I hope you don't mind me replying a lot to your posts. I find weight loss issues interesting, for a variety of reasons ranging from personal experience, to the (what I think are) fascinating social dynamics that come into play with it...which I think end up actually sabotaging people in their goal. I also think the issue is important, because I believe for many it's absolutely the BEST thing they will ever do for themselves if they follow through with it.
I know it's not what you wanted to hear at the start - but to be honest - I'm kinda glad to hear you're not having the surgery. Not because I don't want you to succeed, but rather because I think that if it can be done without the surgery, that's far preferable. And it sounds like you're doing awesome.
Weight loss is also a really tricky subject to be honest about - because everyone's got their guards up. And I'll admit - there's a perverse side of me that likes to see if I can say the things that I think ought be said - and work through the defenses people have that might make them feel upset at me at the start. Probably because that's how my own inner monologue works...lol
With that in mind - I don't like weight loss surgery - because in my mind it's little more than a forced diet. The reason I believe weight loss attempts fail is becaue people don't stick with them. I read the average "dieter" (person needing to lose weight) goes on 4 or so diets per year - and the average diet lasts about 3 weeks. That's 12 weeks of the year of actually trying, for all intents and purposes. Sure, they may be THINKING about it 52 weeks out of the year, feling badly about it, wishing it were different, etc...but active sustained effort...12 or so weeks. That means the other 40 weeks of the year are spent likely engaging in the very behaviors that keep them where they are.
The ONLY reason I was successful at it is because I'm persistent and habitual in my behaviors. What I did today is really no different than what I did yesterday, which is no different than what I did every day last week, every day last month, every day the month before that, every day of 2018, going back to July 4th of 2017. Rarely do you find people that can say that - which is why you rarely find anyone that's successful in losing and keeping off a good amount of weight.
And IMHO - that's why weight loss surgery works. It kinda forces people to behave that way. Except - in my case - I don't have the unpleasant side effects. There's no dumping. If I choose to indulge a bit around the holidays, I can do that and not worry about it/etc.
And if that's something you can pull off - which it sounds like you're well on the road to - I think that's far better.
The social aspect of it will be the most interesting for you.
I would caution about starting down the road of "we're not trying to get skinny" and starting that line of thought. I can see why you'd phrase things that way - but I think that how people frame endeavors in their thoughts also has a big bearing on their success.
My goal wasn't so much to be "skinny" - but rather I framed it in the context of "I'm not going to accept being fat any more." Why would that distintion matter? Because if I'm not shooting for "skinny" - then what exactly am a shooting for? "Healthy"? What does that mean? Healthy enough to do what? Aren't there people running around saying that you can be fat and healthy? Am I leaving the door to eventual fatness again?
I found it a lot easier with my "goal" to say that what I was defining as my objective was not to be *fat* any more. That way any ambiguity in my goal could possibly include "skinny", it could possibly include "healthy", maybe it could include "fit", or whatever. But - one thing it excludes is "fat...again". And I'd rather the ambiguity fall on that side than the other - if that makes any sense.
Sorry for the diatribe - lol - but like I said it's a topic I find interesting. Sounds like you're doing great.