Just a little intro into my weight loss journey

First and foremost, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!  I have been through your struggles and I too was frustrated and my whits end!  I tried every diet known to man, from Atkins to Weight watchers, and everything in between.  Nothing seemed to work.  As a matter of fact, after I had kids I could not lose the weight at all.  I just kept gaining and gaining no matter what I did.  My health started to decline majorly around 2009.  I had gotten so big I had to use a C-PAP machine to breathe when I slept at night.  Can you imagine how scary it is knowing that when you go to sleep you may never wake up?  I was terrified that I would not live to see my kids grow up.  On top of having to use a c-pap machine to breathe I was on all sorts of medications that were doing me no good.  I had high blood pressure, severe migraines, anxiety, depression,  and absolutely excruciating back pain.  All of these ailments were a product of my weight.  I got so morbidly obese that my only choice was the Gastric Bypass surgery.

I will never forget the day I heard those much dreaded words from my doctor..."you are going to die."  My own doctor was in fear of my life.  I was 406 pounds and deteriorating fast.  He looked at me and said, Amber, you are entirely too fat for your body to keep functioning.  My doctor then did one life saving deed that I will never forget.  He wrote me a prescription for a miracle. Yes, that's right, I had in my hands a prescription for a Gastric Bypass Surgeon.  I did as you are doing right now.  I decided to research the gastric bypass surgery and it's pros and cons.  I found my Surgeon.  His name is Doctor Michel Murr at Tampa General Hospital.  What made him stand out from the rest was he not only a surgeon but a Center of Excellence.  It is important to look for that when doing your research.  You do not want just any quack doing a delicate procedure such as the Gastric Bypass on you.

I started out by attending their seminar on the surgery.  It was very informative and gave me the tools I needed prior to having the surgery.  I decided to have the roux-en-y.  This operation entails dividing the stomach into two compartments, thus creating a very small pouch (approximately 30 ml or 1 ounce) that remains connected to the esophagus (food pipe). The larger portion of the stomach(excluded stomach) is left in its place and not removed (figure 1). The two parts of the stomach are completely separated. The small intestine is divided downstream from the stomach and one of its ends is attached to the small stomach pouch. Ingested food goes into the small intestine and bypasses the stomach, hence the name of the operation.

The intestine is then reconnected downstream from the pouch to receive the acid secretions made by the bypassed portion of the stomach (shaded area).  Absorption of food occurs in the common channel where

ingested food meets the acid and bile from the bypassed stomach.  Because more than one third of the patients who lose weight develop stones in their gallbladder, we routinely remove the gallbladder. This only

takes 20 minutes and adds little risk to the operation. In addition, a very small sample of the liver will be obtained to check if your liver shows signs of damage from obesity.  This is just a little information I got from the TGH website about my surgery.  

Prior to having the surgery my Doctor suggested I start a vitamin regimen and high protein meal replacement supplements.  My doctor suggested I use Bariatric Advantage.  I was very iffy about this product considering I had never heard of it.  Let me tell you that this is the ONLY product that Dr. Murr will endorse.  Prior to the surgery I followed his instructions to the letter and was able to lose about 20 lbs before my surgery.  Now mind you I only started using this product 3 weeks before my surgery.  I say that is a phenomenal amount of  weight to drop in just three weeks.  After my surgery and about two months out I had already lost another 50 lbs.  I was astonished, but then I did something stupid.  I ran out of my Bariatric Adavantage and decided I was going to find cheaper protein and vitamin supplements.  What a mistake!  My hair started falling out, I began to feel lethargic, and my I stopped losing weight.  Needless to say I got back on the bandwagon and am now healthier than I have ever been in my life!

As of right now I am down 168 lbs.  Yep, a whole person!  This is just the beginning.  My life has definitely changed since my surgery and I intend to keep you updated on my continuing weight loss success and Everything I do to keep the weight coming off.  Just to let you know I am now just over the two year mark since my gastric bypass.  As I will reiterate throughout my journey, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  If you have questions or concerns I am here.  It's always a plus to have a good support group.  Even if it's just one person in the beginning.