one thing for syure, once you have the surgery and lose the weight, you find that you are so busy trying to catch up on tall the things you have missed out pn because the weight makes you a prisoner and keeps you locked inside your home !! i am viola canton, wls patient from Dec,2000 it is now October 2005, and i have maintanied the weightloss.., i have lost over 170 pounds and have remained at size 8 or 10 at the most, i do not cheat on ,my eating and i don;t want to EVAH regain that nasty weight!!, i have no desire to gain back all of that horrible weight after suffering for so many years and then going thru this surgery,, a motto i once heard was " once on your lips, forever on your hips ' the weight will NOT be lost if you fail to monitor your one personal eating habits,, it wont go away if you fail to do some types opf passive./ regular exercises or walking, and it certainly won't work if you REFUSE to put the milkshake,icecream, donuts, cheeseburger, and other fattening foods away from your mouth!! the weight will only come off and remain off if you are commited to keeping it off, by NOT eating fast and fattening foods,, these foods creat calories and can put you back in your sixze 22x-' not helping them , but if your mind is not ready to accept the nesw eating habits 'and are not really really commiterd to the weight loss,.. well you can " eat over your surgery ' by drinking milkshakes, icecream, and eating the same greasy high calorvc foods that helped to you pile the pounds on in the first place.. you must learn to say NO to yourself and mean it.. after all the hell i went thru to lose this weight, i am committed to keeping it off and wawearuing a size 8/10 dress and goimng to the amusement parks again with my family, i refuse to go back into daily shame, embarass my kids, look for clothes i hop will hide my fat, stay at the motel while my kids get on the roller coaster, too embarrased to go to my kids school events and embarrass them by my weight and presence, stay at home while my kids attend school events hiding and missing out on what life i have left, ,,,my will to actively participate in my faimilie's lives is stronger that nmy desire to stuff my face with fattening food.. you must learn to say ' no' to your head hunger which is not real hunger, but habit! I ONLY DRING WATER AFTER 6PM.. I GEWT UP AT 5AM AND THANK god FOR ANOTHER DAY, YOU SEE, I HAVE ALSO HAD HRAEART SURGEWRYU , SO I REALLY REALLY VALUE MY LIFE HERE IN EASRTHM, DON'T EAN UP LIKE ME NEEDING TO HAVE YOUR HEART REPAIRED BECAUSE YOU HAVE STUFFED your MOUTH WITH THE wrong FOODS FOR YEARS AND NOW HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE WITH HEART SURGERY like me..., DON'T SHORTEN YOUR LIFE SPAN BECAUSE OF YOUR ADDICITON TO FATTENINg FOODS, HERE I AM TRYING TO WRING EVERY MOMENT I CAN TO STaY ALIVE AND ENJOTY MY HUBBY AND KIDS, ,,,DON'T GO THERE IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO AND CAN PREVERNT IT...take care... viola canton,,,

Hi Erica I had the surgery Dec 28, 2000 at Forest Hills in Ypsialanti. I now live in Nevada, but work as a traveling Respiratory Therapist. When I was in Alaska a year and a half ago I met many people just having the surgery and I was able to share my experiences with them. At the end of January I will be finishing up my assignment here in Nevada and hope if all goes well to be coming back to Michigan. If I do make it back there I would love to get together with some of the Michigan group. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. I am now at my goal weight of 140 and two years ago I had plastic surgery to remove excess skin. It was the second best thing I did for myself after the surgery. Take care, and I hope to talk to you soon. Juliette Morris

I had it in Dec 2000. I blew it though. Used the excuse "i afraid I will not be able to ever eat" so i commence to eat and denied myself the honeymoon period! Hence, i only lost 50 related to sx and 20 with intense struggle. I am a emotional eater and jsut not realizing it and trying to find help for it. Feel free to contact me. madeline [email protected] yahoo id madelineglass

I was just wondering if anyone has ever heard about people getting together and having a weight loss surgery date reunion and if so, if anyone knows about one for people who had the surgery Dec 2000? Please let me know. Thanks. Andrea Harrington Plymouth, MN

Our Own Magazine Has Arrived. We've been busy since January putting together our first copy of our quarterly magazine and it's now available for ordering. Click here to order your subscription today. Proceeds from all subscriptions go to the Association for Morbid Obesity Support. Make the investment in both our community as well as your ongoing education in WLS. Recipes, hospital reviews, surgeon scoring, humor, inspiring photos, quality articles, and much more. All these are waiting to reach your door. Rather than produce just a newsletter, we went all out and produced a 64 page magazine for you. Spread the word, ObesityHelp Magazine is available for the community.