52, Super Morbidly Obese, Mum of 3 from Australia - Melbourne, AU

In 2007 I lost 50kg/100lb without any surgery and I suddenly had a myriad of symptoms which made me quite sick. My life came to a halt as I had intense pain in my upper abdomen, chronic constipation, reflux, fatigue. I could not eat or drink anything. No doctor could tell me why my body was in this state. No test or scan showed up anything that could explain my situation.
Currently 8 months after surgery and having lost 32kg/64lb my mysterious myriad of symptoms are back to haunt, annoy, and frustrate me yet again. Thus far I have done blood tests, urine, X-rays and ultrasound. All came back normal. My surgeon is sending me for a CT scan and more blood tests next week and a possible gastroscopy. GP says I have gastritis. I think I have gastritis and pancreatitis as every time I eat or drink it hurts like heck. My tummy now makes all sorts of loud weird noises when eating or drinking.
My body just does not like giving up the weight and is not adjusting. It is rebelling! Usually I am a positive, optimistic, cheerful person but today I had a good cry. My metabolism/hormones have always conspired against me. No amount of exercise, healthy eating, herbal supplements, or surgery can make my body behave in a "normal" manner. It does what it does regardless of all my efforts. I feel defeated by my genetics and DNA.
The positive is that this is not due to the surgery and I am grateful I had the surgery because my body was out of control.

It has been such a journey this past 6 months and the time has gone by so fast. In total I have lost 27 kilograms or 54 pounds. Current weight 113 kilograms. Since January I have been going to the gym twice a week and I now have massive muscles in my thighs and calves. I also do Pilates reformer exercise classes once a week as well as hydrotherapy exercises in the pool. Everyday I walk at least 10,000 steps, and I bought myself a tricycle. Life has changed so much. Six months ago I used a mobility scooter as I could not walk or stand for long. I was pretty much disabled. Most of the day was spent in bed as I felt awful in my health. Now I am drug free, no medications at all for me and no illnesses. My life is so active and I am fully embracing this second chance to actually LIVE my life. I have lost a fair bit of hair but I am ok with that as I have a collection of awesome wigs to play with. Trying to figure out what size clothes I am is annoying but in a good way. My dress size was a 5x or size 30/32 now I wear size 18/20 Australian. My surgeon is not happy at the rate of weight I have lost because to gain maximum benefit from the surgery you need to lose most of your weight within 7 to 12 months. This is because after this time frame weight loss slows and becomes more difficult. I know I have a long way to go and I am confident that by my one year anniversary I will have lost another 27 kilograms. I continue to see my dietician and she is very happy with my weight loss as my food intake is good. My portions are very small. I eat protein first and then there is no room for anything else. I drink my water in between meals. Occasionally I will have a sweet treat but again it is very small and not every day. There is no doubt my body shape has shrunk and is smaller but the excess overhanging skin (my hacky sacks) are still adding to my bulky shape and until the time comes to remove them surgically it is difficult to see all the benefits of my exercise regime and how much my body has changed. I am in no doubt that there will be approximately 20 kilograms of excess skin and tissue to be removed. The finish line is not in sight yet but I feel confidant and very happy with my progress.

My first photo of the year. Total loss of 18 kg since VSG. Current weight 122 kg.