Gastric Bypass Surgery Support Group
Gastric bypass (GBP) is any of a group of similar operative procedures used to treat morbid obesity, a condition which arises from severe accumulation of excess weight in the form of fatty tissue, and the health problems ("co-morbidities") which result. If you are considering gastric bypass or have had it, join the community where we share our experiences and find support.
It's been 7 years ago today, August 2, 2010, since I had RNY.
I was 54 years old at the time, 5'2" and over 300+lbs. 298 pre op. I shed 175 lbs and got down to 125. One of my NSV's along the way was that I went back to college and got my bachelors degree. I also picked up 25 lbs from falling back into old stress eating habits starting around year 3. Year three seems to be where the rubber meets the road for many of us. RNY has still been one of the best decisions in my life. It certainly hasn't been a fix all and I have had to constantly work at taking care of myself in quality ways. RNY gave me a great reset and the tools I needed. I have found that one of the best ways to heal from the intense stress I was under, not only from when I went back to school but a majorly, intensely stressful last 1 1/2 years, has been rest, quite time, and relaxation exercises. I mean days at a time. Radical self care. Giving myself and my body permission to "do nothing" and just rest has allowed my body to begin shedding the extra weight again. 10 lbs so far. (We all know the correlation between stress and weight with the cortisol connections). In essence, we really are doing something when we are doing nothing. Laying on the couch napping, reading, loving on my babies (3 cats), staring at the light patterns on the wall that the Solatubes create, sitting on the patio watching and listening to the birds and wind chimes, and listening to the water fountain have been wonderfully productive "doing" exercises for me. I've finally embodied that I am good enough. I've learned to give myself permission to listen to my body and take care of its needs. I've learned that taking care of myself first, is the best way I can then be there for others. I've learned that when I have no control over what life throws at me, I still have control over how I respond to life and how I choose to treat myself and my body in the process. I choose to treat my body with the loving care it deserves, and that means eating healthy, moving, drinking lots of water, taking vitamins, getting regular blood tests to check nutritional needs, and resting as much as I need to. Every year brings new lessons, and I really hope this next year's lessons will be gentle ones.
JJ
You figured out how to post pics?!?! How??
Purely by accident on the photos. When you create a new post there is what looks like a picture icon to the right of the Bold Underline Italics Link options. Click on it and upload a picture. I use my iPhone which makes uploading a picture easy. There doesn't seem to be a place for photos in our bio area but they can be added to journal posts too. Still learning this myself.