later taters

You look absolutely wonderful!!  Having WLS certainly gives us that powerful tool to get the weight off, when we weren't able to do so before.  Again, chiming in on what Gina said, please just be cautious as you move forward.  At about a year, I was still on that pink cloud, and it was oh so very easy to follow my plan and not have to deal with all of the food demons that had ruled my life for so long.  Maybe because I'm many years older than you (wish I could have been as gorgeous at your age!), I knew those demons were still lurking.  The surgeon operated on my stomach, not my head.  As I moved into maintenance, I had to find the proper balance, and was ok for a time.  But, I stopped using many of the other tools, got complacent, and drifted away.  When the pink cloud finally lifted, the demons started coming back, as well.  As you might imagine, I gained some weight back.  I did so, still staying away from my trigger foods, but gradually increased "legal" foods that were high in calories, and some carbs.  I have lost more than 1/2 of what I gained back, as I got back to basics with food and use of tools.  One of the best tools I use is coming to this site and the maintenance discussion group frequently.  Please, as others have said, keep coming back!  Just know, we all say this with love.  You should be proud of your accomplishments, and perhaps your personal food demons bit the dust, but just be vigilant.  Hugs!!!   Mary

Thank you for all the words of encouragement ^_^

Allow me to clarify a couple things since it seems there was a lot if misunderstanding. I can only speak for myself as to how this tool has changed my life. I did not say I am cured of anything. I did say that I don't obsess over food and guess what? It's true! :D 

Secondly, I am sorry to see so many quick to pull the trigger on what was essentially an inspiration post for people who are unsure about surgery. The fact is, I would stick around here to give back to this community but I don't agree with the way you guys roll. So I give myself to my family, friends, and my community. You know, in the real world with people I love!

So new people hang in there and keep going. Your journey will be all your own and there are endless ways you can reach that finish line to what makes you happy. As for people who are still stuck in your physical or emotional jail cells I hope you can break free. Clearly many of you are just as miserable people now as you were when you were heavier. It's a shame.

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You didn't use the word cure, but you did proclaim your "freedom from food addiction." Same difference. In that light, you got a lot of great advice. Yet again. People with a lot more experience than you were trying to help by pointing out the dangers they encountered when proclaiming themselves free from food addiction. It doesn't end, it doesn't go away. Wishing it doesn't make it so.

Inspiration posts are nice. People love, love to see before and after pictures. Very inspirational. But it doesn't help a whole lot. It's too bad that you won't offer the same assistance you got here when you were asking HUNDREDS, literally HUNDREDS of questions when you were trying to decide what surgery to get, and the issues you had after. Inspirational photos didn't seem to offer you much help then, and they don't offer much help to others now. 

When you were most in need of help, you didn't seem to mind how us guys rolled. Now that you have what you needed, I guess it bothers you more.

As for people being stuck in emotional jail cells, we all have our issues, every one of us. If you think you are out of yours because the sun is shining in your face, look around. The walls are still there. And as for people being miserable, I don't know if they are, or not. But they aren't selfish, and they aren't hippocrites, and that ain't nothing.

Well said Grim. 

This is a great post. 

Best response that I have seen on OH all year, Grim.

She will likely ignore it, but many others will take the point.

Lora

I have to say I am not a miserable person. I am a human being who lost 140 pounds in the past year or so. I am a food addict. I will say. 

I was not saying you didn't do a good job. I was telling that head hunger is real not all of us get it but some of us do.

The people that posted saying that be aware of what you eat is very important. We can not just fly by the seat of our pants. We have to watch what we eat. Regain is very possible.

I don't want you to regain you look great and I am sure you feel so much better. I know I do. 

I can understand how you might not like how some people "roll" & not everyone will "roll" the way you want them to, but they stay. They stick around to help like they were helped. It irks me to no end how people state that they want to be inspirational by posting an inspirational post & then they disappear for months, sometimes years at a time just to pop back in & post an "inspirational" post again.

People, at least for me, are inspirational when they give back, when they stick around to help others & give support to the community that has helped them over the years. That's inspiration, that's support. I thought you would become one of those people & it's sad that you're not.

Wow.

Finally I've seen something more batty than a Halloween hayride.