Hi Lynne, Thanks for sharing. I, too, am working on getting things moving again. I've remained at around a 110 lb loss for almost a year & am ready to get these last 20 - 30 lbs off me. I actually went out & walked a little over a mile today. I know my plateau has been greatly impacted by my lack of exercise. So, now that the nice weather has finally started to hit Central NY I am getting my butt moving again. I am willing to start up a daily exercise post, again, if you think that'll keep you motivated & moving again. I know it helped me, greatly, in the past. I, too, have been snacking on the wrong foods & find myself grabbing things when I'm not even hungry. I'm starting to work on no snacking in between meals & if I really need to, grab something healthy. I would love to get below 175, never to see the 180's again. I have a beach body work out series called Slim in 6 and plan on starting it on the 30th. It's quite a workout but you feel so good. Would love to make it through the entire 6 week process & see the results. I'll keep posting if you do Anyone else game?????????? Tammy

Hey Girlfriend..... How you doing? As usual, I'm seeing this late. But better late than never right? This whole process has been one hurdle after another. First deciding to have the surgery, then actually going through the surgery, then learning how to work with our new tool.... now comes the hard part....continueing to use our tool properly. I will confess over & over again that I do find myself grazing on JUNK every so often. I've stayed between 176 & the lower 180's for almost a year now. I too slacked BIG TIME with exercise. Although it's not an excuse, working 20 hours of overtime every week and trying to get the new house in order has pretty much consumed my day. Now that the nice weather has FINALLY arrived (even though we still have some snow banks) I have been working diligently with yard work which is much more strenuous than walking that's for sure. But 1 or 2 days a week does not compare to the 1 or 2 hrs a day that I was doing. The walking is going to resume...I PROMISE..... So, now, how's your progress going & how can I help? I'm not going to lecture you because you know, in your heart, what you're doing is not right. Please visit a support group meeting or talk to someone either at AA or at your surgeons office. They're all there to help you through this. Remember, the first step is admitting something is wrong & I applaud you for that .... Go back & read your journal & maybe even old posts when we were all posting daily & so gung ho .... That's where we need to be again. Refocusing on a healthier us. I'll do it with you if you want. Just let me know & I'll make sure I get my butt on this site every day to check in. If someone is counting on me I know that I am needed & will make sure I'm here. Remember...we are human...we are not perfect...and we really need to work on trying not to be perfect. Keep in mind, there's always those people lurking out there just waiting for us to fail this as so many others have. Let's not add to that statistic & continue to be successful. I love you & am praying for you & ((((HUGGGS)))) Tammy

Hi Lori, I too am struggling with the right decisions to make. I drink a glass of wine about once, maybe twice a month with friends when out. But I am having a difficult time leaving chocolate alone....it is my weakness and always has been. I have recently viewed a great dvd called the Secret. It is about positive thinking and imagining what it is we want. It really opened my eyes to not be negetive in my thoughts and visualize what it is I want in my life. Some of the thoughts were of material things, but I also need to watch how my self talk in my mind goes...thoughts like; "I am not beautiful, I have too much excess skin and how would any man want to be with someone like me." needs to change. I have begun visualizing the man I want in my life, believing that I deserve him, and chasing away those negetive thoughts that seem to always want to take over. I don't know what the secret for you is in all this, but I do know that positive thinking and chasing away the negetive is a great way to achieve peace in your heart. Some of the things I've noticed is that thinking this way was what got me the job I'm in now, allowed me to have this surgery, gave me my dream house and now I am activily visualizing the man I want in my life. I won't settle for less then my visualization, so that may mean tomorrow he comes into my life or years, but I won't give up on it. Sounds hoaxy, but I am believing it for myself. I've seen too many "miracles" in my life not to remember this key. I don't know if this helps, but if it does, I'm glad I mentioned it to you. Seek help in if you need it and get positive about who you are and what you want in your life!! You've already done something positive by having this surgery and getting yourself healthy. Now, lets get ready for major changes in all our lives by using our inner energy to change negative to positive thought patterns to make us even stronger in our lives!! Take care and I'll be thinking good thoughts for you!!!!! Lori 293/181/150

Hi Lori! Oh, has reality hit or what!? I totally understand the struggle. For the last month I'm dealing with keeping my weight w/i the 3lb cushion I've given myself. I actually got up 10lbs, but 5 days of concentrating on 3 meals a day and getting my water in brought me down 5 lbs. For the last week I've bounced up and down from 136-139. They say we get a 6-18 month window of "do anything and you'll be successful." Well, I got my 18 months and the struggle is back - though 5 or so lbs is a whole lot easier to conquer than 100! I snack and candy, especially dark choc (milk makes me dump), is a major issue. Exercise is usually a 5 1/2 mile walk weekly, but that's about it. Work has been a mess, but that's not a real excuse - just a reason why I've allowed myself to not make it a priority. I've noticed we've all slacked off checking in here and I've not been able to get to the last two month's support meetings (though I went with a friend as her support person to the Introduction Meeting on Monday - my 2-yr anny to going to mine that started the process). That of course is probably not helping us. The next is from my heart... my mom died from cirrohiss of the liver, after less than 20 years of being an alcholic. As a teacher who teaches what an alcholic is - it's not just that you drink everyday, not that you get drunk every day, not that you can't remember what happened, but that you have a regular pattern that you can't/won't change. As you mentioned, you know you shouldn't drink post-op for various reasons - it's hard on the stomach, hard on the liver, and because we process it quicker, it's hard on the brain as it doesn't have time to metabolize before it hits it. You need to decide for yourself what you need to do. One of the things that is starting to be noticed is that a lot of post-op folks are replacing our food addiction with new ones. We've all come so far to make ourselves happier/healthier - don't replace food with alcohol. Love ya lots - and I'm glad you shared. It's easier to share our stumbles here than in person with the person I said I would be on target post-op while trying to get the surgery. Dawn

Hi Donna, Life is good. Easter was fine... spent a lot of it at church doing video. No Easter bunny visit for me, which is fine. I've managed to get back within 2 pounds of my goal weight - which is basically at goal for me - as long as I stay w/i 3 lbs either way I'm content. My best friend is up visiting for the weekend and we went out and took over 250 pictures each yesterday. We went clothes shopping today. Hope Vegas was a blast and I can't wait to see you as a blond! Dawn