It's been one year since my surgery and I am so happy I did it.

I was frustrated at first because I was a slow loser. Now, I say THANK GOD I am a slow loser! I am one year out and I have lost 80 pounds. In the first 4 months I had lost 20 pounds. I was sad, upset and discouraged. That made me look at how I treat myself. How I put myself down as a failure, how I don't buy nice things for myself etc.

Things sped up between 4 months and 8 months because during the first 4 months I had to experiment with what I could eat and had to figure out what worked for me as a unique human being. After month 9 things slowed down again. I now have my eating habits set for life. I learned my new habits slowly and I feel they are solid now.

I am losing about a quarter to half a pound a week still and I'm ok with that. I don't focus so much on my weight. I'm taking classes, learning new things and changing my life. I stick up for myself and walk away from negative people and situations. I have a new job,

I hardly have any lose skin. I will not need any plastic surgery. My blood pressure is normal for the first time in over a decade. My A1C numbers are below the pre-diabetic level and my bad cholesterol has dropped so low I am no longer in danger of heart disease.

I would have been great if I could have done all of this without the surgery, but I am so glad I did it. Looking forward to another great year.

Love the positive attitude! I think 80 lbs lost in a year is wonderful, and even better that you are still losing and realize that you can still work this. I am also embracing the journey and changes... not just the goal (I am a turtle loser too, lol.)

You sound like you are making the most of this and have a great attitude towards the life changes that can, and sometimes SHOULD, occur! Good for you on working on self-improvement along with this weight-loss. I bet your next year (this year) will be even better.

@@Mrs. Reid, by golly it seems like you've got this! Good for you, not only for the weight loss but also for trying new things, and staying away from the negative situations. Sounds like you had a life makeover.

Congrats!

Happy surgiversary! What will you do to celebrate?

This is one of the nicest one-year surgiversary stories I've ever read.

It sounds so ... weird word to use ... organic. Like everything fits together well.

I'm very happy for you and send you good wishes for continuing success on all fronts.

Congratulations! It is so awesome to hear the confidence, excitement, and enthusiasm in your post. You have accomplished a tremendous amount in the last year and that isn't even counting the weight loss.

Thank you for sharing your story. You are an inspiration.