Well, today is my one year surgiversary. What a wild ride this past year has been. It's been full of ups and downs, but it's a year I'll never forget or regret in the slightest!

Last week every time I'd think about how much my life had changed I would burst into tears, they were all happy tears of course.

Every morning I get up and Thank God for giving me this opportunity to change my life so much for the better.

I've now lost 182 pounds, in one year, can you believe it? Someday I still can't!

I went for my one year checkup and my DR was so proud of me. We talked about all the changes this year has brought with it, the way I make healthier choices and don't even give a second thought to the junk I used to live on. I still have a weakness for those darn Cheetos, but honestly I don't allow myself to have them more than once a month, and even then it's maybe a handful. She said if that's the worst thing I do, she can live with it.

The only issue that came up in all my blood work is that my calcium levels were low, so I'll need to increase my daily calcium pills. Even my B's are doing much better, I'm still rarely eating starches though.

When I walked in to the DR's office yesterday I met a lady waiting for surgery, after we had talked a while she told me she would have never guessed I was there as a WLS patient, she thought maybe I had been a patient that had another lap surgery done. MY DR's do all sorts of LAP surgery i.e. Gallbladder and other things to anyone. She told me I looked so good she would have never believed how I looked a year ago if I hadn't have shown her my before picture. I have to say I was honored.

I try very hard to talk to people in the waiting room and encourage them when I'm at my surgeon's office. I want them to know that if I could do this so can they. I know how nervous you can be before surgery, not knowing what life will be like. I'll never forget my first encounter as a pre-op with the lady that was 6 months post-op and had only lost 50 pounds. 

On the way out I was speaking to a different girl that is having surgery next month, she asked how much I'd gained back? That sorta shocked me since I'm still loosing, but she told me she met a lady in the waiting room that was a year out and had already gained 30 pounds back. I felt so sorry for her, it had made her wonder why she should so this if she was only going to gain it back. That proved to me that I always want to be a good example.

Along with this year of changes has been an offer for a new job, one that I have decided to take. I've been in my comfort zone of a job for 20 years now, and it's time the new me steps out and sees the world ... literaly!  

The new job will be Administrator for a Commodities Broker, and will include some foreign travel. In fact one of the first things might be traveling to Manila to meet the staff there and get to see what they do. I'll find out soon when that will be happening. Start date as of now is Sept. 1st, so as of yet I haven't even given notice.

Thank you to all of you who have been there supporting me and encouraging me this past year, you were of so much help to me and I'll never forget it.  

I promise to take pictures today and post them.