Thanks for the encouragement, Cyndi! I usually do all my shopping on Sunday but Easter snuck up on me and I found myself with an actual day off. So I went and walked around my neighborhood this monring/afternoon. Two hours, close to seven miles, a quarter mile in elevation change, open up and sprint from time to time. When I got home my son was sitting on the porch waiting for me. Before I could go in to shower, he wanted to know if I'd show him what I needed him to do to help seed and fertilize the yard. The large parts of the yard are easy - just drag the spreader around behind the lawn tractor. But there are several places where we need to break up the soil with a rake and hand throw the seed and fertilizer. So I spent another hour working in the yard. And, yes, I remembered the sunscreen this time! I feel MUCH better about the whole situation now. For what it's worth, I never wear shorts while gardening. I like to be able to take the pants off and leave most of the dirt in the garage before coming in. If you have any kind of decent soil, whether loamy or clay, you can get downright filthy. So even in the summer I'm all about long pants, boots and gloves in the garden. Smear some dirt on your pants leg and nobody will think you are wearing them to cover loose skin. -- T.Rob

Congratulations on breaking through that stall and finally making it, John! You are my hero! -- T.Rob

Woo hoo! Way to go Donna!

Hmm... what keeps me motivated. Maybe the fact that I just bought shorts (non-stretch) that are freaking size 6!!! As for food, I'm still eating my same old favorites: Grilled chicken tenders at Cracker Barrel Beef Noodle soup at Cracker Barrel Bananas and strawberries and grapes.......yummy! The lemon cheesecake little dessert on the recipe board. I love this stuff! I've been making EVERYTHING we eat FF/SF. Can you believe my family LOVES the "new way" mom cooks? Talk about a miracle. I'm still devoted to my 40 calorie Fudgesicles Still LOVE my SF Orangeade with either Fuzzy Navel or Orange Creamsicle protein mixes I never really did the protein bars for some reason. I saw my surgeon this morning. It was too cold to wear my "chocolate" shirt but I showed him a pic of me wearing it. He gave me a HUGE hug and told me to keep doing whatever I'm doing cause I look great. Why is he married? And, what motivates me most? The dear people I LOVE here on the May Team!!! Wishing you all a blessed holiday!!! * Cyndi *

So what have you discovered in the area of foods that make you get excited to continue on? I was getting bored of the same old foods several weeks/months ago and asked some questions about this very topic on the messageboard over at the RNY area. Some of my favorite foods... Wraps (higher protein - found at WalMart) love crab meat and cream cheese..with vegs Edamame (a frozen soy veggie) I also like the dry roasted found at healthfood stores Turkey Pepperoni FF Kraft Swiss - not everyone would like this ( I use it for my omlettes with egg whites, Hormel bacon bits (Sam's) & salsa in the mornings) Chicken Meatballs at Sam's Club - Deli/cheese area across from the meats Still love my Wendy's Chili Tuna with light mayo and relish (hated tune pre-op - love it now) Grilled Chicken marinated steak Snickers Bar....no the Protein bars (bit high in carbs, but I only eat 1/2 at a time) Roast Beef (Deli) rolled with FF Cream cheese and jalapenos (burn that fat - literally) This one is crazy, I know....frozen vegetables (I was having issues not feeling full because I was not having enough veggies) Hum the Sound of Music theme...and these are few of my favorite things. I'm curious, now what keeps you motivated to eat good/healthy foods? John