ObesityHelp

As I near the end of a year post-surgery, I'm getting oh-so-close to some significant milestones:

178 - "Normal" BMI
175 - The high end of my goal range
173 - Half of my original clothed weight when I began this journey
171 - Half of my best guess for unclothed weight when I began this journey (I suspect that the folks at WeightWise would have taken a dim view of my weighing in wearing nothing but skivvies and socks).
170 - The low end of my goal range

This morning - 181.8.  The most significant milestones are the ones that don't show up on a scale:  the ability to exercise comfortably, sitting in an airline seat without an extender, going to a restaurant and not having to worry about whether I'm seated at a booth or table, ridding myself of diabetes and hypertension, and having friends who haven't seen me in a while not recognize me. Maybe the most important to me:  I expect to be around to see my grandson grow up.  It's not just a hope now.

I find myself wondering what maintenance is going to be like.  I think of a "demotivator" poster I saw on www.despair.com about quality:  "The race for quality has no finish line - so technically, it's more like a death march."  All kidding aside, maintenance is a race without a finish line.  I just hope I've learned enough to manage it well.

So far, so good.  I've just figured out how to post, so I'll hit the high points.  Gee whiz moments so far:
*  The first time the first digit on the scale was a 2 rather than a 3.
*  The reduction of my wardrobe by seven or eight garbage bags.  
*  Having people you haven't seen in a few months tell you how good you look.
*  The day the doctor takes you off the medications.  My primary care physician wants me to stay on the blood pressure medication, but at 1/4 the dosage I was on before the surgery.
*  Having to go to a smaller size because the ones you used to wear now look like clown pants.