Hello from May 2007

Well congratulations to all of you who are about to embark on this remarkable journey. It will be life changing if you let it be. What I mean by that is....be realistic. I am almost a year out..I feel absolutely wonderful....I am starting to feel that I am a member of society again and that I am no longer invisible. I wake up each morning excited for the future and I have to actually remind myself of where I was just a few short months ago....I wouldn't change a thing at this point and can only see the benefits to having had this surgery....BUT... I really wish someone had told me that there would be a time that no matter how hard I worked at this my body might have a mind of its own. It will dictate to me what it wants....and apparently it does not want me to be a size 2.....Again be realistic... You will hit a time when old habits will creep back in and you have to be aware of this....It will happen to everyone but we can do it....especially because we have each other...I personally think that's key....the people here encourage me and keep me on track....learn to forgive yourself for the mistakes you will make along the way and the ones that got you here and move on........LOG EVERYTHING because at times you will forget where you came from and it won't seem good enough....I measure...weigh...and log my goals.....it was only a few days ago that I read a passage in my diary that I realized that I have met the majority of my goals already and I am still well over 200 lbs....I felt large and not very successful at that point until I was reminded of where I was......words from others are encouraging but having these words of my own to look back on really hits home for me..... Stick with the program your doc has set out for you....it is very important and RESEARCH everything.....it's so important to have all the information in front of you so that you can stay on the right track........this is not a diet but a lifestyle change and it's so much easier than we've ever thought possible...at least that is my take on it now and believe me I love to eat......loved it before surgery and love it now....but I am so much smarter about it because I RESEARCHED....nutrition...supports....how my body functions....do it and you won't be sorry Well those are the bits of advice that I felt the need to share with you at this point....I will keep in contact and wish each of you the best of luck.....I'm just a single mom who was once 348 lbs and very unhappy...and now I am living again.....I want that for all of you....whether your road is shorter or longer than mine...we can do this together....take care and God Bless!