Purdy in Pink

yes.....no doubt in my mind. My quality of life, my enjoyment of life, I feel like a new person. I'm 18 months out. I've never regreted it Best investment i've ever made also.

I'm over a year and a half out since surgery.....I'm cold all the time.....it started for me after I lost about 50 lbs......and it still continues. I just wear warmer clothes now and it's not a problem. As for the hot flashes, My Reg Dr put me on the pill and I have NO more of those....woohoo best of luck to all!

I'm 49, 5'3 tall , i'm 16 months out, I have to say, I don't count calories, I count Protein. I still try to get in 60 to 80 grams of protein daily. I havent gained weight, I have maintained for the last 9 months and it's a piece of cake as long as you don't go back to the bad eating habbits. Eat the right foods and it will be no problem. best of luck to you all.

I was a "low" BMI, I was a 34.7 and 196 lbs when I had this surgery. I had the surgery in May of 2011, in the first 3 months, I think I lost about 45 lbs. It's been a little over a year now for me, and i'm maintaining my weight loss with no problem as long as I stick to the new way of eating. My current BMI is 20.5 and im at 116 lbs. Good Luck! Donna

you look beautiful.....congrats on your success.

Everyone loses at a different pace......it's not a contest.. Just follow yout dr's plan, stay away from all foods that have no Protein value, excersize, excersize, and when yout tired, excersize some more.....it will come off.....If you lose too fast, you may expercience exessive hair loss, and none of us want that.....lol Be patient, follow the plan, and it will happen. Congrats on the loss so far.

I love Cottage cheese, stirng cheese, cheese curds, vegetarion refried Beans w/ cheese, muscle milk, etc....and my Dr's office sells many items that are high in Protein and just right for us to eat-snack on, or drink. Check and see if your dr's office sells anything.....The items I get from them are even higher in protein than I can get over the counter items at a reg grocery store. Good Luck

Lol....Thanks so much! With a compliment like that, You are my new BFF...hehehehe.... Thanks, Stick to the diet.....it will work for you also...good luck!

Thanks again for all the nice words. Way to make a girl feel special!

Ty, I truley hate my "fat" pictures, but, they are so important for me to see. my secret is simple, even though I've lost all my weight, I still follow the diet, don't allow myself to eat any of the old foods that I used to love. If I want to maintain this weight, i can't allow it in my life anymore...period! no soda, no breads, no Pasta, no pre packaged foods, no chips, candy, popcorn, etc. I still stick to my Protein diet of between 60 and 80 grams per day, and tons of water! (thank-you Crystal light on the go packets)....my arms look amazing cause I excersize at least 3 x per week, often 5 days. (I went garage saling and purchesed equipment I can have at home cause I knew myself enough to know, I'd never make it to the gym...lol) as for my skin....ummm, well, I've always used Mary Kay moisturizer cream for the last 20 years on my face....and I do spend probably too much time in the sun...lol...which i'm sure I'll pay for that later in life.

Ty, as others on this board have inspired me...kept me focused,...so thank-you to everyone on here! everyone is truly amazing and beautiful!

Ty, i feel wonderful! I have a very small amount of lose skin, which I attribute that to excersizing during the weight loss. I can wear short shorts and no one can tell there is a little extra skin there. I lost all my weight (80 lbs) in 6 months and 2 weeks....and I'm shocked that I have had no hair loss, ZERO... as I fully expected it. Excersize is SOOOO important, when we are heavy, our fat supports our bones...when we lose the weight, we need to build muscle to now support those bones and tighten up that skin. I have a close friend who did the lap band, we lost close to the same amount of weight, she did not excersize at all, and just had 1 of 3 very painful surgery's to remove the excess skin. It really will make the diffrence...please excersize if your going to go through this....

I really havent felt tons of extra energy......my energy was high already. I'm 49 years old myself.....so, were close in age. What I notice the most is....I can hold my head up high, and be proud of my accomplishment. and a bonus feeling is...I can cross my legs and they stay there..... and now see my collar bones in my neck again....lol......

yes......i think 115 is low enough....heheheh....now all i have to do is....diet for the rest of my life!....lol Thanks! Donna

Here are a few of my journey pictures.....

Hello, I'm 1 year, 2 months out......and I did lose all the weight i wanted, plus an additional 10 lbs past my goal. yes, the last 20 lbs was the toughest......but I was determined to do it....I've kept if off now for 8 months.. So, I'd say, its up to you........how determined are you? Good luck to all!

I'm not judging you here.....but.........i'd TOTALLY stay away from the ice cream. It's a very bad habbit to start, and hard to stay away from once you start eating crap foods like that. my advisce is, if you start treating yourself this early on, you might be one of those posts down the road like: why am I not losing?....... Stick to the foods the DR has directed you to, and you will be much better off. Good luck, I know it's tough.....but hang in there!

That's awesome! with every pound u lose, it will keep you motivated! Best of Luck!

I'm a little over a year out, and I can still feel that same hard knot under my largest incision, although I think it's smaller then it once was.......so, it may never fully go away, but It will be smaller in time Donna

Don't sweat it....it will come off. Just follow the diet...be patient, yes everyones will lose at a different pace, keeping in mind what you are putting into your bodyat all times. Good luck!

you might try miralax....its a powder that goes in your Water, its tasteless, and odorless. I think it took me 3 days before I had a bm....but, everyone's different i suppose. anyhow, when I feel constipated, i add that to my water, my dr reccomended it, so I know it was safe to take. you may need to do it a few times if you are really having troubles. goodluck!

I say go for it too......I went past my goal weight also......and i feel so much better. i figure too skinny is if your bones are protruding.....which mine are not....and if truth be known, I'd love to lose another 5 lbs too. set your goals...you can do it, although those last few lbs always take the longest! good luck!

im 14 months post op......and I have no issues. I've found it quite easy to addapt to this new life style, although I still avoid that "I can eat anything", im still trying to stick to what ive learned is good for me to eat, and avoid the crap food. My goal is still to try to get in my 60 to 80 grams of Protein per day. when I go to a reasturant, I split a meal w/ hubby, no questions ever get asked.......If I get a meal by myself, i've only had this happen 1 time where they thought i didnt like it, all you have to do is reassure them it was great, tell them you ate as much as you could. don't feel like u need to explain anything more, its none of their business....lol on a scale of 1 to 10.....its a 8....real easy..... I was embarrassed to be out in public when i was heavy, now, i hold my head up high!

congrats to you......i'm sure you will do great.