Hi Laura, Thanks for sharing your pictures. You look great. You've come a long way. I just love the way you set up your pics. Congratulations on your weight loss!!! Take care, Diana 379/173/?

Charlotte, You are similar to me in that my starting weight was 265, and my goal weight is 140. I am 5'2" and I cannot get down to that elusive 140 no matter what I do. I work out like I am supposed to, I eat reasonably. I go between 143 and 146 pretty regularly. I have NEVER made it to 140 or below. When I look down, all I see is FAT. When I look in the mirror, I barely recognize the woman I see. I look really decent. The girl that does my hair said, "Damn, you don't realize just how petite you really are". But like I said, when I look down, all I see is FAT. Here is what I think is my problem and may be yours too. Perhpas 140 is my realistic goal weight. But I think what is keeping me from reaching it is this stinking pannus. And when i look down and see fat, I am seeing pannus. So, my theory is that once I have this removed (end of Sept), I will be more proportionate and when I look down, I will see my crotch and not my gut. I am positive I have at least 3 lbs worth of pannus that will be removed. So, once I am healed and recovered, I am sure I will be down to my 140 that I am looking for, plus I won't have this skin hanging down there and will look more normal for someone of this weight. Do you have a big pannus that is fooling you into thinking you are still fat? If so, see about getting that removed and I bet you will feel like a whole new person. jean

Alas, I wi**** was me. I'm still struggling to lose my weight. I'm down to about 178 pounds and really want to get to 150. My loss is very very slow. I would love to be a size 2, 4 or 8 ! LOL. You have done amazingly well with your program. Don't give up. Just keep doing everything right and you will achieve your goals. Perhaps some PS might be in your future? Cheers & Best Wishes Karen G

Are you taking iron pills? Iron can cause constipation. You may need to lower the dosage of iron you are taking; or increase iron rich foods to get the adequate amount of iron daily. If you do take iron, take it with orange juice so that it is better absorbed by the body. Drink plenty of fluids; try to increase your intake of veggies (have a salad w/ carrots, raw spinach {excellent source of iron}, tomato, cucumber, etc); try multi-grain breads (delicious! 7 grain, 9 grain and even 15 grain) breads are great; exercise (especially walking and anything that keeps the digestive tract moving). Sounds like you are on the right track. Avoid the daily use of laxatives which can be addictive to the point that the body won't or can't function w/o them. Try prune juice at room temp also. Yuck! Sounds like you're doing the right things. Cut back or down on your iron pills and see if that's your culprit. Charlotte, Lvn

Thanks, I'm glad someone understands what I'm dealing with. I'm at [email protected] Hugs Donna