I have thought about bariatric surgery for years, and had to figure out my why of taking this leap. I tried to do it myself, I really did. I had a hip replacement surgery in Nov 2021 which allowed me to exercise and be more mobile than ever before. I did everything right, and lost 60 lbs, and then plateaued for TWO YEARS.
Eventually I gave up. What used to work didn’t anymore. Trying new things didn’t work. Everyone has an opinion on what you should do. The big one is eat less calories than you expend. But I did that and it worked for 60 pounds and then stopped. It was so frustrating and disheartening.
I got on the scale in the summer of 2025, saw the number, and realized I had to do something. I felt like it was now or never. So I researched doctors, found one I felt had a lot of experience and worked with a hospital I trusted, and make an appointment.
I went prepared with reasons, and food logs, and promises (as if I was going to see Dr. Now on my 600 lb life). In reality, my doctor asked me if I had an idea of what surgery I wanted (I did, gastric bypass), what had I tried to lose weight in the past, and why I wanted the surgery now. He agreed that was my best option, and we walked back to the office to schedule the surgery.
I was scheduled for Sept 23, 2025. I only had to do one nutritionist appt (I ended up doing much more but that’s all my insurance required), the psych eval, and routine pre-admission testing.
Going into that surgery knowing everything would be different after was scary. I was NOT prepared for the mental aspect of it, although I knew it would be hard I didn’t realize how hard. My stomach was telling me I wasn’t hungry but my head was screaming I was.
I am 3 month post-op and things get easier every day. My life doesn’t revolve around food like it did, but that’s OK. When I spend the day with my best friend instead of going to an expensive restaurant we go shopping. I take my girls out bowling or to the park instead of focusing on food. Date night with my partner also looks different, but I am actually enjoying experiencing new things and activities instead of new restaurants.
I have lost a total of 60 pounds from when this process started in Summer 2025. I feel better, I have more energy, I can go into a regular store and buy clothes. I have a small weekend away planned for February and I can’t wait to get on an airplane and see the difference there!
If I have one regret about this surgery is that I didn’t do it sooner.
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