Holy Cow, it hardly seems like a year and it seems like a thousand years all at the same time!  I had my surgery on October 5th, 2009, so I'm almost 14 months out.  I'm down a total of 112 lbs from my highest weight (82 since my 1st appointment).  It's kind of crazy when you think about how much that actually is.

What's new with me?  I'm in a size 10/12 and I'm still slowly losing weight.  My main goal is to be in an 8/10.  We'll see what happens.  The car accident put me on hold for most of the year and I only just started to lose weight again since I started college.  Oh, yeah.  That's new.  I'm in school FULL-TIME right now and I'm so busy I can't believe it!  I'm going for an Esthetics (skin care) degree (2 years) and in the mean-time, I'll earn a certificate in Massage, Reflexology and Eyelash extentions.  I'm really enjoying it, plus I'm getting all A's! 

Actually, I never had the guts to go back to school until after my weight loss.  I didn't even know I was unfulfilled until this summer.  I already enjoy what I do, but until I felt better about myself, I didn't see it.  Let me be clear, I didn't even know I didn't feel good about myself!  That's the crazy part, I never felt lacking or had low self-esteem.  I was blind to the fact that I wasn't as happy as I should be because I'm a really happy person in general.

What does that mean?  It means I'm even happier than I was before!  Wow!!  :o)

So, is there any advice I could give folks who are not at that happy-I-had-the-surgery-and-changed-my-life-for-the-better point?

BE PATIENT!

Okay, OH Family.  To be quite honest, I'm still exactly where I was when I last posted that I was so close I could almost taste it!  Tee hee.  No worries.  I'm just stalled right now and it doesn't worry me one bit.  The truth is that I was in a car accident at the end of January and I hurt my back...actually, I sprained my spine as well as my "shoulder girdle"!  Ouch.  Yeah, so just this past Monday, I had 2 cortisone shots in my lower spine to help relieve some of the pain.  (FYI:  NOT COOL, but I'm starting to feel better.)

All this means I'm not able to exercise the way I would be at this point.  Why should be body want to give up any more pounds, right?  Anyway, in 2 weeks, I'm going to start warm water therapy sessions with a professional so they should be helpful.  Then, if the pain has settled down properly after 8 - 10 sessions and I feel stronger, I'll take a Pilates reformer class (again, one-on-one) with a trainer for another 10 sessions.

Hopefully, that will all work and I'll feel much better by then.  Forty pounds isn't that much to go when you consider how far I've come and I'll get there.  I'm not even 6 months out, so I'm cool whenever it happens.

So, I had my surgery 5 months ago.  I've been really happy with my weight loss and the way I've felt so far.   I've lost 54 lbs since the surgery and a total of 90 lbs total and I feel great!  I've only barfed once (earlier this week...Asian meal...not cool.) since the surgery and that's pretty good, I think.

Right now, I'm 181 and in a size 12/14 pant.  I wear a large or medium on top and last week I had to break down and buy new bras.  My cup is still a D (although my poor boobs are a bit lower than they used to be...), but I've gone from a 42 to a 34!  I actually bought a 38 to make room for my small "A cup" flab pack on my back, though.  I will be really happy to see those little pockets go as I lose more weight.  They have already started to shrink in the last couple of weeks.  My waist has gone from a 42 to a 35 as well.  It's crazy.

If I keep going along loosing 8 - 10 lbs a month as I've been averaging, I'll be done in 5 - 6 months with my weight loss.  To be honest, I think it's both possible and impossible. 

I think it's possible because when Minnesota comes out of winter and things start to warm up, I am the crazy girl who walks 3 - 6 miles at least 3 times a week, goes to the gym 3 - 6 times a week and has what it takes to work out to a video at home.  I'm not totally affected by SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), but I do tend to hibernate in the winter a bit.  This means, the slow weight loss that I've been experiencing should pick up a bit when I get going a bit more than I am now.

The reason I feel like it's impossible is that the weight seems to be sneaking off me at this point and I just seem to accidentally lose a pound or two whenever my body feels like it.  I'll be the same weight for a while, then I'll lose a pound for a week or two, it will forget I lost them and then one day it's real.  I'm losing inches like crazy, but the weight is slower than a crocodile.  I'm not complaining, mind you, I'm just observing this crazy process in confusion.

I'm certain I can pep up my step soon and that moving my body more will help, so at this point, I'm in wait-and-see mode.

Anyway, I just haven't posted anything for a while and thought I would make the effort to say where my head is right now.