My Gastric Bypass, Eight Years Later

It has been almost eight years since I had my gastric bypass. Eight years ago we were about to welcome in a new millennium. People were worried that all the computers would crash and some actually thought there was the possibility that life as we know it would cease to exist. The year 2000 brought some interesting changes to the world and to my life in particular because on January 5, 2000 I underwent a gastric bypass.

The gastric bypass surgery has been accepted as a drastic, but not uncommon procedure to help morbidly obese people maintain some control over their weight and their life. Morbid obesity is a not so pretty title given to someone who is at least 100 lbs. or more overweight. I gained that title after years of dealing with being fat. I have been on more diets than I can count and though I have lost weight numerous times no matter how successfully the weight came off it seemed to pile back on much more efficiently. I have fasted for months on end. I actually went for 14 months at one point without eating anything solid. I drank high-protein diet drinks five or more times a day along with all of the water I could hold. I lost and enormous amount of weight and felt and looked great until I had to face normal eating again and began to regain the 170 lbs. that I had lost. I took me awhile but I was also successful at regaining the weight that I had lost.