There is a well-known quote that comparison is the thief…
Melissa Loses It turns one!!
Today it’s Melissa Loses It’s first birthday!! Oh my gosh. Seriously how did that happen? I don’t know. There’s someone I really need to thank and that’s you! Yes you reading this post thank you so much. If you’ve been here since launch day one year ago or you just recently came across Melissa Loses It it really means so much to me that you spend time here.
My mission in starting Melissa Loses It was to share what its like to live the post-op lifestyle following gastric bypass surgery. Through sharing my journey I hoped that it would help at least one person and through feedback that I’ve received I’ve certainly done that. If you have taken time to comment on a post, interact with me on any of my social media channels or sent me a private message please know I really enjoy it and appreciate you reaching out to me. I love getting to know a bit about who’s reading and it helps me to feel like I’m not yelling into an abyss.
I really did not expect that people who are not at all my target audience would read my blog. I love that while I’m filling a niche for my intended readers its also interesting enough for others to read. Another of my goals with Melissa Loses It has become to educate people about what’s really involved and hopefully start to break down some of the stigma in society surronding weight loss surgeries. I feel I haven’t even really begun to scratch the surface of this but it’s something I am starting to chip away at because I can’t get across to you how important it is to me.
To be honest I’m in a slight bit of disbelief that I made it to this milestone. I’ve never stuck at something like this for very long at all before but I guess it makes a difference when you are really passionate about what you are doing. I thought six months in I would lose all inspiration and run out of ideas to write about but clearly I’m still here yabbering on. I’m really enjoying this and I have long term plans to take it further and do more with it so keep an eye out. Maybe with all this practiscing I’ll write a book one day!
I have found this so rewarding personally and I would love to give back to you guys! I have put together a first birthday giveaway which has been generously sponsored by The Honest Food Co. I’ve put together a prize that has all of my post-op essentials for one lucky reader. This awesome prize pack includes 1x Honest Food Co Chocolate Protein (not in the image below), 1x Honest Food Co Primal Protein Mix, 1 each x Honest Food Co Brownie and Blondie Bars, a Sistema egg cooker, a drink bottle, a miniature cutlery set, a three pack of System containers and a full size bottle of Essano’s lovely body lotion. The prize pack is pictured below!
To enter the competition you just need to leave a comment on this post telling me what you most enjoy about my blog. If you don’t want your real name to show up on the comment use a fake name as I will still have your real email address to contact you if you are the lucky winner!
I really can’t wait to see what the next year brings here at Melissa Loses It. If you have any suggestions, praise, anything you think I could do better please let me know. Also if there’s a particular topic you want me to cover you can get in touch via the contact me page here or you can private message my Facebook page.
Terms and conditions of competition entry: Open to New Zealand residents only. Entry to the competition will be open until 12pm Sunday the 29th of May. Please only one entry per person. Winner will be randomly drawn. I will contact the winner via the email address supplied with the associated comment. Please note if you do not respond within 1 week the prize will be redrawn. The prize will be couriered and Melissa Loses It is not responsible for any loss or damages.
Previous Post: My favourite posts from the first year!
So proud of you and what you’ve achieved my friend! Xx
Thank you Ashleigh! Your support is appreciated. xx
Congratulations on your blog birthday! This is a wonderful achievement. I really enjoy the way you write and express things on your blog. The topic is very new to me but you have a great way of making things real. Looking forward to another year of blogging. 🙂
Thank you for your kind words about my blog. Your compliments are so appreciated and I’m glad my writing translates so well considering it’s a new topic for you!
Congratulations on the one year birthday! You’re so amazing and I LOVE reading your journey, and how you’re going day-to-day! Here’s to another amazing year for you <3
Thank you Maria! I think you’re amazing too and I really admire the rapport you have built with your audience and you are a big inspiration to me.
Congratulations Melissa! What a fab achievement. I’ve loved following you and reading your posts both here and Instagram. I really enjoy your honesty and your personal take on life after your surgery. I also really appreciate how you research and write factual blog posts that are both entertaining and fact-based xx once again congrats on the milestone xx Kate
Thanks for your kind words Kate! I’m glad to hear you enjoy my posts.
Happy (blog) birthday!! I really enjoy reading your reviews, particularly the ones on your fitbits, skechers, and the Columbus protein smoothies. I often come back and re-read them for a bit of a refresher!
Thank you Christine! I’m glad you enjoy my reviews. I do worry sometimes that people get sick of them so it’s nice to know you particularly enjoy them.
I can’t say enough how much your blog has helped me. Despite having and understanding all of the specific instructions from my team, no clinician can actually describe the experience of implementing these behaviours into ‘real life’ as none of them have actually been here themselves. When I’m feeling really off-track I come back and re-read your older posts again because as much as I understand things intellectually, it takes repetition and practise to really absorb it and a hospital appointment every few months simply can’t provide that! You rock x
Hi Gemma, thank you so much! What you have expressed is the reason why I started my blog. I struggled to find that kind of information so decided to put some out there myself. I’m glad it helps you get back on track too. Even the best of us fall off the rails sometimes and it’s great that you recognise what you need to do to get yourself back on top of your game and doing what you should. Please let me know if you ever have a topic in particular you’d like me to write about!
Happy Birthday to your blog Melissa- wow where has that year gone! Even though I haven’t had weight loss surgery I still find so many of your posts I can relate to and they adapt into my weight loss journey too. You are so knowledgeable and I always enjoy reading your new blog posts 🙂 You should be super proud of yourself chick <3
Thank you Ash! I’ve been so surprised at how many non weight loss surgery people have found my blog interesting and useful. Thank you for reading I really appreciate it 😀
Happy 1st birthday Melissa Loses It!!! ?? Well done Melissa….so so proud of not only your blog (which helps, inspires and informs me even though I have not had weightloss surgery) but also so proud of your personal achievements. I am also proud that you are taking time out of your busy life to help others. Here’s to another successful year xx ?❤
Thank you for your kind words Anne-Marie! It’s a huge feat going through what I have and I’m just glad people find it helpful. You’re a pretty awesome fit, strong Mama yourself!
Thanks for creating this website! I find your blogs so informative and they have become my go to for information. Would love to read more about the early stages after your op.
Thanks Michelle! I’m glad you’re enjoying it and are finding it useful. I wasn’t blogging like this until about 18 months after my surgery but I did do a little post-op series that I had written in the early stages after my bypass and you can find them in the Post Op Gastric Bypass Category down the right-hand side of the page. There’s four posts in that series.
Happy Blog Birthday Hun. This blog has been so amazing even if I’m not a Bypass patient it is still relevant to my journey as well, very much the same emotions and thought as you have gone through.
Thank you Joye! I’m so glad you find some stuff of value even if you haven’t had a bypass. I’ve tried to broaden my scope a bit to include you guys because while there are big difference there’s a lot of stuff that’s similar between them. You’re doing an amazing job and it’s been so cool to watch you melt away 😀
Happy 1st birthday what I love about your blog is firstly your product reviews as someone trialing a lot of new products myself due to WLS I always go to your blog first when I’m considering buying a new protein bar or powder to see what you thought and your honest description and thoughts on a product also what I love about your blog is your just honest and real there’s nothing superficial or withheld in your comments I find you incredibly real and you always have replied to me when I’ve asked you for advice or when I was scared pre Opp you always replied to me I follow a few fellow bloggers on WLS and you are the most informative and real thank you for being you 🙂
Thank you for your lovely comment Michelle! I’m glad you find my reviews interesting. I try not to do too many but it seems a few people like them so I’ll keep them up. The whole point of my blog is to give a real account of what life is like after surgery and it’s really reassuring to hear that I’m getting that across. Thank you for reading and commenting you don’t know how much it means to me!
Congratulations! I love that you’re completely honest in your posts! And don’t have advertising pushed upon readers in every blog!
Thanks Anna! Honesty is my thing. I’m a terrible liar and I hate having to keep secrets!
Happy first birthday. I love your blogs. I am 2 weeks post op and everyday is a need battle. This blog has absolutely changed my attitude and has been one of my main supports x thank you so much
Hi Victoria, thank you! Each day will get easier. To start with it’s such a huge change and so much to get your head around but you will get there. I’m so glad to hear I have been one of your supports, weight loss surgery can feel like a lonely journey at times. Good luck in the coming weeks and months out from your surgery, you have so much to look forward to and I’m excited for you!
Congrats on your first year! Of many I hope. What I really like about your blog is the honesty about what life is REALLY like after weight loss surgery. We are in prep mode in our household for upcoming surgery. I always link your updates to my husband, and it so often starts conversations about life post surgery. Sex, skin, fitness, energy, changes in relationships.. Everything! Things we hadn’t thought of and certainly don’t get talked about in the appointments. And food. It’s so good to get a real picture in my head of not only what my husband will be able to eat, but also how to make that work for the family. This is such a fantastic resource. Thank you.
Hi Meg, thank you there’s no stopping me any time soon I promise. I’ve started to feel like I have found my voice and still haven’t run out of things to say. I’m really pleased to hear that my posts spark off discussion in your house. It’s great that you and your husband are talking about this stuff and so great he’s such a good support for you. I’ll try and do more food based posts for you. I tend to eat the same stuff over and over but I should branch out a bit more so I get more interesting stuff to talk about here. Thank you for reading I really appreciate it!
Congratulations! I love that you make me feel less alone as a young woman who has had the bypass, seeing someone else’s experiences is such a valuable thing.
HI Katie, that makes me go all fuzzy knowing that you feel less alone! Good luck in your journey you’re very brave and have taken a great step putting yourself first. Thank you for reading I really appreciate it!
I know I said it already. But happy 1st birthday Melissa loses it xx. And what a year. I’ve loved reading all about your pre op journal and I love how you can be brutally honest in your posts. Your afraid to show some skin and you value all the comments. Keep it up for another fantastic year and I cannot wait. Xxxxx
Thank you Elysia! Thank you for being so supportive and enthusiastic about my blog I really value having you on my team. It’s been so great watching your transformation you can’t see it in yourself like you can watching someone else go through it!
I follow you more on IG and love that you are as addicted to your Fitbit as I am and also your love of a good coffee. Congrats on your anniversary and here’s to more awesome blogging and posting of your journey.
It’s awesome that we have so much in common Rach! My Fitbit and coffee are two of my everyday essentials. Thank you for following me I appreciate it and I love your IG too!
Happy birthday and congratulations! I’m not 100% sure of your target audience and I’m not 100% sure i fit in to it but thats one of the reasons I love your blog. The weight loss journey is still relatable and I love reading the perspective of someone whos had a different journey to me. Youre such a consistent blogger with such interesting content and as a (very amateur) blogger, I admire that. Congratulations again, heres to another 1 year (at least!)
Hi Kristyn, I’m really pleased to hear my posts translate to a non weight loss surgery patient audience as well as my intended weight loss surgery patient audience. Thank you, my consistency is something I’m really committed to and I hate letting people down so that’s helped me be so focussed on what I need to do for my blog.
Proud of you, hon. You’ve done so well xx
Thank you Steph!
The thing I love most about your website is your posts – you are very honest and open.
Thanks Melissa! There’s no point in doing it if you aren’t going to be totally honest huh? Thank you for reading my blog I really appreciate it.
Congratulations Melissa and happy blog birthday! I love how honest and open you are about your journey – I think I’ve read every single post and it’s given me a much better understanding about bariatric surgery!
Thank you Meagan! Coming from you your praise means a lot. I’m so glad it’s giving you a better understanding about bariatric surgery. It’s something that’s very widely wrongly perceived in society as a whole and I’m trying to break down those barriers and help more people understand what it’s all about. Your blog is one of the few I visit regularly 😀
Hi Melissa,
First of all congratulations on achieving a year with this blog! That definitely takes perseverance and a real desire to help others.
I have just had a gastric sleeve operation one week ago. What I have found so helpful about your blog is all the information you have provided on such a range of topics. I started reading your blog months ago (thanks to my sister sharing your blog with me) and it has helped me be very realistic about the future and prepared mentally for life post surgery. I have even found little tips helpful like your post about skincare. In fact I started using the essano rosehip oil for my stomach area well before surgery as you suggested. That also got me into their others organic rosehip products too lol!
I always look forward to your posts and will be looking forward to many more.. In fact this week I have gone back and reread the posts you recently published but were written right back when you had just had your surgery also.
So many thanks from me and please don’t stop ?
Danii
HI Danii, thanks to your sister for sharing my blog with you! It makes me so happy to read that what I’ve written has been helpful in your journey. It’s different for us all but hearing how someone else has dealt with the hard stuff can be helpful to figure out your own way. Thank you so much for reading and people like you are the reason I do it and intend to keep going!
Happy first birthday! And hope for many more! I have learnt so much over the past year from this blog despite having a different surgery, every blog in inspirational and interesting to read, when a new post is posted it definitely is a highlight to the day and I can’t wait to see what is in store for the future.
Thanks Alana! I’m so glad it’s been useful even if not all of it has been directly applicable for you. I’m going to keep plugging away here practicing my writing and you never know where it might lead to, maybe one day I’ll write a book!
Wooo hooo – birthday number one! Hopefully it is the first of many 🙂
I’ve read all of your posts and you know that you’ve helped me from pre-op through to post-op. I enjoy your openness and willingness to share your experiences with everyone.
Best of luck for the next year!!!
Thank you Tinks! I’m so glad you’ve found my posts helpful. All of our journeys are different but by sharing we all can learn so much from each other. Your progress has been incredible and it’s been great watching you reach your milestones and your NSV’s!
Melissa I am so pleased that your milestone is going so well! You’re an amazing person with a fantastic blog. I love how you help people so unconditionally. You’re always up for a chat and to provide support and to be awesome.
What you’ve achieved in one year on this blog of yours is absolutely incredible. Well done! 🙂 And happy blogiversary! xxxxx
Thank you Samantha! Thank you for your kind words, don’t make me blush now! I can’t believe how awesome my first year, here’s to the next one!
Congratulations Samantha you are the winner of my giveaway! I will contact you shortly 😀
Congratulations on the 1st birthday of your blog! I love reading your blog as it is so informative and inspirational. As by-pass patients we have our professional team to support us; but at the end of the day they probably haven’t walked the by-pass path, and so can’t really totally understand the highs and occasional lows of life post bypass. You are so open and honest in what you share, and knowing how you felt and coped through the various stages is such a privilege. Your product reviews are great too, and hearing what you can now do is inspirational – your running and hanging from silk bands! Go Melissa!
Thank you Sarah. I agree much as our surgical teams are very helpful and supportive there’s nothing like having a good chat to someone who has been through it themselves. It’s such a ride post surgery isn’t it and while I try to stay positive and that’s my normal setting sometimes the lows do get you down. Thank you for your kind words about my blog, I really hope you continue to enjoy my adventures and as always if there’s anything you’d like to hear from me on let me know!
Congrats, I’ve enjoyed reading your journey. You’re a great writer and it’s so refreshing to get the ‘honest’ truth of the ups and downs.
Thank you Naomi. Funnily enough I didn’t think of blogging as writing when I set out and I’m beginning to love it. I can say what I want without anyone interrupting me it’s great! Thanks for reading and following my blog I really appreciate it and love that you find value in it for you.
Congratulations! I love your heart & your honesty x This inspiring wee blog/IG is helping this kiwi girl take a chance on bettering herself, so thanks so much!
Thank you for your kind words Rachael! I’m so pleased to hear me sharing what I’m doing is helping you in your journey. Take the time to invest in you, you are so worth it! Thank you so much for reading and following my blog it means more to me than you know.
Congratulations! I am 6 months post gastric bypass and have found following your blog very helpful and inspirational, especially in times I have felt defeated by the process, it gives me something to look forward to. Keep up the awesome work Melissa!
Thank you Lisette and congrats on reaching your six month post-op mark! Keep pushing through those hard times you have so much to look forward to I can’t wait to see where your journey takes you. Thank you for reading and commenting on my blog I love hearing from you!
I love that you are real and honest. Congratulations on your first birthday!!!
Thank you Nikki! Tanks for reading my blog I appreciate it 😀
What I adore most about your blog is how real it all is. There are not filters or shortcuts or scams like some of the other health and fitness blogs. Reading all your blogs really inspires me to get up off the couch or even just see that is possible to change your lifestyle into a healthy one!
Your kickass advice and photos are really what do it for me. ❤️
So thank you Melissa! And keep it up ❤️❤️
Thank you so much for your kind words Ellie! I just talk about what I find works for me and while its no filter it’s also no bullshit. I still get a weird sense of satisfaction when people say I’m an inspiration. I guess I’m just a bit too humble and who me? to see it sometimes. Good luck in your journey. Remember that you are worth the effort and time it takes to put yourself first and getting up off the couch is just what you need sometimes. Thank you for reading I’m so glad to hear you enjoy my content!
I love your honesty and realness of your journey. Thank you for sharing with us
Thank you Hayley! It’s a pleasure to share my tips and tricks with everyone 😀
Like your post on ‘the Big Ward’ it’s insightful, humble and reflective. Such a struggle ! All best
Thank you Mary!