Still Going Strong!

Hi all,

I am celebrating my 8th birthday today!  I feel so empowered and free!  I walk 4-5 miles 7 days a week and don't eat big portions.  I can do things now I never believed I could do, like work again, take care of my family and myself.  Things are not always easy.  I do get sick sometimes (dumping) when I eat too much sugar (not thinking) and when I overeat.  One would think these things would pass by now, but there are still times when I indulge and forget that I am not that person anymore.  My weight is 115 lbs., so I have maintained a weight loss of around 110 lbs. since my gastric bypass surgery on December 1, 2005.  I feel like a totally different person.  My lifestyle has changed 100%.  Sometimes people don't understand the things I go through, like getting sick and having to abstain from certain foods, but I don't care...I feel like a million bucks!  Please, if you're reading this and you are trying to decide whether or not to have this surgery, know that if you follow your surgeon's instructions, you'll do great!  If you continue to try and eat like you did before, you will stretch  your stomach and regain your weight.  Also, you need to do some kind of activity, both for the mind and body, like working out (walking will do just fine) and some hobby, like knitting, to keep your hands busy when watching TV.  I want to pay it forward and this is the only way I know how to do it...writing down my success with my weight loss journey...the biggest challenge in my life!  And I am doing it!  I do wonder where all the other people who had surgery 8 years ago are, but am hoping they are busy with their new life!

Janet