Before and After Gastric Bypass

  My        Before         and          After  
     Gastric   Bypass  Photos

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Please share your personal Before and after Gastric Bypass or any WLS story and photos with others. 
       Go to the form below and give us a brief description of your weight loss journey. 

My life before and after gastric bypass surgery....  On the pages of this site I've tried to portray my real life experiences with obesity and with weight loss through gastric bypass surgery.  I am now about 3 and 1/2 years post-op and I'm very happy to say that I have had an over all wonderful experience. 

This is my Before and After Gastric bypass page.

I went from an all time high weight of 221 pounds to an all time low weight ( after my surgery ) of 117 pounds. From a woman's size 20 clothes to a misses size 6 or sometimes smaller! 

I no longer take a long list of medication for such things as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, rapid heart rate, depression and sleep apnea !!! 

I feel better then I have in a long time and I am far more able to do the things I want to do in life. I enjoy activities with my family again.  

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Before Gastric Bypass 

I didn't eat a lot throughout the day, never breakfast.    Instead I ate all evening long.

I didn't think about portion size and ate quite large meals.

I didn't try to eat balanced meals.  I ate a lot of carbohydrates and sweets,  a lot of calories!

I rarely drank anything but soda. 

I didn't really exercise much.  I considered housework enough exercise.

My entire life I never had a healthy lifestyle !  I believe growing up in a home where a healthy diet and exercise are not taught or a part of your lifestyle is one of the major contributors to Obesity both in children and later as adults !   

Mrs. Obama's campaign to fight childhood obesity is what our nation's children need and deserve !   

 As adults fighting the affects of obesity and having to go to the extreme of weight loss surgery we need to do our part to educate our children and grandchildren about eating right, exercising and  taking care of our bodies. As family members they probably have already inherited the so called   "fat gene" so telling them our story and our struggles and encouraging them to be more proactive in their own health is our responsibility.  Tell them your before and after gastric bypass story!

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After Gastric Bypass                                                                          

I automatically had to eat less. My small stomach pouch was only about the size of a large walnut.    I eat much smaller portions now .

I had to start re-thinking and re-vamping my diet.  I began with daily breakfast .

I eat a tiny meal during the day.  I'm no longer so hungry in the evening and eat smaller portions at dinner time.  Later a nutritional snack. Maybe a few dark cocoa covered almonds. 

I eat more balanced meals. Keeping protein first. Staying away from so many carbohydrates and definitely can no longer have concentrated sweets.  (Here I need to note that I have been able to find many good tasting "no sugar added" products to satisfy my occasional sweet tooth!)  I am surprised at the number of "diet foods" available and how good some of them taste. Life after gastric bypass can still include some  sweet indulgences  thanks to some of the good tasting diet treats out there !

Before and after gastric bypass I never drank as much as I should have. I still struggle trying to get as much fluid as I should but I do drink more water now. I also drink Crystal Light  which I like a lot. I have also found good low sugar juices. Healthy Balance Juices. They come in a variety of flavors. Healthy Balance apple is my favorite and has only 4 grams of sugar.  As I struggle to get my fluids in I'm always looking for new drinks. Ocean Spray Diet Cranberry Juice is delicious!  Less then 1 gram of sugar.  (If you like cranberry juice and I do.) They have other good flavors as well to choose from.

I need to add here as part of my before and after gastric bypass story,  that about a year or so after my gastric bypass I had a real craving for root beer! Even though I know carbonated beverages are a no no. I decided I wanted to try a diet root beer. What really got me thinking about it was when I saw someone with a root beer float. (OH MY GOSH)  So I thought by adding diet vanilla ice cream to the diet root beer that would not only taste terrific but also eliminate a lot of the carbonation. I don't know if it did really but it did really taste good!!! Let's face it we are only human and we have sacrificed a lot to be on this weight loss journey. Yes it was my choice. I'm not complaining by any means. I'm totally grateful for my second chance. But yes I'm not perfect. Occasionally  I eat or drink something that I know is not the best choice for me and I give myself a break sometimes. We all need to realize that it's ok as long as we don't over do it!  So while admitting my down falls I also have to admit that sometimes I have a soda... period. I may drink a diet Vernor's ginger ale or rarely a Pepsi next (that's extra bad because of the caffeine) I do try to stay away from caffeine. I also once in a great while will have an extra small piece of cake with no icing (like at a birthday party). Or maybe a little bite of something sweet my husband might be eating. I do have to be very careful though because no little bit of sweetness is worth the dreaded dumping syndrome! 

I debated whether or not I should have added that last part about being bad.  LOL  But I want this site, I want this Before and After Gastric bypass page, I want it all to be about my real life and my real gastric bypass journey !!!   And it is. 

I am a very lucky woman to have been able to have Laparoscopic Roux en y Gastric Bypass Surgery. I know it will ultimately prolong my life because I am so much healthier then I was before hand.  It has definitely already improved the quality of my life!  My before and after gastric bypass life is such a dramatic change for the better !

I AM LIVING A MUCH HEALTHIER, HAPPIER LIFE !

I know that is not the case with everyone who has had weight loss surgery and I hope everyone with good and bad experiences alike will share a little of their before and after gastric bypass journey here (or any form of WLS)  with others so that we can all learn and grow from each others experiences. Especially those considering gastric bypass surgery. 

Before and After Gastric Bypass Stories: