For all you newbies...plan to stick around. Most everyone who is 1 year or more out has vanished. They got what they needed. Maybe everyone is happy in skinny bliss, but I hoping from this point on that everyone who is on here will stay on here for 5 years. Make that commitment to the new people. I wish my June 2011 and maintenance categories were overflowing with information. I could go to those places for support rather than hearing about gas after surgery. I am not there anymore. I certainly chime in sometimes to the newbies fears, but most of my fear right now is about gaining it back. Make sure you stick with your group for years to come. I am sure it will help you be more successful in the long term.

Happens on Youtube too. They lose their weight and then disappear. A FEW people stick around to try and pay back the support they got when they were new. There are a couple of channels (Back to basics, ProofWLS works) but for the most part, a lot of people that I was following in 2009/10/11 have stopped updating.

Maybe a youtube video takes a lot of work, but taking a couple of minutes every other day to check in on this site shouldn't be that difficult.

I hope this means that they are just busy enjoying life being normal sized and not because they have regained weight!

In all honesty I wanted to make a documentary film on regain. I hope they are in skinny bliss, but I do have some doubts that everyone is super happy. For some maybe the thought of even gaining 20 is still better than the 300 or so they were before, but I want to stay thin. I don't want to regain any of it. I can't afford buying new clothes!!!! So anyhoo...I would not feel ashamed about gaining. Eating/Food is an addiction for many of us and this should be a place of refuge.

I'm still here, two years out in just a few days.

I'm still pre-op, but I definitely plan on sticking around for the long haul! Right now, this site is a wealth of information and support and I hope it will continue to be so after my surgery, but I also want to give back once I have some experience under my belt to help all the newcomers.

Honestly most people rediscover life and don't have time to sit in front if the computer anymore. When people disappear and then check in after awhile its usually because they got too busy living life to be tied to the forums or YouTube or the blogs.

Also the further out people get, the more normal they feel until they just don't have anything to talk about. Of they're maintaining, no news is good news.