hi helen, i'm sorry that you're feeling down due to a slower loss than most of us. you're always such a blessing on the main boards for all of us. to be completely honest i don't have any real words of wisdom i think it just depends on the person. i'm 19 weeks out i'm down 104lbs, and i'm the bad girl of the group. i don't count calories,i don't count carbs, fat grams nothing. i am mindful of what i eat, and try to lean more towards healthier foods, but i still eat chips, and chessy things but in moderation. i eat pretty much what i want. i don't drink protein shakes, take vitamins,etc. now yes of course i know that this isn't healthy for me and i'm working on forcing myself to take my vitamins. i don't exercise due to back problems that still exist, and i have had very minimal hair loss. i do have an ulcer that still bothers me which i take previcid for, but that may be due to the fact that i smoke. most of my weightloss occured in the first month and a half after surgery it fell off of me, but now the loss has slowed to about 8-10lbs monthly usually after my period. just keep the faith keep eating healthy,drinking your water, and moving it will come off it has too. look in the mirror and see the weightloss you've had be proud of it, and know in your heart you're going to get there, and probably have fewer body issues to deal with than us faster losers. keep your head up, and smile you're beautiful!!!!!!! huggs from usa kriss

I miss bread. No sandwiches, hamburger buns, etc... I also miss pasta, hash browns, tortillas, and rice. All of these things just HURT if I try to eat them. Of course, I realize that not eating them is helping me lose weight! I had WLS on April 5 at 315#. Today I'm at 238 (-77); which is not stellar, but respectable! I can eat a lot of sugar before I dump, which I wish wasn't the case. I tolerate fat less well, but basically a few bites of anything won't get to me... I know I'm lucky in this regard.

I must be the odd woman out on this board because I absolutely love that I am dropping a nice healthy amt every week. Not more than a couple lbs. these days. Yes.. some weeks are slower than others but I don't focus on it. I know I am doing everything in my control that I can do. I'm also building great muscle weight from working out. Started 4/19/05 281lbs 48% Body Fat Today 221lbs 35% Body Fat Total loss 60lbs I went from a size 22-24 down to a size 14-16. I'm 5'4. This is the rate I lost the weight: 4/19/05***281***0 lbs lost***48%**48.1***148/100**SURGERY DAY 5/03/05***266***15 lbs lost*UNK***45.7***UNK****2 WEEKS POST OP 5/17/05***255***26 lbs lost*UNK***43.8***UNK****1 MONTH POST OP 5/31/05***253***29 lbs lost*UNK***43.4***UNK****6 WEEKS POST OP 6/14/05***248***33 lbs lost**46%**42.6***UNK****8 WEEKS POST OP 6/28/05***244***37 lbs lost**44%**41.9***UNK***10 WEEKS POST OP 7/12/05***240***41 lbs lost*UNK***41.2***UNK***12 WEEKS POST OP 7/26/05***237***44 lbs lost*UNK***40.7***UNK***14 WEEKS POST OP/3month post op visit today! 8/09/05***232***49 lbs lost*UNK***39.8***UNK***16 WEEKS POST OP 8/23/05***230***51 lbs lost*UNK***39.5***UNK***18 WEEKS POST OP 9/6/05***226***55 lbs lost*38%***38.8***UNK***20 WEEKS POST OP 9/20/05***222***59 lbs lost*35%***38.1***UNK***22 WEEKS POST OP I really think you should just focus on eating healthy, getting in all your protein, following the rules, and exercising. Put the scale away if it is freaking you out that much. You may want to also take some food and exercise logs to your nutritionist so they can identify any areas that you shoud change or decide if maybe you need to go up or down 250 calories a day to shake things up. Good Luck!!

I agree.. most of the time I think... whats the use I am just going to end up in bed moaning... Like I just cant eat an egg it has to have mashed potatos with it.. or cant have pork chops, tuna.. chicken wery little very moist and still scares me.. I end up most of the time hurting.. So I eat cheese and drink milk alot!! I h ave chewed and spit some steak though.. just a few peices.. then even the juices get me queasy.. I like ham and have no problem with it so far. Well the melting ladies are having breakfast together this morning before hitting the goodwill store it is 1/2 price day... and I am in 18's right now so must start finding some 16s to melt into. Linda

breakfast: skim latte w/supplements (8 oz hot skim milk in 8 oz double strength half decaf, half reg coffee) brunch: 1 cup high protein cereal (dry, no milk) followed a bit later by a serving of fresh fruit. lunch: example. 1 low carb tortilla with 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese melted with Tbsp salsa. afternoon: South Beach protein bar supper: example. 1 1/2 cups protein rich soup with one oz cheese melted on top evening: skim latte 1/2 hour before bed: 1 oz nuts or cheese