8 months post op: almost ready to post a pic:)

Thanks to Dr. Helling i am here today and able to write this email. My weight has dropped 140 lbs. I still have a huge journey to go but i am getting there. Each day i am thankful to be here and write down in a journal all the things i can do physcially that i could not do before my operation. My quality of life has improved 100 percent and i expect it only to keep on improving from here. I love measuring my body each month and keeping track of the inches lost. I love being able to walk again, and shop again. Shopping for clothes can be so much fun... it is great to be alive!

140! That's great! I feel the same way. I wanted to ride a bike again, and I do. I wanted to walk up stairs without getting winded. Done! I wanted to buy new clothes without needing to scrounge for 4x and 5x(!) and now I'm wearing 1x and 2x! Most of the folks on this 8 month forum seem to have started at around 250 and lost about 100. I started at 355 and am down to 250... and I'm still losing. Seems like a miracle. I never thought I'd be active again. Now I'm gearing up for my other big reward -- a cruise to Alaska! Something else I just dreamed of but never thought I could actually do in this lifetime. It IS great to be alive! Terri

WOW!!! 140 POUNDS!! My surgery was 8/26/03 and I've lost 99 lbs so far. I've gone from a size 24-26 to a size 18. It's bee hard on the wallet, but boy am I having fun buying clothes, especially when I can get them off a clearance rack! Have you had any problems with excess skin? I exercise every day -- I do Pilates every other day, so my stomach isn't really bad. My thighs look terrible -- they look like those shar-pei wrinkle dogs!!! At any rate, congrats to you on your loss...stay on the losing side!! Freda

I am sooo happy for you I know you feel and look better. Just take it slow and don't expect too much at one time. Do your excersie.