Five successful years

Five years ago this morning, I was laid out in the operating room, getting my gut cut open for an RNY gastric bypass procedure. It was the best thing I've ever done for myself. If I had to do it over again, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Before I started, I tipped the scales at 428 lbs. When I weighed myself yesterday, I was 244 lbs. In between, I dropped as low as 216 lbs. before bouncing back a bit. Gastric bypass probably saved my life, as I can now do things I had only imagined previously, like a 73-mile backpacking trip last summer.

I'm grateful to the surgeons, nurses, nutritionists and other medical professionals who did my procedure. I'm most grateful to my family and the online buddies I made at ObesityHelp.com. What a great support system!