Hi all,

Gosh, I remember joining VST a bit over 2 years ago, when I was seriously thinking of having surgery. At the time I weighed over 230 lbs., which when you're a little 5'1" woman, is a lot of excess weight (100 lbs. to be exact).

It's been an amazing 2 years since the wonderful Dr. Aceves performed my surgery and helped me get to a healthier and happier life.

I'll be honest, I've made mistakes. A lot of mistakes. I wasn't very strict with myself during the honeymoon phase after surgery, and as a result I didn't lose as much weight as I could have. Before I hit goal I started eating a lot of crap I never should have eaten and started grazing again. I stopped regularly checking in here and didn't take advantage of much-needed support. In the past year I've actually gained over 10 lbs., and am now working hard to get back towards goal. On the bright side, I'm still nearly 80 lbs. lighter than I was before surgery, and virtually all of my pre-op health issues have been successfully resolved.

Even though I've made mistakes, I'm focusing on the future and not the past. In a way, I feel like I'm starting all over again ... but this time the journey is going to be much shorter and easier!

I have before & after posted up on my blog if you'd care to look:

http://curvygirlwellness.blogspot.com/2013/02/some-before-after-pictures.html

Best,

Kris

You look fantastic! TFS - very inspirational

Congratulations! Thank you for your honesty...I sometimes beat myself up for falling off the wagon.

Congratulations!!

Congratulations! Thank you for being honest to everyone and yourself. That's a step forward.

Congrats! You look great.

Hi everyone, thank you for the encouragement. It means a lot! I think at some point everyone who gets the sleeve will go through a period like I just went through, where you get comfortable with your new size and start testing the boundaries of what you can eat and not gain weight.

I admit, after losing 90 lbs., I was feeling pretty confident that I could eat ANYTHING I wanted and not gain weight. Hubris is the word -- unwarranted confidence. I was like a kid who gets the keys to dad's Beemer and takes it on a joyride, then gets busted. It was fun while it lasted, but now there's a price to pay.

Now that i've been back on a diet for two weeks, I realize afresh that it is SO much easier to gain weight than to lose it, even with a sleeve. Once I get to goal (and I know I will), I will know that maintenance requires just as much vigilance as the weight loss phase.

Great job!

Congrats