I have not seen my surgeon for a few months. Mainly I felt like it wasn't necessary to make an appointment to just weigh in and chat for a while. I have done everything I was supposed to do and it has paid off. I was due for a full blood panel so I saw my surgeon today and also weighed in. The printout from the scale read 187.5 In April 2014, the first time I got on that scale it read 400.5
I honestly didn't think I could get to that number without some kind of plastic surgery or liposuction but I have. It feels great. My body fat% is 18.5 I don't think it has ever been that low in my entire life. Weight lifting has made the difference for me in that category.
There have been too many NSV's to list, but the greatest reward from this has been enjoying my life more than I did over the last 15-20 years.
For anyone who is on the fence about having bariatric surgery I think you should think about what you want out of life and face the cold fact that you will die at an earlier age and suffer a diminished quality of life as long as you are fat. Almost no obese person will ever get to a healthy weight and maintain it all by themselves.
I have worked hard, but there is no way I would have maintained my discipline without the sleeve. It is possible to lose more than half your body weight. My challenge now is to maintain it. Given my new good habits I have developed I know I will succeed. After leaving the Dr's office today I celebrated hitting my goal by going on a 5 mile walk. Food is no longer a reward like it used to be. There will be a few adult beverages in my near future, but the old days are over. This is the new me.

Stay strong everybody.

Merry Christmas.

Mike
VSGSetyoufree