Hi! Beauties! I have had so many questions about my gastric bypass surgery and how I decided it was what I wanted to do. I have decided to start a series of articles about my gastric bypass journey. I will be posting an article once a week for this series. Today’s article as you probably can already tell by the title is going to be Part 1, Why?. I have lost 120 pounds after having the gastric bypass surgery. You can read more details about my 120 pound weight loss on my previous article: My Weight Loss Journey: How I Lost 120 Pounds!; if you haven’t already. So get you a cup of coffee or your drink of choice and let’s get started.

Weight loss should be easy: Just burn more calories than you take in, right? Weight loss is so much more complicated and losing weight is never easy, surgery or not. While surgery is a powerful tool in the battle to lose weight, it still requires modification of diet; exercise; and most importantly, some serious work on your personal relationship with food.

Contrary to what many people think, weight loss surgery isn’t the easy way out; it is just the first step in the weight loss process. It requires a great deal of research and thought. It also certainly isn’t easy to qualify for the procedure, as some insurance companies resist paying for the expense of what is often considered an elective surgery. The gastric bypass is an amazing ally in the fight for weight loss and good health, but the truth is that having the surgery is a giant leap of faith. You are counting on the results are worth the hard work before and any complications that you may have during and after surgery. Many people (me) actually mourn the loss of certain foods, wishing for the comfort they felt when they (I) ate those foods, but  the results make it worthwhile to stay with the weight loss regime.

Weight loss is a difficult process, and no matter how you do it the pounds don’t fall off as if by magic. Losing weight, changing habits, exercising–none of these things are easy to do, and maintaining those changes is even more difficult. I can tell you it does get easier and will become habit the more you do them. You feel better as you slim down and your body becomes stronger which helps give you the motivation you need to continue on your journey.

Did the gastric bypass make it easier for me to lose weight? Certainly. But anyone who says it is simple hasn’t been through it. They haven’t been through the early days of liquid only diet and they don’t understand what it is like to give up a favorite food because it ravages your system and makes you feel awful. It is also easy to fall into a trap of thinking everything is going to be perfect in your life after surgery. While I can say I have seen dramatic improvements in my health and life, I still have some of the same problems I had before surgery, for example: low self esteem, while it is better I still have to deal with it. This blog is one of my ways I am trying to deal with my low self esteem that I have fought since childhood. Now, my health has showed so much improvement since surgery. I no longer have to take medicines for high blood pressure. I am no longer a borderline Type II Diabetic and my knees are not in constant pain. Would I choose gastric bypass again looking back? You bet I would. I feel like it was the right choice for me. I am in no way saying it is the right choice for everyone; nor am I recommending just anyone have the surgery. I feel this decision is a very personal decision and each person has to make their own decision.

I am going to leave you today with the most common myths about weight loss surgery. All the following statements are FALSE:

• Surgery is the easy way out.
• You can’t gain weight after weight loss surgery.
• Weight loss surgery is simple; there’s no need to worry about complications.
• All your health conditions will disappear after surgery.
• Your body will be stunning after weight is gone.
• Your goal weight will be easy to attain.
• Your goal weight will be easy to maintain.
• Once you lose weight, all of your problems will be solved.
• You just eat less of the same things.
• Emotional eating stops after surgery.
• You don’t need to exercise to lose weight.
• Surgery means never dieting again.
• Weight loss surgery is incredibly risky.
• Once you lose weight, you can stop seeing your surgeon.

That’s quite a list, isn’t it? Believe me; there is a lot more out there. These are just some of the common ones out there. I believe one of the main things to keep in mind if you are considering a weight loss surgery  and for it to be successful is that you must be prepared to change your lifestyle with the way and what you eat. Never even think about it as being a diet!

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading this article. I hope you have enjoyed part 1 of My Gastric Bypass Journey series. Part 2 will be coming next week. Please subscribe if you haven’t already, it is free and you will be notified when any new articles are posted to my blog. I  love to read any comments, suggestions or feedback. You can leave these in the comment section below. Also please leave any questions you may have for me. I read and respond to all my comments. As always you can also connect with me through any of my social media icons, I am just a click away!

Reference material:

• Trinity Mother Frances Bariatric Surgery’s Gastric Bypass Guide Booklet
• The Everything Post Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook by Jennifer Whitlock Heisler, RN (purchased at Amazon.com)