A Round of Introductions!

We have a lot of new LWs so I propose we introduce ourselves.  I will start.  My name is Amy, and I had RNY on 11/29/10.  I have struggled with weight since I was five years old, up and down but mostly up the last twenty years.  I am so grateful to finally have a tool that works.  I am halfway to goal after less than three months, but the loss rate is slowing down a bit.  No matter - I am committed to getting there.

I live in Chicago with two fabulous kitties named Querida and Wellstone.  I travel all over the country to promote workforce development and lifelong learning.  I am passionate about my work, and am very lucky to have supportive colleagues.  I have learned over the years how not to be a workaholic, but I still work plenty.  In addition to work, I  am  responsible for managing the care of my mom, who is 87.  She is a lovely person who suffers from mild-moderate dementia and limited mobility.  It can be exhausting at times, but I would not trade my time with my mom for anything.

For fun, I love to sing.  I used to front a blues band, and have performed at a few popular Chicago clubs.  I miss singing!  I also am a confirmed movieholic (and a recovering popcornholic).  My favorite public institution is the library, and I enjoy all kinds of books, including fiction, suspense and historical romances.  I just started working out with my former trainer, and hope to get fit enough to do kickboxing again.   

I am rich in great friends, who made all the difference when I had the surgery.  I cannot imagine doing this without support.  I cannot imagine doing this without all of you!

Enough about me.  What about you?

Amy

Hi Amy! :)

I'm Rebecca. I'm 22 and had RNY 1 year ago. Down 96ish lbs but still 54 to go. I have been overweight my whole life, my weight has never been constant, it is always coming or going from my lw of 117 to my hw of 267.
 
I was a hairstylist for 2 years and gained 100lbs during that two years. I had to get out of that atmosphere and make a change. Having RNY has given my my life back and it was the best decision I have ever made. Now I'm a full time student majoring in Social and behavioral science with a minor in Criminal Justice. I want to be a counsler in prisons...weird I know lol.

Now I LOVE shopping since I can fit into all of the designer clothes, never in my life did I imagine I would be a HEALTHY size 8. I've been a size 8 before, all the way down to size 2 but I was never healthy and I starved myself to get there.I have two brindle boxers, Josie and Molly and I run with them almost every day now. . I've gotten a tremendous amount of support from some great women (and a couple of men) from this website and I'm so thankful for that.

Dont say it is funny to want to counsel in prisons, as a correctional officer I was also certified in passive counseling for a therapeutic community. It was when I realized I wanted to consel also but I turned in a different direction. I counseled inmates for 6 years.

Great idea, Amy.

I'm Gina and I had a duodenal switch (DS) in 2007. I fought with my body for over 30 years to keep it under the weight limits of the Army. I had back surgery in 2004, lost the battle and retired in 2006 before they could put me on the "fat girl" program. I did every stupid thing in the book to keep the weight down all those years and totally destroyed my metabolism and apparently my bones. I made it to normal BMI within 6 months post-op and my personal goal by 11 months post-op.

Along this journey a few of the best things to happen to me were: 1) choosing a surgery that fits me rather than trying to change me to fit a surgery, 2) picking a surgeon who has great skill in all the WLSs and believes in his heart of hearts that the surgery I chose would make me successful in the long term, 3) joining the LW board and even the DS board and some of those warmongers, 4) being introduced to Vitalady and her vitamin plan for those with the DS or ERNY, 5) ridding myself of the 5 comorbidities I had before surgery, and 6) learning to swing lizards for other people and doing my best to pay it forward without doing harm to others. 

I'm Price and I had RNY September 2010.  I have lost 73 lbs and am close to my original goal but plan to keep on keeping on to a normal BMI if I can get there.  I'm 62 and feel better than I have in many many years and am off all but one BP med which I hope will go away in March.

I have a small farm with donkeys and ponies and I do carriage driving.  I have started riding on of my ponies again since I have lost weight and hope to continue.  It was the first time I had been on a horse's back for 17 yrs. 

I have a small business that I operate from my home that serves developmentally disabled adults.  It gives be lots of freedom to set my own schedule and have an income and time to do the ponies. 

I go to Curves and Zumba for exercise and love both.  My joints are much better now that the weight is gone and I am very thankful for that.

I am Stacey I am 35 and I had RNY Aug 31, 2010.
I have struggled as we all have with my weight but mostly since I started staying home with the children. At my highest RECORDED weight I was 220, I know I was much bigger than that at one point.
I am a militarydependent and was only given the option of RNY or Lap band, I do not regret this decision but wish I could get out of this nasty satll.

Hello all new LWs, glad you found us here on the LW board.   My name is Cindy. I live in SW PA.  Im married with 2 kids. Expecting our first Grandchild the end of July.  

 I started gaining weight in my teens, had weight problems ever since.  I had a long road to getting approved for my WLS..... 17 months.  Im one of the more heavier LWs on this forum and I feel blessed that this group accepted me with open arms.  I had RNY almost a year ago.  My highest weight was 278.  My goal weight was 150.  Im currently 143 - 145.  My pouch can handle almost all foods, just in smaller quantities.  Although I still prefer Protein shakes over real food. I belong to a gym. My exercise of choice is walking on the treadmill, lifting weights, and Zumba.  Cindy


Next..............................

Hi, I'm Cheryl, I'm 51, married to my HS sweetheart, have one son and daughter-in-law and three dogs.  I'm currently unemployed, have been for over a year and a half.  I put on major weight during this time period, or rather, I tried to lose weight, stalled, then gave up and gained a bunch.  I've been overweight my entire life and have spent it yo-yo-ing on countless diets.  I have been successful losing a few times, but I never caught on to maintenance.  I'm hoping my RNY pouch will help me eat like a bird and keep the weight off.

I'm 2 months post op, and so far am fairly happy with my choice.  I am an impatient person and I don't feel I'm losing fast enough, but I'm doing what I can, and following all my surgeons instructions (and some of the tips and tricks from this board), so I know I'll get there eventually.  Part of my problem, I believe is that I'm newly menopausal, and my hormones are out of whack as is my metabolism.  Thank goodness I decided to do this now, who knows how I would be able to lose it in a couple more years, without having the strength and healing power I have now.

My focus is getting able to run.  I'm not an athlete, never was, as I was always the fat girl in school sporting attempts.  But I'm finding strength in my body and cultivating it more and more each day.  I ran once before, when I dropped weight, but that was 15 years ago.  I'm finding that my physical efforts are better motivators than scale numbers.  Each day I can lift more reps, and run faster and farther. 

My secondary focus is finding a job.  I feel I didn't have the right image for the positions I was applying for, and that folks unfairly judged me on my appearance.  I'm looking for a fairly high, management level job in accounting.  My previous position had been that of a controller at a mid size firm.  I hate admit it, but because I was obese, I didn't have the right self esteem to project to overcome my physical image in interviews, or even with recruiters.  I feel my confidence coming back, but I'm still not there yet.  I believe I need to pass the half-way mark in my weight loss goal before I'm willing to try my job search again. 

So that's my mini story.  Happy to meet all of you and thank you for the support given, and the support yet to give. 

Hi, I'm Liz aka southernlady and I am married to another lightweight here on the board, Charles (cbramsey5898). I had the Duodenal Switch on Jan 24, this year just 5 weeks after my dh did.

I've been overweight since I hit puberty at 12, (I have PCOS) and have been dieting all my life. I had surgery in 2002 to "cure" my sleep apnea and it did but the doctor told me it could come back at some point in time and if it did, I would have to wear a cpap. I was already seeing signs of it returning the last two years. I also had back surgery in 2006. But I've had a long standing need for NSAIDS that go back to 2000. Medications made me hit my highest weight around 1999/2000 when I got to 250 (I think) but a change in meds got me down to 205-208 and there I stayed for about 2 years til I decided on surgery.

I was also an insulin dependent type II diabetic on an insulin pump from Aug 2003-1 Feb 2011. I no longer use the pump and no longer use insulin.

Since my surgery three weeks ago, I've gone from a BMI of 35.2 to a 31.7 BMI and they told me when I saw them at my surgeon's office I had lost over 20% of my body fat so far. I'm getting all my fluids in and my protein in and following vitalady's plan (will tweak it when we get labs back).

My husband and I have been married for 14 1/2 years, we are both disabled/retired. We have two grown daughters, both married. And we have five feline furbabies who rule the roost around here. They think they own us.

Liz, based on my experience, they do own you! 
Amy