Anyone get to goal and maintained?

I have lost 137 pounds, and I weigh 118. I am having a breast ligt and a tummy tuck for the extra loose skin on my beely. It is all minimal. I am a size 1/2 and as small as I was in high school. I have maintained my weight for the last 5 months. Has anyone else maintained and not gained any back. I am terrified of gaining any back. I love being my old self again, and that I can wear anything from anywhere again. Thank God for WLS!!!!! Gabriella

a size 1/2??? my god - i'm jealous! lol and to answer your question, i'm nowhere close to my goal yet. *sigh* hell, at this point i think i still qualify for surgery - lol. it's all actually very depressing - i've lost 182 pounds and am still very obese. i honestly don't know how i ever let myself go that far for that long. ah well...what're you gonna do? you've done absolutely wonderfully, though. and you've maintained for the last 5 months, so you're obviously doing something right. i think that the fear of gaining is actually a very good thing - it tends to keep us more focused and keep us in line. and best of luck with the plastics! i hope everything goes well for you. take care, kym

Kym: Thanks for your reply! Don't get discouraged, though, you are doing awesome! I was thin my whole life until pregnancies. This last one at 30 did me in! I gained 90 pounds with the pregnancy, and then lost down to 155, and then gained 100 pounds to 255!! I am only 5'2", so holy crap!! I then found out I had Hashimoto's disease (hypothyroidism) and I just couldn't get it off. It was ironic I ever became MO because I used to compete in amateur fitness competetions at 12% bodyfat well into my late 20's. I was MO for 4 years. The WLS is the only thing that made me get the weight off. I just hope I am out of the woods, and I can permanently keep it off. I work out, and eat what I should almost always. I am just mega paranoid after the 4 year fat suit I just shed. I have a totally different respect for MO, and anyone suffering with it, and the hell it takes to overcome it. I just never ever want to go there again. Stick with it as strict as you can, it will all be worth it. You are looking great and doing awesome!! Gabriella P.S. I love Tori Amos, too!

Hi Gabriella, and congratulations on your terrific success. My idea of "goal" has shifted somewhat; I am no longer focused so much on the numbers as I am on renewing my commitment every single day of healthy eating - eating to fuel and heal my body and mind; and to physical fitness, more because it feels so damned good than anything else. I celebrate the joy of movement every day. In fact, I had my abdominoplasty a little over a week ago and I hate that I can't work out right now - probably not for another 5 weeks or so! Everything is getting flabby and mushy again - but I know that will change as soon as I am able to get back into my regimen of daily aerobics and weight lifting. As for numbers, I weighed 352 lbs. before surgery; I weight 152 lbs. the morning of my TT but am now hovering at 158 despite the fact that my PS removed 8 lbs. of skin and fat. I believe it's water retention as I am still quite swollen - and will patiently weight this out as well. I am just so incredibly thankful for my new life and I want to help others in any way that I can. In August, I will undergo a breast lift and am thinking to do my arms at the same time - insurance is covering the lift and I will pay for the arms - but just don't know if I can handle all that pain again as the TT and hernia repair was (and remains) incredibly painful. Keep posting, Gabriella - I truly believe we especially need to hear from those who are enjoying success, maintaining a healthy attitude toward that success, and sharing with us so that we may learn better ways to keep our own momentum going strong. Thanks so much! Reenie

wow...size 1/2...that's amazing. How tall are you? I lost about 105, went from a size 22 to a size 6/8, but trying to get to a size 4. I think there are a lot of variables that determine where we should be weight wise, one of them being age. I think we can all agree that we're terrified of gaining the weight back. I think following the rules is the key. I talked to a woman who lost 150 pounds 10 years ago with WLS. She told me she eats anything she wants, only small amounts. I guess we all find a system that works for us. Good luck and congrats on such an amazing weight loss! Joan

Congratulations on your loss! What a size 1/2 look like?? I am almost to goal. I have lost 81 lbs. I have about 25 more to go. I feel GREAT! Actually, if it took me another year to lose another 25, that would be ok. I feel so normal, I hardly know what to do with myself. :D Sara

Hi Gabriella: Congrats on your success. I am beyond goal. I am 5'7" started at 231 size 20 or 22. Now weigh 123 and am a size 4. Please note - same 3 numbers but in much better order. I can't eat enough to regain any of the wt. Just trying to maintain it where it is now. I do weigh myself daily and would diet if I did regain more than 3 pounds. Good luck to you. Pat

You're STILL my hero! Your pictures and weight loss just astound me. We're the same height and I'd love to be 123, but I don't think I'll ever get there. Congrats and best wishes! Joanie

Thanks Joan: I never thought it even possible for my build to weigh this little. So don't be surprised at how low you can go. Being 58 yo I mainly post on the over 50 forum and there are a lot of women on it that have lost more than they could have imagined. With this surgery I not only lost a ton of weight but at least 25 years. I can do anything I did at 35 and I am loving it. All the best to you. Pat