Hi Nat, I'm Jerri. I read your post and it brought tears to my eyes. It is so much like my own story. I'm a single mom of a beautiful 11 yr old girl, and 2 years ago I fought every day to find a single reason to go on living. Just one reason each day...just one. I was 275 lbs and despised myself, the world and everyone in it. I had no energy, no ambition, no life. My daughter didn't have much of a life either, because Mommy had NO energy or inclination to do much of anything. I had a sleep study done and to say I had sleep apnea is the understatement of the century. I "slept" a total of 5hrs and 37 minutes during my test. I stopped breathing 157 times for an average of 119 seconds each time. (Grand total of approx 5 hrs and 10 min NOT breathing.) Pretty scary when you think about it. Add to that severe clinical depression and I was a total mess. I was sick and tired. Sick and tired of being sick and tired. I have arthritis in my spine, one hip and both knees. With all the extra weight I was carrying around I was lucky I could walk. Then again, I didn't worry about having to walk too far, because I didn't have enough breath to walk more than 100 yards at a time. Well, I've worked long and hard, and as they say...I've come a long way baby! The first thing I did was get myself a good therapist (thank you Rowena wherever you are) and finally found a med that works. Since my depression is caused mostly by a chemical imbalance, I'll be taking it for the rest of my life...but that's ok. That in itself didn't fix it all or make it all go away, but it allowed me to find the frame of mind I needed to be able to finally work things out for myself. Empowered me to kick myself in the butt, stop feeling sorry for myself and figure out what I had to do to make things better. I decided I wanted to live, but even more than that, I decided I wanted a life. The first thing I knew I needed to do was to get the weight off. I was 40 years old and in serious trouble. Heart disease runs rampant in my family...my mother had a triple bypass at the age of 45, and I was following a bit too closely in her footsteps. I've battled my weight since my teens and have been on every diet known to mankind. Nothing worked for long. I'd get tired of playing the game, pick up my toys and go home. Not only would I gain back whatever I lost, but some additional weight as well. Sound familiar? So, I decided on the roux en y. I knew that this was not the miracle cure, but rather a tool. But it was exactly the tool I needed. This is what I needed to do, in order to be able to make the commitment to myself to change my lifestyle for the better...for good. I knew that once I had the surgery, there was no turning back. (yeah, yeah, I know, there are way around the surgery, but let's not go there) I took the option of giving up away from myself. Once this was done, I could NOT say...gee, I don't want play anymore. I had my surgery on May 6, 2004 at the age of 41. Here I am, one year later, almost 100 lbs lighter and 100 percent healthier! I went from a size 28-30W to a Missy 14-16. I have about another 40 lbs to lose to be at my goal. *laughing* I'm still amazed that I can walk into most stores and buy something "off the rack" and have it fit. I really had to laugh at your daughter's comment about hugging you because about 6 months after the surgery my daughter had said almost the exact same thing to me. She hugged me and said, "Wow! Now I can hug ALL of you, not just part of you!" My darling boyfriend of 4 1/2 years has literally been with me through thick and thin. Even though he didn't agree with the surgery, he supported my decision and stood by me all the way. We are now looking for a house where he, my daughter and myself can all live together happily ever after and be a real family. Who says that fairy tales can't come true? Sorry about the length of this post, I didn't really mean to pour it all out like that, but it seems as though once I began writing I couldn't stop. Congrats Nat on your "re-birthday", and congrats to all of you who were strong enough to be reborn. ~Jerri~ (who feels like a McDonald's commercial...cuz "I'm lovin' it!") 275/186 reborn 5/6/05

Today... One year post-op! WOW! What a year. I've been through what seem to be like hell, (so to speak) this past year, but I do feel like it will be worth it all, when everything is said and done. Well, I'm between a rock and a hard place... my scale here at home is messing up on me, so it's really hard to know how much I am weighing today. I'll have to go buy another on this afternoon and hopefully I'll be able to weigh in and post it. The last that I knew I've lost approx 170 pounds. Day of surgery I weighed in at 490 and today approx 320! I feel like I have so far to go. I'm not really lossing any more. I've tried cutting back on my portions even more... but I don't feel like it's helping. I need a support group so bad! Any idea's? To all of my fellow ObesityHelp 1st Year Anniversaries... Congratulations on a job well done.

Tricia, Congratulations on your amazing success! Today is my 1yr ANNIV as well, so I share in your joy! Wishing you continued success & happiness! Pam RNY 5/13/04 268/155 below goal & maintaining.

Hi Jennifer. We share the same surgery date. How tall are you? I'm 5'2'' and still at 145lbs., down from 270. I wear mostly 10s but hope to see 8s and maybe 6s when it's all said and done. You've done remarkably well. Congratulations! Enjoy your new you. Melissa

OOPs sorry I am slacking!!! I dont remember what all I ate thursday, lol. I know I had tuna noodles and cream of mushroom soup for dinner, and I did have a glazed donut in the after noon, bad bad me. I will try to remember to post tonight on what I ate today- Melissa