just a question, does anyone else have the problem that the weight loss wont stop, that they are turned off by all foods and no longer have the desire to eat at all.. I am beginning to worry about myself, I am still loseing about a lb a week and am thinkking that I am getting too thin..I dont mean to brag or anything its just that im worried.. I have NO desire to eat, I work all day and dont eat, the thought of food make me nausous and eating is just a major turn off to me. People are telling me that im getting too thin and I dont know what to do.. anyone have any advice for me? I just dont know what to do anymore.. I went through a balemic phase as a kid and am worried that im heading down that path again.. I started this journey at 304lbs, my goal was 150lbs, im now about 130lbs and I know I have at least 15-20 lbs of excess skin hanging off me.. (Sorry TMI) What shoud I do??? any advice would be greatly appriciated.. Thanks guys. Lee

I find for myself that the less sugar and white flour I eat the better I feel and the less the cravings are there too. So I try to do high protein, low carb as much as possible. Another venue for this is "low glycemic" eating. There are many recipes, eating plans that focus on low glycemic eating. One woman on the UCLA list only lost about 50 lbs with her WLS and never could get below that. She had her surgery a few years ago. A year ago she discovered Shari Lieberman's plan for low glycemic eating and has followed it faithfully and is now a size 4 and willing great. It helps me too to start my day with exercise. If I have done that, I seem to be more motivated to stay on track. I just started doing self hypnois CDs yesterday to help keep my focus on being a healthier me. I will let you know how I do with them. Mary

Thought it might be helpful to post ideas on how to get back on track. We all have things that work for us and it is time to share. Maybe it will help someone else here too.

Patricia, Sending you many hugs and a great deal of understanding. I would highly suggest going to your doctor and requesting that they do an upper GI test (I believe that is the correct one). It will show whether or not you have a staple line disruption. Altho they are rare, they do happen. If you have a staple line disruption, it would allow you to eat more and gain weight. Also if you have one, it means you need to have it fixed (revision). Some people have no discomfort with the staple line disruption, so a test is the only way to confirm. A dear friend has had the same issues as you. Lost 150 lbs, gained back 50. He had the testing done a couple of weeks ago. Staple line was totally in tack. Surgeon said that stomach is the size of an orange (which is still MUCH smaller than the normal stomach). Because the pouch was still intact, my friend could still lose weight as the tool was still there. My friend has decided to go back to Atkins or South Beach way of eating. He had allowed a huge amount of sugars into his diet (he doesn't dump) and also ate chips etc. He is also starting to exercise which he had not done since the weight had come off so easily. The surgeon did tell him that he would not do the revision unless there was a disruption because the surgery had greater risks and there would be a great deal of scar tissue to deal with adding to the complication possibility. I have two friends who had staple line disruptions and had revisions and have been very successful. There are surgeons who do them, and it is possible to get insurance to pay for them .... but you only want to to go someone who has done a number of them, not brand new at it. We all can eat more now than we could even a year ago. This is normal. We just have to watch what we eat, exercise, drink lots of fluids, take our vitamins, and make protein a major priority for ourselves. It is hard to stick to the rules, but we can do it. On Fridays, we have a commitment thread for this group. Please join us. Start making changes one step at a time. I haven't lost any weight yet, but I am now doing my vitamins daily and exercising on a regular basis too. I like being accountable to the group, it helps me. I know the more carbs that I eat, the more I want. I'm working to get back to the basics too with high protein/low carb eating. I also just started some self-hypnosis tapes that I hope will help control my grazing/nibbling during the day. It can be a difficult road, but know you are not alone and that we are here to help you if you need us. Please participate in our Friday thread too. It just may be of help to you. Mary

Patricia - keep that head UP! It sounds like you need to re-focus and get back to basics. Losing 140 pounds is fabulous. Gaining 70 back is a little scary. The good thing is that you know you CAN do it and you have. I know that many of the men and women on this board have "smarts" and lots of suggestions to help you find your way back to healthier choices. Something that has helped me to never get back to 370 pounds is to keep a picture of myself at my heaviest somewhere where I see it every day. I never want to be there again. I can eat just about everything, too and it scares me to death. You can do this...do it for yourself and for all the freedom you have given yourself from fat. You did succeed, you just need to find it again. Don't let it beat you. Good luck, Denise