Hello Everyone/ the lurker emerges to the board to say thanks..

Hi, I haven't posted is sooooo long. I often visit the sight just to look at the before and after pictures. You all are doing sooo GREAT...It's hard to believe that we all just had surgery in January of 2005......and we've come so far. My highest weight was 267 and I'm only 5ft 1" and on surgery day I was 252. I'm now down to 161...which has been a slow process and I have a ton of excess skin. My thighs are down to 19" but my waist is still too big...I haven't started excersizing and my eating habits are sometimes bad but I feel great and am doing so many more thing than in the past. Everyone is wowed that sees me and didn't know I had WLS. I'm not at all ashamed of telling them how I lost the weight because surgery or not, we still did it. We chose a healthier life style and better eating habits and put our lives on the line to reach our goals...I am so amazed at all of you and how far everyone has come. Life is good. And it's our time to shine. I'm not going to have PS for atleast another year, which hopefully I will be able to afford by then. but thanks to all of you that have taken that step and have shared your pictures and your experiences. Thanks to all of you for your support and for allowing us lurkers to read and hang around without messaging. I am so proud to be part of the January 2005 surgery group. You all are in my thoughts and I wish you all skinny lives and happiness.

Thank you for posting... I feel like I haven't done as fantastically as the other 'stars" on our board too - but I still have lost 90 lbs. I have had a long plateau due to poor eating habits, but I'm back on track and know I will be heading down. I also appreciate the chance to lurk and watch what is happening - the transformation of our peers... Blessings, Carolyn

You're doing great..think how long it would have taken you to lose 90 pounds without WLS... The plateau has to end soon...I think we need to drink more water. Atleast I know I do.

Hi Nancy!!! Congratulations on your awesome success!!! I read your post and also your profile and we have a lot in common. We're about the same age and I also have two grown children. A son who is 24 and a daughter who is 27. I'm also 5 feet tall and started at 261 pounds. I'm currently 147 pounds. I just had a TT a week ago and am recovering from that. I have to admit that my goal was 125 pounds, and my surgeon's goal was 130-140 pounds. He did mention to me that short people do not have as high of a metabolism, and so we tend to lose slower and not as much. But I'm not quitting yet. I agree with you that the January, 2005 group have so much to be thankful for. I truly feel that we are blessed!!! Have a wonderful week. Take care and God Bless you and yours. Love and Aloha, Pat 261/147/125

Thanks Pat....Congratulations to you. My doctor set my goal at 150 which I thought was too high, I too think it should be 125...how much did you lose with the TT??? I think I would drop quite a bit if I had one. But I want to lose more before I have one.

Hi Nancy~~ My plastic surgeon told me that with the loose skin, fat, and tissue it must have added up to approximately 6-7 pounds. I thought it would be a lot more!! I'm not having an arm and thigh lift because I form very bad keloids (scar tissue) and he told me that I would not be happy at all with the results. I don't have that much loose skin in those two areas because I've been exercising regularly since about 6 weeks after my lap rny. My main concern was my stomach and hip area because my clothes were just not fitting correctly. I belong to 24 Hour Fitness and own a treadmill at home so I've been getting my share of exercise. My plastic surgeon did tell me that no matter how much you exercise you can never get rid of the loose skin without plastic surgery. Unfortunately, my insurance did not cover it so I had to pay for it myself. I still would like to get down to 125 so I'm going to continue on my journey. I wish I could attribute my not reaching my goal to my diet, but since my wls I have been faithfully drinking my protein drink for breakfast and have only one meal which consists of 3-5 oz. of protein and a fresh vegetable. I have not had any starches or sweets. I guess my body is just being stubborn. I used to weigh only 100 pounds when I got married, but my doctor did tell me that I have to remember my current age. Keep in touch!!! Aloha, Pat