Sondra, I just happened to run across your post on the OH 4 year anniversary posting board. I had my surgery on 10/29/01 and have lost about 325 lbs. It sounds to me like you and I have the bad habit of "stress eating". I put on 20-25 lbs late last year when my mom became ill and died, so I kinda know where you are coming from. I forced myself to quit eating junk (carbs) and got back on the straight and narrow path to "protein first" again, and gave up sodas for good ole H20 again. It was not easy, but in a few months, I managed to dump the 25 lbs back off. You have been thru some major stressors in your life lately it sounds like. Do you have access to any support groups in your area, online support groups, anything like that? I have found that just talking to others about the way we feel helps a lot. If you need a shoulder to lean on, I am offering mine for you...one former fatty to another. If you want to email me directly, my email is jimspurgeon (at) gmail (dot) com. (not sure if this board strips out email addresses or not). I am also on yahoo messenger as jimspurgeon or on AIM as jspurg. Feel free to message me anytime. Please don't hate yourself. You have accomplished something amazing with your weight loss and after reading your bio about your complications after surgery, I feel so lucky that I had no complications. Take care and feel better. Your Formerly Fatter friend in Orlando, Jim

My 4th re-brithday was yesterday. It is amazing where I was and where I am today. Thank GOD for this surgery and for giving me the will to do it! I have lost 190 pounds, and have maintained that loss within a 10 pound range. This tool we have been so lucky to get is just amazing!

Well, this is the first posting I have done since my surgery. It has been 4 years and I have lost 150 pounds and kept it off. This was the best thing that has happened in my life.

Well seems like there are more of us than we realize. I need to lose another 40 lbs too and finding the motivation that I had when I first became post op is difficult. I even find it hard to believe that it's almost four years since I had surgery. What I'm doing is what it sounds like the rest of you are doing, going back to the basics. I don't have problems with the sugary stuff either. It has always been the salty chips for me.. So I don't buy them or buy them only in a single serving so I don't have them hanging around. I too wish that the feeling of not wanting to eat was still there. I sometimes don't have that feeling of satiety I used to have after surgery. I think I miss that the most. The actual feeling of being full after a realistic amount of food. One doctor told me that I was now "Like the rest of us." Meaning I have to control myself. :P Good luck to us all as we get our cabooses back on track! HeatherM I too would like to just be "overweight" but sure am glad to be out of the super mobidly obese catagory!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am pregnant with a baby girl! Everything is going well, but I am nervous about gaining too much weight. Has anyone else experienced this situation? If so, any suggestions of good snacks that are healthy, but yet satisfying?