I'm still here...

Well it's been a long time. I have had my surgery with St. Vincent Bariatric Center in Carmel, Indiana about 7 or so years ago. I had the Roux-en-y procedure. My doctor was Brenda Cucucci (or something like that). She was wonderful. However about 6 months after surgery I had to stop going to Carmel because it was too long of a trip. I tried to get IU Health BMH's Bariatric Center to give me regular nutritional counseling but they would agree but wouldn't follow up. I then had to have my gallbladder removed by the gastric bypass surgeon at BMH and he referred me to the same bariatric center and once again they failed me. I've lost weight, then regained weight, then lost weight. You can notice a difference in me but I feel I still need to lose weight. I weigh about 230 right now. I haven't weighed myself recently as I don't go out with all this Covid stuff around. I am suffering from depression and bad anxiety and am on medication for that. I no longer take meds for the diabetes, hypothyroidism, or high blood pressure. I no longer use a cpap machine at night. It's been a give and take situation for me. I want to get back on track and don't know where to start. My other half isn't too helpful. We are both unemployed right now due to health issues. I don't have access to a car, nor do I drive, if I did have access.

You don't need nutritional counselling as much as you need a scale. Without a scale, it is like driving a car with no speedometer. You never know how you are doing with your weight if you don't weigh yourself. I almost never have missed a day.

To be maintaining 230 pounds, you need to be eating at least 2,300 calories a day. To lose one pound a week, decrease those calories by 500 a day. To lose two pounds a week, cut out 1000 calories a day. My Fitness Pal is free. Find a way to get a scale and weigh daily. Track everything you eat and drink in the fitness pal.

Surgery only works for a short time and then it is all dependent on what you eat and how much exercise you do. Losing weight and getting exercise will help with the depression. It will also make it easier to find a new job.