while driving to the gym for the first workout in nearly two months [remember the burnout??? it was BAD, but for the past couple of weeks, i've just been too busy]...

i had a magic moment.

i have maintained a weight loss of 270-275+ pounds for a year!!!!!

do you BELIEVE THAT????? i was SHOCKED!!! those 12 pounds i gained are gone. i am less than half of my former self.

it's still evolving, figuring out how to balance food, exercise, stress, and what passes for sanity in my life, but A SOLID YEAR OF STABILITY HAS NEVER EVER HAPPENED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!!

soooo.. please be happy with me. maybe i'll go off and find one of those cute little chickens with the pounds lost sign... or maybe not.

thank you all....

Oh Jiffy, I'm so proud of you!! You are such an amazing woman. Your determination and resilience are truly inspiring. Thank you for sharing your milestone!

Beverly

thank you ladies... most of the time i don't feel all that inspirational [especially when i wake up in the morning!!!!]

but this is a BIG DEAL, i think. and to make it all extra special, i ran into someone today. we've known each other for more than 20 years, through many ups and downs. the last time we saw each other was before the surgery... his reaction; YOU'RE BACK TO NORMAL!!! the way he remembers me, which was running all over the place doing things.

wasn't that wonderful???

this calls for a celebration, i think..., so please, all of you, since we can't do something together, please do SOMETHING happy... raise a glass in a toast, or do something special for yourselves FOR ME!!!!

and pookie... you are GORGEOUS.. with a smile that lights up all of long island!!!!

I'm celebrating with you, Jiff! Here's to another year of staying the same! (to most people that would sound boring -- to us it's a victory )

I've never stayed at one weight either -- it was always up or down (usually up). There's no better feeling in the world, is there? You're right -- it's all about balance. Though sometimes it feels like we're balancing on a tightrope over Niagara Falls.

Congratulations!

Congrats Jiffy! That is fantastic! I Hope to be following you soon!

love that image of the tightrope over niagara falls!! no matter how scary it is.. and for everyone else: you WILL follow. and help ME stay on the straight and narrow...

Hi Jiffypoo,
I read this post yesterday and thought about it all day. I'm absolutely blown away that you were able to take it off and kEEP IT OFF. The keeping it off part is the whole reason I had surgery, so it's incredibly inspirational (there's that word again!) to read about your huge success.

I'll go to the Rockies game tonight and tell the fellas to hit a homeruns in your honor!

Your secret admirer,
Chickadee

Hi –
I simply cannot believe that I am here, and posting! I’ve been lurking around here for ages, while I have been doing my research. (it’s nice to know where so many familiar LC faces have gone to!!) I don’t know if I will “qualify” for wls, because I don’t have as much to lose as so many do (depending on which weight chart between 70 - 85 lbs)….. however, I also am only barely 5’ tall….my bmi may be under requirements (it is between 36-37), but I do have several comorbs: high cholesterol, asthma, bad knee, stress incontinence, sleep apnea(or so dh tells me) ,and a family history of insulin-dependent diabetes.

I’m scared to death, but I’ve taken the plunge and made an appointment w/my pcp to discuss lap band… my appointment is for Friday afternoon. I’m totally shaking in my boots – I know that there will be little to no support for me (I am afraid to even mention to my dh that I am considering doing this… after all, I’ve done it in the past with Diet Center, Weight Watchers, pills, liquids, even 30 lbs on Atkins (which I’ve gained back PLUS….), so why can't I do it again?????

Anyhow, I just wanted to say thank you all for sharing so much, and giving me the courage to take the first step….

Ps: Jiff…. Whoo hooo – I remember walking with you and your cane - you are my hero! (ahhhh… Veniero’s… oops, bad sono, bad sono, bad sono!!!)

yummy veneiro,s. GOOD IDEA SONO!!!

just smaller amounts. it's ok.

and you have our undying support for this. it's NOT the easy way out., it's a TOOL. but a manageable one...

keep us posted. and remember, YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE.

btw.. i only use the cane when i hike now. it's more of a walking stick... yippeeee yahooo!!!

Hi Sono,
Nice to see you come over from the LC board. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you on your Lapband quest. I'm so happy I was able to have it done. This surgery really, really made sense to me and I knew it would be the perfect choice for me. Hopefully your PCP is more knowledgeable about it than my initial doc was. She was completely clueless and I ended up educating her before I finally changed doctors and insurance companies. Go prepared!

I have read about people being approved for surgery by their insurance companies even though they don't meet BMI criteria. This sounds wierd, but hopefully you have enough comorbids to qualify. In any case, you do have support! I'll be there to help in any way I can!

Chickadee

Jif, thanks for telling me that I'm NOT a failure -- so often it doesn't feel that way... Now I will just have to hear your voice in my head telling me that I didn't fail, the dang DIETS failed!! Hmmmmmm, another use for your cane could be to give me a whack when I don't listen to my hero????
BTW, I worked in mid-town today, (drove in, of course) and did NOT go downtown to Veneiro's !!!!!

Pookie, thanks for the welcome... I seem to recall that your surgery is coming up and it's gonna be at North Shore??? Do you live on the island or in the city? I live out in Suffolk (south shore), and I know that there are a couple of good surgeons who work out of North Shore-Syosset and also Huntington, but I've got to remind myself to take it one step at a time, and that first step is tomorrow w/my pcp.

Chickadee......thanks for your support: you worked so hard and waited so long to get your approvals, it's an inspiration to me. Besides, I GOTTA love you... you are almost as anti-Braves and Yankees as this poor Met fan!! I hope that my pcp will be knowledgeable, supportive and agreeable-- he is, after all, the person who originally put me on Atkins!!! And no, it didn't sound weird about the comorbids: they may be the only thing that might help me to qualify...... one thing I can't do anything about, tho, and that is my age - I'm 56, and I hope that won't be considered too old for the surgery, 'cause it's too young to feel as old as I do, tho!

Jiff,

Isn't it amazing?

I still struggle to be happy with where I landed after WLS. Most days I am fine, but sometimes I look at bumps or bulges or sharpei skin and feel FAT! Other times, I listen to those who came closer to the height/weight chart ideals, and feel cheated. Then I laugh at myself and tell myself to knock it off. (I stopped at about 165 lb, size 14, at 5'5")

I lost 160 lb after surgery, had about a 7 lb regain, and have remained stable since that point for a year. Sometimes I wobble back and forth within that 7 lb range, but rarely get back down to my previous weight.

Anyone who has spent a lifetime dieting up to morbid obesity will understand the panic that comes from any gain. Where will it end? Before surgery, I could gain 40 lb in two months, no problem. Scary thought.

It is nice to know that with just a small amount of effort, that doesn't happen now.

So, to me, maintaining is amazing. Maintaining for a year is amazing. That NEVER happened to me before surgery.

Life is darn good!

Dawna

Jiff....you are a heck of alot more fun now. I am glad that you are alive...cause, babe, you were going down fast. that sucked. can we say "sucked"?

peach

Only in a word association game. Your turn.

(missed ya, Peachie!)