I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. It is always hard when this happens. I hope you find some solutions soon for your income. Wishing you the best. Mary

Hey Paula! I'm with Rachel - you're so beautiful that no one would believe you ever had 152 spare pounds to lose! Your haircut is perfect for you - you look so young and healthy. Best of luck! Ruthanne

Hi Joanne and everyone. Sounds like we're all in pretty much the same boat - it's been 11 months or so since our surgeries and we've found that not only can we eat bigger portions and almost anything, we're "hungry" all the time. Not sure if this will work for you, but it has been working for me - I upped my water and protein intakes and try to eliminate as many non-fruit/non-veggie carbs as I can. In order to up the water and protein and still fit in my normal food and water needs, I have to schedule most of my intake. That doesn't leave much time for snacking and has helped to curb my grazing. I can't remember where you live, but can you get outdoors? Don't stay home alone! Join a Y, or wherever you are going to school - find out if there is a workout area you can use. Exercise is third on my list of defenses against gaining the weight back. I agree that I gain really easily when I've splurged on some empty carbs, but it comes of really easily and very quickly when I get back into normal eating. Just remember Joanne - nothing in this world can possibly taste as good as thin feels... Hugs! Ruthanne

Linda, You look fantastic! And I bet you feel fantastic too. You've done wonderful in the past 11 months. Life is grand! Wanda

Joanne, Glad to see you back. Its hard to get things back to normal after the Chrismas season and especially after all you've been through, with the marriage and honeymoon. Your words reflected exactly how I have been feeling here lately! I have been going back to an old habit of mine......snacking in the evenings.... and it scares the daylights out of me. In the mornings I think to myself, okay, I'm not going to snack this evening- no matter what!, then the evening rolls around and there I am SNACKING, damn it! I even told my self this morning that I am NOT going to eat anything after dinner. Yeah, right. We'll see. I think most of us Februaryers have come to the point to where we're going to have to actually make ourselves change. But, my go****s easier said than done. I hope and pray that you make it through this very difficult time. I know my words are not much help. Thank you for opening up and sharing your feelings with us. They do more for me than you can imagine! Just know, you're not alone. Wanda