NICE TO SEE Y'ALL

GEEZ, IT'S BEEN LIKE FOREVER SINCE I'VE DROPPED IN ON THIS BOARD, BUT IT WAS SO COOL TO SEE FAMILIAR (MUCH THINNER) FACES! HOW'S EVERYONE DOING? I'VE FINALLY MADE PEACE WITH THE FACT THAT I AM A VERY SLOW LOSER, BUT EVEN SO, I'VE LOST ALMOST 107 #s & AM IN A SIZE 12 DOWN FROM A 4xxxx & 36w-38w. I CAN GET MY LEGS & BACKSIDE INTO A 10 BUT MY DOUBLE ROLLS ON MY TUMMY STOP THE ZIPPER FROM CLOSING ON A 10. I'VE BEEN BOUNCING BETWEEN 173 - 174 FOR THE LAST MONTH BUT SEVERAL BYPASS BUDDIES SAY THAT I AM SHRINKING AGAIN. I HAVEN'T FINISHED PUTTING IN MY POSTS & NOTES IN MY PROFILE, BUT I JUST ADDED A TON OF PICS OF OTHER BYPASS BUDDIES & I ADDED SEVERAL OLDER PICS & MY "CENTURY MARK" COMPARISON PICS; TAKE A PEEK. WE ATTENDED A CHRISTMAS BASH FOR OUR LOWCOUNTRY BYPASS BUDDIES GROUP & I HAD SAVED A SPARKLEY TOP TO WEAR ... WELL, THE FIRST THING MY FRIEND, MS CHERYL, SAID WAS, "THAT TOP IS ALMOST TOO BIG FOR YOU!" IT WAS PRETTY LOOSE BUT IT STILL FELT GOOD TO BE ABLE TO WEAR SOMETHING FANCY. MY HEALTH HAS SOOOOOOOOO IMPROVED & THERE MAY EVEN BE A SURGICAL PROCEDURE THAT COULD HELP MY HEART CONDITION. I'LL BE CHECKING ON THAT AT THE END OF DEC. AFTER 3 MONTHS OF ME BEING COMPLETELY INSANE, MY HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY FINALLY KICKED IN & I'M BACK TO SANITY & SWEETNESS! OTHER THAN THAT 1 PILL, MY HEART MEDS ARE THE ONLY MEDS I NOW TAKE, INSTEAD OF THE "PHARMACY" I USED TO TAKE & I MAY EVEN BE ABLE TO GET OFF THE HEART MEDS IF THIS HEART SURGERY IS RIGHT FOR ME .. TOO COOL! WE HAD SOME HEARTBREAKING NEWS SEVERAL MONTHS AGO ... MY MOMMA HAS ALZHEIMER'S; IT WAS A DEVASTATING DIAGNOSIS & HAS REALLY BEEN STRESSFUL TO HANDLE FOR ALL OF US. WE'RE BACK INTO A PATTERN OF CARE FOR HER, BUT THERE IS ALWAYS PART OF MY HEART THAT JUST ACHES. BEFORE THIS, NICK & I WERE HOPING THINGS WERE GOING TO CALM DOWN SO I COULD AT LEAST WORK PART TIME, BUT NOW WE'RE SERIOUSLY LOOKING INTO HOME/ONLINE BUSINESSES. ONE INCOME IS SO HARD TO LIVE ON & NICK BEING OLDER ... WELL, WE NEED TO FIND AN ALTERNATIVE WAY TO EARN SOME INCOME! SO, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO CHANGES IN 2007 ... BLESSINGS FROM HEAVEN IN 2007! I STILL HAVE 33 #s TO LOSE TO HIT DR BYRNE'S GOAL OF 140 & THEN, HOPEFULLY A TUMMY TUCK WILL BE IN THE PICTURE! ANYONE HAD PLASTICS YET? WE'VE HAD 2 ON THE SC BOARD & 2 MORE ARE HAVING PROCEDURES BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. WOW, WHAT A DIFFERENCE! MISSED Y'ALL ... GOD BLESS ... DAWN & NICk

Hey Dawn! Good to see you too! First let me say I'm real sorry about your mom. That's heartbreaking. It's so hard to see our parents get older. I will keep her and your family in my prayers. Girl you are doing great! The pictures in your profile are awesome! You go girl! I love the reference towards the top of your profile to the virgin Mary. Don't see that very often! Loved it. I haven't had plastics yet but am starting to look into it! Can't wait either, tired of this skin! Sure beats being over 300 lbs though I'll tell you that! Glad you stopped by to let us know how you are doing. May God continue to guide you and bless you! Take care, Jeanne in Miami

THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTS & PRAYERS FOR MY FAMILY, MS JEANNE. WE ALL FELT LIKE WE HAD BEEN RUN OVER BY A TRAIN. WHEN I POSTED ABOUT MOM'S ALZHEIMER'S ON THE SC BOARD, I WAS SHOCKED AT HOW MANY FAMILIES HAVE OR ARE DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE. SO MANY WONDERFUL PEOPLE HAD SUCH WISDOM THAT HELPED ME GET MY FEET BACK UNDER ME. THANKS ... I FEEL GREAT & CAN'T TELL YOU HOW FANTASTIC IT IS TO LOOK & SHOP IN THE "NORMAL" SECTIONS! &, TO WATCH MY HEALTH IMPROVE WAS THE ALL-TIME GREATEST! I'M SO MUCH MORE ACTIVE NOW! I WANT MY FACE DONE FIRST BUT NICK WANTS MY BOOBS DONE FIRST ... HMMM, WHY IS THAT DO YA THINK? BUT, MY INSURANCE WILL ONLY PAY FOR A PANNI, SO GUESS WHICH I WILL ACTUALLY HAVE DONE FIRST! I'M SUCH A SLOW LOSER THAT I'M PROBABLY LOOKING AT APRIL 2007 OR LATER. BUT, JUST AS LONG AS I SEE PROGRESS, I'M HAPPY! YES MA'AM, I'M WITH YOU ... I'LL TAKE THE FLABBY SKIN ANYTIME OVER BEING 280 AGAIN! MY JAW DROPPED WHEN I SAW YOUR BEFORE & AFTER PICS ... YOU HAVE REALLY, REALLY BEEN TOTALLY TRANSFORMED ... WOW! DROP ME A LINE WHEN YOU START YOUR PLASTICS JOURNEY! GOD BLESS YOU ... DAWN & NICK

Nice to see ya lady D..........i have wondered about you,its like we all are so busy lol,since we have lost weight we are always on the move!!!!!! My doc told me that i have to maintain my weight for 6 mo and that means stay within 5lb range before i can have plastics..........but i am at 114lbs and trying to gain a few back.........you take care.................vickie

I'M WITH YOU ... MY WHOLE LIFE BEFORE EXISTED AROUND MOVING FROM THE BED TO THE COUCH & HOPING I DIDN'T HAVE TO GO ANYWHERE. NOW, I'M ON THE GO REGULARLY & LOVIN' IT! NICK & I ACTUALLY HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE NOW ... WOW! OH MY GOSH MS VICKIE ... YOU LOOK ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC ... WOWOWOWOW! I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW GREAT YOU LOOK IN A BATHING SUIT! WHAT A DIFFERENCE. &, CAN YOU BELIEVE WHAT WE HAVE ALL ACCOMPLISHED IN SUCH A SHORT TIME? ... WITHOUT SURGERY, I'D HAVE GAINED ANOTHER 40 - 50 #s BY NOW INSTEAD, HERE WE ARE DOWN OVER A HUNDRED POUNDS. AMAZING! I WENT TO A PLASTICS SEMINAR & I NOTICED THAT ALL THE PATIENTS WHO WERE AT GOAL OR BELOW GOT THE VERY BEST RESULTS. THOSE WHO HAD PLASTICS WITH 20 - 30 EXTRA POUNDS DIDN'T GET AS GOOD OF A RESULT. SO, YOUR DOC MAY HAVE A GOOD IDEA THERE SINCE YOUR BODY WILL HAVE TIME FOR IT'S FINAL SHRINK & TO READJUST THE FAT. YOUR RESULTS OUGHT TO BE FANTASTIC. BE SURE & LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU START YOUR PLASTICS JOURNEY. I'M GOING TO THE HOSPITAL THIS FRIDAY WITH A FRIEND WHO IS HAVING HER TUMMY TUCK - I WAS HER ANGEL FOR HER BYPASS & NOW FOR HER TUMMY TUCK ... I'M SO EXCITED FOR HER! GOD BLESS YOU ... DAWN & NICk

Dawn Welcome back. Sorry to hear about your momma, Alzheimer's is so hard to adjust to, my grandma and grandpa both had it at different times and I dealt with it the hardest as I was the closest of the grandchildren to them. They did so much for me growing up that I had to help care for them. It was hard for my mom to lose both parents to that disease. You will do your best and make sure that your momma has what she needs, she's in good hands. On the brighter side, you look awesome . I want to possibly have some surgery to lose my belly fat, the only part of my body that I can't get the fat to leave. I'm wearing 16's or 18's because of that. If I didn't have it then i'd probably a 10 or so. My surgeon wants me to wait at least 18 months which would be June, 2007 then see about having lipo or plastic surgery. I want a baby too, so I'll have to see what happens. I'm hoping by me going to the gym on a regular basis I can get a flat tummy and abs, but we'll see. I tried some home based business. I had no luck only because I didn't put alot of time into doing it. I'm sure you'll do well with which ever one you choose to do. Anyway, keep up the good work and let me know if I can do anything for you, Nick or your momma. Lisa J. in Mass

THANK YOU MS LISA ... THIS CAN BE LIKE A LIVING NIGHTMARE, BUT THERE ARE TIMES OF HAPPINESS AS WELL. AFTER TELLING OTHERS OF THE SITUATION, SO MANY WONDERFUL PEOPLE, LIKE YOU, TOLD ME OF THEIR OWN SIMILAR EXPERIENCES. IT TRULY DOES HELP! YES MA'AM, OUR WL JOURNEY IS DEFINITELY A BRIGHT SIDE! I'VE HEARD THAT FROM SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT THEIR DOCs WANT THEM TO WAIT UNTIL AT LEAST 18 MONTHS OR 6 MONTHS AFTER REACHING GOAL. IT MAKES SENSE, BUT I SURE DO GET EXCITED FOR MY GB FRIENDS WHO ARE HAVING PLASTICS DONE NOW. OVERALL, I'M REALLY HAPPY WITH MY WEIGHT LOSS BUT I CAN SEE WHERE I STILL HAVE FAT AROUND MY MIDDLE THAT NEEDS TO GO AWAY BEFORE EVEN CONSIDERING PLASTICS. THERE'S MY BIGGEST WEAKNESS; I HAVEN'T EXERCISED. I'M FINISHING A TAX PROJECT & SHOULD BE DONE THIS WEEK ... KICK ME IN THE BEHIND TO GET ON MY CARDIO GLIDE, WALK THE DOG, RIDE MY RECLINE BIKE ... SOMETHING! I MAY CHECK INTO CURVES. THERE'S ONE JUST UP THE ROAD. I AM IN A STALL AGAIN & AM R-E-A-L-L-Y SLOWING DOWN LOSING. LET ME KNOW HOW YOU DO GOING TO THE GYM; IF IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR TUMMY FAT THAT YOU CAN'T LOSE. I STARTED A HOME BUSINESS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO & HAD TO GIVE IT UP DUE TO MOMMA'S DECLINING HEALTH BUT, YOU ARE SO RIGHT, IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME & EFFORT. I THINK EVEN MORE THAN WORKING OUTSIDE THE HOME. BUT, IT WOULD SURE HELP US TIME WISE & LIFESTYLE WISE IF WE CAN MAKE A GO OF IT THIS COMING YEAR! GOD BLESS YOU ... DAWN & NICK