8 month check in

Hello my fellow WLSers! Recent events have moved me to more of a lurker than a poster. Know that I'm continuing to read your posts and thinking about you and cheering for your successes. Here's the tally for 8 months as of today: Preoperative High Weight - 400+ Surgical Weight 4/1/04 - 355 - Loss of 45 lbs Weight today - 212 Current GOAL WEIGHT ACHIEVED! (time for a new goal) Loss Summary - loss of 188 total, loss of 143 since surgery. I have gone from SuperMorbid Obesity, to just 15 lbs above "normal" weight BMI. Preoperative size - 56 Men's Jeans/36 women's dress Current size - 36 Men's Jeans/14/16 women's dress - L/XL tops I can move, I can run, I can breathe, I can do crazy tricks with my excess skin, I am going to weekly support for surgery, I attend OA meetings, I am going to monthly therapy sessions, I walk 30 mins a day, I eat protein forward, I don't drink with my meals, I don't touch refined sugar, caffine or alcohol. I say this not as a lecture to anyone, but as a reaffirmation of my committment to doing this to the best of my ability. I am working hard at this, and striving to achieve my non weight related goal of getting into grad school for next fall. Even with all the personal struggles of self-image and the loss of my partner - I'd do this again. Onward and upward - - or should that read Onward and downward? Best wishes, ~Lara

Lara, You are beautiful in every way and I am so very proud of you. Ann

Wooooooo Hooooooooo Ms. Lara....! Keep up the good work and rock on! Best, Amy

By the way... let me just say that breathing, moving, and other daily task are highly underestimated by the general population. Only "Barries" like ourselves can truly appreciate them with such adoration... As for the crazy tricks with your excess skin , perhaps you should share. Personally I can only look at it with some kind of strange look on my face while wishing it would disappear. Oh.. the life of an ex round-one... Amy

Congratulations! You are an inspiration. Ed

Lara - what terrific accomplishments. You are a hero. By the way, have you considered joining Out to Brunch? We were active members when we lived in MN - it's a fun group. Ruth