I feel satisfied ... is that crazy?

Wendy -

I'm sooooo glad that you joined us. I love your perspective on things. You really have your head on straight.

You know I'm not quite sure if I'm "there" yet, but I guess what I mean is that I've met the goals I had when I started this journey ... My diabetes is resolved, my hemochromatosis is well-managed, I'm no longer hampered by my own girth, I have the energy and flexibility to do the things I'd like to do ... Sooooo, the weight is a number, the pants/dress sizes are numbers, but I guess what I'm saying is I have trouble relating that to "How I feel" ... I feel great and if the numbers don't go down anymore, that's okay, because I "feel" great.

Thanks for the support.

Barb

Barb, Here is what I think about goal weights... we all have in our mind (at the beginning mind you) that we will be weighing X lbs and wearing a prefect size X.... My goal weight is relative... no one told me what I should shoot for.... no one told me what to expect.... I will never wear a size 4... I will never weigh 150 lbs... not realistic.... all I know is that eventually I will lose weight and I will feel a whole hell of lot better than I do now and that to me is the most important thing.... you are beautiful and you obviously feel like you could take over the world... and I think you could with your optimism and charm- relish in the fact that you can say... I feel great and I look damn good too- but hey that is just a bonus!! Much Love, Juliana

Hi Juliana -

They didn't give me a "goal" weight either. I asked Dr. DeMaria at my 3 wk follo-up what I should weigh ... after some discussion, he said that the "ideal" weight for a woman my age and height was 137, but he also said that the average was in the 170's. When I left his office, I remember telling my mom that there was no way that I'd ever see 130 anything, that if I could get to 160 that would be great, 150 would be phenominal. I still think that's the case. I remember thinking when I was considering this, if I could get my sweet butt into a 14 I'd be in heaven ... Well, a 14 misses has come and gone ... I have a stack of 'em on the chair in my bedroom. LOL. I never in my wildest dreams thought I might wear something in the single digits, but here I am. I don't know if I'll ever see anything lower than where I am now, but I know that I'm healthier than I have ever been since I've been an adult. My diabetes is resolved, my hemochromatosis is well-managed, and I enough energy to do the things I want to do. Life is good! I also don't really want to "give up" or "throw in the towel" because I know that I'm still in the window of opportunity and I don't want to wonder later "What if...?"

I wish for you the success I have seen ... and I believe you are on your way.

I wish for both of us continued success ... however, we define it.

I would say now that I feel great and look pretty good.

I look forward to a big hug!

Love,

Barb

You look great and even better you feel great. I think it's quite alright to be satisfied. By every measure of this surgery you are a complete success. I stopped losing weight around 7 months.  I didn't try to stop it was where my body was satisfied. I focused on increasing my fitness level. I think you will stop losing weight when your body is ready to stop. It's a natural progression. Just take it one day at a time.  Belinda

Barb, You are a poster child for Wls. You look great, feel great and have a great mind set on self image. Sounds great to me. That is all that matters. I have toyed with two fears. 1) I will not be able to get close to my goal which is 150LBS. 2) what if I can't stop loosing.  Now that is crazy in my book.  You are a transformed woman an I feel honored to have had the opportunity to watch you bloom. Congrats on your success story. Myrtis

You have come so far.  You should be proud of yourself.  IMO how you feel is important.  You know you body and know your limits and all the things you can do now that you couldn't before.  Those 20 lbs will probably come off eventually w/out much effort from you.  But, what I want to stress, more than anything is that I hope you can see all the wonderful changes and love yourself for it.  Take care......you are doing a wonderful job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!