Hey all out there is cyber land, I'm Jeri and I've been overweight and unhappy for the last 10 years. At my heaviest I was 242.3lbs, that was in Oct 2017; I have always tried to "diet" and exercise and nothing was working for me. It was about 6 months in to tracking every bite I took and exercising 3-4 days a week and only seeing an 8lb loss that I was frustrated and called my mother; who then suggested that maybe we go check out a bariatric surgery seminar. (she had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy 5 yrs ago) We went and I decided to start taking the steps to qualify for the same surgery. This was in Feb 2018; by July I was having my surgical consult and finally come Oct 1st 2018, a whole year later, I went under the "knife" and had the VSG surgery as well. Every step has been a battle, I've been teaching myself how to eat again, learning to eat because I have to and making sure it adds to my daily intake, not ruin it. I'm what they called a "mini" bariatric patient so my weight-loss won't be as fast or drastic as someone else who has hundreds of pounds to lose, but it's working and so am I! I'm working out 5-7 days a week, meeting my calorie and protein goals all the while keeping my carbs and fats low. Every pound lost so far has been a result of my hardwork, sweat and tears; but also every pound has been worth it! This "tool" I was able to acquire for myself took patience and determination and I will not let it go to waste. This journey is allowing me to learn to love myself and find that confidence I once had; it has been the best decision I've ever made for myself.