I've had several WOW moments but the best was just last week. I was in the bathroom at work and after washing my hands I was checking my hair in the mirror and noticed for the first time that I am skinny. Now people have been telling me that I was for awhile but I just never saw it. I finally saw it in the mirror and I just had to stop and stare. Vain I know but dang after 31 years of being fat I think I deserve that vain moment! It's still difficult to think of myself as being thin but I'm trying! It's easier depending on what cute outfit I am wearing. I do find myself dressing a lot cuter and wearing things that I only dreamed of wearing over that last 30 years. Life is just way too cool now! Being thin has done wonders for my self esteem and my whole outlook on life. Tiff (Lap RNY 2/17/04; 245lbs - 146lbs.)

joanne, i too felt like such a failure in this new way of life... i was so jealous of everyone losing so fast and of those who had started out at a weight i wasn't even at yet! but, i wanted to do this for me... i was taking 100+ ml of insulin a day last year with blood sugars in the 400's! today, i only take one actos, and have blood sugars of 106-110. my doctor said he will probably take me off of the actos soon. i guess what i'm trying to say is you NEVER know what is going to happen on this crazy weight loss ride. my only advice to you is.. YOU ARE A WINNER! we have almost made it one year... and we are lighter than we were 1 year ago! i know how frustrating it is, but try not to give up.. i don't even count carbs. try just eating what you know you should eat, and don't get obsessive with the carb/protein thing. i might be giving you wrong advice, but, try it for a few days and see if that helps. heck, one day i ate a whole lunchable (minus the candy), and thought my life was doomed... but i ate less the next day, and lost weight that week too! so............... keep fighting, know we are all in this together, and go buy yourself some new panties or something special just for you.... i hope i helped..... patricia

Margaret, Congratulations on your weight loss. You really have done well. Weight gain can be caused by so many things and normally is temporary. For me, if I eat more carbs then usual I can put 3 to 5 lbs on overnight. If I don't drink 64 oz of water, I can see a weight gain. If I do more salt/sodium than normal I can see a gain too. Check the two new products and see if they are adding sodium to your diet, also the carb levels in both. They could be the culprit. If you have increased your exercise lately, you might be experiencing a gain in muscle mass which is actually good except that it can also cause you to experience a weight gain also. No real answers, just support. Stay on track, the weight loss will come. Mary

It is an outpatient surgery, and I can start trying as soon as a week later.. Keep trying, thats the fun part Lee

Joanne, Yes, I did lose 50 lbs as a pre-op. I had absolutely no choice. I was told that if I didn't get the weight off the surgery would be cancelled and I knew they weren't kidding. I did Weigh****chers for 6 months (lost 26 lbs) and then South Beach for 3 to lose the other 24 lbs. It was hard and I know I wouldn't of been able to keep the weight off without the surgery and my "tool". I have been going up and down 3 lbs since November. I'm just now down 2 lbs to a new low. I had plateaus too, but I keep on going. Sometimes I felt like a failure too, but regrouped and focused on what I had accomplished. I have lost 126 lbs total and have another 50 or more to go to get my BMI to a normal range. My surgeon believes in an average of 2 to 3 lbs per week. So now I am below the average as a post-op. Up until October I was right on average. I know you weren't saying any of us were failures. I just wanted to give you some perspective to the big picture ... because if you are a failure then I am too. I was told our "honeymoon" period is 18 months not 12. Also I belong to a group at UCLA that are old timers (surgery done back in 1999 for many of them) and newbies like me. I have seen post after post of people with stalled weight loss and being 3 years or more out from surgery that have gotten back to losing weight by following the rules. So you still have hope and your losing time is not over. Don't give up and don't feel badly. Stay on track, follow the rules of high protein/low carb, and exercise. You will lose more weight. I just want to show you that you are not alone. Mary