Reinvented

Well, I finally did it.

After years of dealing with my weight (or not) with diet and exercise, I finally broke down and decided to have gastric bypass surgery.

Why? Well, losing weight is hard. Keeping weight off is even harder, and I've never been able to do it. Oh, I can diet and exercise and lose it in the first place, but it always comes back.

So I decided to have bypass surgery to help. Now, before I go on, there's something you need to understand: weight loss surgery is no magic bullet. This isn't some easy-way-out solution that will just melt pounds away without consequences.

Instead, I'll have to watch what I eat for the rest of my life. I'll have to take special vitamins for the rest of my life. I'll have to take Prilosec and worry about ulcers for the rest of my life. I'll have to avoid NSAIDs (ibuprofin, aspirin, etc.) for the rest of my life. And there are other things I'll have to give up, like carbonated beverages, drinking straws, and maybe even some foods that I used to enjoy that simply won't agree with my new digestive tract.

So no, this isn't some magic bullet. It's a tool to help me lose weight and keep it off. And yes, it makes it a lot easier, but it makes my life a lot harder in many other ways. Is it a fair trade? I think so, or I wouldn't have done it. But there's no such thing as a free lunch.

I started this blog so I can keep in touch with family and friends about my life, the surgery, how it's going, etc. Instead of having to say the same things over and over, I can write them here and you all can post comments, encouragement, or whatever. Or you can just read and enjoy—no feedback needed.

So stay tuned, I have more to come. I'll explain a bit about the surgery and my new innards, and what kind of changes I'm going through at the moment.

Hopefully, it'll be interesting. If not, then at least it gives me something to do. Right?