Congratulations Cristal! You have accomplished so much in one short year! I know that you are very proud of all that you have done for yourself. I'm proud of you and all of us! You and I are very blessed in the fact that our husbands have been very supportive through this journey. My husband loved me before the surgery, so things are even better, now! I'm so blessed and grateful, that God gave me the courage to have the surgery. Life is so much better and easier than before. My body doesn't hurt when I move. I actually work out at Contours Express. I love exercise and sports! I hope that God will continue to bless us and watch over us. Your WL Sister, Jane

Krista, Congratulations & happy anniversary!! What a wonderful year it has been for you!! Be VERY proud of yourself!! Kathy

Well its almost, or well for the most part one yr down as of the 31 Oct. iam happy and sad all in one. It has been and intresting ride to say the least. i started off at a highest in this life at 346lbs(worst) and am currently sitting at 237 as of this morning. i havent been as dedicated as i should have been and see and feel it now. i have been reading the posts to check the progress of my peers and some of them are real go getters.and they really shine! then there is me. i just cant get it together. and when i see the sagging bod in the mirror, i know that i have come alot farther from where i was before. but am sad since i have not reached my intended goal.(goal is 175/180-that is still 62lbs away.) that is a total loss of about 100 or so lbs. iam a size 14/16 and celebrate the health that i have now...... just something inside my head is evil thinking that i would look like the video vixens in the 1980's hairband music videos, that slinks across the top of a jaguar...and have the hair of a goddess!!! HEEEHEEheeheeeeehee The humor of that is unmeasurable. and soo very far from the truth... that is one thing that i have so far learned is truth... truth is that iam who iam and even in my head iam the tigress, the seductress, the vixen, when i open my eyes, iam lovable and cuddily and round.(not rotund anymore) but round...cant say curvaceous since that would be stretching it...heheheeheee bubbly around the middle.. and hair that is workable when it doesnt rain. i have a more youthful face now,not the chizled jawline with high cheekbones-but you cant fight genetics(and that is alright).i feel like the nerdy kid back in high school as iam the same size now that i fought not to be when i was young.(i just have a better way to handle things and see things in a diffrent light). iam not tawny kitan nor am i bobby brown... but in my head, on a good day- I ROCK...smiles... i resolve as of the day this morn, to make "me" happen..and workout the way that i should have been along time ago... since i would love to get some nice new pretty parts(plastics) but know that with money and family that i will have to really just learn to like what i have and to grow up and move on.... but at least i can make the most of what i have and really feel like i have earned this right? much love to all of you that listen to my babblings... you are MY family...

Jaclyn, First of all, congratulations on your weight loss! It sounds like you are MUCH healthier than you were a year ago....with the exception of the malnourishment thing...get those vitamins in!! Second, I too am shocked by the quantities I am able to eat. I could eat the same amount as you describe (although the bagel might be too heavy for me) ...minus the milk as I don't drink with meals. I talked to the doctor about it and his response was that he operated on my stomach, not my head. We don't have to eat until we feel uncomfortable!! This is apart of retraining our brain. Basically we should always eat our protein first, then veggies & fruits, and quit when we're satisfied...not "full". He also suggested only allowing 20 - 25 minutes for a meal. I've been working at it...somedays are better than others! I thought my pouch is so tiny that there was no way I would ever be able to eat a "normal" quantity of food again, but that appears to have been wrong.....just as long as I'm NEVER able to eat what used to be "normal for me"! Since I can eat enough nutrition in just 3 meals a day, I do not do the 6 meals/snacks a day that others do....and I have my doctor's blessings, too. Basically you and I are just going to have to exercise more self control and make good choices. I have never thrown up from eating too much, which I know is common for others. I don't know why. But for me, I now have a protein drink for breakfast, normal lunch and normal dinner & occasionally a snack....and I am maintaining (or losing slightly) my weight (I'm at/under goal!)....so I guess this works for my body. My doctor has assured me I have NOT stretched my pouch or stoma (as others have said)...he said I could only do that if I basically ate most of the day long and kept my pouch "overfull" for several hours at a time...and even then its not a very stretchy material. My body apparently digests food more quickly than others. One thing you do need to be careful about is making sure you are not eating 30 min. before or after your meal...this will move things through more quickly, allowing you to eat more and eventually gain weight from increased calories. I have a friend who is 6 years post-op, who has gained about 50 lbs. She thought the "drinking rule" was only for the first year, and had started drinking with meals about 5 years ago. Now she is hungry alot and has gained weight, and her surgeon says its because she didn't follow the drinking rule. They even checked her pouch and stoma...they're NOT stretched! She just needs to follow the rules, and remember that they are for LIFE! Good luck on your continued weight loss. They say we can expect loss for the first 18 months. I would just buckle down and "go back" to how you were eating at 3 - 6 months post-op in order to "ride the weight loss wave" in order to lose as much as you can within the 18 month time frame. Just because our bodies allow us to eat alot, doesn't mean we need to do it!!! (I cringe as I write this as I had a crackers and cheese fest at 10 pm last night and I feel SOOOO guilty!) Good luck! Kathy 313 (highest ever)/294/155/154 5' 8"

In no particular order: Ham radio, playing dulcimer, computer games, developing web sites, camping, hiking, oh heck. On third thought, sitting on the porch in good weather and rocking, watching my granddaughter play / while alternatively reading a book, birdwatching while enjoying great health. Oh you said favorite. Darn. Well, I'm just gonna do what I always do. My favorite is the one I'm doing at the time I'm doing it. Ha! Hugs, Joe