“Who was that overweight person?”

The surgery went off without a hitch. I never took pain medicine once it was stopped 1 1/2 days before I left the hospital.

The 18 months since surgery have been an interesting journey! I have felt all sorts of odd things like missing shopping the larger size racks and hating how hard toilet seats and most chairs are now!

My sense of taste seemed off until about 6 months ago. I thought I would never enjoy food again! But I do. I just try and enjoy it ALL in little bits. I am into only grass fed and naturally raised meat and eggs as well as raw milk. Amazing how much more flavor the real deal has and also more nutrients and health benefits! I do not waste time and calories on tasteless junk.

Most feel I am too thin now. I was 254 and I am 5'7 and now I am 124 (for 6 months) and hopefully still 5'7! I thought 140 would be best for me at this age even though I always liked 132 before I gained the weight I did.

I am not a life long heavy person. I had my thyroid ablated when I was 38 (135 pounds) and I started gaining weight almost immediately. It was very weird as I had never had to worry about weight prior to that. I had a baby after that and gained the exact same amount of weight with her as my son 15 years before - 33 pounds. And that weight came off without a problem.

I did not have any risk factors to get the surgery but I pressed my breast cancer as a reason and the insurance company okayed it!

I am so glad I did this! The ease of movement and getting up and down is dramatic and a surprise to me. I take too long to order in restaurants and work too hard to get calorie and fat and nutrient rich food so I can stay to small portions and be sated mentally as well as physically. I still throw up once in a while and have to be most wary of dry food. I like sweets now more than I ever did. I find I have to be most careful about drinking coffee too close to eating.

I really believe if you have the right attitude and approach - that this is for life and you WANT to keep eating small as you recognize all the beneefits of that, this is the MOST sensible way to deal with weight once and for all. People like Oprah that yoyo their way through life are living far more dangerously. It is a fabulous tool that still requires committment and thinking. However I feel joy in feeling full again which was missing prior to surgery.

Does anyone else feel the urge to share their story with a stranger you see would beneft from the surgery? There are so many huge young people out there that I sometimes want to talk to them about how much better their life could be!

Updated on May 9, 2009: