Hope for the newbies :)

I had RNY almost 4 1/2 years ago.  I've done my best (not perfect) to follow my eating plan since surgery.  I was very fortunate to not have any serious complications.  (I'm currently anemic, but had low iron issues even prior to surgery.)  I've never exercised like I should, but I do get more exercise than I did prior to surgery.  The first 3 months were the hardest.  I was always exhausted and  struggled to get in enough protein and water.  I lost 177 lbs and then gained 18 back (much needed gain).  I'm currently 156 lbs at 5'6".  My sugar levels are totally normal  and am no longer considered pre-diabetic.  Since getting to a normal weight, I can do "normal" stuff like bend over to pick something up off of the floor, shave my legs without issue in the shower, plug in power cords in electrical outlets, etc.  Stuff "skinny" people have no clue would be a struggle for some.  So when you're wondering at day 6, week 5 or month 3 if it's worth it....YES IT IS!!!!  I would definitely do it again in a heartbeat.  Life is so much easier physically and I've gained so much confidence it blows my mind. (I just moved 450 miles from "home" where I know absolutely no one because I wanted to better myself in my job and personally.  I never would have done that at 314 lbs!!!)

Keep working the program and most of all remember, this is a long term haul not a short term thing where you lose the weight and "go back to normal".  You MUST create your NEW NORMAL!!!!  You can do this and will be so much happier when you're where you want to be. 

BTW, I haven't updated my "ticker" in a long time.  My lowest weight was 138 so I was off a pound or two on the actual weight loss.

Thank You.  I am 5 weeks out and I really needed to hear that.

I promise it gets better.  After thinking about it, I remember my fist July 4th celebration that I had to get an IV with fluids from a paramedic because I got too hot and dehydrated because I wasn't able to drink like I should have.  That day I was struggling with eating and drinking.  I was trying to work an event outside (4 months after surgery) and almost passed out.  I guess the first 5 to 6 months were actually the worst.  (I lost 100 lbs in 6 months...I was morbidly obese.)

Please hang in there and know it gets better.  Most importantly though is make sure you change your eating habits for good. I was never a snacker, but ate 3 huge meals a day that usually consisted of unhealthy food.  Those day were over with the day I had surgery. 

Thank you for posting I am now 24 days since surgery (RNY) and am setting here thinking I will never make it. I am seeing inches but not alot of pounds going off. I will try to be more patient.

Inches are just as important as pounds!!! There were times when I would lose inches, but only a pound (if I was lucky) and my clothes would start feeling loose.  I started out at a size 28 and am now a 10 or 12 depending on how they're made.  Don't discount the inches!!! They are just as important as the lbs.  :)

Thanks for the post - I'm not really a newbie per se....2 years out here.  It encourages me to hear about those that stayed the course ...I always have that constant worry that I'll regain.  I am enjoying everything I am now able to do that was SUCH a struggle before surgery.

Thanks!

Worry for us is good in my opinion.  I worry constantly that I'll regain 20, 40, 50+ lbs.  I'm technically considered "overweight" because I'm 156 instead of 154, but I'll take it over 314 bodyweight vs. 156 lbs. any day.  I am trying to lose a few lbs though because I NEVER want to be anywhere close to where I was. 

I love success stories, I have several relatives that either gained it all back, or only lost half. I've been maintaining, despite my diet, but with my job and the RNY I need to eat as much as possible to not become malnourished

I honestly don't consider myself a success story.  I am still a work in progress and will be thrilled to maintain within 10 lbs of my "average" weight goal.  I am no longer into scales, but into how my clothes fit and how I feel.  I need to lose a few lbs, but as a friend who has never had a weight problem told me, I'm now in the norm and have to watch my weight by the 5 or 10 lbs that every "normal" person has to watch.  I will watch what I ea****ch the scale and be very consiousiness (sp???)  of how I feel physically for the rest of my life.