WLS Patient Personal Info

[Wubby]

Real name: Fran

Geographical location: Michigan

Age: 32

Marital Status: Married

Children/Ages: none

Occupation: disgruntled paper pusher

Pets: Tia, Tony, Punkin...supremely spoiled cats.

Hobbies/Interests: Cooking, Travel, Reading, Foreign films, celebrity gossip (guilty pleasure)

Height: 5'6"

Eye/Hair Color: Varies/Green

Starting Date of Weightloss Journey: age 5? off and on since kindergarten, at least

Starting Weight: 325 (size 26/28)

Present Weight: 325

Goal Weight: 150-170

Biggest hurdle to overcome in weightloss: Overcoming 'food-as-love'

Following any specific plan: WLS (lap RNY date: Oct 16th 2003)

What is different this time in your weight loss efforts than in the past: This method is far more serious than any other I have tried, but my hope is that I can at last be free from all this extra weight.

Anything else you would like to share with us: I'd really like to be a more active participant in this forum since I've been a lurker for years...

[Sharon44]

I have decided that regular diets do not work for me.
I have decided to go with gastric bypass laproscopic surgery.
I was glad to see this on the message board.
I have done all of the diets and they work at first, then I gain what I lost plus
Name: Sharon
Location: Chapel Hill, TN (formerly a Michigander)
Age: 49
Marital Status: Married with two children. One daughter will be 11 in November and one son who will be 16 in January
Occupation: Housewife-taxi driver for the kids
Pets: One Cat, Emily
Hobbies/Interest: love to scrapbook, sew, want to desperately be healthy
Hair Color/Eyes: Varies/blue/grey
Starting date of journey: November 4th
Present Weight: 314
Goal Weight: 130-140
Biggest Hurdle to oversome in weightloss: Holidays with all of the fancy food. Bread-Pizza-cheese
Following any specific plan: Nov 4 2003 laproscopic gastric bypass

[hellerd]

Real name: Heather

location: The great white north (i.e., Minnesota)

Age: 29

Marital Status: Married (happily!) for just over 6 months. My husband had gastric bypass, also. :-)

Children/Ages: Two children that I inherited with my marriage-- a 15 year old girl, and 11 year old boy.

Occupation: Counselor; applying to nursing school.

Pets: Two cats-- Tobie and BK.

Hobbies/Interests: Music, reading, camping/ hiking, canoeing.

Height: 5'6"

Eye/Hair Color: Hazel (but they change colors and range from gold to green); hair color currently brown but I'm looking to change it quite soon.

Date of Surgery: August 23rd, 2001

Type of Surgery: open Roux en Y gastric bypass

Starting Date of Weightloss Journey: Ever? when I was 12. If you're talking WLS, I started the process in April 2001

Starting Weight: 354

Weight at surgery: 322

Present Weight: 170/ size 12

Goal Weight: First, to get back to my wedding weight of 161; and then to get to 155 (my ultimate goal) and a size 10

Biggest hurdle to overcome in managing after WLS: Dealing with head hunger. Surgery does not take all your cravings away, and at appx. 1.5 years out, the issues do return as you can eat more. It's the same equation-- I still need to diet and exercise to maintain my weight loss.

Anything else you would like to share with us: Glad to have found another resource. :-)

--Heather

[Ditzy Blonde]

Real name: MarG

Geographical location: Southern Illinois

Age: 48 (have two years to go then I can start going backwards 49-48-47 ect)

Marital Status: Married for over 28 years!

Children/Ages: 3 Children, 2 girls 27 and 25 and one son 23
one Grandson who we raise, 3ys, 10 months going on 25 years!

Occupation: I Work full time as a Dietary Manager ! No, I do not cook the food, but supervise the cooks

Pets: 1 Shitzu, who refuses to be house broke!

Hobbies/Interests: I like to sit back and watch the home remodeling shows, gamble, and play cards, Euchre ect. and reading romance novels

Height: 5'4"

Eye/Hair Color: strawberry blonde, /blue

Starting Date of Weightloss Journey: I started exploring surgery options back in April of 2003, It's now close to November and I am waiting for approval and a date!

Starting Weight: 285

Present Weight: 285

Goal Weight: 130-160

Biggest hurdle to overcome in weightloss: eating slower, and limiting intake

Following any specific plan: WLS

What is different this time in your weight loss efforts than in the past: This has been approved by my doctor and he has supported me in my quest

[smtown]

Real name - Karen

Location - California

Age - 47

Marital Status- Divorced for 11 wonderful years

Children- 29 daughter-22 daughter-15 son- 2 grandchildren

Occupation- Case Manager for mentally ill adults

Pets- African Grey Parrot - 2 cats-fish

Hobbies- gardening, fishing, camping.

Height- 5'7"

Brown hair/eyes

Highest Weight 307
Current-289

I haven't had surgery yet, I have approval and orientation and the surgeon appointment are schedulled for Jan/04

[keeblercookie]

My real name is Julie. I am 28 years old and I live in Akron, Ohio. I am ready to make a change in my life, for the better. I am 5'5 and weigh 264 lbs. My highest weight was 295, that was my last weigh in before I had my son. I lost 29 pounds in about 6 weeks after his birth. I think most of it was water. I made it to 37and a half weeks before having a c-section because my liver enzemyes were out of wack. I had diabetes and preclamsia. I was very lucky my son came out so healthy. Knock on wood!!!!!!!! He is now eight months old and very health. Not even a cold!!!!! I have been married for 2 years and eight months. I recently stopped working because of the stress and how physically demanding my job was. After 8 and a half hours I would come home and be in so much pain from standing and walking all day I could hardly make dinner and take care of my son. I only wanted to come home and sit on the couch and watch tv and of course eat because of all the stress at work. I Have come to a point in my life that I dont know what to do about my life. It really sucks!!! I am seriously considering having wls. If I don't do this I will never be healthy. I am afraid of something going wrong. I want to be around to play with my son and see him grow up to be strong like his father.

[dtravler1]

Hi Julie

i just feel for you as i read your bio. been there done that. and if you deside on wls please look into a good program and doctor. there are alot out there. its more than surgery and a lifestyle change. make sure you are ready and will do all it takes do suceed, not only at the wieght loss but to be healthy. i wish you the very best.

Debbie

[wendylouu]

Real name: Wendy

Geographical location: Conyers, GA

Age: 28

Marital Status: widowed

Children/Ages: 1 - son -- 7 going on 20

Occupation: Nursing Student

Pets: Sadie Mae (black lab mixture), Sabaka (chocolate lab), Cuddles (calico cat), Lucky Lou (black persian cat), JB (hamster), and a lot of fish in our 55 gallon tank

Hobbies/Interests: Scrapbooking, watching and getting involved with my son playing baseball, trips with friends, hanging out with friends and family, pictures, and oh i could go on and on....

Height: 5'3"

Eye/Hair Color: Blue/Brown

Starting Date of Weightloss Journey: 1/5/2004

Starting Weight:247

Present Weight: 224

Goal Weight:130

Biggest hurdle to overcome in weightloss: Drinking the water and getting in enough protein.

Following any specific plan: WLS. My gastric bypass was done 1/5/2004 Lap. RNY by Dr. Titus Duncan in Atlanta GA.

[GreeneyedFaith]

This was a mistake...look further..

[mistyseas]

REAL NAME: Melissa

LOCATION: NJ
AGE: 38
MARITAL STATUS: Married 13 years
CHILDREN/AGES: 1 Boy, 12 years old
OCCUPATION: Stay at home mom
PETS: 1 dog & fish
HEIGHT: 5'7
EYE/HAIR COLOR: green/loreal 4r
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: playing on internet, reading, crafts, cooking/baking, making jewlery, playing with my son.
STARTING WEIGHT: 520
PRESENT WEIGHT: hopefully less than that!

STARTING DATE OF WEIGHTLOSS JOURNEY: After high school, I have dieted my way up the scales. Started this journey for wls this past July after a 2 week stay in the hospital. I finally realized how much trouble I was in, and that I needed help.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE: I have just completed all my tests that my surgeon wanted done before scheduling surgery. I have a few follow-up appointments yet to go to, but my biggest hurdle I guess is losing the weight I need to lose before they can do the surgery, need to be way under 500. I am on Atkins, and I am having a hard time with sticking to it, although this seems to be one of the easier ones for me personally to follow, does that make any sense?

I am also glad Jiff told me about this website, it has been very helpful.

[shayshay]

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REAL NAME: Shaylean

LOCATION: WA
AGE: 23
MARITAL STATUS: Married 2 ys, together 6
CHILDREN/AGES: 2 Girls, 5ys and 7mos
OCCUPATION: Stay at home mom/ caretaker for my mother
PETS: 1 cat and fish
HEIGHT: 5'6
EYE/HAIR COLOR: blue, "fortune cookie" (blondish)
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: playing on internet, cooking/baking, playing with my kids
STARTING WEIGHT: 348 (although I was 2 months preg, so probably closer to 400 by now)
PRESENT WEIGHT: will guess 370

STARTING DATE OF WEIGHTLOSS JOURNEY: I was in third grade, and realized I had a double chin, that started my Dad on making me go to weight watchers with my step mom, which then gave me an awful complex, I have dieted every which way but up and have it in my head that I am not as big as I am. I have put on roughly 50 lbs a year for the past 3 years or so , largly in part of moving to WA, I was born and raised in AZ. I miss it. I am a strong emotional eater
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE: I have finally taken the first of many steps to determining why I eat why I do, and am coming clean with my hubby about everything but the numbers on the scale. I hit rock bottom when during the delivery of my second daughter, my stomach had to be taped back so expose the area that needed to be cut (csection). That was the most horrible experience of my life. After my first daughter was born, I was on bedrest for several months, which caused my stomach to "fall" and being preg again with the extra weight just really made it a lot worse.

You know, it is really an eye opener when you have to write all this stuff, almost like saying it out loud for the first time

[TheNewMicki]

Real name: Micki

Geographical location: Arizona

Age: 36 for a couple more months

Marital Status: Happy (single)

Children/Ages: 0

Occupation: Inpatient Hospital Coder

Pets: one spoiled kitty, Tipsy who is 13

Hobbies/Interests: right now it's finishing my MBA

Height: 5'7"

Eye/Hair Color: Blonde/Green

Starting Date of Weightloss Journey: 8/1/02

Starting Weight: 326

Present Weight: 207

Goal Weight: 150

Biggest hurdle to overcome in weightloss: not eating and drinking at the same time

Following any specific plan: Weight Watchers now... had Roux en Y GBS on 8/1/02

What is different this time in your weight loss efforts than in the past: It sounds so cliche... but my "head is in the game" this time

Anything else you would like to share with us: I would do this all over again in a New York minute! While WLS is a very personal decision, I would recommend it to the right person. I have NO regrets.

[CajunKCM]

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New to the board, would like to say Hello.

I had Gastric Bypass (Roux-en-Y) Surgery on October 20, 2003. My starting weight was 213 at 2 weeks pre-op. Morning of surgery weight was 206. Today is my 10 month anniversary and I am at a happy, healthy 110 lbs!!! From a size 24 womans down to a size 6 petite (and still loosing some!).
Many factors went into my decision for having this surgery and I can't say the road was very easy...there was a time frame that I questioned what I had done...but looking back, it was just a minor pot hole in the road to the healthier me! I wouldn't change my decision....nor would I steer other people away from the surgery. I would help to educate them and have them research (just not over doing it....there are alot of crazy people out there who will post anything...and I had gotten into some of the sites and was scaring myself) and give them my pros/cons and my personal experience. We are all different and we can't compare each others weight loss or their trials & errors, just be supportive. It's a decision that you have to make within yourself for yourself...beleive in your decision & trust in God!
If anyone has any questions, please let me know....I am not an expert! Congratulations to all those who have made the decision to lose weight, no matter what your "road" to weight loss is...but know you will be happier when you reach your destination....any weight loss is a step in the right direction, no matter how you loose it (sensibly!!)....Best Wishes to those about to take on this journey!!

Kelly

[p.momma]

Geographical location: Houston
Age: 29 on Monday
Marital Status: married 8+ years
Children/Ages: 3 yo boy, 2 yo girl. They are 13 months apart.
Occupation: SAHM. I lay on the couch all day and the children feed me peeled grapes.
Pets: No, thanks
Hobbies/Interests: working on potty training right now. For the boy, not for me.
Height: 5' 0"
Eye/Hair Color: blue/ L'Oreal "Light Ash Blonde"
Starting Date of Weightloss Journey: birth
Starting Weight: 205-ish
Present Weight: I don't like scales...
Goal Weight: ...and I don't plan to look anymore. I'm all about the clothes, baby.
Biggest hurdle to overcome since WLS: not eating and drinking at the same time
Following any specific plan: Looking for suggestions. I have trouble getting enough protein and I have a MAJOR sweet tooth. Any ideas?
What is different this time in your weight loss efforts than in the past: Had lap band surgery 7/28/04
Anything else you would like to share with us: Desperately seeking menu ideas, recipes, anything along those lines. Thanks to all for your trememdous support!

[GreeneyedFaith]

i dont know how many times ...i did this..lol