You're welcome, Carol. I'm happy to help; in writing to you, I was helping myself see the positive, as well....

Hey, Carol. Here was my menu yesterday. I don'****ch my carb or sugar intake, I just eat my protein first. Breakfast: 1/2 c Raisin Bran 1/3 c milk *didn't finish my bowl of cereal* Snack: 1 hardboiled egg, salted Lunch: 1 small chili from Wendy's, with cheese and onions *ate about 2/3 of the chili* Snack: 2 gummi worms Dinner: 3 oz grilled chicken 1/3 c grilled onions and mushrooms spoonful afredo sauce couple bites of salad (lettuce, cucumber, crumbled bacon, Ranch) Dessert: a funsized pack of peanut M&M's (about 5 or 6 M&M's) I drank 60 oz water, and had 6 oz coffee after dinner, black with a teaspoon of sugar. That's pretty typical, I try not to graze and I make sure to make every thing I put in my mouth a "meal" or "snack"...I serve it on a plate, sit down, and enjoy every bite. I tend to go through a lot of phases. I'll eat nothing but tuna for a week, then nothing but steak and baked potato...I'm trying NOT to have these ruts, but I tend to fall in love with a food's flavor and then I'll be "addicted" to it for a good 3-7 days. It's my biggest pitfall. I have 22 pounds to go, and I'm beating every last one of 'em off me! I wonder why our weight loss slows so much at this point post-op? Good luck!

Julianne, WOW; what an honest posting! Thanks for sharing your story. I'm wondering...you've turned so many things around in your life of late. How 'bout considering turning these unhappy thoughts into affirmations? Please don't flame me for saying that; I just happen to see that there's so much positive in what you've undergone lately. For example -- and I took these from your own words -- I'm happy because I had surgery, due mainly to the fact that I was courageous and persistent. I'm happy that I realized my relationship with my surgeon was toxic, and that realization led me to a surgeon better suited to my goals and situation. I'm happy that my health is excellent and improving all the time. I'm happy that I realize the importance of regularly monitoring my own health -- and that I do just that. I'm happy that, despite daily temptations to do otherwise, I make mostly good (healthy) food choices. I'm happy that I'm among friends, who understand my struggles and are willing to support me when times get tough -- physically, mentally, or emotionally. Wishing you happy days, Melody

I'm not happy because I didn't do all that I can to lose more weight. I'm feeling really depressed because I can't go back and change what I didn't do before. I have lost, so far, about 87lbs and when I read these posts the average weight loss seems to be over 100. I just don't feel that I will succeed and be where I had hoped. I absolutely depised my surgeon and his staff because they kicked me to the curb right after surgery and I did not get the support that I feel I needed. The surgeon disliked me from the get go, I wish I had not been so desparate to have the surgery then I would have found someone I felt would be there for me. I did not exercise as I should have and my weight loss has been ultra slow. I have a cousin that had WLS 4 months after me and has lost 85lbs. I keep wondering, outside of the exercise, where did I go wrong? I am depressed and I don't know what to do. I read all of these happy posts and I feel even more depressed. I am happy for all of you, I just wish that my story didn't have to be an un-successful story. I dumped the surgeon and found a new doctor and he seems to think that my weight loss is just fine, of course he isn't among the many that have actually been super morbidly obese and desparate to get the weight off so that life can be somewhat normal again. I can see that in many ways he is right, but it seems to be quietly competitive among other wls patients and the emphasis is how much, how fast and finally how THIN! I have to say that my health is excellent and I feel great physically, but that doesn't seem to be the goal for WLS even though at the beginning we and the doctors all state that we do it to live longer and to feel healthy again. all I ever hear or read is how much weight is lost or isn't lost and not how health has improved, maybe it's because I can't brag about some massive weightloss, that I don't understand but, I feel so alone, I never really see posts of those that feel the way that I do. I am not saying that the surgery was a bad choice or that I would not have done it had I known differently. it's just that it always seems so sunny for everyone else and as for me, I just feel like crap. I worry constantly about protein and water intake what type of exercise will I force myself to do today and will I have a BM or will I have to take a laxative yet again. I have never been so into my food intake and bowel movements as I am now, it almost seems like an eating disorder. I fight everyday not to eat sweets instead of protein and bunny food, most of the time I eat the healthy stuff but every once in a while I will have the sweet stuff. I just can't yell from the mountain tops that I have done anything so incredible. I just don't understand why we are all in such a hurry. and why is it so difficult for me to just accept that this is where I am and be happy with it.

Congratulations! What an accomplishment!!! Keep up the great work! Carolyn Sue