Lisa, I think you are a strong and amazing person. Dont let anyone put a label on you. They can go get screwed as far as Im concerned. I have been fighting demons too. I traded one addiction for another I started smoking again after 10 yrs of not smoking. My life is falling apart. I have an amazingly stressful job, my home life is falling apart. I actually told my husband today to pack his crap and get out. He left and I dont know where he is and the sad part is...........I dont care at this point. They told us that after surgery things might get a little rocky, but I never dreamt it would get this bad.......... We Ateam members need to stick together to help pull each other thru the yucky times............Im here for you girl! Cindy

Lisa U really bring tears of joy to me when I read your responce. Trust me so many days I just wanted to give up. May not posted them here but trust me I did want to.. I have never felt sucessful at many things seems I failed and gave up on myself. I know alot of people are probally tired of us talking about weight loss and infact many are perhap jealious or think we took the easy way out. Trust me if just eating 1200 calories alone would made this happen I would have hit goal along time ago but one variable that is not factored in is your body is unique and different how it responds to lack of calories. My journey is not just about weight loss but it is learning to love who I am and be ok about loving my self. To feel good enough to be worthy, I am a extreme perfectionist and their is no way of winning when u have a mind set this is just a self defecting thought process. I am doing this with out therpy as after 10 years of it did not get me thin just made me fatter. It took one special person to help me understand me and why and how I was still messed up. I need to tell myself I am good enought to be 160 but today I am 199 and that is good for now.. This has been a spirtuial mind blowing journey for me and I have the power to make a change for the better. I deal with a Hubby that is a RNY and is busy trying to sabatoge my sucess by tossing me a chip bag (he bought) at me or a soda or a piece of cheese he may very well be able to eat like that now and not gain weight back (but he has creep up to 179 to 191 shh that is gaining weight in my book) He worries and thinks he is caring but u know I lost the 15 lbs while he was in alsaka for 2 weeks .. I saw it yesterday after i reached goal he was trying to secretly fatten me up and he was doing it subconquently and he made a commet wow we are only 8 lbs apart now. He is so competive and jealious of me and does not want to share the lime light He can wear the pants in house but dammit he should leave me to wearing sexy dress and heals I have the legs for it he doesn't LOL Ok I got off track but TY for all your support Lisa

I use a ready made pie crust that i brown in the oven. Find out what your favorte SF pudding flavor is-it will work with all of them. Mix together, 2 cups NF milk, 1/2cup NF dry milk, pudding mix. If you want, you can also add in a scoop of protein powder if it is similar flavor. Mix until starting to set up and pour into pie crust. Once it sets up, top with SF whipped topping. Then I crumble 2-3 SF oreo type cookies on top. YUMMY! The NF dry milk makes it taste richer and you do not get that thin, sf taste that sometimes happens. Another great choice is the use the banana cream flavor and add banana slices. I can feed this to non dieters(and teenage girls) and they cannot tell the difference. I have experiemented with this recipe, even trying to top with sour cream on the chocolate or adding cream cheese. It is all to taste but it is a great starting point for many quick and easy desserts you do not have to feel guilty about.

Awesome news Jan!!!!! Congrats on reaching GOAL!!!!!!!!!!! Ain't it great to be a part of such a great team! We are the A-Team, a mighty fortress that can't be beat!!!!!

Amanda I just checked out your profile again and for the life of me I can't figure out what you mean by the ugly duckling syndrome! You are BEAUTIFUL and I'm not just saying that. As another A-teamer mentioned... you were beautiful with the weight on and you're even more beautiful with it off. And your new skinny pics look like when you first got married. I think Sharra & Lisa have given you some GREAT advice and I ditto everything they said. Especially the part about not being alone. We are all in this together and we all share in the same struggles from one degree to another. I too have my "little demons," COFFEE being one of them. I have tried so hard to quit coffee but I can't. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE coffee. It's the first thing I sip on in the morning and it goes down so smooth and tastes so satisfying. But I have cut back on it. Instead of a whole pot of coffee now I just have 2 to 3 cups. Hopefully I can get that down to just one but for now it's an improvement for me. One day at a time. I've noticed too that it's much too easier to reach for the easy "slider" carbs like chips than it is to make healthier choices. So when I hear those chips calling my name I play a little game with myself. I tell myself after you eat your protein and drink your water if you are still hungry go ahead and (measure out 1 cup) of chips and eat them. 9 times out of 10 I'm usually not hungry after I eat the right way so I end up skipping the chips altogether. Or sometimes I only need to eat a few to satisfy that craving. Like Sharra shared keep healthy snacks in the house like cheese strips, nuts (I love almonds), fruit & veggies are a good choice to. They satisfy that need to crunch plus you can be at peace knowing you are putting something good in your body. I went through a short bought with the alcohol myself. It was a bit intoxicating (pardon the pun), to get so tipsy off a few sips and it allowed me to escape from the stress & my struggles for a little while. But as I began to do some soul searching I realized this was only a temporary fix and it would only harm me in the long run. So, I made a choice to STOP medicating myself with alcohol to deal with everyday stresses. For me I turned back to God and renewed my faith in Christ. I realized I could not handle the stresses of everyday life on my own and I needed the strength of Almighty God to uplift me and guide me. I'm happy to say He has been faithful and I have truly overcome many of my "little demonds" because of His guidance. We have gone through many changes both physical & emotional. It's alot to take in and we can't do it alone. We need one another, support groups, and whatever it takes to keep ourselves focused on being healthy inside & out! There are so many books out there that offer great insight to our type of journey and practical help & guidance on how to live a healthy life physically & emotionally. Do a google search and fill your mind with some positive reading. I love the Psalms... they keep me motivated and seem to speak so directly to me. For so long we have gone unnoticed due to being overweight. So here we are now, skinnier and for the first time for many of us we are getting noticed. That can be addicting, something we crave. But this type of craving can also be destructive and like everything else we need to bridle it. We should never find our self worth in other people... that has to come from within or else it won't last. While it's nice to get noticed and can be flattering especially if we've never experienced that in the past we mustn't let it consume us or become obsessed with it. That's when it becomes unhealthy and destructive. We are changing inside & out and we must learn to take this life long journey that we are on one day at a time. And when we have set backs (and we will, cause it's part of the journey), don't let them drag you down to the pits of no return. Instead use them as stepping stones to reach to higher places. Grow & learn from them and push forward. And more than anything reach out to others and share your journey with them. You'll be surprised at how many people NEED to hear your struggles, your victories, and the lessons you've learned for their own inspiration. When we get our eyes off ourselves and onto others who need help, motivation an encouragement you'll be amazed at how much it ministers to you and can help you in your journey. Thank you for being so brave & bold to share with us. We are the A-Team, a mighty fortress and if we all stick together in this journey we will be successful and make it together! You all have inspired me by your honesty, struggles, victories and by your encouraging words. Thank you A-Team for always being there for me every step of the way. Hugs! Lisa