Okay, I'm going to tap into that dreadful stereotype of most gamers being overweight and see if there are any fellow "sufferers" out there.
I'm curious if there are any other posters who have had or are considering weight-loss surgery (whether gastric banding, bypass, sleeve etc.)?
I'm currently in the run-up phase to the surgery (gastric bypass) and you can never have too many supporters when it comes to life-altering surgery.
I know it's a touchy subject with a lot of people, whether from personal pride or the social stigma that still follows it around. It's often viewed as "the easy way out," which, if one would do just a little research, cannot be further from the truth. It's a tool that can help with the hardest part, losing the weight, while a very strict and healthy lifestyle must still be maintained afterwards.
I also know that, especially for those of you in the US, it can be a struggle to even get approved for the surgery, if your insurance is even going to cover it, or to find the money for it on your own.
But I want to share a bit of my story, maybe someone else can use it in a productive manner. :-)
I've always been a big guy. Not in an obese way, but I'm 6'6" and built solidly, with lots of natural muscle mass - the guy people came to first when they had to move heavy furniture around or to help move to another place. I've also been very active in sports, from soccer over European handball and basketball to American football most recently.
After a longer period with problems staying focused on my studies, stemming from my then undiagnosed psychiatric problems, I finally hit rock-bottom with a major depression back in 2002.
Stayed in bed for 3 months before finally dragging myself off to my doctor to have her confirm the depression.
Then followed several years where I tried a variety of psychopharma to, hopefully, help me out of the depression. Unfortunately, as anyone who has dealt with psychopharma knows, the drugs all had a common side effect... Severe weight gain.
Even though I still played football I continued to gain weight (not that my coach complained that much, I played offensive lineman, so I just became harder to get through ;-) ).
I've beaten the depression now, but have been given a new diagnosis, simple schizophrenia.
I've most likely had that for a long time and the symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for chronic depression disorder called dysthymia - which was what I was being given drugs for, even though it wasn't necessary.
Another side effect of my long-term use of the drugs is the fact that they have pretty much smashed my feeling of satiety, or at least have pushed it so far that I rarely feel physically full. The consequense of that is, of course, over eating (with frequent binge eating episodes).
I've tried to lose weight lots of times and with the most common methods. I've been to a life-style camp (yes, we called it fat camp! ;-) ) twice and lost 40 lbs each time, only to gain it all (and more) back again within 3-6 months.
So, last fall I decided that enough was enough. I thoroughly researched the whole spectrum of weight-loss surgeries and through my doctor got an appointment at a dietician (I also knew from my visit to the life-style camp that the scales at my doctor's office wouldn't be able to weigh me), which also happened to coincide with my doctor telling me, after some tests, that I was in the pre-stage of type II diabetes...
Yay! :-(
Got to the dietician and "jumped" on the scales... 378 lbs!
Yikes, that was 67 lbs more than when I was weighed last time, at the time of leaving the life-style camp back in the summer of 2007.
No wonder all my joints were aching and my back kept kicking me every time I had to walk more than 200 yards.
As I said above, I'm now in the run-up phase to the surgery, where I have to lose 8% of my heighest body weight (the 378 lbs above). I have to lose it before week 18, where my surgery is scheduled. I'm trying to lose it faster, though, because if I do I can be put on an emergency/cancellation list if another patient decides to bail or hasn't met the surgery weight goal at their appointed time.
I'm down 17 lbs so far... still another 15 lbs to go to be on the safe side.
I want to ask, you seem set on this surgery already, exactly why is that? Was this something your doctor brought up, or was it your own decision that this is your only recourse at this point? I just wanted to clarify and not just assume based on what you wrote.
I can sympathize with your 'shifting diagnoses' experience with psychiatry, but I think you shouldn't necessarily just passively accept whatever the latest diagnoses is, or rather just use that as a "blinder" on how you see and approach your own situation. I mean, if working with your psychiatrist and their presriptions is helpful, by all means continue, but you yourself probably have the best insight to your own issues and what is behind things like the binge-eating you mention, which sounds somewhat distinct from your over-all issue of obesity, but one that sabotages anything you do to overcome that main issue. What other sort of support do you have in your life, have you worked with anybody like a psychologist or do you rely on family on friends? Or are you a stoic, self-reliant individualist? :-) (I probably tend toward the latter, myself, unfortunately)
I think the fact you're diagnosed as in the diabetes spectrum leads me to question whether it's all about "the hard part being losing weight", and "maintaining a strict and healthy lifestyle" afterwards being do-able once you have lost the weight... which it sounds like you HAVE had some success in at various points, it just comes back.
Have you tried no-carb/low-carb diets? Those really seem to work for alot of people, and my family who does them (successfully) seem to be consistently benefited by them, by not just instantly going back to their 'normal' diet, but slowly re-introducing some foods with carbs, and 'stabilizing' on a diet with less carbs than they ate before they started the program.
Alot of food products that we are now inundated with, often wheat-based and with too much sugar or sweeteners (the worst being corn syrup), I think are simply not a good match for many people's body chemistry's, as seen by the many "native peoples" where obesity and diabetes are epidemics after their own culture and lifestyle was destroyed and they shifted to high-carb diets which proliferate in 'modern society'. Zero (or almost Zero) Carb diet to lose weight and slowly re-introducing a LIMITED amount of SOME carbs, while continuing to avoid big sources of Carbs (and NO corn syrup) also using products like stevia and mesquite while doing everything else you can to support the healthiest lifestyle for you, I think is actually capable of accomplishing alot. I think working with a Chinese Medicine practitioner, whether with acupuncture, herbs, or dietary consultation could also help you alot, along with some of those native foods/herbs I mentioned. Probably all of that applies just as much whether you go thru with the surgery or not.
I don't know if any of that was helpful, but if you have any questions about it, I'd be glad to share what else I know.
Thanks for writing Quandary, you bring up a lot of good points and questions that anyone in this situation should reflect upon. I'll address them below. :-)
I want to ask, you seem set on this surgery already, exactly why is that? Was this something your doctor brought up, or was it your own decision that this is your only recourse at this point? I just wanted to clarify and not just assume based on what you wrote.
I made the decision on my own, after thoroughly researching it for several weeks, and my doctor agreed that it probably was my only feasible option left.
It certainly wasn't an easy decision to take either. It's pretty invasive surgery (with all the possible complications that might entail) and I weighed the pros and cons a lot for a while before making the final decision.I'd also like to make it clear that the above post is just a quick run-through of what I've been through.
I can sympathize with your 'shifting diagnoses' experience with psychiatry, but I think you shouldn't necessarily just passively accept whatever the latest diagnoses is, or rather just use that as a "blinder" on how you see and approach your own situation. I mean, if working with your psychiatrist and their presriptions is helpful, by all means continue, but you yourself probably have the best insight to your own issues and what is behind things like the binge-eating you mention, which sounds somewhat distinct from your over-all issue of obesity, but one that sabotages anything you do to overcome that main issue. What other sort of support do you have in your life, have you worked with anybody like a psychologist or do you rely on family on friends? Or are you a stoic, self-reliant individualist? :-) (I probably tend toward the latter, myself, unfortunately)
I feel that my present diagnosis is much more fitting than my earlier one, since I lack the constant lowered mood "required" in a dysthymia. I am currently not taking any drugs and is working with a psychologist (who also confers with a psychiatrist). I'm also attending an out-patient day treatment, which entails things like group therapy and exercise. The psychologist and out-patient program are all part of the local hospital, so there's plenty interaction between the two parts.
On the surgery front, I'm also part of a great support group here in town for pre- and post-op people or anyone who wishes to know more about the surgeries. The group meets once a month and there's also a great weight-loss surgery association that covers the entire country.That aside, yeah, I know that there are psychological reasons for part of my weight-gain. I have very low self-esteem and have used food for comfort. Part of the low self-esteem does stem from my overweight, though, so I hope that part of it will get better. :-)
I think the fact you're diagnosed as in the diabetes spectrum leads me to question whether it's all about "the hard part being losing weight", and "maintaining a strict and healthy lifestyle" afterwards being do-able once you have lost the weight... which it sounds like you HAVE had some success in at various points, it just comes back.
Have you tried no-carb/low-carb diets? Those really seem to work for alot of people, and my family who does them (successfully) seem to be consistently benefited by them, by not just instantly going back to their 'normal' diet, but slowly re-introducing some foods with carbs, and 'stabilizing' on a diet with less carbs than they ate before they started the program.
I hear what you're saying. I've studied physiology and nutrition as a sort of hobby for many years (in connection with weight lifting), so I have all the technical knowledge I need when it comes to dieting and exercising. The problem is my lack of satiety, which completely overrides the logical thinking behind a diet plan, when your gut is screaming to be fed. It's the same battle that happens in many people on a psychological level when their emotions overpower their logical thinking and they do things that they wouldn't normally do, if rationality had anything to say about it.
Also, what happens physiologically when you put on a lot of weight is that the body starts to accept this new weight as the norm after a while, thus it's hard to shed the weight again, because you're fighting against your own body which is trying to get you back to "normal" again.There's a reason why, sadly, up to 98% of all overweight people cannot sustain a prolonged weight-loss by diet and exercise alone.
So you'd have to drop all the extra weight and maintain that weight for a couple of years before the body would adjust "down" to the new normal.
Furthermore, I have no illusions about it being a smooth ride after the surgery. I know it's going to take a lot hard work on my part, the good thing, though, is that I cannot physically gorge myself like before. The stomach just isn't going to be big enough to do that (plus you risk feeling very, very uncomfortable).
Alot of food products that we are now inundated with, often wheat-based and with too much sugar or sweeteners (the worst being corn syrup), I think are simply not a good match for many people's body chemistry's, as seen by the many "native peoples" where obesity and diabetes are epidemics after their own culture and lifestyle was destroyed and they shifted to high-carb diets which proliferate in 'modern society'. Zero (or almost Zero) Carb diet to lose weight and slowly re-introducing a LIMITED amount of SOME carbs, while continuing to avoid big sources of Carbs (and NO corn syrup) also using products like stevia and mesquite while doing everything else you can to support the healthiest lifestyle for you, I think is actually capable of accomplishing alot. I think working with a Chinese Medicine practitioner, whether with acupuncture, herbs, or dietary consultation could also help you alot, along with some of those native foods/herbs I mentioned. Probably all of that applies just as much whether you go thru with the surgery or not.
I don't know if any of that was helpful, but if you have any questions about it, I'd be glad to share what else I know.
Like I said above, I know that there are quite successful ways of dropping weight, the problem is maintaining the weight loss. :-)
One of the problems I have, is that I have a hard time making elaborate healthy dishes, not because I don't know how (I also have some great cook books with great dishes in them), but because I can't muster the energy and drive to do it (that's the simple schizophrenia kicking in). That's why my diet plan after the surgery is going to be very simple, yet still healthy.I think one of the biggest things I'm going to miss afterwards (besides eating whole pizzas on game night) is the sugar in my tea... I still haven't found a substitute that I find palatable. :-)
Again, thanks for posting. If you, or anyone else, have more questions feel free to ask them. :-)
Good luck to you man. I know you're going down a hard road and I hope everything goes right for you. Btw, when is the date for your surgery. Do you know yet?
Good luck to you man. I know you're going down a hard road and I hope everything goes right for you. Btw, when is the date for your surgery. Do you know yet?
Thanks Gary!
Week 18 is the closest to a date I have, so between May 3rd and 9th. Unless I drop the required 8% weight fast enough to get on a cancellation list, then it might be sooner.
I'll come back in a little bit and actually read, but I did see the title and I want to chime in that I did have the surgery done almost two years ago. It'll also put a dot on the thread to remind me to get back to it. :D
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Weight-loss surgery was all the rage in my office about two years ago. Our insurance carrier felt that it was a justifiable expense, especially on morbidly obese employees, rather than treating them for diabetes, heart disease, and any of the other obesity-related ailments.
There were literally about 30 women (no men that I know of opted for it) in my office that started rapidly shrinking over the span of about 6 months.
Interesting, though, now a few years later, some of them are starting to fatten-up again. I guess even a shrunken stomach can be streatched out if you don't maintain self-control in your eating habits.
Weight-loss surgery was all the rage in my office about two years ago. Our insurance carrier felt that it was a justifiable expense, especially on morbidly obese employees, rather than treating them for diabetes, heart disease, and any of the other obesity-related ailments.
There were literally about 30 women (no men that I know of opted for it) in my office that started rapidly shrinking over the span of about 6 months.
Interesting, though, now a few years later, some of them are starting to fatten-up again. I guess even a shrunken stomach can be streatched out if you don't maintain self-control in your eating habits.
It's not unusual to put on a little weight after a few years post surgery. It's not so much a stretching of the stomach as it's bad diet. You might not be able to eat much, but if you eat and drink high calorie stuff (juice, alcohol, ice cream and chocolate - i.e. stuff that goes "liquid" and just runs through the smaller stomach) then you'll start gaining weight again.
It's not a "magical pill" to end weight problems, it's a tool you have to use properly to help control your weight.So yeah, I can see some of your co-workers starting to gain weight again if they don't keep up with the proper diet plan.
Also, look at someone like John Popper of Blues Traveler. He had gastric bypass surgery but has started getting bigger again.
Alright, I had a chance to read.
I had the surgery (gastric bypass) performed back in April 2008. I was one of those types that was always 'big boned / muscle massed' like the OP described. I've always yo-yo'ed between weight sizes when doing lo-carb / protein shake diets, etc. I've even done the ephedrine/caffeine/aspirin route before eph was taken off the market. In 2007, I began having severe problems with planar fascitis and had to get special molded sole inserts to wear in my shoes. I've developed high blood-pressure as well as high-cholesterol.
The first idea came to me when I got on a plane for the first time in years and the flight was uncomfortable, to say the least. After seeing a doctor to get a blood test done months later, it was also determined I was pre-diabetic. Not afraid of needles, but it wasn't a lifestyle I wanted to envisioned. Went to a seminar and they checked to see if my insurance would accept (they did). You are put through a battery of physical exams, blood work, dieticians, and a psychological profile to see if you can handle the physiological changes.
Since having the surgery, I did lose over 200 lbs in a year. I did run through some complications which caused an abscess to form after my appendix burst. They didn't take it out the first time because when it healed, it formed around my colon and I didn't want to get part of that removed. I eventually had to get my gall bladder removed after experiencing an attack (I was in the hospital and had the surgery on my birthday, of all days!). I ended up having appendix issues again early last year and decided to just have them remove it and was warned they'd might have to take out a portion of my colon.
Luckily, they avoided messing with my colon and left it intact, but they had to do a lot of scraping of the scar tissues from the appendix burst to pull that off.
I actually had dropped too much weight when I had to have multiple surgeries done in a 12 month period and actually looked gaunt for my size (I'm 6'2"). I also had trouble with a bit of an identity issue due to my drastic appearance change and dealt with depression because of the constant revisits to the hospital. I'm very sensitive to anti-depressants so what would be a maintenance level for most of you would make me manic. Some other drugs would cause me to have an 'appetite' (it's not the same post-surgery versus what you normally experience as the surgery blocks the hormone ghrelin (sic) which causes the hunger growling pains since your stomach and parts of your intestines are bypassed). Caused me to gain 20 lbs in the process (which is actually fine by me as I wanted a little bit of meat back on my broad frame). The medicines have since been straightened out.
Chuculainn is right that there have been some people that have regained a lot of their weight back. Some has to do with the type of surgery they had done (not all doctors do it the same way) and their diet. Despite some of the issues that I've experienced, I'd do the surgery again because it's great to be able to get normal clothes off the rack.
My woman just had the surgery done in mid-December. She's already lost 40 lbs since. She's only half-way where she needs to go (she's 5'2") and has been doing much better with the adjustment than I did with regard to eating certain foods and the psychological part of it.
I wish the OP luck in this process and definitely surround himself with supporters and wield himself with good information going into the decision of such a lifestyle change. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask and I'll be glad to respond. :)
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There is a contractor I used to work with who had weight loss surgery several years ago. At the time, he topped out at over 500 lbs, and his doctor told him it was either the surgery or an early death. Well, he had the surgery and it went well - he lost loads of weight (got all the way down to the mid-200s). He has since put some back on, but he's nowhere near what he once was.
Anyway, good luck with your own surgery.
Alright, I had a chance to read.
[SNIP]
Despite some of the issues that I've experienced, I'd do the surgery again because it's great to be able to get normal clothes off the rack.
Thanks for weighing in Gregg! (bad pun, I know!)
99% of the people I've talked to would do the surgery again without hesitation (I've even met a couple of people who said they'd do it even if it was an annual thing they had to go through).Feel free to share more stories about what it's like post op, like eating out, going to parties etc. (not so much for my sake, but it might help others).
And I'm glad to hear that your S.O. is doing great after the surgery too!
Thanks for weighing in Gregg! (bad pun, I know!)
99% of the people I've talked to would do the surgery again without hesitation (I've even met a couple of people who said they'd do it even if it was an annual thing they had to go through).
Feel free to share more stories about what it's like post op, like eating out, going to parties etc. (not so much for my sake, but it might help others).
And I'm glad to hear that your S.O. is doing great after the surgery too!
I don't know if I would want to make it an annual event to have the surgery, though. Once was enough. :P
It's the first 6 months post-op that are the most difficult as you try to correct some habits, but it goes through trial and error. Don't be surprised if there's certain foods you've eaten before that you may no longer tolerate and try out some foods that you wouldn't do so before.
And SPLENDA is my friend. Some people may not care for it as a sugar substitute, but you'll be doing yourself favors.
If you drank alcohol and had a high tolerance, you can kiss that good-bye. :D Not saying you can't drink again, but I wouldn't make it a social habitual thing as your stomach is bypassed and therefore it goes quickly into the bloodstream when it enters the intestines. On the bright side, you sober up quicker. But it's not recommended as some people with addictive qualities don't like losing the buzz quickly and then decide to drink more frequently to keep the buzz going. Can seriously do damage to your liver.
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Why gastric bypass, just get good ole' lipo. If the majority of your weight gain was caused by a combination of pills and a sedentary lifestyle and depression and a slower metabolism, then you have cut out half of it already. Only on one type of pill now? Good. Check. No more depression because the pill is helping? Bingo. Exercise after the surgery? Boom! Headshot! Lipo could shave off 150 lbs or so, making exercise easier.
Did you do roids or creatine when you were weightlifting?
Why gastric bypass, just get good ole' lipo. If the majority of your weight gain was caused by a combination of pills and a sedentary lifestyle and depression and a slower metabolism, then you have cut out half of it already. Only on one type of pill now? Good. Check. No more depression because the pill is helping? Bingo. Exercise after the surgery? Boom! Headshot! Lipo could shave off 150 lbs or so, making exercise easier.
Did you do roids or creatine when you were weightlifting?
Creatine simply just makes you retain water a bit more to give off that vascular appearance. As for lipo ... most insurances are not going to cover that. And besides, you get the lipo but it doesn't restrict the weight issues from returning.
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Creatine simply just makes you retain water a bit more to give off that vascular appearance. As for lipo ... most insurances are not going to cover that. And besides, you get the lipo but it doesn't restrict the weight issues from returning.Why gastric bypass, just get good ole' lipo. If the majority of your weight gain was caused by a combination of pills and a sedentary lifestyle and depression and a slower metabolism, then you have cut out half of it already. Only on one type of pill now? Good. Check. No more depression because the pill is helping? Bingo. Exercise after the surgery? Boom! Headshot! Lipo could shave off 150 lbs or so, making exercise easier.
Did you do roids or creatine when you were weightlifting?
And, apparently, neither does gastric bypass.
And, apparently, neither does gastric bypass.
Actually, it does a much better job than you're aware of. But the procedures and methods on them have been improving over the past decade in comparison to when it was first being offered. Just like any other type of medical procedures.
Anyway, the OP was intending to have this as a support thread and not necessarily a crticism one. I'm sure he'd like to keep it that way. :)
Why gastric bypass, just get good ole' lipo. If the majority of your weight gain was caused by a combination of pills and a sedentary lifestyle and depression and a slower metabolism, then you have cut out half of it already. Only on one type of pill now? Good. Check. No more depression because the pill is helping? Bingo. Exercise after the surgery? Boom! Headshot! Lipo could shave off 150 lbs or so, making exercise easier.
Did you do roids or creatine when you were weightlifting?
Not sure if this was directed at me or Urizen, but I'll gladly address it.
It seems like a somewhat simplistic approach to an often complicated situation.First, liposuction is in most cases classified as a "beautification" procedure and something most people have to pay for themselves. Second, you can't do liposuction to remove huge amounts of fat. Thirdly, liposuction only removes subcutaneous fat and not the fat around or in the organs (like in the liver).
The only reason I would have liposuction is if it's required as part of excess skin removal to help get a more even appearance (and they only do it in very small amounts, if at all). Luckily, excess skin removal is also "free" over here after surgery, once a certain time has passed, you've been at a stable weight for a set amount of time and have a sufficient low BMI (I think it's below 27 or 25).
There are also often psychological reasons why weight is gained (and why it comes back even after diets) and those need to be addressed too (which is one of my only beefs with most health systems, the lack of follow-up psychological help to adjust to the new life style and how to tackle those issues that some people used to "eat into silence").
And no, I've never done steroids, it's utterly stupid to use them (in body building settings, not talking about those who need it for medical reasons) and I value my private parts way too much to jeopardize them with steroids. ;-)
I've tried supplementing with creatine, but even though I followed the proscribed amounts (and cycled it) I didn't really feel any difference in my training that justified the cost (note: creatine isn't really harmful, it's naturally occuring in meats, among other things, which is why it isn't on the banned substance/doping list).
Actually, it does a much better job than you're aware of. But the procedures and methods on them have been improving over the past decade in comparison to when it was first being offered. Just like any other type of medical procedures.
Anyway, the OP was intending to have this as a support thread and not necessarily a crticism one. I'm sure he'd like to keep it that way. :)
I don't really mind criticism, as long as it's informed criticism, or doubts and questions.
If it can dispel myths, help anyone who has questions or just want to have something cleared up (even if they aren't considering the surgery themselves) then I see it as a good thing and worth my while. :-)
GentleGiant, I wish you good health and a healthy/speedy recovery. Get healthy bro.
Thank you fray! :-)
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I got nothin' on the gastic bypass front, but I wish you well.
I got up to 270 at one point, went diabetic, and spent the next six months losing 80 lbs (and am no longer diabetic). I had no insurance (still don't, being on the 'don't get sick' national health plan), and only got a six month supply of insulin from the doctor who diagnosed me. I just couldn't stay at that weight, and did *ridiculously* unsafe things to lose weight (250 calories a day, for the first week. I was too weak to go upstairs without stopping to rest!) since I couldn't afford to have any sort of professional help, and would definitely encourage you to take advantage of your health system to lose the weight and keep it off. What other people call a 'diet' has to become your life. No more sodas. No more drinking. No more pastries. Doughnut Friday at work becomes 'hide in your cubicle until they are all gone' Friday. Bags of little carrots or popcorn or pistachios for snacks on game night rather than M&Ms or a pint of ice cream.
It's been fifteen years, and just an hour ago I had a 50 calorie cup of boullion for 'dinner.' But I'm not gonna get my feet amputated, and I threw out that last pen full of insulin I'd been saving over a decade ago. I'm not thin, I'm not 'in shape,' but I'm at a weight where I am neither sick, nor depressed, and that's what matters.
Good luck with the surgery (or with losing enough weight non-surgically that you don't need it).
Good luck with your surgery, GG!
My wife had her gallbladder out when she was 6 months pregnant with my first son; that was about all the nervwracking I needed for one lifetime.
I hope you do well and lose the weight you need to.
Thanks Heath!
A friend of mine had to have his gallbladder removed too a little while ago, so I used that to tell my friends that I was going to have the gastric surgery, by saying that I probably had to go through a similar procedure (since they're both done laparoscopically). :-)I got nothin' on the gastic bypass front, but I wish you well.
I got up to 270 at one point, went diabetic, and spent the next six months losing 80 lbs (and am no longer diabetic). I had no insurance (still don't, being on the 'don't get sick' national health plan), and only got a six month supply of insulin from the doctor who diagnosed me. I just couldn't stay at that weight, and did *ridiculously* unsafe things to lose weight (250 calories a day, for the first week. I was too weak to go upstairs without stopping to rest!) since I couldn't afford to have any sort of professional help, and would definitely encourage you to take advantage of your health system to lose the weight and keep it off. What other people call a 'diet' has to become your life. No more sodas. No more drinking. No more pastries. Doughnut Friday at work becomes 'hide in your cubicle until they are all gone' Friday. Bags of little carrots or popcorn or pistachios for snacks on game night rather than M&Ms or a pint of ice cream.
It's been fifteen years, and just an hour ago I had a 50 calorie cup of boullion for 'dinner.' But I'm not gonna get my feet amputated, and I threw out that last pen full of insulin I'd been saving over a decade ago. I'm not thin, I'm not 'in shape,' but I'm at a weight where I am neither sick, nor depressed, and that's what matters.
Good luck with the surgery (or with losing enough weight non-surgically that you don't need it).
Thanks Set!
I really have to commend you on dropping the weight and keeping it off for that long on your own (even if it's just most of it). It really takes a major dedication to changing your lifestyle to drop and keep off that much weight.Keep on trucking! :-)