Hello everyone

I haven't posted in quite awhile. I've achieved my goal and wanted to say a few things to anyone out there who needs a boost.

Was it worth it?

Absolutely. I paid for my surgery myself and its the best money I have ever spent. I had my surgery on 12/26/2012. A christmas present to myself. I'm 9 months out and have lost 101 pounds. People are now telling me that I am "too thin" and need to stop losing. I've never had that problem before. I personally think I look fine - I'm happy where I'm at and really don't mind the 2 pounds up and down that still happen.

Did I have any complications?

I developed some seriously painful acid reflux in about month 7. Did everything the Dr. told me to and still had issues. A friend suggested eating a couple of crackers before bed and that finally worked. My crackers travel with me if I'm going anywhere overnight. Other than that - I haven't had any issues whatsoever.

hair loss

I took Biotin faithfully and doubled up on the doses. I used Biotin/Collagen shampoo. It may have slowed it down but I still lost hair. I'm not bald - but definitely had some thin hair. No one noticed but me and my hairdresser.

How did I lose 101 pounds?

I followed the plan. If I had an off day I shrugged it off and started over the next day. The weight came off - sometimes 3 pounds a week and sometimes 1/2 a pound in two weeks. I weighed myself every Friday morning. That was my incentive to not go crazy over the weekend. I set reasonable goals for myself and when I got to them - I rewarded myself with a new pair of workout pants or new tennis shoes.

Stalls?

Oh yes - lots of them. longest one was 8 weeks. I stressed, I exercised more, I drank more Water, I amped the carbs, I upped my calories, I reduced my calories, stood on my head ....... still had stalls. I finally learned to keep doing what I was doing and eventually the weight starting coming off again.

How have I changed?

I went from a size 24 to a size 8. From a XXL top to a medium. Size 9 shoes to size 8 (that was surprising to me!) Everything else got smaller too. I have lots of energy and go up and down 4 flights of stairs without getting winded. I can walk 5 miles and still have enough energy to walk 5 more. My skin is a bit flabby but I'm working on that. The walking is helping to tone my legs. I hadn't planned on wearing any bikini's so I'm ok with my stomach being flabby. It actually isn't as bad as I thought it would be. My chicken wings are the worst. I'm just going to have to live with them. I have no regrets and I'd rather be flabby thin than overweight puffy.

If anyone is having second thoughts - I can tell you it's worth it. Your life will change - but in the best way possible.

Good luck to everyone and if you have any questions I'd be happy to answer what I can.

Good for you! What a wonderful accomplishment!

Thanks!

Thanks for the encouragement. It is nice to hear when I am a week away from my surgery!

Thank you for sharing your journey. It is inspiring!

Thanks for the encouragement. It is nice to hear when I am a week away from my surgery!

Atlchick - try not to listen to all the negatives. I got lost in that trap a few times. You are making a life changing decision - it won't always be easy but it will be worth it. Patience is key. Be good to yourself.

Congrats to u!! im a preop still, but i loved what u said about stalls bc it seens to b the bane of most peoples worries!! its good to know that tried it all, evn standn on ur head...lol, nd yet nothn worked other than patience. i guess the adrenaline from finally losing weight nd it stayn off kind of plays w the psychy when we've been overweight so long, so we tend to panic about stalls! As u said, its gonna happn just do what uve been doing nd keep it movn. Tysvm!! i appreciate that advice and again, congrats!! Dee Dee