FIRST SURGIVERSARY: Hullo, good life. Buh-bye, 92.6 pounds!

[sasweet1]

Thank you, Ann2, for your inspiring story and all the practical advice. I am 66 years old and going to Mexico for surgery on April 24th......only 3 and 1/2 weeks!! Even at my age, I"m so looking forward to this next stage in my life, being healthier and more active. Please continue to post. Your advice and experience are invaluable to those of us at the beginning of this journey. Many blessings and continued good health to you, Ann!!

[Bananna]

What a wonderfully written article! You are truly an inspiration! Thank you!

[Ambientangel]

I'm waiting for my surgery date, and read your post. Your description of what has helped you be successful is so helpful. Thanks for sharing your story.

[Shirl]

I learned something new today, that there was a link to your success story! I had not noticed it before, but I have been learning a lot from your saged advice.

I hope I can be brave and determined as you!

Thank you for being and staying active in this forum! and I hope our patch cross (not virtually) someday!

xoxo

[Slimpg]

Thank you for sharing!

[Vincent Bach]

Hi Ann,

Thank you for your surgiversary post, which reinforces that I am doing the right thing at 65 years of age. What a wealth of information!
I'll be 66 and 3 weeks on my surgery date.

Thanks again,

Vincent

[etsybay]

WLS won’t prevent binge-eating or emotional eating. It will discourage it, but it won’t prevent it. There are plenty of WLS patients who’ve learned to eat and drink around their tools. I personally know folks who’ve wasted their sleeve, bypass or band with (sigh) sweet tea, Mountain Dew, beer, Wheat Thins, ice cream, chips and dips. What those drinks and foods all have in common, other than being high-calorie and lacking in nutrition, is that the sleeve cannot challenge them. They move rapidly through the sleeve and into the small intestine. You can eat that crap all day long and never start to feel full. Remember, it’s a shame to waste a sleeve.

OMG thank you so much for this! I think that this is the most profound thing I've read yet.

[Ann2]

etsybay, you're welcome.

And 21 months post-op and coming up on my second surgiversary this coming August, everything I wrote on my first surgiversary still rings 100% true for me.

Very best to you!

[WANAGL]

etsybay, you're welcome.

And 21 months post-op and coming up on my second surgiversary this coming August, everything I wrote on my first surgiversary still rings 100% true for me.

Very best to you!

You truly are an inspiration to us all!
Thank you for sharing your journey and success with us. I depend on you and some other veterans here for your common sense wisdom!

[Blove2012]

Omgosh. Love your secrets to success. I'm so grateful to all of you who have gone before and share your experiences and advice. Thanks so much.

[nj168]

Thank you and congrats! I am 68, at the very beginning of the pre-op process and could identify with you so much. Please keep posting so I know what years 2+++ look like a ahead of my schedule! Planning surgery this fall.

[Connie4]

Read and reread again.. packed with so much experience

We are what we eat for sure.
Beautiful writing

Thanks

[Ann2]

Thanks, Connie.

I'm still here. Not posting as often as I once did, but I show up at least once a week.

BTW, I'm maintaining now at 135 pounds. So I've lost a nice round 100 pounds.

I feel GREAT! I look amazingly hot for a 70-year-old. Yup, am 70 now. I'm just as sassy as ever. Life has been full of tough stuff -- everybody has tough stuff; that part doesn't quit when we have WLS.

I'm averaging 1700 - 1800 calories/day to maintain my weight. And I pretty much work my much much smaller bootie off -- cleaning fencelines, cutting timber, mowing a LOT of acreage, doing laundry, walking, taking yoga classes, shopping, letting the damned cat inside and outside, and fetching cookies for hubby who seems to think I lost 100 pounds so I could spoil him.

Seriously, I hope you enjoy this process as much as I did. I wouldn't change anything or anyway it all unwound.

[Mbenson5]

Amazing lady! Thank you for adding so much to this forum! Much respect!

[WANAGL]

I couldn't have said it better, Mbenson5!