Happy New Year Everyone!

Just wanted to wish each and every one of you a Happy New Year! How many of you DIDN'T make the diet resolution this year??? I sure didn't. I did make the resolution to make the most out of my surgery though. I don't think of it as being on a diet, but more of a life change. I figure that this is the way I will eat for the rest of my life. I can live without alot of the stuff I can't eat. I have not had one nibble of sugary treats or sugar itself for that matter. I really don't even want to know if I can eat candy and crap again. Although I do enjoy my sugar-free vanilla latte's!!! I would rather think that I can't and that it will make me sick. I have dumped once on butter and it wasn't nice. I felt soooooo nauseated. I have felt that way from crackers and bread too so I don't eat it anymore. I am completely satisfied with what I can eat. The weightloss has been slow in my opinion but it's better slow than not at all. I am down 62lbs! I have never ever lost that much weight any other time in my life. I feel blessed. I have updated my photobucket with some pics of me on New Year's Eve. I feel so much better about myself and seeing the change in my body through these pictures makes me feel even better! Thanks for listening and even reading this far. I hope this finds you happy and healthy and enjoying the new year so far! Take care Washington family! Lori 281/219/140

Hi Lori, Thank you and Happy New year to you too!. My New Year resolution is to have WLS. I have been approved by my insurance. I have an appointment with my Surgeon tomorrow to give me some test results. I found out today my kidney doctor didn't fully "bless" my surgery, and he in turn contacted my primary doctor ,(who wrote the order for WLS), now she says she has some concerns too. It's my kidney function. it has been stable now for 3 years.. I just hope and pray my surgeon will still go through with the surgery.... I am so excited for your accomplishments!! It must be so self assuring!! Good for you for being on the loosing side. When I get through writing you I will look on your profile at your new pics. Take care!! Janice B

Hi Janice! I am praying that your doctors find that you are healthy enough to have the WLS. This is your year! This time next year you will be talking about what size jeans you are wearing now! Good luck to you sweetie! Lori

Lori, It sounds like you are doing so well!!! Your picture is beautiful, WOW! Good for you. Thanks for the New Year's wishes. Like you, I did not make resolutions this year. I don't look at this like being on a diet for a few months and then start eating again like always. I look at it as a lifetime change and even if it does take a long time, I'm feeling wonderful, healthy and I know I will continue to lose and feel even better. I wonder if we all have body image distortion? What I mean is that when I look at pictures of myself now, I look like I thought I looked 77 pounds ago. I only looked at my head in the mirror, and I rationalized that any picture of me was just a "bad" picture...that the camera added pounds! or that it was a bad angle! So I don't seem that much smaller to myself unless I try on old clothes and they fall off of me, then I think, yeah, I must be smaller! I have been exercising several times a week with both treadmill and weights and I arranged for a few personal trainer sessions. I feel really great about doing this! It sure is a lot easier to exercise than when I was heavier and it makes me feel really good about myself. Happy New Year to you all, Mari

Hi Mari! Look at you too! We are looking fab!!! I know what you mean about the body image thing. It took me a long time to see it too. But what helped me was the pictures. I couldn't believe the difference. And another thing I do is try on clothes. I have jeans down to a size 15 that I keep trying on to see how much closer I am to wearing them. I can get them up but not zipped. That truly amazes me when I hold them up and check how small the butt is! I too didn't think I looked as bad as I did. I thought I looked pretty ok. Boy was I wrong. I looked swollen and bloated. Like I would burst at any moment. I never want to look like that again. Or feel the way I felt at that weight. I was always out of breath and gasping for air when I tried to exert myself. It was miserable. Not to mention my mood, I was a royal ***** all the time! This surgery has give us a new lease on life. How lucky are we!?!? Happy trails! Lori