Hi Everybody,

Its been a while since I have claimed my seat with this group.  I've been in the north woods of Wisconsin for 6 weeks with only dial-up access to the internet, and it is so slooooow!  Its great to be back in North Carolina.  I had my 3 month follow up at SEB 2 days ago and everything seems to be in shipshape.  I have lost 50 lbs including the weight lost during the 2 weeks pre-op.  I can walk a mile, and climb a couple flights of steps, albeit, slowly.

Food-wise, I can eat some of most everything, but have the most trouble with stringy things, like asparagus or snow peas or leftover meats. I still have trouble stopping when I have had enough and that extra last bite bites me back all too often.  

My only disappointment so far is that the weight is not "falling off" like people said it would.  Now, losing 50 pounds in 3 months is no small feat, but I am still wearing the same clothes. They are looser, but I still look the same to me. Now that I am back home, people are expecting me to look thinner, and I don't, so each first encounter with friends and acquaintances is a struggle. They all want to know how much I have lost and its embarrassing to say 50 lbs., and still look like I do.  I am sure they are thinking, if she lost that much and still looks huge, just how much did she weigh before?  The amount pre surgery has never passed my lips and I doubt if it ever will.

As you can see, I still have a lot of mental work to do, too.  I really need to hear from you that are at the same stage that this is working for us.  I still have the feeling that it won't work for me--after all, nothing else has worked or I wouldn't be here.  I will try to post more often and use this as one of my tools to successfully clean up my lifestyle and enjoy life in all sorts of new ways.