4 year anniversary (x-post long!)

This is the 4 year anniversary of my gastric bypass surgery. It has been an amazing ride. Here is the today's entry from my blog:

What an amazing journey the last 4 years has been. My weight has been basically stable for over 2 years I never imagined I would be successful at losing weight, and however hard that was to conceive I never thought I would be able to keep the weight off. Now my struggle is with worrying about regaining weight. It is a constant battle.

I am still amazed by the difference in my life. Losing weight has given me back my health and made doing things so much easier. The journey of the last four years is not measured just in pounds. There are so many other measures such as:

*my diabetes being under control. This is the number one, most important result of my weight loss!
*I can move with ease
*I can run. One of my life-long dreams was to run in the NYC Marathon. I fulfilled this dream in 10/07. I have developed a love of running!
*Instead of making plans to meet friends for food, I make plans with them to workout together.
*I don't have to worry about fitting into plane seats. It still is striking to me how much easier traveling is now. It is great not to have to worry about sitting in the middle seat, or having the stamina to walk through the airport.
*I can have a jar of chocolates on my desk for people who come to my office and not be tempted to have any. In fact I don't even notice they are there most of the time. In the past I would have eaten them all myself.
*I don't worry about presenting in front of a group of people because I'm concerned they will be focused on my weight instead of what I am saying.

As important as all my successes and WOW moments are, it is also important to me that I remember the pain. I don't want to forget how miserable I was, as I believe it helps me not to allow myself to go back there. I know it could be all too easy to slip back into old habits. It is easier to eat now, and I can eat more than I've been able to. I have to watch that I don't allow myself to start picking up bad habits along the way.

I am so grateful for my surgery and the tool it gave me to fight the battle with obesity. This past year has been difficult and I know if I didn't have the surgery I would have gained 50 pounds over the last few months! The surgery and years of new habits have given me the ability to get through this without gaining weight. It is still difficult not to have food to turn to sometimes, but the benefits out weigh the struggle by far.

There are so many people to thank for their support thoughout this journey, but I have to give special mention my amazingly supportive husband, Rodney.

Congratulations on your journey Mary!  Your accomplishments are great are an inspiration to so many!

You mentioned presenting to people.  Heh,  I was just talking to a buddy yesterday about "then" and "now".  It's amazing how our self-perception when we were morbidly obese will directly impact something simple as making a presentation in front of clients.  I've run a graphic design / web design firm for the last 15 years and I occasionally have to sell to clients.    I'm so much more confident in front of people and I no longer worry about smashing their chair or how they perceive me.  It's liberating to say the least.  

Congrats agan!

Chad
www.team464.com

Thanks Chad. It really is great to have the "weight" lifted (no pun intended) and feel better about getting out and doing things.

Congratulations on your four years of success.  You have been an inspiration to many of us on this site.  Keep plugging away, and keep us posted.
Rob

Thanks Rob. It is great that we all have each other here to keep us inspired. I love reading about your longs run, they help motivated me too!

Congratulations Mary!!  Thank you so much for sharing your journey.  Like many others that regularly post here, you have been an inspiration to me - thank you for that!!

Elisa,

Thanks for the kinds words.

Mary

These are the kinds of things I tell people when I talk about making my life what I want it to be.  The surgery is just the starting point.  The rest of it is what we make it.

Congrats on a fantastic journey, and I wish you all the best as you continue along your path.

Linn

Linn,

Thanks! You are right about the surgery being the starting point. My surgeon likes to say that he gave us the hammer and it is up to us how far we drive the nail in. It is up to us. I love what everyone on this board is doing.

Mary

Way to go Mary.  I am right behind you with a 12-9-05 date.  Keep up all the hard work.
Scott