Sometimes I wonder what the heck am I dong coming to this website......

Most of the people who I looked to for inspiration no longer come around here at all any more...and there were many....and I can now understand why they moved on........

You have the surgery, pre-op, post-op.....You go through the weight loss and lifestyle changes, learning all the way, some slower, some faster than others.......

and eventually you return to that place where, after all the weight has come off, your life returns to normal.....no longer worrying about loosing weight and diets.....

If I did not come here on this website, I could go days without thinking I ever had the surgery....just living life from day to day......doing things because they are now ingrained in me.

There are no lists of rules I must follow.....I don't have to remind myself how and what to eat, when and why to exercise to keep the excess calories and fat burned off......

I often think about it in terms of someone who has had a total knee replacement.....pre-op, post-op, very painful.....then comes the long rehab process of learning how to walk all over again, with something artificial. and eventually one does, returns to society doing the day to day routines, not thinking, yet knowing, they had the surgery....

I have a 70 year old friend who had 2 total knees done, and is back to running marathons.....took 2 years but the journey is complete.....

The overwhelmingly majority of people here on this website are either just starting out, or have had the surgery and are still loosing weight with many lessons yet to learn that they cannot even conceive because they are focused on the here and now...

It is frustrating because many think they know all the answers, (they're on my ignore list) simply because they lost some weight, and it is frustrating because others are not sure who to believe.....and it is frustrating because people also come here because they have had problems - failures and need support.....

I know a large group of people on a different site who are all refugees from here....they left and started their own group because they could not take it anymore.....and invited a few veterans for support....

Then there are people like me who are finished, really don't need to go through all this....sit back and witness it all and wonder...... what am I doing here here??? Is there anything here for me? Something to encourage and give me support? Not really! There is, but it is hard to find and comes from the weirdest source..almost a double negative equaling a positive......

The answer to that is because everyone has a success story to tell, there are always 2 sides to the story, and people need to hear it...... not just opinions from others still new to this journey....I left for a while, and consider leaving again.....but then I think of those new people looking for someone who has actually completed this process, and need to hear all sides to the story...If I did not come here to tell my story, then people would not know there are people out there like me.....they need to see the entire Forrest in and not just the individual trees....

And yet, it is all extremely frustrating

So much for my morning rant...it's 5am....off to the gym!

Well thank you for sharing yourself with us.

I know I just share what my bariatric team tells me and it

seems to work for me.

No, I'm not at goal yet, but sticking to my Drs orders, I plan to be.

Everyone has a different story. All our journey's are our journey's and I appreciate everyone's story, no matter where they are in that journey.

Matter of fact, I learned so much starting out from others in the middle of their journey. The likes of Missy, Sojo, CG,AJ, Dee,Chez, Floridays & Jean, just to name a few. Not to mention all the books I've read.

I figure most of us have educated ourselves before WLS, to know rhetoric from fact. So we take things with a grain of salt.

Thank you for sharing your journey. You have done amazing.

May the rest of your journey be like wise!

B-52 I have learned and continue to learn from your posts. Yeah I have reached my goal but that's just the beginning for me. I want to feel like you do but I'm not there yet mentally. You and some of the other vets are a constant reminder of how to be successful on this lifetime journey. So when u ask yourself why your here your a success story, your an inspiration to me as well as others. Thanks for all your posts you have made me change different parts of my journey to become a success like you!!

i hope i am not one of those (know it all's) however i am passionate and i do not coddle in my comments to people who knowingly divert off course and then wonder did i do wrong.

i am trying to do the best i can with what i have. like madds said, i take the majority of things with a grain of salt. if i come across something (i always refer to my dr) to get the correct info.

that being said, i am losing weight with the bands help and def making good choices. that is what i (preach on here). being responsible for one's own actions and you either want it or not. i am one who does want it.

Sometimes I wonder what the heck am I dong coming to this website......

Most of the people who I looked to for inspiration no longer come around here at all any more...and there were many....and I can now understand why they moved on........

There were people who reached out to you to help you get where you are today, they may have left, but you are here in their place. One day, you will leave, and those who you helped will remain to help train others.

I agree with Terry - you are at the end of your weight loss journey but you help so many that are just starting out. As a newbie we take, take, take from the vets with all our questions BUT I hope one day to be able to pay that back when I have reached my goal and help the people that get banded next year. I do appreciate your posts – I even PM’ed you last week to say thank you so you know we appreciate what you do

Sometimes I wonder what the heck am I dong coming to this website......

Most of the people who I looked to for inspiration no longer come around here at all any more...and there were many....and I can now understand why they moved on........

You have the surgery' date=' pre-op, post-op.....You go through the weight loss and lifestyle changes, learning all the way, some slower, some faster than others.......

and eventually you return to that place where, after all the weight has come off, your life returns to normal.....no longer worrying about loosing weight and diets.....

If I did not come here on this website, I could go days without thinking I ever had the surgery....just living life from day to day......doing things because they are now ingrained in me.

There are no lists of rules I must follow.....I don't have to remind myself how and what to eat, when and why to exercise to keep the excess calories and fat burned off......

I often think about it in terms of someone who has had a total knee replacement.....pre-op, post-op, very painful.....then comes the long rehab process of learning how to walk all over again, with something artificial. and eventually one does, returns to society doing the day to day routines, not thinking, yet knowing, they had the surgery....

I have a 70 year old friend who had 2 total knees done, and is back to running marathons.....took 2 years but the journey is complete.....

The overwhelmingly majority of people here on this website are either just starting out, or have had the surgery and are still loosing weight with many lessons yet to learn that they cannot even conceive because they are focused on the here and now...

It is frustrating because many think they know all the answers, (they're on my ignore list) simply because they lost some weight, and it is frustrating because others are not sure who to believe.....and it is frustrating because people also come here because they have had problems - failures and need support.....

I know a large group of people on a different site who are all refugees from here....they left and started their own group because they could not take it anymore.....and invited a few veterans for support....

Then there are people like me who are finished, really don't need to go through all this....sit back and witness it all and wonder...... what am I doing here here??? Is there anything here for me? Something to encourage and give me support? Not really! There is, but it is hard to find and comes from the weirdest source..almost a double negative equaling a positive......

The answer to that is because everyone has a success story to tell, there are always 2 sides to the story, and people need to hear it...... not just opinions from others still new to this journey....I left for a while, and consider leaving again.....but then I think of those new people looking for someone who has actually completed this process, and need to hear all sides to the story...If I did not come here to tell my story, then people would not know there are people out there like me.....they need to see the entire Forrest in and not just the individual trees....

And yet, it is all extremely frustrating

So much for my morning rant...it's 5am....off to the gym! [/quote']

Thank you for being here! I am still pre op surgery is scheduled 3.18 but I have loved hearing your point of view on here as well as carolinagirl, floridays, chenoel, missy, maddysgram and many others. Please stay if not for you, do it for me.