20 months out already!

I can't believe I'm just over 20 months out already! This surgery has changed my life! I am half the weight I started at and couldn't feel better (I've lost 190.6 and I weigh 190.4). When I was starting my journey, this forum and the wonderful people here really helped me so much. I hope everyone is doing well. 

Right now I'm sitting on the beach in ***** Cana - something that would have given me so much anxiety before (the flight, the walking, beach wear, etc.) that I likely wouldn't have even come. It feels amazing to be free.

Approaching my 3rd year surgerversary and still have that "amazing to be free" feeling you speak of.  The only difference? Beachwear will likely be a forever no-go.

I have that post WLS body too and am very self conscious. I wore a sleeved rash guard I ordered from Amazon and yoga shorts. I felt comfortable for me and it still counted as beach wear in my opinion.

Yes, although I'm thrilled to be over 100 pounds down and feel wonderful physically, losing that much weight, especially when older (I just turned 60 this year), can leave you with saggy skin.  There's no amount of excercise that can change that, since it's from years of yo-yoing and you can't firm up skin, only build muscle. 

I had an arm lift this year, but even though they're much better, there still enough crepy, loose skin that I'm still self-conscious.  I just try to remind myself how much better I feel, how much better I look in clothes, and try not to focus too much on the loose, saggy parts.  I wear a crocheted pants coverup for my legs and short-sleeved top over my bathing suit and feel "normal."  

Congratulations!  Enjoy your vacation and take pride in all the small, yet extremely large changes you are now able to enjoy!

That's awesome!

It was actually looking at vacation pictures from a trip to ***** Cana that helped me make my final decision to have weight loss surgery.

Enjoy those beautiful beaches! 

OH MY GOD congratulations!!!!!!! What do you think is the hardest thing about the journey? I'm about a month out, 20 lbs down and need advice!!!

Be patient. I had stalls. I got frustrated. I had a complication that resulted in a second surgery. I had some food aversion. I had down days. But you know what?! I wouldn't change my decision for anything. When I sit in an airplane seat and I have PLENTY of slack when I buckle the seat belt and the tray table can come ALL the way down - it proves its worth it. When I can walk 20 miles in one day in NYC without even thinking about it - it's worth it. When I don't have a panic attack when coworkers choose to sit in a booth - it's worth it. I could go on for days...

I don't do everything perfectly every day but I do weigh myself regularly and use my fitness pal on occasion to get a mental check of how I'm doing. This isn't easy every day, but it has become my norm by now and I love my much healthier life.