It definitely has slowed down, and so has the weight loss. The old food addictions have reared their ugly side and the snacking has definitely had a negative effect. As far as exercising, my gym stopped offering the group classes I was taking so I cancelled my membership. It has been a challenge to stay motivated to exercise by myself. I think I will check out our community healthplex to see what they offer. The good news is that I'm very close to my goals. The surgeon and I actually agree on what that should be and I'm 17-20 lbs from there now. Hopefully by the end of summer, I'll have gotten back with the program and be down to maintenance weight. Thanks for being a cheer leader for us Marchers. Toni 267/157/140ish

Hi there.....I know exactly how you're feeling, because I'm in the same boat! I stopped coming to the boards because I was feeling like a failure. Although I consider myself at goal, I'm really not eating that great, I never exercise and I'm not even drinking enough water anymore. I wish I could be a model citizen and say that WLS has totally reformed me, but I just can't at this point. I still do pretty well, but I find myself feeling sick quite often due to overeating. I just pray that it doesn't catch up with me. Hang in there and try to seek support here and IRL. It really does keep you accountable. You're doing great! Stacey 283/160/161

Hi Becky, I hear you! I find I'm often thirsty these days, especially in warmer weather. I was told that the removal of the stomach area and some intestine meant that our surface area for processing water was much reduced, hence the need for constant vigilence over hydration. If I am the slightest bit slack on liquids, I get painfully constipated, and I get headachey. 64 oz/day is minimum for me. And! I can't drink cold water. Makes my pouch spasm. It didn't do that the first 6 mos, but it has been since that point till now. I have to drink my water room temp, and even then, on an empty stomach, my pouch revolts over water. I went several months (thank God it was cold weather) drinking only hot stuff, decaf teas & coffees, sf hot cocoa, anything I could have warm. Or cold stuff, just no****er. My pouch only complains if it's plain old cold water! Weird. Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth. Drink up, girl! Kathy

Hi Tyshea, I'm glad you posted this. I've never had any issues with topical yeast infections (except in the "usual" place when I take antibiotics). But I have had the condition with the boils for YEARS. Of course, the outbreaks are in all the worst places - armpits, groin, upper thighs, belly, bottom. Ugh. HATE IT. I went to dermatologists for years and it was just treated superficially. Antibiotics don't really help,though the docs used to give them to me constantly (hello yeast infection). I will also add that at the time of my worst outbreaks, I had to have one area surgically excised after admission to the hospital from the ER (oh, the pain!). Turns out that my blood sugar was out of control at the time also. Since getting my blood sugar under control, I no longer have these "runaway" outbreaks which send me to the ER in pain (I'm talking softball-sized places). I'm no doctor, but since diabetes affects the body's ability to heal wounds, it makes sense to me that this condition would worsen with uncontrolled high blood sugar. Then right before I left Georgia, I saw a dermatologist who said she thought I had this condition called HIDRADENITIS SUPPURATIVE (hope I got the spelling right). Here's a link with some info: http://www.hidradenitissuppurativa.net/Disease.asp. This condition often goes underdiagnosed by medical professionals. It is not really treatable, except with courses of antibiotics and pain medication. In extreme cases, the only proven treatment has been removal of the affected areas by a plastic surgeon. I had been referred for a plastic surgery consult for this condition long before my WLS. The condition has not really improved since my WLS either, so I found a local dermatologist with some knowledge about it, and have been seeing her to have it documented. She is actually the one *****ferred me for the PS consult. The most humiliating experience in my life was standing in her office naked with the lights full on, as her assistant took photos of every bit of this on my body. I had to pose in the most unbecoming positions, while lifting and hoisting this and that to show underneath and oh good heavens. Not fun. In about six months, I'm going to start consulting with plastic surgeons to see about having this condition treated with plastic surgery, and (fingers crossed) I hope I will be able to deal with the removal of some of this excess skin at the same time and have it all covered by my insurance. When I first looked into this, I was told taht they would remove affected areas, and then graft on skin harvested from my thighs. Well! Wait till I show the PS all the bonus skin he will have to work with! I would encourage all with this condition to see a dermatologist and read up on this and see if you actually have Hidradenitis Suppurativa. Take care, Kathy

Thanks Toni. I am using the Pantene shampoo now too. I am thinking of switching back to my Biolage shampoos and conditioners. Maybe that will help. I do get all of my water in. I talked to my stylist and he said that hair should grow faster in the summer so he is stumped. He asked if I'd had my thyroid checked lately and I had blood work in March, but I am not sure they checked that. I will call my Doctor Monday and ask her. If not I'm going to see if she'll order it for me. I am also working on getting my protein up. I try so hard with food, but it seems like I can never eat enough to get it in. I supplement with shakes. *sigh* But all in all I would do it again. I can't tell you how much better I feel having 164 pounds to not lug around anymore. I can't remember the last time I weighed this little. I'm down to 187. I think if I were to have a tummy tuck I'd lose about 15-20 pounds right there. I have a lot of excess skin on my stomach. I could probably lose about 5-10 lbs if I had my arms and legs done. One thing at a time though. I'm not sure my insurance will cover it. Thanks for the advice. I'm going to work on my protien more. Take care. Kelli