Let's Be Friends - Introduce yourself!

Inspired by the earlier post, I thought it might be nice to have an introduction thread.  It might help people to find future friends.  Here's a template.  I'll post my own info in a reply!

Name
Age
Location
Height
Starting Weight
Goal Weight
Where I am in the Surgery Process
Best thing about weight loss
Worst thing about weight loss
Favorite Type of Exercise
Current Goal
Other Information

Name
Gwen

Age
37

Location
Southern Maryland (surgery was in Virginia)

Height
5'4"

Starting Weight
319

Goal Weight
My ultimate dream goal is 120, but we'll see how feasible that is once I get closer.  My next goal is 180 - my weight when I graduated high school and what I think of as my lowest adult weight.

Where I am in the Surgery Process
I'm about 8.5 months post op!

Best thing about weight loss
Everything I'm capable of doing.  I feel so strong these days, it's really amazing.  I never have a second thought when someone says, "how about we walk?"  In fact, I'm often the person who makes those suggestions now!  

Worst thing about weight loss
Buying clothes.  So freaking expensive.  Especially exercise clothes since those aren't really available in thrift stores that I've found.  Especially not good quality winter gear.  And I had to get my voice recital dress tailored since my body is oddly shaped at the moment.  I hope I won't need every dress forever tailored!

Favorite Type of Exercise
Yoga, hands down.  Although running is a close second shockingly enough.  

Current Goal
I'm working on 180, which is my lowest adult weight.  My 20th high school reunion is in May, so I'll definitely get there by then!  I'm also working on training for my next 5k, which is in March, and I'd like to be able to do it in 50 minutes.  I did the one in October in 54.  

Other Information
I still love food and love to cook.  I'm a homemaker with no kids, so I've been able to devote a lot of time to exercise.  I live with my two partners and our two cats.  Right after I decided to pursue WLS my dad was diagnosed with Merkel Cell Carcinoma so my pre-op time was spent juggling all of my appointments with spending chemo weeks with my parents to help out.  So my 2014 has sort of been defined by my WLS and my dad's cancer.  I'm hoping that 2015 will be a bit more boring ;)

Name:  Jennifer

Age: 41

Location: Annapolis, MD

Height: 5'8''

Starting weight: 256

Goal Weight: 140 

Where I am in the Surgery: It's Tomorrow                                                      12/2/14

I'm going to skip a few sections, but about buying clothes........ hand me downs ans yes thrift stores are your best bet.  

Favorite type of exercise:  Yoga, running, jet skiing, swimming (sometimes from falling off the ski)

Current Goal:  RECOVERY!

Other information:

I'm happily married (marriage #2).  I was married for 7 years then after our divorce I was single for 11 years before I met my amazing husband!  I'm just moving from Executive Assistant to Realtor after working for a Real Estate Developer.  I have a Maine Coon Cat named Boo-Boo.

I LOVE to cook and make wine bottles into centerpiece lamps as a hobby.  We live on the water, its a small house with a great view.  I love being on the water!

Jennifer,

Good Luck tomorrow! You will be in my thoughts. My surgery is Dec. 15. Two weeks from today. I can't wait. Are you scared at all?

Robin

Hey Robin!

im a little scared, and excited too!  I spent the day totally cleaning my house to keep busy. I'll be at work for a few hours tonight to pass the time. I'll keep you posted and good luck on the 11th!

Thanks for starting this thread, Gwen!  I hope your dad is feeling better.  Congrats on your continued success.

Name: Ali

Age: 43

Location: Seattle

Height: 5'9"

Starting Weight: 290

Goal Weight: 175?

Where I am in the Surgery Process: I am having surgery on December 8, 2014!!!

Best thing about weight loss: what I'm looking forward to- having more energy, being more active, fitting in chairs better...

Worst thing about weight loss: I imagine the hard work, the "loss" of some foods, not being "normal" around food

Favorite Type of Exercise : hiking, swimming

Current Goal:250

Other Information: married mother of two. Teacher.

How great to read about how everyone started and their stories!

Anyone wishing to add me, feel free to .. although I am not sure what benefits there are with that .. there is no messenger service here. I use yahoo messy if anyone is interested :) 

Name
Lina

Age
32

Location
East Tennessee ( moved here from P.A. in '07) 

Height
5'2"

Starting Weight
268

Goal Weight
I'd love to get down to 150 .. I'd be happy there, of course once I get there I might want to go lower.  I have this irrational worry that I will be the one person WLS doesn't work for.

Where I am in the Surgery Process
I have completed all my requirements and classes, we are waiting for my A1C to drop.. I was an undiagnosed diabetic and my A1C was out of control.. so that and the pre-operative class with my surgeon is what I am waiting for. (I will be having VSG, it's what my surgeon recommended, taking into account the scar tissue and adhesions present from previous abdominal surgeries.)

Favorite Type of Exercise
I currently do recumbent  bike and those stretchy rubber bandy things ( lol, I can't remember the name!) I am amazed when I see people embracing exercise after wls .. and running! RUNNING?!  I don't run .. AT ALL, even if a manic wielding a knife was chasing me.. I hope this changes, I can only imagine the feeling of freedom that comes with running

Current Goal
My current goal is to get my A1C level down and to weight (hopefully) 250 before surgery.  

Other Information
I live with my parents as their caretaker .. it's so hard watching them get older, the health issues, personality changes.. the memory blips. I am grateful to be in a position to be of help to them. Anything else you want to know .. ask!:)

*edited to add wls type surgery info

Name: Cristy

Age: 41

Location: Colorado Springs, CO

Height: 5 ft. 1 in.

Starting weight: 265

Goal Weight: I'm not really sure. I read somewhere that my ideal  weight is about 125-130.

Where I am in the surgery process: I go to see a surgeon on December 10th. I was trying to get the 6 month doctor supervised weight loss completed before  I got to meet with the surgeon but on my last visit with my doctor, my fifth month, she said that I would probably have to start all over again. She said she had another patient that already met with a surgeon in the same office and she was given specific instructions about how the notes from her had to be and that I had to consistently lose weight each month. Which depresses me. I fluctuated up and down each month, losing a few pounds and then gaining them back again.

Other information: I have been married to a wonderful man for  7 years, that loves me even at my current weight. We have two beautiful children, a boy (5) and girl (4).  I just want to get healthy. I want to be able to somewhat keep up with my children, LOL.   I just want to feel better period! It's been really great to be able to get on OH and get info and see how all of you are doing and seeing what I have to look forward to.

Great idea, Gwen!

Name Alysia
Age 41
Location Sacramento
Height 4'9"
Starting Weight 301.5
Goal Weight 150
Where I am in the Surgery Process 5 weeks out from surgery
Best thing about weight loss saying yes to more and finding my mobility increasing daily
Worst thing about weight loss my body is looking weird, like it's a melting ice cream cone!
Favorite Type of Exercise the kind that I don't realize it's exercise: all day thrift shopping, festivals, etc
Current Goal to weigh and measure everything, to refrain from grazing, and to accept that stalls are there for a reason
Other Information I live with my partner and our 3 adorable rescue dogs. No kids. Not in the cards. And, I work with at risk youth.