Who "qualifies" as a WLS Grad?

Cynthia, All I can say is welcome to the grads board SuperStar!!! I read your profile and I am amazed what you have accomplished in 15 months.I actually was getting teary eyed seeing your pics and how you have changed and might I add you were still very pretty even at that high weight. First I would like to ask how tall are you? ~Ginny

Just wanted to say Hello and Welcome Cindy!!!!!!! Tracy B 328/150 5'9"

Hi Cindy, wow congratulations you are definitely a success. Hope to see you posting! Dana

Cindy, You and I are in about the same space right now. I have lost 146 lbs and now the weight loss has slowed to about 1 lb per mo--it IS still going down, but at this rate it will take another 3.5 years to attain my goal. I met with a PS this past week. I had seen her work and her credentials and am very happy with my choice. She seems to think that it would be ok to go ahead with the surgeries now. I'm having an anchor cut panny that will also cinch in the waist and breast reconstruction (no implant---still have plenty of tissue left). That is stage one. Stage 2 will be the arms, legs and neck/lower jaw line. At that time (10 mo from now) she will be able to "tweak" the other areas as well. Shoot, that gives me almost a year from now to get a few more lbs lost as well.... So, I'm going ahead. She estimates I will lose about 20 lbs with all the surgeries...maybe more. I have about 25 that I want to lose on my own. I'm trying to get 11 off by 4/1 (IF IT KILLS ME lol) Cindy, you are definately a super star grad!!! I read your profile and remembered that I had visited it before.....before the computer conversion, but your new pic doesn't look ANYTHING like your other one (*smile* you are beautiful and glow with confidence now!!) Many of us here sit with 10-40 more lbs we would like to lose or some have regained a bit as well..... So welcome to the club!!! Trisha

Welcome to all of you to the WLS Grads. We should all be so proud of ourselves for what we have already accomplished. I had my RNY in 2000, then plastic surgery between 2003-2005 with Dr. Bernard Shuster in South Florida. Once we are beyond the weight loss and reconstruction then the really hard work begins. Learning to maintain our weight loss, exercise programs and bariatric protocols is the key to long tem success. I work at it every day and some days are better than others. I continue to run the WLS Veterans support group. Running this support group helps me to stay focused. I hope to continue hearing from you all for years to come. We need to support each other. Join me, if you can, at the OH conference in Orlando Fl in May 2007. Paula