My, my this has been a year! Many ups and downs, depression, family problems and the likes. Could not have made it had I not had the surgery. My stats: What was your start weight? 274lbs 5'4" What is your current weight? 158 lbs Are you at goal? I am happy at my present weight. If I loose more, will be great! If not yet...how much more? My goal was to get to 135, not so sure I want that now. What were your start sizes? 26/28 Current sizes? 12/14 How has the last year been? Up and down. Reaction to most meds, some foods make the pouch grouchy. Love my new self!!!! Any regrets? No, just that I should have done it 6 years ago! Congrats to all us 1 yr old babies!!!!! Marla

Wooohoooo!! Awesome! Good luck! I can't wait to get mine removed...but I'm waiting until after I have kids...why not put the skin to good use right? Besides...why pay all that money to get all tight and pretty just to stretch it out again right?

Wow...I'm glad youre doing better! Keep up the good work and get that skin removed!

Hey Sunny, Hmmm, that almost sounds like the calories/protein levels of a normal person... I think for us WLS patients, the protein should be higher, but I'm not sure. I know I'm 5'6" and the dr recommended I get no fewer than 65 grams of protein/day. I did a caloric tracking thing for my OB and Dietician (I'm 14 weeks preggo) and I'm eating around 1100 calories/day (give or take depending on snacking levels... oops). Anyways, our bodies don't absorb all of the calories we eat BUT whenever you go from a starvation diet (like we've basically been on) to a regular diet, your metabolism usually reacts by savoring each and every calorie it intakes... and stores it as fat. So I wouldn't follow just any given calorie count if I were you. I'd figure out how many calories you're currently eating, and if you're happy at your current weight but still losing weight, try increasing by a little bit per week (100-200) the # of calories you're intaking. If you notice a gain, cut back on your caloric intake. If you're still losing, try increasing a bit more. Eventually you'll find the spot where YOUR body is most comfortable. I think the key is that each of our bodies is a little different. If I go from eating 1100 to 1700, I know for a fact I'll gain, even though that may be what's recommended to maintain my weight. I heard we have to stay at relatively the same weight for about 2 years to re-set our basal metabolism completely... I dunno if it's true, but it makes sense that if our body is used to 1000/day and we increase it suddenly, we'll gain. Anyways, best of luck. I use fitday.com to track my calories. Kind of a pain, but after a couple of weeks you get used to it. Keep up the good work, you look awesome! Lots of love, Dawn 260/150/140 *Healthy baby*

Happy Anniversary AND Happy BIRTHDAY to us all! I feel like I've become a whole new person with a completely different outlook on life... like I've been re-born!!!!!!!!!!! So now I consider 08/03 my birthday!!!! AND I'M ONLY 1 YEAR OLD!!!! And just like a baby, of course I make mistakes and don't always do as I'm told, but I'm slowly getting more used to this world and I really really really like being here!!! Anyways, here's my info: What was your start weight? 257-260 What is your current weight? 150 Are you at goal? If not yet...how much more? My Dr's goal was 160. Mine is 140 (after baby but before any plastic surgery- I'm hoping the tummy tuck, thigh sculpting, and arm removal will be at least 10-15 pounds worth of skin/fat/crud removed, putting me at 130 or 125 which is my DREAM goal... I'm 5'6") What were your start sizes? 24 or 3X, with a 9 shoe Current sizes? 8 or Medium, with an 8 shoe (sometimes 8.5 for those slinky sexy heels...) How has the last year been? A dream come true, full of a lot of emotional ups and downs, but overall, definitely a TON MORE UPS!!!! Any regrets? None at all... this has been the best decision of my life! I thank my Dr. each and every day!!! Thanks Kristy for posting this. It's awesome to see how all of my fellow TWIN SISTERS are doing!!! I'm trying to stick to the diet while still eating healthy for my little baby... 08/03 was also my 14 week mark for my pregnancy, so I'm officially in the 2nd Trimester! YAY ME!!! Hopefully the nausea will subside a bit now. Can't wait for you to start trying for your little bundle of joy!!! Lots of love, Dawn 260/150/140