getting to know you!!!!!!

i saw this on the ny board and i figured it would be a good way to get reconnected with one another so i will start and hope for some results,,,, hi my name is stacy i live on long island new york.... my surgery was on july 9th 2004 i am coming up on 3 yrs i started my journey at almost 240 and my current weight is around 125 to 128 ...i work in a local supermarket bakery bahahahahahah,,,,,,, but am trying to get a job in the state hospital in stony brook in the dietary dept.... i have made a lot of weight loss friends due to these sites online ...one thing i have learned after the most important tool the surgery is SUPPORT and i have gained a network that i wouldnt give up for the world .....lisamarie and lisa s have been my backbone and support almost the whole way thru... i have also inspired many to have the surgery and most are having great results.... my advice to newcomers is to use this tool as if it were golden,,, its like getting another shot of life but like i said its only a tool.... i also have 2 beautiful boys who bring me nothing but joy..... 16 and my baby will be 14 in a week... im so glad that i was able to extend my life to see them grow up and become nice young gentlemen..........i have to stress that if your contimplating surgery please get a support group other then the sites online its great to meet people in person that can relate to us on a regular basis... i have had the oppurtunity to meet such wonderful people...... and create life long friendships .... this july board was my saving grace early out but once i started losing and getting more active i got less active on the board im trying to get on and post but its hard.... ive been sick lately from a liver treatment that ive been taking for close to a year now but low and behold i have two more injections and one more bottle of pills and im DONE!!!!! then im going to work on putting some of the weight that i dropped unexpectedly maybe like 5 more lbs .... i would love to hear from all of you even if its brief description of where you are now and how your doing.... we used to all be so close and tight here lets get it going again !!!!!!! welcome spring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i just got back from florida and the bahamas ........ it was great i took a cruise for my 5 yr anniversary with my bf and valentines day it was great i actually wore a bikini on the beach ...... i would have never done that heavy .......... come on every one come out of your shells and update us all on your sucesses cant wait to hear from yall i have also posted some pictures from my trip to the bahamas on my profile so take a look and chat soon!!!!! Stacy

Hey Stacy, its good to see ya! I posted a big update a few posts down and got one reply so I'm not gonna type it all out again but just wanted to say hello. Take care! Deejay

thanks deej hows it all going over there???? im glad you said hi yea it seems everyone is busy or just lurking i am still very active in support i have a few people close by that i keep in touch with on a daily basis that have had the surgery..... oh and i didnt type it all out a second time i just copied and pasted lol glad you responded and ill talk to you soon ...... oh by the way my beautiful profile that you made for me way back is gone Stacy

I guess I'll go next: I'm Traci and the 3 year anniversary of my WLS is July 27th. I've done well with very little complications from surgery, but like many have struggled with wrong food choices after the "golden days" immediately post-op. Foods that I used to not be able to tolerate, I now can. I guess my body is adapting. Over the past year or so, I've gained back 10 lbs from my absolute lowest weight and I'm maintaining here. I'd prefer to lose another 20 lbs; or at least the 10 I gained back. I can echo the staying with the support because I truly believe that dropping off the support group radar was part of my downfall to weight gain. There aren't any real-life support groups within a reasonable driving distance for me, so online is my only resource. I re-joined some email groups and have come back to reading and posting a little here at OH. Life-long ongoing WLS support I believe is essential to the success of this surgery. Without it, it's too easy to slip back into old habits, or just make wrong choices all around. Exercise is still something I struggle with. Although I'm active (now running an in-home daycare) that my friend and I do full-time here in my home. One day we were doing our usual walking the floor and bouncing the infants to get them to sleep and we realized why we Grammy's were so tired - we're working out all day long!! I half-joked that if we bended our knees a little bit while we walked and bounced, we could get a glut and thigh workout. It's working!! LOL So we may come up with the "daycare provider workout" video. LOL So I guess I am working out - in a sense, just working it into my very busy daily schedule in a unique way. Next on my "to-do" list is plastic surgery. I really want/need a TT. One with the muscles pulled and perhaps a little lipo in the mid-section, which is where I carry all my weight. Having given birth to 7 children and then losing all this weight has made for some very sorry looking abs. Anywho, I'm rambling..... I'm really doing well. No complications. Traci

thanks tracy i thought i was being ignored gaining and losing are all trials and errors of this surgery ...... what i tell people all the time is try to get back to basics...even if it is more then we can eat still start with protiein first never finish whats on your plate few little tricks i learned along my journey .... if there arent any support groups locally try to start on on the MO board,,,, or stick to this board like glue .. again thanks for responding ive been missing ever one of my july babies Stacy

There is a MO board here at OH. At one time, I was very active there, but those folks seem to have moved on. I've tried posting some to get to know the new folks, they just seem to post to themselves and that's about it. Time is short for every one I suppose, me included. So I have to be very selective about where I post and what I get involved in. If something isn't a good fit, I move on.

My name is Loni and I live in Hemet, California. I started my journey July 27th 2004 at 388lbs. I am sitting at 198lbs with about 20 lbs in skin to have removed, which wont happen until the doctors can figure out why my iron levels wont maintain. Other then the iron thing which I battled before my surgery I have had no complications along this journey. The thing I am finding with my weight is that it is redistributing, I have recently dropped pant sizes but the weight stays the same. I am a 2nd year teacher in Hemet, teaching Emotionally disturbed students and love every minute of it. I have 11 boys and 1 girl in my class and would not be able to do my job had I not lost my weight because there are days that I have to chase students and restrain them because they are being physically agressive. My life recently has changed dramatically because I am now a single mother of 4 which thank goodness for my weight loss because I don't think I could do it at my previous weight. It is very demanding but life is so much better. I cant wait for the summer to literally do nothing. I love teaching to have predetermined time off, plus get to spend a whole bunch of time with my kids. I look forward to staying in touch more Loni