It's been a long time, food is still the enemy. *new pic*

Love the shirt,Heidi. I almost bought  one at Christmas but my hubby is a fuddy duddy too and said he wouldn't go anywhere with her me in it. I guess fuddy dud diners is a male thing. So glad to hear from you lady and so sorry about your mom. I don't think I knew all of that about you. Diabetes was the biggest reason I had my RNY too. I lost both my parents from complications from diabetes at relatively young ages and was headed down the same path myself. After surgery I went from 272 down to 117 Ishmael and have stayed there 31/2 years. It's a struggle everyday to make smart choices that keep me here and to get my daily walks in too.

I know if I go back to old habits I will end up like I was before--sad,unhealthy,miserable and morbidly obese. So I focus and make those smart choices everyday. Don't be such a stranger lady!

Hi and nice to hear from you. I know for me once I got diagnosed with diabetes two years after my mom died it was truly a death sentence, all of the oral meds eventually stop working and I am the worst needlephobe on earth. When a friend at work had surgery and it got her off her diabetes meds I started paying attention, I am scared to death of hospitals, can't give blood or do iv's but I knew if I didn't try something I wouldn't make it as long as even my mother did. I had surgery at 40 years old and it was like a reset on my life. I have a vested interest in staying at goal weight. It really has been a hell of a journey and I met my husband a few years ago on here because I posted I was going to San Diego in lieu of Africa to photograph the animals at the zoo. He was researching wls and sent me a message saying he lived in San Diego and had been to Africa and 55 other countries and if he could answer any questions about San Diego for me since I had been so kind to answer his questions about wls. We became friends and he eventually had wls, we met and after a long distance romance got married in 2015 and I moved to San Diego. The rest as they say is history. He's done well with his weight but because he was taken off his cpap after surgery and another sleep study not conducted he ended up finding out after a myriaid of doctors and tests that he developed a fib due to still having sleep apnea and not using the cpap machine. I truly detest his bariactric surgeon, she is more interested in selling vitamins than giving follow up care. She is the reason he lingered so long in limbo without the correct diagnosis. Now he's been through three heart procedures to fix the rhythm. We are still waiting to see if the scar forms to keep the rhythm normal from the last one. It's been a stressful last few months, but we are very optimistic he has a good team of doctors now. Thanks for remembering me.

Love the pics. and absolutely love how you met your hubby here. I'm so sorry he's having health problems.  My Dad was diagnosed with A-Fib last summer; I wonder if he has sleep apnea too?  I'll ask him to go get tested. 

I'm sorry you went through so much with your Mom; my gosh that must have been devastating for you. 

You look great, and how wonderful that you've kept it off through hard work and determination. 

I'm at the beginning of my journey and will have RNY surgery in 17 days, woohoo!

Good luck to you, my best advice to you is to never forget why you did this in the first place, once it all gets easy it gets easy to forget your former life and go back to the foods that comforted and fattened you up. I avoid those ******s like the plague. I was a pint of Ben and Jerrys and Ho Ho's, like a box a day, type of food junkie. No more, you couldn't pay me to touch ice cream or processed snack cakes or any crap food. I so broke up with food, and welcomed life. You got this! If I did this literally anyone can.

I am sorry you suffered so much with your mom's disease.  I am happy that you found some one to love and are able to share your life traveling together.   

Thank you for telling your story.

Thanks, I didn't mean to get on that diabetes tangent about my mom. I try not to let it be my only memory, my mom was a great person and she didn't cause the diabetes that ruined her life. She just had to deal with it and she never complained, even after a heart attack at 37 or her near fatal car accident.she was a trooper. She lived with lots of pain but never took pain meds and just tried to enjoy life. She loved to travel also, probably where I got it from.

Good Luck!