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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nilhgualcm Leahcim" data-source="post: 4203537" data-attributes="member: 18332">I am currently 235 pounds and 6'3". This is down from 3 years ago when I was 450 pounds. My doctor was very woried at that time, so we talked about gastric bypass. Weighing all the pros and cons, we decided that it would be a good thing for me. I have not been able to exercise in the past because of VERY bad hips, knees, and back. So, the doc recommended the surgery because it could get me to a weight that I might be able to exercise at.In the past, not being able to exercise made it incredibly easy to put on the weight. I tried lots of different exercises and weight loss plans, but few worked for any appreciable length of time. So This was an opportunity to change all that. Child number 3 was on the way, and I wanted to do the 'typical dad' things: play in the park, throw around the ball, etc.Surgery was hard. Learning to eat again was harder. The surgery I had wasn't the lap band, This was full-out bypass. So sugars, milk, carbs, all gave interesting problems.Now, I coach soccer at my school. I walk around our track. I try so hard to be active, it is good. I still have some severe pains in my hips, knees, and back, but it is not as bad now with almost half the weight gone. The surgery wasn't easy. I myself would do it again, but it is not something to consider lightly. I was having chest pains and was worried that the "end was nigh". After all this time, no more chest pains, no more "red ears" from blood pressure, no more cravings for sweets (because of the effects that they have on my body - eeewww) and am much happier.I have been accused many times of having taken "the easy way out" instead of working it off. I can assure those naysayers that this is the furthest thing from easy for me. I am keeping the weight off, I am attending my counseling, and I am keeping more active now than I ever have. The surgery helped me a lot, and I credit it for being one of the things that kept me around to recently welcome my fourth baby into the famly  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> . This has been a great thread. I appreciate reading about everyone else's similar struggles. Thanks for letting me rant.</blockquote>

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