Happy 1 year anniversary to us all! I started at 300 lbs and am now 189 lbs. My goal was to hit he century club at one year. I did that at 8 months. My other goal was to get to 195 so I could take horseback riding lessons....did that. My main goal was to stay healthy and according to my doctor, I am. My next goal is to get to 150 lbs. I'm hoping to hit that in the next three months. All the best, Charity Oh yeah....being able to cross my legs is cool too.

I have NOT experienced real hunger yet.....I eat because my brain tells me to eat ... you have not eaten yet....or I feel weak and tired....and my body needs energy. NOW, somedays I eat mainly because my head is hungry and I find myself snacking (nuts, seeds) all day. I'm glade I still don't feel real hunger because I think my days balance out....in the way of eating that is Good luck.

I know what all of you are saying for sure. All I keep hearing is dont loose any more.You look great now. I feel much better yet I dont think my mind has caught up with my body yet.I see a thinnner me byut not a skinny me. Like everyone one eles says they see.?????????? I am 5'4 154 lbs. wearing a 8-10 . I thkni too if the skin wasnt there I would wear a smaller size. I have been kinda stuck for a while now . Not really losing weight but surely losing inches. It must be a lot to do with my bones uz my ribs stick out so much. they seem so big. Its amazing to me to even see i have bones. lol I just want to to tell u all I understand. I am at aww that on 11/06/2004 I will be 1 year out! take care and god bless you all! your all doing soooooooo great!!! Deb

My surgeon says that those of us who have been morbidly obese for years have much heavier bones than normal people (weight-bearing exercise builds bone, and walking around morbidly obese is weight-bearing exercise!). I know this is true in my case as my bone density was screened once and my bones were off the top of the scale! He says that for us, then, a normal, healthy weight would be that which gives us a BMI of 25, which is at the very top of the "normal" range. Due to the heavy bones, extra skin, and increased muscle mass from exercise, we can look much thinner than what the scale says. So, I think a lot of these people are genuinely concerned that we are moving too far in the other direction. Ladies, check what size you are wearing. If your clothing size is an 8 or 10, you have reached a normal size. If it is a 12, you are very, very close. If you are lower than that, stop already! You may think you would look good in a size 4, but probably others will not. Guys, not sure what the male equivalent is, but maybe someone else can chime in here....

[smiles] Our old friends who haven't seen us in awhile are just in awe of us. It goes away and you get to be normal, so give them their moment. They mean well. The plateaus come and go and drive us crazy, but oh well ~ we will get there eventually! Good luck dmj