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Edited January 19, 20179 yr by LipstickLady

With God's help Im looking forward to being more active and enjoying life as well!! Thx for sharing. God bless you!

Wow I felt like I read my story. You look amazing!! Awesome job. Your an inspiration. Thank you I needed this read, today of all days.

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Great story. I'm just getting started and I appreciate you sharing your story thus far.

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Wow! You look great and I loved the post [emoji6] I've been working towards the journey of getting sleeved since February .. I've now completed everything and the doctor is submitting to my insurance for approval .. You've summed up what I've hoped will be possible for me as well. I'm so excited and crossing my fingers that I'll be approved (and soon) I can't wait to feel how your feeling! I just want to feel "normal" again [emoji16] it's something I've been waiting on for a long time.. Thanks for the great post.. It gives me hope for my future [emoji175]

This is awesome! Thank you!

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This is a fantastic post, you're an inspiration.

I was also a "healthy fat person" for a long time, and then everything seemed to fall apart. I think my body was compensating for the weight until it couldn't. I am anxiously awaiting the last of the insurance requirements and approval, and am *so* ready to get on with it. I have no desire to run mudders, but am glad you enjoy it, you look so happy.

Wow wow wow!! You were beautiful before but now you are hot hot hot !! Thank you for posting your story , yours like others are similar to my story, you are an inspiration. I'm 7 months post op now and have 23 pounds to go for my goal of 150.. This journey has been so worth it!!

Thank you! On a crummy day of still some soreness and liquid protein (post-op) day 6 I really needed that. I can relate to so much of what you shared though I think I waited a bit longer (and more pounds) to come to terms that I needed a bigger hammer to get this project going!

What an inspiration... thank you so much for sharing!!!!

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Wow!! What an amazing testimony!!! Thank you for reminding me that it's ok to love myself enough to do this and let the true me come out!!! I am looking forward to spending time with the me I use to be!!!

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Edited June 29, 201610 yr by josiek1988

I am the before you right now. I need to be the after you. Lol

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I am the before you right now. I need to be the after you. Lol

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YOU WILL!!!!

Wow!! What an amazing testimony!!! Thank you for reminding me that it's ok to love myself enough to do this and let the true me come out!!! I am looking forward to spending time with the me I use to be!!!

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You just totally made my day.

Thank you. I am 4.5 years post-op and have regained about 30#. I'm desperate to lose them and needed motivation. Thank you so much for sharing and congratulations! Keep up the amazing work!

Sleeve in October of 2011

Lost 95 lbs from heaviest

Gained back 25 (working at shrinking that number)

When I started this journey I was 5.3 and 264 pounds. I had no health issues. I did martial arts, I went to the gym regularly, I loved to swim laps for exercise, and I didn't have any aches or pains. My blood counts were good and I *thought* I was very happy with myself. I had friends, a successful business, a happy husband and kids, an overall great life.

I decided to have surgery because I didn't want my body to start breaking down and I knew it would. While I could do all those things above, I was starting to get very tired and increasingly lazy. After an hour of laps, I just wanted to sit in my pool chair and read. After a three hour martial arts day, I wanted to sleep on the sofa. I was finding myself watching my family do fun stuff more than participating and I was getting increasingly nervous about going places like the park because I was wondering how I was going to cover up the huffing and puffing and the excessive sweating.

Looking back, I was truly fooling myself into believing that my life was normal except for my clothing size. My biggest dread was going to school events and being the fat mom. I hated that not only for myself, but for my kids. I knew they would never say so, but what child wants to have the super obese fat mom in the room? I was very self conscious about going out in public, never wanting a hair out of place, or my hair and outfit less than perfect. (By God, I may have been a fat person, but I was going to be a perfectly groomed fat person 'cuz that would fool people! Just like wearing all black would fool them or not actually eating in public would fool them.)

My mental armor against my obesity was a louder laugh, a bigger smile, a heartier personality, and I was always told that I was a bit intimidating because I oooooozed self confidence. (I am thrilled to say that I have maintained these characteristics, so I did gain something from my time as an obese person.)

Here I am, 1 year later, 111 pounds thinner (but still 5.3. HA!). I hit my original goal of 159, and am now about 3 pounds away from my stretch goal of 149. I really think I want to get to 139, but really, if I never lose another pound, so be it.

I still swim, do martial arts, I TEACH kickboxing, and I zumba my heart out several days a week. I no longer sweat excessively, I can not only keep up with the family, but I am most often the one who WANTS to go out and do physical things. After a great exercise session, I have MORE energy as opposed to flopping my happy arse on the couch for the rest of the day. I am down from a size 20 to a size 6 and I was able to squeeze into a size 4 the other day. (I turned blue, I couldn't breathe, bend or sit, but I buttoned those b!tches!)

I have done several mud runs and am always looking for more opportunities. I am looking into becoming a certified Zumba instructor and am attending a 3 day martial arts camp without fear of not being able to keep up. I can go into public looking like a wreck from the gym and no longer feel like people are looking at me as the sloppy fat woman, and if I buy a cup of fro-yo or have junk food in my cart, I no longer feel the judgmental stares. (And the meat heads at the GNC actually WANT to help me instead of just ringing me up without eye contact.)

As I start this summer as a thinner person for the first time in 15-20ish years, every day is a wonderment. I am wearing shorts. I am buying sleeveless dresses. I have floppy skin, but I don't care!! I can buy clothes anywhere I want and I have the freedom to spend my day without focusing on how I look, what I am going to eat, who is looking at me judgmentally, if I am going to be able to fit in a space, if I am going to crowd someone. I can be so much more spontaneous in my schedule and I am always looking forward to trying new things. (A super cool perk? If I get something on my clothes or need a quick change of outfit because something comes up, I can run into the store, buy something off the rack without trying it on and I KNOW it's going to fit!!! WHAT!?!?!)

Life was good before. Life is freaking AWESOME now.

Before.

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Now.

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And the fun stuff!

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Wow!!! What an inspiration. Thanks for always sharing your suggestions and being there. It's nice to hear your story. So awesome!!

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Wow you are stunning! You look so much younger and brighter. Your story has spurred me on to book in a date. Thank you!!!

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