WOW! I have not been on here in about 4 months. Life just got a hold of me, then summer hit with a vengence. Now the kiddos are finally back in school.

I have just returned from my check up. Hard to believe I am only 4 months away from my one year anniversary. The doc is very pleased with my progress and so am I. At my one year mark he has agreed to give me a referral to see the plastic surgeon for body contouring. I have a lot of excess skin around my butt and thighs. So I am very excited about that. He is pretty sure the insurance will cover it so double bonus. My goal is to be 140 by 12/28/13 which is my one year mark.

This journey has been so life changing. This summer I wore tank tops, summer dresses, went down a Water slide with my kids and even wore a bathing suit almost all summer! I even wore my first little black dress while in Vegas as you can see from my profile pic. I am at this moment down 107lbs from my heaviest point and down 76lbs since the surgery.

My food cravings come and go but I find myself craving "refreshing" foods like fruit or fish. Strangest thing. If I eat sweets, I get a case of dumping syndrome. I start to sweat and feel nauseous so I just stay away from those foods now. I do not drink soda or beer. On occasion I have a piece of toast. I am able to eat a bit more than before. But according to my doctor I need to make sure my portions stay small, eat a little more often if need be as long as I am eating the right foods, but small portions. Otherewise, you can run the risk of stretching your sleeve. I did not come this far to have that kind of a problem. There was a point around 5 months post op when I was dealing with heartburn but I got that under control. I am dealing with hair loss which is very sad. So even though I am getting my Protein in I am suffering through my loss of hair. I am trying a couple of products to see if I can grow it back. I will keep you posted on that. My stomach gurgles a lot. I am so used to it now though. When I am getting full I start to burp a little. I call that my full meter I still have a tendency to be an emotional eater so I try to stay aware of that. Guess that is just life at this point!

My activity level is through the roof! I have so much energy, I sleep better, I have more patience and am a lot calmer. This procedure not only saved my life, it gave me a life. :wub:

Only a few people know that I have had the surgery and I personally like to keep it that way. I was given a tool but like any tool it will not work if I don't use it! So I don't want to hear people say I took the "easy way out". I may have to punch them. So I just don't say anything.

Anyway, I hope all of you sleevers out there who are newbies are doing well, hang in there it gets better and all of the seasoned sleevers are keeping on. I love this board and have missed seeing what the December sleevers are up to.

Take care!

Thank you for sharing your progress! So glad to hear that you are enjoying life much more now and you're able to have more fun with your kids! I am 10 days post-op, don't have the life I want at this point, and reading your post gives me hope for a future of my own. I also hope you're able to grow your hair back when you hit goal next year and later, your dream 130 lbs (same as me)! I also started at 210 lbs (where you were day of surgery). Best of wishes to you Cheri! *hugs*