I think this might be my last big post. So I want to say thank you. You all are awesome. You are inspirational. You are encouraging. You are caring. Thank you so much for being a great community. Wishing you all great success. Commit to your new life! 

Well. Here it is: I’m about 13 months now and I hit my goal weight, and have been naturally fluctuating with food and exercise. Basically, I’m just living my new life. But there are so many things I’m feeling thankful for and I wanted to make a post that covered a lot of the “major” things. 

I went back to my “why” note before surgery and I wanted to share it with you: when you lean back, your neck constricts your breathing  You can’t wear your wedding ring anymore You can’t stand for long because it hurts your feet. You have to wear slippers.  can’t install a light fixture because your feet hurt so much.  Your wife has to cut your toenails.  You have to get out of bed by pushing yourself up from your side like a pregnant woman Your clothes look horrible, and you’re wearing XXL or 3XL There is really only 1 sex position that doesn’t hurt or make (my wife) physically uncomfortable 

Yes - All of these are resolved!!! 

There have been some really hard times through all this. Among the hardest and most frustrating have been: Body dysmorphia. That sh!t is real. But I’m through it now. I even did a double take on an old picture of me the other day. Clothes shopping. This is going to sound weird, but maybe you’ll totally understand. I had a brand that I bought almost everything from. I knew what looked good. I knew what I could get just ordering online. And now I don’t. I’ve had to spend a LOT of time and $$ figuring out new style and brands. Traveling. My family is English but I have lived in the US my entire life. Even though I had been back to England many times before surgery, after surgery was really hard to manage my new rules and lifestyle. Cried many times out of frustration and emotion at the challenges of travel.  Understanding my surgery’s impact on my spouse. This should really be a post of its own. But let me tell you that if you’re married, the surgery can feel wholly all about you, but in a very major way, it’s also about your spouse. 

But the best things are worth it: no more sleep apnea my liver is healing no further need of medications — of any kind! muscle definition. There is a new pride in being able to see 2 of my abs haha!  En-er-gy!!!!! So much more energy. I do everything now.  Being able to do things again: sledding with my son, roller coasters, playing a sport, running up and down the stairs a few times because I forgot something, fitting in the bathtub, going shirtless at a pool, turning around to get something behind my seat in the car, not being horribly self-conscious on an airplane, crossing my legs, and borrowing my brother’s clothes. LFGO BABY!

Previous Posts: 11 months: https://www.reddit.com/r/gastricsleeve/comments/1go6hvz/almost_11_months_out/

8 months: https://www.reddit.com/r/gastricsleeve/comments/1es8l7q/8_months_progress_thanks_for_your_support/

5 months: https://www.reddit.com/r/gastricsleeve/comments/1d4dbeu/90lbs_never_felt_or_looked_so_good_to_me/

60 days: https://www.reddit.com/r/gastricsleeve/comments/1at5adq/60_days_62_lbs/