tweek them to fit into my life. With that said, it isn't always easy to be spot on. Life happens and my relatives make unplanned visits..but I dust myself off, and go forward. I didn't always have this attitude. For me, being overweight wasn't a good thing. I wasn't a 'Loud and Proud' BBW (Big Beautiful Woman). I was unhealthy. Period. All the health issues that come with being FAT..I had'um. Proud moment for my Doctor who watched me get FAT over the years, poor him who had to suffer threw me! My DENIAL FILE was pretty thick! Poor guy had to lug that to all his visits with me. He otta get a metal. This surgery was a God send, and a 'Once in a life time' GIFT, from the ALMIGHTY above, as I see it, and I treat it as such. My second chance, if you will. I wont even get into the exercise thing..I do it, but I aint at the 'loving it' stage yet, still allergic to it, but who knows, maybe some day while I'm swearing and sweating I'll get an epiphany and fall in love with it. Yeaahh I wont hold my breath on that one. Anyhoo HI

Hi Dee!

So glad to have ya here!! You will have tons of info to put into those of us getting ready to go thru or just went thru this surgery. You will be a great asset on our journeys or sure!!! Welcome!

Ohhh six babies..lol..I love it!!! Yup your gonna need all the energy you can muster!!!..lol..six babies, love that.

Welcome Ms. Dee! It is always so great to have veterans join our forum. There are a lot of great folks here who will surely benefit from your experience and insight. I love your success and your honesty about the challenges you have faced. I know it's almost a cliché but I think many would love to read your thoughts on the key(s) to long term success. Thanks so much and again - welcome!!

Ohhh six babies..lol..I love it!!! Yup your gonna need all the energy you can muster!!!..lol..six babies, love that.

Dee, not sure if u seen this pic I posted... But here's my kiddos.... ] Click each attatchment to see the pics! All but one of my kiddos is posted.... She's 15 and wasn't having it! Lol I have em from 3-20!

Edited January 12, 201412 yr by *Misty*Raine*

Thank you Mr. Coggin, I will try my best to convey my thoughts and experiences to the best of my ability. Sometimes its hell living in this head

Misty!!! lol Thank you for the awesome photos, I'll take the cutie with the scrub brush!! I figure if you can put a cleaning implement in a child hand and get that kind of smile..I'll take 2 to go!!!

Thank you Mr. Coggin, I will try my best to convey my thoughts and experiences to the best of my ability. Sometimes its hell living in this head Misty!!! lol Thank you for the awesome photos, I'll take the cutie with the scrub brush!! I figure if you can put a cleaning implement in a child hand and get that kind of smile..I'll take 2 to go!!!

I was cleaning the bathroom, and went to take the dirty clothes to the laundry, come back and find my daughter trying to clean that toilet! I flipped! I'm saying how gross that is......She died laughing at me and I snapped a photo!

Totally excited! I love your attitude. I'm pre-op and have a very similar attitude now! I can't wait for surgery. I'm ready to tackle this head on and let God handle the fears. He can have those while I do the physical labor! (:

Totally excited! I love your attitude. I'm pre-op and have a very similar attitude now! I can't wait for surgery. I'm ready to tackle this head on and let God handle the fears. He can have those while I do the physical labor! (:

When r u thinking Ull have surgery?!?

Hopefully ASAP. I have my psych eval Thursday and that seems to be step 2 for the surgeon I am seeing.

You go MELMOMMY!!!!

OH let me just say something about your Eval..Please take this opportunity to totally unload on your Physc..It was the first time in my life that I'd been to a therapist. She explained to me that this was my time to explain to her, why I was sitting in her office, what got me there, and please not to tell her because its mandatory to get the surgery, because she could see right threw that. She didn't want all the right answers. What she wanted was for me to succeed in my Journey, and why she was a necessary evil. I love her. I still call her when ever I need her, even today, 4 years later. So please take advantage of this part of your Journey, its really the most important one. It was hard to look deep inside myself, it was ugly there and I don't want to go there, but she was awesome, and I did look, I cried, yelled, swore, you get the picture. Good times...lol

I shouldn't have a problem being a total basket case when I get in there. Lol I currently, or did I guess... Take celexa, buspirone, and trazadone for depression and severe anxiety.. The depression started pp after I had my nearly 4 yr old son. I think I use it more now to calm my nerves. Lol Anyway.. My psych nurse practitioner says I've not seen her since June (which isn't true bc I saw her in Sept. And was on a 3 month schedule) so she's refused my med refills. Well I've been without meds now for 3 weeks. My anxiety is absolutely out of control and driving me crazy and I've been an emotional basket case. I won't have nearly enough drugs in me come Thursday so the dr I'm seeing will see the unmedicated me. Haha

I had a bit of a huge little meltdown today... :/ I googled before and after WLS pics.... That probably was not the best idea seeing as I'd already been feeling crappy. I had avoided looking up til today simply bc I knew I was going to see some pics of people with similar body shapes as mine. That was a hard pill to swallow at the moment BUT it's not hindered my determination to keep going forward. I'm more tired of being tired from carrying all this excess weight around and going to the dr for a routine checkup only to find something else is wrong with me that likely wouldn't be happening if I wasn't so overweight. That utter exhaustion and health issues bother me a lot more than the fact that I will have some saggy baggies all over. The saggy baggies can be fixed (mostly) with cosmetic surgery down the road and a long talk with my boyfriend makes me feel 100% better about it all! (:

I think you've just described most of us here on this site!!!!..we're with ya honey!..well seeing your going ahead with the surgery, let me say this...you will never regret your choice if you go into it with the full knowledge and understanding that it had RULES. I always tell people who ask me about this surgery, that if you can not follow rules don't have this surgery. There are guidelines and Doctors instructions that must be follow to the letter, and when you deviate from that, is when complication arise. But as you progress in your Journey and you start to feel life flooding back into you body, it is the most unbelievable feeling. My absolute joy came when one by one, each med bottle got thrown away or I no longer need it. That's when I knew this was the right decision for me. I was slowly getting HEALTHY, and so will you, you cant help it, it just happens, its quite amazing,

I probably have a bit more motivation than many already... Not bragging by any means so please I hope no one thinks that! February 19 (also my oldest's bday) will mark my moms 4 yr surgiversary. I watched her have a heart attack in 2006, then lie in a bed hooked up to a ventilator after a triple bypass bc her lungs were in such bad shape from smoking for so many years that they just wouldn't re-inflate and work on their own. Then onto gain about 80lbs more (she was already way over 300lbs at 5'0") over the next 4 years, during which time she developed type II diabetes, high cholesterol, and the "I can't" attitude. My stepdad finally convinced her to have RNY. She was TINY (size 8 148 lbs) when they met in 1997 and she was healthy... He wasn't so much worried that she was overweight bc he wasn't attracted to her, his concerns were for her health. I had great respect for the man he was! Well, she had her surgery, I had my youngest less than a month later. She was excited because she realized she was able to interact with him on a much healthier level. She lost somewhere around 100lbs the first 8 months. I watched her experience dumping. Become malnourished. And become depressed in a manner I'd never seen before. I thought I'd seen it all too working in group homes with MR/DD individuals. Over the last 2 years she's gained that 100 back plus about 20. In the last 6 months she's somehow managed to lose the 20 though. We lost my stepdad in June 2012. Her depression has spiraled and I can see she doesn't care much about anything. I also have a 13 yr old brother at home. I try to spend as much time, or rather let my kids, but she and I are like oil and Water. Every word out of her mouth about me is a lie. I mean, I don't think she really knows that she's doing it. She believes what she thinks. She certainly isn't the same person she was 10 yrs ago that's for sure. We know there was some brain trauma from her time on the ventilator so I don't know if that's what keeps her head in such a twist or what. Anyway, she's one to walk into a room and just out of the blue say "I can't believe how fat and lazy you are!" To me... She's not the nicest person. Very mentally abusive to all of us. She says the same thing to my daughter too. She's a dancer, hip hop, ballet, tap, and jazz. She's getting the preteen belly but she barely wears a 14 (girls) at 4'8". She's about 80-90lbs. Fluctuating. She's rock solid with muscle. She is becoming obsessed with her body. She runs, bikes, and exercises. Her own choices! This isn't the kind of childhood I wanted for her so we make every effort to keep her visits with my mom to a minimum. I have vowed to not turn into my mother. I'm not that hateful person. It doesn't have to be my way or no way. I'm tired of being overweight. I've been obese since 8 yrs old. I will be 32 this year. You can do the math. I want to be around to see my children grow up, graduate, graduate again, begin careers, marry, have children. If possible, see their children do the same also! I want to be able to wear my bf's clothes and tell him hahaha I'm wearing your T-shirt and I kinda like it. I want to say buh bye to the 9 different meds plus the insulin that I take. I want to go into local stores and buy that shirt and those pants that are super cute that I have to try on because I'm not sure they will fit! Not because I'm so big but because wow, I don't know if I need a size 10 or even a 12! I live in a small town. I have to order my clothes online because they don't sell size 32W around here. None of this motivates my mom. Maybe that is why my determination is so strong. Her lack of motivation is my motivation.

I posted somewhere else that I don't think she has stretched her pouch and could still make her RNY work to her advantage. I pray that she finds motivation in my journey and will take hers by the reigns and continue and be successful. She's my mom. I don't want to lose her at 52 or 53 yrs old. My brother deserves more than that. My children. And she herself does too. She did it for my stepdad. He's gone now. But there's still my brother and my babies that she could do it for if not for herself. She's made different comments about support groups. Like if I go, she will go with me. I would like that. Though I'm fairly certain there isn't a support group anywhere nearby for us to attend. This is where I'm doing some homework because I can start a support group if need be. If the need is there, I'm all for getting it together. She doesn't know this but she would tell me that I'm "full of sh*t and couldn't do it" anyway. Yeah, she's real supportive and encouraging! Lol I roll my eyes and keep on keepin on when I have to! Sorry for the mini book but this explains me. My motivation, determination. ME. (: