My Four Year Surgiversary
Today is my four year "surgiversary." Best decision I ever made to better my health. This has been an incredibly journey for me. A journey of discovery, I have discovered things about myself that I didn't know was possible. I discovered I can maintain my weight loss by being 100% commited to the rules.
These are the rules that work for me:
- High protein = a minimum of 100 grams a day
- Low carbs = a maximum of 50 grams a day ****pt to under 20 in the weight loss phase)
- 120 ounces of liquids a day at minimum
- Daily exercise, not for weight loss but for my emotional & mental health
- Being a part of OH and making friends on OH. For me no one understands what's is like to live post Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) like the people who are actually living it, and I love the advice, help and community here on OH
- Taking my vitamins daily not not relying on my Doctor to say if my lab work is "okay" or not as my PCP see's lab work for a non WLS patient and does not realize that as a RNY patient with malabsorption my labs results are different than a normal person. I keep a close eye on my lab work to see if things are okay. Last year in June 2016 I had Iron Ferritin problems and my Ferritin got down to a 4. I needed iron infusions to get it back to an acceptable level, I keep my ferritin to a minimum of 200 now
Things I have learned in the last four years:
- Accepting that I have a tool and that surgery was not "magic" and that the weight would come off easy and stay off easy. I work my butt off to maintain my weight loss, and every day I have to make the decision to eat high protein, low carb to keep the weight off
- The surgery is the the "easy" part so to speak, for me the mental & emotional part of this journey is so much harder than recovering from the surgery
- I was pre surgery and still am post surgey addicted to sugar. This is something I fight daily not to go off the rails and eat my fav surgery treats like cake, cookies, candy & chocolate. The struggle is real my friends. But my health is so much more important to me than sugar, is it hard to resist, you wanna belive it, but I choose health, not sugar
- This journey of fighting obesity is hard. I am so thankful for the advice and extensive knowledge of the Vets here. They truly are a huge part of my success and will continue to be key to my success in the years to come. If a Vet or a Novice OHer takes the time to respond to you even if its not what you want to hear understand that they took the time out of their daily lives to help you, they have lived this journey longer than you and truly have your best interest at heart. Not everyone responds with rainbows and sprinkles, doesn't mean it not excellent advice.
My highest weight was 275 lbs, well that is the highest weight I ever saw on the scale as I refused to step on it after I saw that number. Day of surgery I weighted 254, I did a two week liquid diet pre surgery (Optifast) and today I weigh 122.4 pounds. My usual weight range is 125 - 130 lbs. I just had my gallbladder and a hernia repaired two weeks ago and have lost a few pounds post that surgery.
I wish everyone who is pre op, newbie post op, novice and Vet the best of health, if I can do it, so can you!
Daisy 
Here are some pics of me from the last four years.
Night before Surgery (Nov 14, 2013) weight 254 lbs
3 years post surgery, weight 125 lbs
3 weeks ago (4 yrs post surgery), weight 124 lbs
Daisy 
5'5" HW: 290 SW: 254 CW: 120
Nov 15, 2013: RNY - Toronto Western Hospital, Nov 2, 2017: Gallbladder removal & hernia repair
Sept 7, 2023: three +1 hernia's repaired in bowel
10+ years post op, living & loving life! 
So good to read your post Daisy!! I truly hope your recovery from your recent surgery is coming along much better than it was early on!
You are an inspiration to many and your success is incredible. I think I might have caught your exercise bug, and I agree, it's not for the weightloss, but the mind/body health!
Thank you for being here daily and sharing your experiences. 
Over 100 lbs lost! and 13 lbs below goal weight!
Results like yours show me that with hard work it is possible to feel proud again. I am so impressed with you. Your rules are dead on (I need to pay more attention to my carb intake - even when it's mostly vegetables). Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
SW:261 6/26/17 GW:150 10/6/18
CW: High 140s
PGW: 140-142
Wow! Congratulations. So amazing.
When I was first out of surgery I followed your advice to the letter. It got me to (and even below goal) in less than a year. I wouldn't have bbeen nearly as successful without your help and encouragement thoughtout the process. Thank you for all you give.
Lap band: 2006. Revision to RNY 9/23/2016
8/2/17: Goal Reached: 135lbs. & 115lbs lost (5'3")
Pre-op: 250, SW 242, CW 125, GW 135
Pre-op: 9lb M1: 20lb M2: 11.5lb M3: 11.9 M4: 13.4 M5: 10.8 M6: 10.2 M7: 8.1 M8: 8.4 M9: 6.5 M10: 5.7 M11: 3.5 M12: 4.3
