Time for a new goal ... finally~~Yay!!!

Good morning all!!! I know everyone here relates to being overwhelmed by the shear amount of weight we all have to lose. I certainly was at needing to shed 280+ lbs!! It just weighed (all pun intended there) too heavy on my mind and scared me to think of how in the heck I was going to lose that much weight. Of course, in the first 6-8 months, weight seemed to melt off with little or no effort, and that was truly amazing and uplifting. After that point, it began to take more work and diligence to stick to my requirements. While it's still easy to say "NO" to some things (sugar, pasta, rice, breads) simply because it would be insane on my part to eat them my diet IS more varied, so I am having to be more vigilant about what I eat and how I eat it. As the weight losing slowed, and stalled out sometimes, that ever present spectre of not losing all I have to lose hangs more in the foreground than background and would overwhelm me again ... if I let it. I know I've told you all that the way I fight it is that I think only in terms of losing 25 lbs at a time. In doing that, I've distracted myself from what seemed totally impossible and shown "me" that I can lose do this and that eventually I WILL get to goal. Each time I meet a 25 lbs lost goal, I set a new one and start concentrating on that. I just CAN'T do this any other way, I'd be too weirded out and worried all the time. Seems for every weight loss "spurt" now there's a small (or long, depending) plateau that follows. Also, lately, I'm battling this "Late Dumping Syndrome" thing () but I'm promised that will pass in a month or so (hope hope hope). I had this wonderful, unexpected loss in late March/early April, followed now by almost two weeks of seeing the same two pounds fluctuate on and off my body ... keeping me those two pounds away from completing my 25 lbs-lost-goal and getting me down to 250 lbs. Sorry I know that's a long explanation, but I just wanted to explain what's working for me now at 12+ months out from WLS. Also, I wanted to say it all because today I made it!! When I got on the scales this morning I weighed 249.4 lbs!!! So next goal is 225. This also means I'm 7.4 lbs away from having lost 200 lbs in 12 months and 3 weeks and, it also means (if I did my math correctly) I'm under 100 lbs away from my lowest goal weight!!! Holy Moly! I truly have trouble believing this, and I'm so grateful! Thanks y'all for listening ... I'm just a happy happy camper this morning and there's no one in the house to tell it to (except the dog and she just gets happy at ANYTHING I say so it doesn't count ) ... so y'all get to see me and and and and !!! My personal motto is: "25 lbs " and to all of you Myra G 442/250/160-170?

go girl go, you are doing great. You will make it. love marie

Hi Myra, Let me be one of the firsts to compliment you on your new picture! WOW is all I can say..you are truly I love your motto and your way of thinking. It's like the saying,"By the yard it's hard...but my the inch it's a cinch!" The 25 pound goal sounds like it's just right up my alley! I was 343 on my surgery day, and my ideal weight is 134???? It is just too overwhelming to phathom..actually I think 134 is very unrealistic with the bones on this piece of meat! I have a notebook of....well, NOTES that I have written down...in no particular order at all that says that at my starting weight..wls should bring me to weigh 197 pounds in one year. hey, I'm all for that noise..but, that goal seems so out of reach..let's face it this isn't Hollywood and I'm no Christy Alli I'm jumping on the band-wagon with ya Myra..I admire how you are handling your journey(whatever "dumping" gets thrown in your path) and how you have made exercise a part of your life..you are my new role model!!! (Don't worry, I'm not a stalker) My dog and I are alone in the house too...we just did the happy dance for you Hugs and smiles, Ginger

"By the yard it's hard...but by the inch it's a cinch!" I love it Ginger!! I know... I about fell over when one of the surgeons I saw for a consultation told me my ideal weight is 135!!! Yeah, maybe when I was 20!! Who's he kidding?!?!? That is too unrealistic for me. I could never get my head around that number! I will just keep going and see where my body ends up. My surgeon told me it will take me 2 years to lose my weight anyway. For me, dealing with 25 pound increments is a lot easier to handle mentally than that great big 3 digit number (260+ - yikes). So I guess I will see ya'll in 2 years or so ! Just kidding! Yay again to Myra! Huggs, Ruth

Ruthie and Ginger, First, thanks!! My BS set my goal weight at 150 (I'm 5'7"), but I upped it myself because I'm like you all ... I don't want to be unrealistic ... and I'm actually using one of my cousins as a "yardstick". She's a year or two older than me, same build as me, was about the same weight as me, had surgery on May 20, 2004, and now weighs 168 lbs. She's 1 month short of two years, and is still losing a little each month, certainly not as much as in the first year, but the weight that is coming off her now is truly prime ... every little bit now really shows up. Because of both my cousins, I put away the worry that everything had to be accomplished in 1 year or my opportunity was over. They've proved to me the effects of this surgery CAN last as long as two or more years. The Yard/Inch saying is priceless!!! Too too right!! I'm going to borrow it the next time I feel I'm up against something insurmountable ... like tomorrow morning when my daughter heats up that cinnamon/butter bagel and it smells to die for (OMG cinnamon anything was always a favorite!). And thanks for the about my picture. I've always hated having a picture taken (grew up overweight, as a professional photographer's daughter, there are tons of photos of me as a "porker" in all stages of my preteens and adolescence, and nothing gives one low-self-esteem better than an 8x10 glossy photo showing every roll and dimple ). I feel better now about standing in front of a camera than I EVER have in my life. and Myra

Well said, Myra! I'd also like to say that your new picture looks great! I'm on Week 3 of my HMO's mandatory 10-week pre-surgery classes, and I'm surprised how some of my classmates are truly shocked to find out surgery isn't a magical cure that will make them instantly and permanently thin without any work at all. Yikes! What I've learned from folks like you who have forged down the path ahead of me is: WLS is a tool that will work if a person stays focused and doesn't lapse back into negative eating behaviors. As a pre-op, I appreciate everyone who shares their experiences on this board. I learn a lot from all of you, and can't wait until it's my turn! Kix

Hi Kix, Thanks so much! I know sometimes my posts seem long-winded, but I just want to pass on my experiences to the "next generation" WLSers .. because that's what others here did for me. Kind of like that "Pay it Forward" movie ... ya know? I wish you all the best on your journey, hang tough!! Myra

Party on Dudette! What a fantabulous attitude Myra!! I think I will adopt your motto too. 25 pounds is easier to deal with than the whole 260+ at one time! Huggs, Ruth 416/342/Healthy

(((((hugs))))) Ruthie ... I cracked up at being called Dudette ... I think that's a first for me !!!!! and Myra

Hey Myra, OMG Myra, what a change.. I love your picture!!! You have worked very hard and have had some hurdles and all but are doing amazing I tell ya. You can set any goal you want and I have faith you will make it happen. You are a strong person and I admire you and look up to you when it comes to needing that lil extra bit of " I think I can.....I think I can when days are rough and I dont see me ever getting that much weight lose off of this body. So just remember you help so many out there and im top of the list lol ........ Hugs Marge