ROLL CALL @ YEAR 1 - Come out of lurkerdom for just one post....

HI all! Today is my surgiversary! I started at 243# and have lost 121#. I currently weigh 122#! YES! I have lost almost exactly what I currently weigh...it is mindboggling! I have been able to get into clothes that are over 20 years old (yes, I kept that 1 pair of jeans from 1988 (when I graduated HS) to show my kids I was once smaller...and now they FIT! I have been amazed that I have not bought alot of clothes but shopped in my closet for the vast majority of my clothes until recently...and saved a ton of $! My first big purchase was a good pair of workout shoes and dress shoes that cost more than I have purchased in clothes...and they have been more than worth it! (Maybe this just reveals that I have kept clothes way too long...or maybe it was that I always new I would loose the weight!) I am most proud that I now spend lots more time with my kids and now I will hopefully be around a long time wheras, if I hadn't lost the weight, they would likely have lost their mommy to another heart attack before they graduated from high school. I love my new lease on life! My biggest stuggle...oh, there are soooo many. Snacking...eating the wrong things (crunchy carbs)...eating when bored...not taking all of my vitamins...not exercising.... Those are the big ones. AND these are daily battles. Thankfully, I usually eat what I am supposed to and get in about 1000 cal (too low per my doc, but it isn't easy to get in much more...), 90-100 g protein per day and exercise 3x/week. Everyday I get up and remember to try to do better so that all the wonderful weight loss and new found activities with my kids will continue for a very long time. My biggest worry is that I will gain the weight back...now begins my biggest challenge and plan for the next 50 years!...not to gain back the weight! Over the next year, I plan to exercise alot more and hope that I can firm up the loose fat/muscle enough not to need Plastics...

Sunday will be my Surgiversary! I have lost an amazing 109 lbs! I still have 35 more pounds to go till my goal. My Dr is totally happy with the wieght I have lost and amazed at the inches I have lost. I had Open RNY so I bought a size larger in pants so I would not be uncomfortable aftert the surgery (22W) Today I am in a size 12P and some 10P's. Shirts were 2X sand now I wear Large. I am mostly proud of the fact that after the weight loss, I still have elastic in my skin and my boobs didn't shrink! I have very little loose skin! For this I am grateful! My hardest struggle the past year has been to juggle my liquids, vitimins, and food. I do not drink before or after eating. In the next year i plan to loose another 35 lbs and stick to a stricter exercise program. Thanks to everyone on the A-Team for supporting me over the last year! You guys are the BOMB! RhondaT

Hi everyone! My anniversary was April 4. I am 5 2" and started at 293, and am now at 183. I haven't lost any weight in 3 months. Most of my weight is in my chest (still a DDD) and stomach. I was in a 28-30 top and 24-26 pants. Now, I'm in a 8-10p pant and 12-14 top. I love how I look now and I feel great, although I am 50 lbs from goal. I finally faced the fact that I'm not going to get there without exercising, which I have now begun doing. I am most proud of the fact that ALL of my comorbidities are gone, except for a bit of joint pain. I have tons of energy now and can't believe how much I'm able to accomplish in a day! I'm proud that I am learning how to eat mindfully and to not stuff away my feelings. I am much more assertive now and much better about identifying my feelings and standing up for myself. This year has been amazing-besides getting my health and life back, I got a great new job and I'm engaged! Losing the weight gave me the confidence to go for a high-paying job that I wasn't totally qualified for, but I got it and am rocking it! The hardest struggle for me has been by far the emotional component-learning how to feel my feelings without numbing them, learning to love myself enough so that I feel that I deserve to take good care of myself, and to not sabotage myself out of self-loathing or trying to make others feel better about themselves. I have a hard time looking at old pictures of myself, because it's painful to see how I was trapped in a wall of fat, hiding from the world. I am vibrant and excited about life now! Not that I don't have bad days-I have had many lapses such as eating in my car to hide my bad choices, drinking alcohol to feel good since I couldn't pig out, etc., but it's all part of the process. These lapses and negative events are much fewer and far between now. I've faced the fact that I have an eating disorder-I was/am a binge eater, a secret eater, and a food addict. I struggle with seeing foods as "good" or "bad" and with punishing or rewarding myself with food. Every single time I drive by a bakery I have an internal struggle to not pull over and get a pastry, and I guess I'll have to fight that for the rest of my life. What I hope to accomplish this year is to lose at least 30 lbs and to make exercise a routine that happens every day no matter what. I want to get in great physical condition, to be an athlete. I'm excited for this next step! Thank you all, my dear A Team. I never could have done this well without you. The support I've found here has kept me sane again and again! It means so much to me to be able to be honest and "keep it real" with you. Let's all take a moment to be proud of ourselves, no matter where we are in our "journey", because every single one of us has changed in some way this year. Here's to another year of getting even healthier!

Fellow lurker here 1.when is your surgiversary? I'll be a year out on the 16th 2. where you are at with loss/weight? Highest 344 current 198 3.what you are most proud of? getting off all meds 4.what has been the hardest struggle? staying on track with my eating 5.what you plan to accomplish this year? lose another 40-50lbs, try and get PG

Hi - My first post here----- I am 1 year April 2, and I lost 100 pounds. Loving life again!. My turning point was when they had to stop the rides at the amusement park because I was throwing it off ballance. I was 265, 2x, and tight in 40s. Now I'm 160, medium, and 32!! Whoo Hoo! Years ago, I was a competitor in off-road motorcycle racing (Cross Country Enduro), but stopped because I just couldnt do it anymore. This spring I returned to the racing scene, and now I am 4th in the standings. Personal goal shattered! All I hafta say is HOLY CRAP! What was I missing all these years?