Surgery was 2/19. Everything went well! I'm home recooperating and getting used to my new & improved life! Excited about this new journey I'm on.

Congratulations, this is a life changing decision. Good for you!!! Take advantage of this time to lose as much weight as you can. The bulk (no pun intended) will come off easily the first 18 months. Follow the rules and set yourself up for success. Plan ahead and plan to be healthy. It's not always a smooth road, but it a road well worth taking. Be sure to take care of your emotional and spiritual side too. This change impact all of you, and if you do it right, it will be in the most positive way. Be well and follow the plan outlined by your docs. Being on line here and getting support from fellow travelers is a first good step.

Good luck - heck, luck has nothing to do with it... instead I'll say, stay strong and stay positive!

P.S. I'm 11 years out and have pretty much maintained my weight loss. When they say that its' 80% surgery and 20% diet and exercise in the beginning and then 80% diet and exercise and 20% surgery after a few years they are right. Now is the time to get your life in order and to put your health first... go for it.

Thank you for sharing I cant wait to join this journey thank you for the comments and congrats on maintaining your weight lost.

Hello Cupcake,

I noticed that we started out about the same weight. When I started the journey I was 316 lbs. I dropped down to 306 before my surgery. I then went on to a 134 lb weight loss. I also lost my knee pain, back pain and asthma. My goal weight was 172. After all this time I've adjusted it to 180. I gained some weight back due to inactivity and some unrelated health issues. I have recently rededicated my self to getting back to 180. I started exercising again more seriously and started taking a look at my food intake again - not how much I eat, but rather what I eat. I realized that I was eating unnecessary fat in some of my Protein. In less than a week I've lost two pounds just from lowering fat intake. I promised myself that I would never "diet" again after my surgery. I haven't. I've just made adjustments to what I eat, and it's worked. Being a part of these forums has been helping too. By talking to newbies, I am reminding myself of what I need to tweak. Being here is a win win for me. I wish you well. Take care of yourself ~ physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. You're the only one who really knows what you need, so be your own best friend.

Rosemar thank you got the encouragement and I will.