Hi Everyone: Happy Friday to all. It's raining here in New Jersey but as always I look at my life as being very sunny and bright. I hope that you all had the chance to view my fall body and leather pants photos earlier this week. I never knew that so many of you want to fight my wife over me (LOL). I went out at lunch today to buy a new pair of jeans because the ones i bought a few months ago were getting big. To my amazement I got into a size 32. That's a new low in my waist size and a full 22 inches below my pre-surgery size of 54. You could only imagine just how happy I was. I know that my success has come as the result of the work I've put in and I just want to encourage others that success is destined for all who put in the work, follow your surgeon's plan and don't give up or give in. Till next time, Jesse 373/190/-183

first let me say you look beatiful!!! Second it is hard for me to listen to you complain about your size when I am still fighting to get below 200. I started at 360 and am only down 141 pounds in 13 months so i truly understand your feelings. I have started seeing a shrink how thinks I should get a full body cast done so i can see my change from the outside...I am trying to figure a way to do this. I think we all are having thoughts of failure. Sometimes we dwell so much on what we havnt reached that we forget how far we have come. I know ehn I step into my size 32 jeans and only fill 1/2 it still surprises me. As for your eating...I dont think you are consumming enough. I personally have to make sure i get in atleast 900 caLORIES or my body wont lose an ounce. somedays i sit crying because i have to have a protein shake before bed just to get the calories in. I hate the guilt from eating or drinking anything when i dont want it but i know its best. I hope you come to realize (and that i do to) that we have come so far. and besides everyone in the world has 10 pounds to lose right??? best of luck Diana

I'm also only 5'2" and I'm up and down at 140-144. I too have those days when I talk to people that are taller than me and reached 115-20's. I feel like a failure and I'm fat. Which is funny, because sometimes I feel worse than I did when I was heavy. I keep reminding myself how far I've come. I kept my old size 24 pants and gasp at the difference. I see old pictures of myself and ask, who was that person? Was that really me? I step on the scale and see the 140's and I feel like kicking myself. But wait, I'm healthy, i can run after my kids, my BP is down and great. I've actually achieved what I wanted. Not to see a # on the scale, but to BE healthy. NOT obese anymore. No one can look at me and call me fat, except me. I'm much more healthier than ANYONE in my family now and it's such a reward. Anytime I feel down, I start the drinking water and get exercise advice. I always seem to drop pounds after a week of physical hard work. And the water is soooo important. Even if after all that I don't drop pounds, I feel great because I could actually exercise. My whole day is around getting enough water and I don't always do it. Your diet is to give you nutrients, NOT to help you lose anymore more weight. Hang in there, you are healthier and alive. If we all fit the same mold and had to be the same thing like the BMI indicates, this world be very plastic. We are more than that. We've gained a tool that will help us to be healthy but not live in some perfect BMI world. I hope you will be able to remind yourself how far you've come. I know some days it's hard, but I think of all the stuff I told you and I shut myself up, hold my head high and get on with being able to LIVE my life! Hang in There, Heather

JESSE, You are such and inspiration to all of us. I read you post weekly. Keep up the Good work and some day I would also have the same success stories as yours(I know we are all different, I am working hard). David

Man, leather pants. Consider me envious! (I'm waiting to get mine until after I've healed from an abdominoplasty scheduled for three weeks from today). Jesse, are you going to be at the convention in D.C. this coming weekend? Jen.