Good morning all. 17 years ago today I was starting on a life changing journey. When I went for my surgery consult I was at my heaviest - 288lbs, currently I am now 135lbs. It took hard work and dedication to not only lose the weight but to maintain the weight loss for all these years. I eat healthy, workout and take care of myself inside and out. I get a physical annually and still take my vits/sups every day :-)

I am loving this life and so glad I made the decision to have surgery and be successful at it.

Best of luck WendyGail

You can do it.

:)

New reply to an old post but thank you for sharing all of these! I'm always looking for more plant-based options!

Find support from friends, family, or the community. You can share your successes and struggles with other people who also want to lose weight or have already achieved their goals. They can give you advice, praise, or support in difficult times.
Don't criticize yourself for failures. Losing weight is a long and difficult process that requires patience and perseverance. You may encounter obstacles, temptations, or relapses, but this

Be mindful what you eat and how much. Year 3 and after - lots of people start gaining. They relax the diet and rules, i.e. eating more slider food, eating more, drinking with meals, and drinking alcohol.

Weighing often - i.e. once a week and addressing any significant weight gain as we start gaining is important. I.e. if your goal is 150, and you are sitting at 145...going up to 150 may be insignificant. But 155 should be addressed by analyzing your diet and adjusting. The 155 is only 5lbs over the goal, but it's 10lbs from where person maintained. So it's an actual 10 lbs gain.

I'm now app 10lbs from my goal. I lost 20 lbs regain in 6 months but the last 10 is giving me trouble. I know my body would let go of it as long as I maintain my current way of eating. (Relatively Low-Carb keto-paleo type eating). But it would take time. I don't want to restrict more because I want to get to my goal and maintain. Too much restriction can trigger binging.. so I don't.