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Start weight:  233.6 on 12/8/06; Height 5'2; Current weight:  144 on 12/8/08; Total Weight Lost: 89.6; Goal weight:  130

My 2 year update:

I'm still here, still plugging along. I have posted a 2 year picture of myself. I didnt take a recent picture since my birthday, but it represents the way I look right now. Actually, I was a couple of pounds heavier on my picture.

I am still doing weight watchers and still exercising. Trying to get to 130. Maybe I won't. But I am going to try. I will be happy just to get back to 138, with 140 being the heaviest I ever want to be.

Nothing new is happening. I posted about 2 weeks ago so nothing has changed. I am getting back to this site on a more regular basis to keep myself accountable and to inspire others as much as one can.

I almost fell off the wagon a couple of times around the holiday but convinced myself to stay the course. I am glad I did. I wont say it will not happen again, it may but I know that I am doing the very best I can and I will not give up on being healthy and keeping my weight to a minimum.

Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Angela

Happy Thankgiving!

I have gone several months without posting. Its not because I had nothing to say, I have just been so busy to post. I am back now and posting my pre-2 year WLS anniversary post and to announce my plan to get back to basics.  This is an excerpt of what I have posted on the message boards.
 
I have to hold myself accountable.  I will be successful with maintaining my perfect size 4 figure and I will be comfortable in the clothes that I already own!  I will eat right, I will stop the mindless snacking and I will exercise.  I will limit alcohol and I will take my vitamins religiously. 

Those are definitive statements and my vow and promise to myself.  I have come too far to turn back.  So, without further ado, here is my posting:

I am experiencing bounceback weight gain. I will be 2 years post op on december 8, 2008.

My weight had been stable at 138 for the past year.   Well, in Sept 08, we had Hurricane Ike hit our area pretty bad and we had some stressful times, then in Oct 08, I had a birthday and partied like it was 1999!!

Back to reality in Nov08. I gained up to 150 which frightened me. I cannot go back to my prev weight and 150 is far too heavy for me--I am 5'2. I was very happy at 135-138, even wanted to get to 130 but not in the cards.

I went to WW meetings and working out and that has helped me to lose down to 145, still working to get to 130 or at least 135. My goal is 135 by the end of the year.

It is more difficult now to maintain weight loss but I am putting my all into it, I have a closet full of size 4 clothes and cant afford to buy more, nor do I want to buy more!!

The first step is honesty within yourself and acknowledging the truth. I am all about truth.  The truth is:  I do not want to weigh 150. I look great, but feel better when I am below 140. 140 was my maximum weight when I started this journey.  I can get back on track, my pouch is still intact and in charge.  I get full from 6-8 ounces of food.  I have to control what I do--eating, drinking,exercising. No one is forcing me to eat nor causing me to lose control.  I will create and maintain behaviors that support my healthier lifestyle.

I turned 38 yrs old on October 2, 2008 and I am still in charge!  Wish me luck in my lifelong journey!

Good luck, thanks for reading and God Bless!

August 17, 2008

I know I have not posted in a few months. No reason why, just busy. I am doing great, blessed to be working, blessed to have my family, just blessed and busy.

I am maintaining my weight at approximately 143 as of last Thursday, and that is after coming back from a cruise for 7 days!!  I did really good, I got some exercise in, walked in the Susan G. Komen "on deck for the cure" walk while on the cruise and exercised in the gym a few days. All was not lost!

We had a wonderful vacation and have already started to plan next years cruise.  My family and I also went to Vegas for Memorial Day week and had fun there too.  We took my son to Vegas for the first time (at four years old) and he also went on the cruise for the first time, which he immensely enjoyed (Go Camp Carnival!!)

My weight is holding steady at 143 as of last Thursday but I do plan to get back below 140, possibly to 135 which is where I would like to stay (between 130 and 135).

I plan to start back at the Y in the next few weeks because I have been taking classes and with vacation and everything, havent had time to fit in my workouts but it still remains a priority for me.

I am still eating well, still about the same quantities, however, my alcohol tolerance has come back, but I am careful about consumption and limit it to special occasions. I will have a glass of wine a couple of evenings a week to relax though.

I also learned while on the cruise that I can drink beer and diet soda with no negative impact. So now I have been craving my diet soda. I limit myself to one or two a day.  Hopefully one. There were lots of good foods on the cruise and drinks were plentiful, I enjoyed myself but still kept my head straight (as much as can be expected).

I have posted more pictures, we took over 400 pictures on the cruise last week so it was hard to choose from many that were available but I added some of my favorites.

Well, I will close for now, I must prepare for another day at work so that I can maintain my "lavish" lifestyle :)

Will chat soon!!  God Bless.

Angela

Date	Weight	Month Number	Lost this Month	Total Lost
12/8/2006	233.6	Surgery Start Weight	0	Start Weight
1/8/2007	211	1 month weigh in	22.6	22.6
2/8/2007	198.6	2 month weigh in	12.4	35
3/8/2007	185.8	3 month weigh in	12.8	47.8
4/8/2007	177.6	4 month weigh in	8.2	56
5/8/2007	171	5 month weigh in	6.6	62.6
6/8/2007	163.4	6 month weigh in	7.6	70.2
7/8/2007	156	7 month weigh in	7.4	77.6
8/8/2007	151.4	8 month weigh in	4.6	82.2
9/8/2007	149.8	9 month weigh in	1.6	83.8
10/8/2007	145.4	10 month weigh in	4.4	88.2
11/8/2007	142.2	11 month weigh in	3.2	91.4
12/8/2007	140	12 month weigh in	2.2	93.6
1/8/2008	138.4	13 month weigh in	1.6	95.2
2/8/2008	137.8	14 month weigh in	0.6	95.8
3/8/2008	140	15 month weigh in	-2.2	93.6
4/8/2008	140.4	16 month weigh in	-2.6	93.2
5/8/2008	138.8	17 month weigh in		94.8
6/8/2008	140.2	18 month weigh in		93.4
7/8/2008	140.4	19 month weigh in		93.2
8/14/2008	143.8	20 month weigh in		89.8

Hello all,

It is official! I have lost 100 pounds. 

It took me 16 months, 2 days, a million workout sessions and 1 plastic surgery operation but I did it!

Weight on December 8, 2006 - 233.6
Weight on April 10, 2008 - 133.2

I am so happy at this weight. My ultimate goal is 130 and to remain there, not to gain above 130.

Just wanted to post this here so that I can remember this day!

Angela

Start weight:  233.6 on 12/8/06; Height 5'2; Current weight:  140.4 on 4/8/08; Total Weight Lost: 93.2; Goal weight:  130

Hello,

I missed last month's update but not too much has changed. I am still on the mission, still working hard to maintain this weight loss. I have been going back and forth with 138-140. Never more than 141 so I am ok with it. 

I have started back tracking my eating and using a program that I know works to ensure I am staying on track and not eating too much or too little. I weigh in once a week and have been on the plan for 3 weeks.

I still have a goal of 130 to get to and I really want to get there by my cruise in August, 2008. 

Workouts are still a priority for me and I try to get to the gym four times a week and run on the treadmill or outside.

Other than that, nothing much has changed with me. Once you have reached the 12 month mark, the real work begins. I am still maintaining my weight and still wearing a size 4 pants and a Small shirt. My closet now reflects my life, I have nothing in there that is too big, everything fits and I know how important it is to wear clothes that reflect how you feel and to show off the hard work so I have my share of short dresses and skirts that I am blessed to wear in comfort. 

My eating is the same. I can still eat 6-8 ounces of food at a time which is very normal. The struggle with hunger never goes away, but I still am never STARVING, but know when it is time to eat. I count and track everything that goes in my mouth and it is amazing how that can add up over the course of a day so I am glad that I started back tracking this.

I have posted pictures on the photo portion and will attach my weight loss monthly chart here too.  Wish me luck in getting the 8-10 pounds off and keep them off by August, 2008!

Thanks for reading and God Bless!
Angela

Date	Weight	Month Number	Lost this Month	Total Lost
12/8/2006	233.6	Surgery Start Weight	0	Start Weight
1/8/2007	211	1 month weigh in	22.6	22.6
2/8/2007	198.6	2 month weigh in	12.4	35
3/8/2007	185.8	3 month weigh in	12.8	47.8
4/8/2007	177.6	4 month weigh in	8.2	56
5/8/2007	171	5 month weigh in	6.6	62.6
6/8/2007	163.4	6 month weigh in	7.6	70.2
7/8/2007	156	7 month weigh in	7.4	77.6
8/8/2007	151.4	8 month weigh in	4.6	82.2
9/8/2007	149.8	9 month weigh in	1.6	83.8
10/8/2007	145.4	10 month weigh in	4.4	88.2
11/8/2007	142.2	11 month weigh in	3.2	91.4
12/8/2007	140	12 month weigh in	2.2	93.6
1/8/2008	138.4	13 month weigh in	1.6	95.2
2/8/2008	137.8	14 month weigh in	0.6	95.8
3/8/2008	140	15 month weigh in	-2.2	93.6
4/8/2008	140.4	16 month weigh in	-2.6	93.2

Start weight:  233.6 on 12/8/06; Height 5'2; Current weight:  138.4 on 1/8/08; Total Weight Lost: 95.2; Goal weight:  130;

Hello all,

I am now 13 months post op.  I successfully made it through the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years holidays without ruining all the work I did over the past year!

I ate well, tried some sweets and have since "kicked" the habit.  I made a couple of cream cheese pound cakes and indulged in them, but no more, all of that food is gone from my house and I have nothing but good things to eat in my pantry.

My workouts are going good for the new year. I started working out on Saturday, January 5 and have worked out every day since. I am able to run for 2 miles straight without stopping and trying to get 1 hour in a day of workouts.  I enrolled in the fitlinxx program at the Y and I can now track my workouts and my progress. I fully intend to workout at least 5 days a week, sometimes 6.

My husband has started his workout plan too so we are all on a get healthy kick for the new year. My weight loss has slowed a lot, but I'm happy with what I have done and know that I will be toning up and probably losing more inches now as we go forward, which is fine with me.

I posted new pictures, we had a great holiday, we are very blessed to have a large family and able to spend the holidays eating good and enjoying each other's company.  Its fun to watch the kids enjoy themselves too.

The new year is in full swing and we are back to work and back to life as we knew it before. i am still eating about the same- 6 ounces at a time, sometimes 7.5 ounces, depends on how much I ate during the day. I am limiting my sweets to 1 per day. I can handle that, and will work it off so it is not a problem for me. I am still on my same vitamin regimen and my yearly bloodwork was good. My surgeon will see me again in June of 2008 and was very pleased with my progress. I have a couple of coworkers who had surgery in December and some who are ready to have it in January. My company has now added an exclusion for any kind of weight loss surgery. Its really sad that this has happened because so many people need this surgery and benefit from it but I guess it was a business decision and financial. The good thing is that we had plenty of warning and people were able to get started in the process of the 6 month diet and so they are getting approved and will probably until the summer. 

It has really been a busy time for me during the holidays and I am glad that they are now over so that we can get back to normal and get a routine going again. I am out of school until mid-January so I can focus on getting my home in order and a little bit of quiet time. My daughter came down and spent Christmas with us for the past 2 weeks. I really miss her when she leaves but she must go home to go back to school. She is 16 and really growing up so those long blocks of time that she used to spend with us are dwindling down because of her obligations at home with preparing for college, etc. My son is terribly active and I am getting ready to get him involved in swim lessons, soccer, baseball and other things to run some of that energy out. He is a ball of fire for sure, he will be 4 years old next month and keep us on our toes.

I have not changed any clothing size since about September even though I have lost almost 10 pounds in the last 3 months. Its good that I am still the same size, my clothes just fit me perfect, not too loose, not too tight. I am still wearing size 4 in pants and a 6 or 7 in juniors because of my hips and thighs. 

Well, I have written enough for this entry, I will go to the boards for a bit and then get ready for bed, tomorrow is a work day.

Thanks for reading and God Bless!!

Date	Weight	Month Number	Lost this Month	Total Lost
12/8/2006	233.6	Surgery Start Weight	0	Start Weight
1/8/2007	211	1 month weigh in	22.6	22.6
2/8/2007	198.6	2 month weigh in	12.4	35
3/8/2007	185.8	3 month weigh in	12.8	47.8
4/8/2007	177.6	4 month weigh in	8.2	56
5/8/2007	171	5 month weigh in	6.6	62.6
6/8/2007	163.4	6 month weigh in	7.6	70.2
7/8/2007	156	7 month weigh in	7.4	77.6
8/8/2007	151.4	8 month weigh in	4.6	82.2
9/8/2007	149.8	9 month weigh in	1.6	83.8
10/8/2007	145.4	10 month weigh in	4.4	88.2
11/8/2007	142.2	11 month weigh in	3.2	91.4
12/8/2007	140	12 month weigh in	2.2	93.6
1/8/2008	138.4	13 month weigh in	1.6	95.2

Start weight:  233.6 on 12/8/06; Height 5'2; Current weight:  140 on 12/8/07; Total Weight Lost: 93.6; Goal weight:  130;

I made it!  I am now 1 year post op from my weight loss surgery.  I have lost a total of 93.6 pounds so far.  I have gone from wearing a size 18/20 a year ago to wearing a size 4.  It really has been a tremendously blessed year for me.  I feel good, no medications necessary, no shortness of breath, no longer sweating like I stole something, just overall good health.  

 

I have been working out, although not as much as I want but I really want to get on the ball. My weight loss has slowed way down but it is totally expected, because I am 10 pounds away from my original goal weight of 130.  I am fine at the weight I am so I am not rushing it, if I lose more, I will be happy but don’t want to lose much more than 10 pounds.  

 

I have learned many things over the past 12 months about myself, with my new body and I am quite pleased that I made this decision.  

 

1. I am extremely blessed and know that HE has his hand on me all the time. God guides me, watches over me and blesses me.   

 

2. I must eat in moderation. I do not feel good when I eat more than 7 ounces of food at a time.  I feel hunger occasionally, although not ravenous like before. This is good because it allows me to make healthier choices. 

 

3.  I need to weigh and measure my food when I can to make sure I am not overeating.  

 

4. I must weigh myself on a daily basis and track my weight so that I don’t lose sight of my success.  

 

5. I must exercise regularly, I feel more energized when I exercise and I sleep better.  

 

6. I am happy with my body and, therefore, more confident when I walk.  

 

7. My husband is extremely happy with the new me and I am happy to make him happy!  It’s the “old me” that he is used to and he can’t keep his hands off me!  

 

8. My insurance company has saved a great deal of money by approving my surgery, I take no prescription meds.  All of the vitamins that I take come out of MY pocket.  

 

9. There are many cute clothes out there in a size 4 and my obsession with buying clothes has not changed. It has become more fun to shop for clothes and I cannot believe that my butt will fit in those little pants, BUT IT DOES!  

 

10. Water is very good for me and to me.  I get my liquids in, I drink a variety of things to spice it up a little.  I don’t drink alcohol except for about once or twice a year, and it is very little. I drink in strict moderation.  

 

11. I can carry this weight really well, I have been told that I do not look sick, like some people do. I have been told that I look much younger and with my hair cut short, I am carrying the title of “petite” for real now.   

 

12. I look like I have always been small, people that don’t know me have no idea that I recently lost weight. 

 

13. I must take vitamins all my life. I must get my blood checked to make sure that I am not deficient in any important nutrients.  

 

14. I still like sweets and can eat a certain amount of sweets.  I must control myself so that I don’t run into issues later on.  

 

15. I can tolerate most foods, and can have a great variety of food in my diet. Variety is very important when you have a little stomach.  

 

16.  I cannot drink milk.  I can drink Soy milk and it is good.  

 

17. I have so much energy because I don’t carry around so much weight around my heart and on my bones and feet. I walk much lighter.  

 

18. My shoe size DID NOT CHANGE!! And I am happy about that because I have a lot of shoes and did not want to get rid of them.  

 

19. I have a weight limit of 145 FOR LIFE. I do not want to weigh more than that.  If I do, it becomes crunch time. I feel best at 140 to 145.  

 

20. I am considered a success because I have lost more than 50% of my excess weight, I am 10 pounds from my goal weight and 4 pounds away from having a “normal” BMI. When I started my journey, I wanted to lose 103 pounds.  

 

I have a great network of supportive friends and family and this makes the journey so much easier. Having gastric bypass surgery and living with it is not easy.  I have to make choices that most other people do not have to make.  I have to stop eating even when I think I still want more.  There are days when I will fix a meal and fix what I think I will eat but can’t finish it.  There are times that I want to drink with my meal or when I want to drink shortly after my meal but that is not a pleasant feeling and not supposed to be done so I don’t do it, still does not make it easy.  

 

As anyone who has struggled with weight knows, the commitment that one must make to stick to an eating and exercise plan must be strong. You have to be diligent with the choices you make and when you fail, you have to pick yourself up again and get back on track.  Don’t let one day turn into a week, into a month, into a year because then those pounds will multiply and you will find yourself back to the start.  I cannot allow that to happen.  Weight regain is common with gastric bypass patients, it is a possibility, it is a reality so you have to work your tool, until the wheels fly off.  

 

I am still in the learning phase, I’m in 2^nd grade, graduated from kindergarten so I have a long way to go to really graduate to high school. I am a willing student, a healthy participant in this plan, my life depends on it.  I do not want to go back to where I was this time last year and in years past.  I am happy now and want to hold onto this weight loss and this size.  

 

I have gone on and on but felt that my one year anniversary was the perfect time to really talk and write. I hope that I have helped someone to either see what I see or help them to understand what they might need to do if they struggle with their weight, either after bypass surgery or not.   Pray and you will receive guidance, ask and you will receive. I know I plan to.  

 

Thanks to everyone for their support, compliments, comments, suggestions, love and care.  God Bless you all! 

 

Angela

My monthly weight chart is below:

Date	Weight	Month Number	Lost this Month	Total Lost
12/8/2006	233.6	Surgery Start Weight	0	Start Weight
1/8/2007	211	1 month weigh in	22.6	22.6
2/8/2007	198.6	2 month weigh in	12.4	35
3/8/2007	185.8	3 month weigh in	12.8	47.8
4/8/2007	177.6	4 month weigh in	8.2	56
5/8/2007	171	5 month weigh in	6.6	62.6
6/8/2007	163.4	6 month weigh in	7.6	70.2
7/8/2007	156	7 month weigh in	7.4	77.6
8/8/2007	151.4	8 month weigh in	4.6	82.2
9/8/2007	149.8	9 month weigh in	1.6	83.8
10/8/2007	145.4	10 month weigh in	4.4	88.2
11/8/2007	142.2	11 month weigh in	3.2	91.4
12/8/2007	140	12 month weigh in	2.2	93.6

Start weight:  233.6 on 12/8/06; Height 5'2; Current weight:  142.2 on 11/8/07; Total Weight Lost: 91.4; Goal weight:  130; 6 weeks post op from tummy tuck

Greetings friends,

I am now 11 months post op from Gastric Bypass and 6 weeks post op (7 weeks tomorrow) for my tummy tuck.  Looking good, feeling good!  I have started back workouts at the gym and am happy to report that I was able to jog again last Monday.  I was sore on my legs for a few days but happy with the way I had the stamina to keep up with it, I ran 3 miles, something I had not been able to do in about 10 years.  That was quite an accomplishment.  I plan to start weight training very soon, want to increase the muscle tone in my arms and legs.

I am happy with my weight now, still wearing a size 4 in pants and small or medium in tops.  Thank God my shoe size has remained the same because I have tons of shoes that I didn’t want to replace.

 

I have somewhat gotten my wardrobe back to my standards but I am asking Santa to bring me gift cards to shop more because I know I will not be happy to wear the same things over and over again.  For now, I have a good selection of clothes.  
My eating is the same, I still eat about 6 ounces at a meal and still eating about 3 times a day.  Working hard to keep my carbs low, not too low, because I need to burn the energy, but don't want to overload.  
I am looking forward to the holidays and looking forward to being in control of my eating for a change.  I also know that whatever I eat, I will be working off because the gym has once again become a priority for me.  I am coming up on the 1 year anniversary of my bypass and I am still losing inches, especially with the swelling being completely gone after my tummy tuck.  I still swell some days but it’s not that bad.  My little stomach will stick out a little after I eat, but it is still much, much better than I had before.  I am extremely happy with the results, my scars have faded nicely and I can wear just about anything and look good in it.  Besides that, I walk much lighter nowadays.
You will notice in the pictures my haircut.  I have cut my hair because I was tired of dealing with the maintenance of braids and weaves.  I can manage this much better, especially with me working out 4 times a week.  I did lose a little bit of hair but I don’t know if it was the trauma of both surgeries or if it was due to the stress and strain that I put on it over the years with braids.  At any rate, it is growing out, but I plan to cut it and keep it short.
I am still tracking my weights and still weighing daily, I think this keeps me on track, because I can see how my weight fluctuates and will be able to catch any problems quickly enough.
I have to watch my sweet and snack intake, I will indulge occasionally, but I don’t want it to become a problem, as I have quite an addiction to sweets.  Otherwise, the only food item that causes problems for me is milk--I cannot tolerate it at all!  I can drink soy milk and that works for me.
I am still keeping up with my vitamins and have orders for my 12 month bloodwork in the next few weeks.
I have lots of things I need to be doing right now, so I will close.
I will post again probably after Thanksgiving to report how I did on those food-filled days.  I have posted my monthly weight loss chart below.

Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Date	Weight	Month Number	Lost this Month
12/8/2006	233.6	Surgery Start Weight	0
1/8/2007	211	1 month weigh in	22.6
2/8/2007	198.6	2 month weigh in	12.4
3/8/2007	185.8	3 month weigh in	12.8
4/8/2007	177.6	4 month weigh in	8.2
5/8/2007	171	5 month weigh in	6.6
6/8/2007	163.4	6 month weigh in	7.6
7/8/2007	156	7 month weigh in	7.4
8/8/2007	151.4	8 month weigh in	4.6
9/8/2007	149.8	9 month weigh in	1.6
10/8/2007	145.4	10 month weigh in	4.4
11/8/2007	142.2	11 month weigh in	3.2

I went for my 3 week post-op visit for my tummy tuck.  The doctor removed 5 pounds of skin from my tummy and another pound of fat through lipo on my sides.  He was happy with my progress thusfar and said that I still have a lot of swelling.  The swelling should be gone within about 2 months and I should be able to see the muscle tone and flatness at that point.  I didnt think it was possible to be even happier with my tummy tuck but the doctor seems to think I will be.

I weighed in today at 143.2 which is the lowest I have been, and is 90.4 pounds lost since December 8, 2006.

I am still restricted on working out, the doctor said I can walk as much as I want though, but still cant jog, or lift weights or do situps.  

My next appt is in November and I will be approximately 7 weeks post op.  

See ya soon!

Angela

Hello friends,

I went shopping the other day and again today.  I am wearing the following sizes and FREAKING OUT!!

Pants- size 4 (FOUR), QUATTRO!!! FOUR, I can't believe it.  Actually, in womens pants, I could probably get away with a size 2.  In petites, I can fit a size 4 PERFECTLY, not too loose, not too tight, just right.  In juniors, I can fit into a size 7--the juniors fit me better but I dont like the styles too much, they seem "junior-ish" so I tend to not buy those.  If I can find PETITES, I will stick with those.

My bra size has gone from a 36F (for the past 3 months or so) to a 34C.

I can wear Small shirts and tops and bought a size SMALL suede jacket today!  My ring size is a 6 (SIX), I just got my new wedding band sized the other day and it is stil a little loose but I need it because my fingers swell every now and then.  My closet is cleaned and cleared of all of the large size clothes, including underwear and workout items.  There is nothing in my closet that is too big or baggy, unless its intended to be baggy.

I am weighing in at 144 today, most of the swelling is gone from my tummy tuck but I am still wearing my abdominal binder.  I am 5'2 and really want to get down to 130, but if I don't, I am fine with that too.  I just really want whatever weight I am to be healthy, toned and fit.

I posted on the message boards on Friday about my sister and I having an argument about me losing too much weight.  I am convinced that my sister does not know how to accept me at the weight I am, she is used to me being much larger and this will take some time for her and the rest of my family to get to a point of acceptance.  I love my sister, she is my best friend, but I have to do this for me and I have to make sure that I am making decisions that are positive for my health.  That includes eating the right things, exercising, taking my vitamins and getting my bloodwork checked on the regular.  I am diligent about doing these things, I must do them to survive and that should never be questioned.  I know that in her head, she knows I am taking care of business, its just that she is concerned that I might be losing too much weight.

I also told her that I am going to start weight training as soon as my doctor releases me and my goal is to get really lean and muscular.  I may look even smaller, but it will be toned and lean, not gaunt and frail.  I do not think I look gaunt or frail, I think I look fine but maybe coming from where I came from, to others, I may look that way.  I know that i am doing the right things and I am going to continue on that path.  I had this surgery to improve the quality of my life and I am going to do all I can and need to do to make sure that I am successful.

The support that i received from the boards was phenomenal!  I think that in order to understand what we go through, you have to have been through a struggle similar to this.  Most people responded that they had experienced the same negativity from family and friends and/or that they were downright disrespected and talked down to because they were taking control of their life and their health.  I am extremely blessed to have this type of support as well as everyone else who has supported me thusfar.  I must admit that everyone has been supportive, my sister was the only one who made the comments to me the other day and I think she is just having adjustment issues.  I feel that in time, she too will come around and begin to accept the new me.  I have not changed on the inside, I am just making positive changes to the outside.

I am closing for now, just wanted to post about my new sizes!! I am extremely excited about getting back into the gym and busting this out for 2007!! 

May God Bless you and keep you!

Angela