Almost the entire day went by before I realized that my surgery was one year ago today!! It's actually nice not to constantly be thinking about my weight and food all the time. I'm just enjoying my life sooooo much I don't have time to think about that stuff anymore!!! And I can honestly say, this has been the BEST year in my 43 years on the planet!!! it hasn't always been easy, but "The hard is what makes it great"!!!

I have fulfilled a 5 year dream to become a triathlete!! I did 3 triathlons this past summer and am planning on doing 5-6 next year. My goal now is to begin to do longer races and eventually do an Ironman (2.5 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, ending with a marathon). It sounds crazy, I know.....but I just having a burning desire to see what my body can do!!

I still have about 40 pounds to lose and I imagine it's going to take me some time to lose it as I'm consistently losing about 2-4 pounds per month (which I'm totally ok with). I can pretty much eat anything at this point....but the amount depends on the food. meat and raw fruits and veggies still fill me up super fast with just a few bites. My relationship with food has completely changed....I now eat to live instead of living to eat!!!

I absolutely LOVE my sleeve and i 100% recommend this journey to those who are still on the fence about it. I've heard a lot of people say that they don't want to "take the easy way out"...in fact, I was one of those people for many years. I always thought I should be able to "do it on my own". Well, I didn't because I couldn't. I needed help. And this journey has been anything BUT easy!! It's the hardest thing I've ever done, but it's also the best thing I've ever done!!!!

So, here are some pics. The first one was taken 3 months before my surgery. There is also one of me with both of my legs in my BIG GIRL pants (which I used to fill out completely!!!).

Lisa did u have hanging skin? And if so what exercise can u tell us to get those arms and legs right...

Yes, I have "bat wings" for arms!!!...and I'm gonna definitely need a tummy tuck!! But I am not even gong to consider any plastics until I've been at my goal weight for 18 months. The way I see it, the flab is better than fat....yeah, it bugs me but I want to see how things "settle" before jumping under the knife again.

Lisa! How awesome you must feel and so proud of your achievements! Who could have imagined how changed our lives could be in such a short time!

I am curious if you lost a lot of hair and at what point did it stop falling out so dramatically! I am scared I will be bald soon!

Beautiful and sooo inspirational. How awesome it is to accomplish the things that you have. I love hearing your story. Thanks for sharing.

Blessing and continued Success

.

Lisa is there alot of lose skin on ur stomach?

Congrats Lisa. You are an inspiration!!

Thank you thank you! Sharing your story and pictures is so inspirational for us continuing on our journey! Congratulations on your goals and accomplishments!! Stay happy!

This inspiration is just what I need right now! I'm on day 2 of my pre op diet and I'm sooo hungry. December 10 is coming fast and I'm scared and excited. Everyone questions my decision , and then I read about the problems people are having and it makes me wonder. This story helps. Thank you.

Lisa! How awesome you must feel and so proud of your achievements! Who could have imagined how changed our lives could be in such a short time!

I am curious if you lost a lot of hair and at what point did it stop falling out so dramatically! I am scared I will be bald soon!

futureskinny~

I did have a period of time where I seemed to lose a lot of hair but my hair is so thick and curly that it was not noticeable....even to me!!! I would just freak out every time I took a shower and, what seemed like, handfuls of hair would come out. It's been a few months now and I'm back to normal hair loss. One thing for me, was that my Protein levels were low from 2 weeks out through 6 months (my surgeon tests for it each time I see her). When I went for my one year follow up my protein level was finally normal. So mabye that helped....I don't know though