Welcome home, Trish! It's great to see you back! I indeed will be praying for you! It sounds like you've had a rough year, but with God's love and help, things WILL turn around for you. I hope you can somehow save your home from foreclosure. I'll pray that that happens. Great job with your eating! Thank God you've turned that corner (I recently turned that same corner, sure glad we didn't mow each other down lol)! I hope you continue to do great with your weight loss and your health! I've lost a total of 84 lbs now and am feeling great, finally. I'm wearing a size 12 and they are fitting me loose. I tried on a few pairs of size 10 pants yesterday and they fit a bit snug, but they button and zip with no problem! HOW EXCITING! I also bought a dress that I'm wearing tomorrow night for my husband's Christmas party. I about passed out when it fit me. It's a size 8 dress!! OMG A SIZE 8!!! I'll see if I can't get a picture in it and post it soon. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed and prosperous New Year! God bless you!! Brenda

Hey all, I haven't had a chance to check in for so long. I am currently down 79lbs and am 179. I am in size 16 now I can't believe it and I am finally joining a gym that I really love and I am so excited about it. Eating has finally turned the corner for me. I am able to eat 6 times a day about 4oz each time. I am trying new things and as everyone told me, I have finally turned the corner, Praise God. I have missed you all so much. Things have been really hard at home. As I have said in the past, we are losing our home, we lost our car, by Gods grace we have another one at half the price and a better car fuel wise. The one blessing is that we could be in the house for quite a while during foreclosure because the market is so bad. So all I am hoping for is 1.5 years so my kids can be in this house when they graduate high school. What a great blessing that will be. I am still smoking and I truly ask all of you to pray for me that I quit on New Years, it is so important to me. The other prayer I have is that this coming year My family and myself truly get to a place in Christ that is where He wants us. One that is real, going to church, being available to help others. I love you all and pray your holidays bring you great joy. Love Trish

Not used to writing in the 200's yet I see.

Welcome, Kim!! Glad you found us! As far as the eating goes, the nurse educator at the weight management clinic that I've gone through (required before even seeing a surgeon!) told me to keep each meal at less than 1/2 cup of food for the first six months post-op. That way, even if our bodies are able to eat more than that, we aren't stretching our pouch sooner than we should. She also said not to snack between meals, but to do a protein drink between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner. I've not had any problems sticking to that. I know what you mean about feeling hungry all the time. I did too for quite awhile. It took me awhile to realize that my new "full feeling" was not an actual feeling of fullness, but like that of hunger instead. It takes some adjusting to get used to that different feeling for sure. I've always had a growly-yowly stomach so that has not been an actual indicator of hunger to me. My mom has always had the same noisy stomach as me too, lol. I guess it runs in the family. I think it just takes some time to realize what different signals our body is sending us. What helped me realize that that feeling of hunger after I got done eating was actually my new full feeling, was the fact that I made myself aware of when I felt it most often. I realized that after I'd finish eating I'd get that feeling. I then thought, "hmmmmmm, I JUST ate so I know I'm not hungry, so this must be what it feels like to be "full." That feeling has changed some, but I'm wondering if it has more to do with me knowing I was full, or that the feeling is actually changing. That I'm not sure of. I hope this helps some, Kim, and again, welcome!! I'm glad you're here! God bless you! Brenda

Mary I feel the same way , that I'm a slow loser...I was before I seem to be now....(btw my signature weight is wrong becuase I have actually gained 7lbs in two weeks!! ) I need to fix that----I worry my pouch is stretched or that my stoma is too big and everything is just washing thru, that my bypassed part isn't long enough ..on and on....I have been surfing the boards like crazy to get support and Ideas at what could be wrong...heck I've even found myself on the revision board already looking for info on how to know if my RNY is a wash.... my surgery date was 8-7-07...I was really happy to have found the August Board...I didn't know about it til today!! We'll get there...we just may not be the first ones at the party!