Wow Tracey, you have done great! I am so sorry about your marital issues - I am glad you have your physical health at this point and don't need to worry about obesity being another concern. Congratulations on this milestone in your WLS journey, and I hope the other issues are resolved very quickly for you! Kathryn

Hey Linda! Thanks for the love! I sure did! Have a great day! Bernice.................

Well I made it to my 2 years. I have had a lot of crap happen in my life and if I would of never had WLS I would of eatin myself to death. 2 years ago I was 327 and today I am 136 at 5'9. I recently lost 16 pounds in 12 days due to my husband leaving me, but now I am eating again. I hope I put on a little of that weight I dropped though. Good luck to everyone in there journeys! Hugs Tracey

Hi Kathryn I so understand how you're feeling. It's like pre op when we obsessed over food, now we are obsessing over losing weight. I have just come to realize how bad that is for us. I talked to my nutritionist this week and she says it is annorexic tendancies and very unhealthy. I get times where i don't want to eat cause i'm scared of getting fat again, or i will only eat a little bit. I am at 155 now, down from 360. 155 sounds like a lot to me, but as my pcp says, i am bigger boned and 20-25 pounds of that is skin and i need to maintain now. I don't do fitday, and probably should, but am scared to see the numbers of how little i do eat. So i have decided i will stop losing weight and just maintain . what are you doing for your anniversary? I am thinking i will have a re-birthday party to celebrate what a great job i've done. We only have 9 more days. Hugs Linda

Hi friends, Back in June I started a summer challenge. I hoped that I could be at my best by my two-year visit, and I wanted to take the summer to get back on track in general. My hope is that any of you who were interested would tag along. Here's my update: I have surprised myself by being very loyal to Fitday and to exercise this summer. I have been very dedicated to walking at least once a day, twice when I can, and doing some weights (need to re-join a gym for more strength training). I log every single bite of everything into fitday.com. It's my personal accountability. And I tell ya, I was shocked to see how a little snacking here and there can add up. I spent much of June in disbelief at how my typical day's calorie count is way too high! I am now logging in my food earlier in the day - finding it simpler to have a handle on things before it becomes a reactive process, or just too frustrating. That leads to saying, "Why even try?" and making each day a complete blow-off. I help stave off the diet mentality by plugging in treats, mostly healthy, that I can look forward to during the day. It's not like the old "can of tuna, half a grapefruit, glass of skim milk" routine that is depressing to anticipate. I love to eat and enjoy it, and over the past two months have learned to make sure to get the basics in, and to make them pleasurable to me. That is a trick of mine - I know myself, and the deprivation mindset backfires horribly. All along, I have been sure to get in my water and vitamins and protein. I never have "extras" in my day until I have gotten the basics. I never want the bonus stuff to be instead of the basics, only in addition to, or part of, the basics. Getting the basics is crucial to me, and a habit I don't want to break, so I'm diligent about that, admittedly. THAT SAID...I have lost about seven pounds this summer. Right now I'm up about two from that low point but that's OK, based on when I've weighed. What's encouraging to me is that the tool still works, and that when I put my mind to it, I can still make the most of things. What's discouraging is that I feel like I'm in a nearly compulsive mindset, and that surprises me somewhat. It's not the kind of person I really am. I must figure out portions of food at restuarants so that I can log it into fitday. I realize fitday is an estimate at best for non-portioned food (I am not so obsessed as to take a cup measure into a restaurant - I just try to eyeball things). I want to lose this last 15-20 lbs and I do feel like I'm in a bit of the diet mentality, and I hate that! I don't have the anorexic "I can NEVER have chocolate" mindset, but this logging every bite is cumbersome. For the time being, though, I want to do this. As I maintain, maybe not, but for losing, yes. And what I'm frustrated about also is that it seems I was able to maintain a weight of 150-155 for months and months with very little effort. It was a stressful personal time so I was not actively trying to lose, but I was less diligent about exercise, and would snack more mindlessly, and still maintained. Nowadays, I watch everything -- granted, some days are still way too high in calories, but I am trying to make those the exception -- yet I am still not too far below the easy-to-maintain weight. I am not sure if 150-155 is a set point, and my body really wants to stay there, or if I just need to work extra hard to get to the next set point. I'll tell you this, though...if I have to work like a demon to maintain at 130-135, I will wonder whether it is enough different from 150-155 to make it worthwhile. Does that make sense? I hear about people who expend tremendous amounts of effort when their bodies are just waiting to spring back up to a pre-set weight, and that seems tedious. Obviously I want to be healthy and look good, but I feel like two months of effort have resulted in a tiny amount of payoff. I realize it's harder now - and I'm delighted to still have my tool - but I guess I'm feeling a bit frustrated. Oh, for the days of quicker weight loss! I know the slower you lose, the better it stays off, so that helps me deal with this somewhat. Sorry so long, but that's the state of things with me. I'd love to know how everyone else is doing, and if you have any thoughts to share about my situation, I'd be thrilled to hear from you! Thanks, Kathryn -142 (well, today it's -140)