Hi all, I am on medical leave so I finally have time for an update. First i should update my pictures, they are from last summer I look quite a bit different now. I want to remind everyone to pay attention to your body and listen to your instincts! Last Sunday I got a pain in my abdomen, it then started to radiate into my chest and left shoulder. It was not as bad as last year when I had a rupture and was septic but it was there and the same pattern of pain. I called the hospital and the surgeon on call called me back (he is not with the bariatric program mind you) I told him what was going on and he told me that you don't just rupture spontaneously, that made sense, last year I was ruptured by a scope to have a stricture stretched. He told me to come in and get checked out if the pain was that bad but I should be o.k. Well within a half hour I could not stand upright. My husband was at work so I called my brother and he took me the 45 minutes to the hospital by the time I got there I went to get out of his truck and fell to the ground. They picked me up off the ground and hauled me in, after many doses of pain killer I was finally able to straighten out for an x-ray, but it still hurt like h***. Sure enough they could see air pockets, i had a leak. My surgeons work as a team and neither of them were on call but the dr on call phoned them to get some background, they bothe came in on Sunday to do my repair, they are AWESOME!! So I was repaired and only spent 3 days in the hospital this time because I was not septic and am now on the mend. I just don't want any of you to forget to be your own advocate if you think that something is wrong. Even with all of my complications I would not change things for the world my life is so much better! Take Care, Becki 1-18-05 297/119 5'8" ( I am down about 7 lbs this week from being back stage 1 diet. I am sure that I will go back to 126, that is where I had settled since last October)

Stacy I eat alot of the same things over and over also. Seems easier that way. I eat: Atkins protein bars, pancake(one once in awhilw), a slice of toast, eggs, a little lettuce salad, oatmeal, Kashi GO Lean cereal, cheese (and then some more cheese), most meats, sf pudding,nuts. I still cannot eat any pasta, makes me sick every time. Been trying to add a few more veggis in. Its hard though. I drink lots of crystal lite and i do have 2 cups of decaf coffee everyday. I was at a stall also, and upped my food for 3 or 4 days and now the weight is coming off again, I don't want to lose alot more, but maybe 10 or 12 pounds. Rhonda 312/166/155?

I am currently trying to maintain, but if I lose a few more that would be ok with me. The things I eat on a regular basis are~ oatmeal pancake w/sf syrup salad w/turkey, cheese, croutons, ranch strawberries w/cool whip banana w/pbutter chili w/cheese cottage cheese yogurt chicken breast tacos w/no shell usually graham crackers w/cool whip frozen~whoever posted about this one got me with it, LOL! I love them! Weigh****chers Flakes and Fiber cereal b/c I need the extra fiber to go regularly I do eat alot of the same things over and over again! drives dh crazy! Hope this helps! Tracy B 328/156 5'9"

Hi Stacy!! I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one feeling this way!! Sometimes I wake up in the morning and expect to be 261 pounds again!! I think our minds need to still catch up with our weight loss. I thank God everyday for having given me this opportunity to have a healthier and happier life. But I do still wonder if I'll suddenly start gaining the weight back and won't be abel to stop it!!! I sometimes think that this is all a dream and it's going to all come to an end. I just had a TT on March 6 and keep asking my plastic surgeon if I should have more work done. He's been assuring me that I'm fine. But I still keep giving myself a second look in the mirror. Almost as if to say, you are still really obese!!! I'm just glad that we have each other to support us and we can come together at OH. I know what you mean to about the clothes, I used to wear a tight 3X and am now wearing between a size 8-10. People do treat me differently too. Isn't it sad to know that some may not have been treating us well because we were obese? Have a wonderful weekend and take care!!!! Hugs and aloha, Pat

Stacy I am right there with you. Everyone says, don't get any smaller. But in my mind I am still 312 lbs. Will we ever get past this? I don't know. Maybe its the scare in us that we may gain it back, I wonder. I have been heavy all my life and this is so new to me. Rhonda 312/168/155?