I recently went for my yearly labs. While I was there, I asked for a copy of the list of things that the surgeon asks the lab to test for. In case anyone needs it or wants to see what all they look at to see if we're healthy, here it is verbatem:

Parathyroid (intact)
Comprehensive metabolic panel
CBC with Diff
Lipid panel
Zinc Level
Vitamin D 25 hydroxy
B12
Folate
Transferrin
Ferritin
Thyroid Panel (T4, T3, total, TSH)
Vitamin K

It's been a while since I've updated this. I'm now 19mo post-op and have been holding steady at between 140 and 145 for the past few months. I am really happy with the post-op lifestyle as I'm not on any type of diet. I don't "watch" anything like carbs, sugar, fat, etc..If I want something in particular, I eat it. I feel like just an everyday normal person. Vitamins and supplements are second nature now, no big deal there. Getting the water in, no big deal either. Most of what I crave to eat is protein based, so that's not hard either. I'm a major carnivore now and I love me a good serving of bbq chicken or a really great steak.

Here are my pics:


I don't know if I'll be updating much more with pics and weight loss since I'm where I need to be and look pretty much how I expect I'll look for the rest of my life, besides aging of course. Take Care!