Hey.. two new pictures are posted... you can finally see the NEW and IMPROVED Eric!! There's also a picture of my Dad and I together... as of Father's Day this year we've both completed our chemotherapies. It's an odd pic to ,y eyes because we both had a FULL head of hair before we were diagnosed. BTW - everything healthwise is going good. Weight loss has slowed, but we are so happy with the size we are that we don't care... as long as the scale doesn't go up. I hope you all enjoy your holiday. Tina

Hi all i am back home from my first time visit with my parents... as most know i was scared to death bc i didnt know what my parents would say about my 143 lb wt loss... i didnt know if they were gonna turn me away or cause me to have a breakdown... i was so lost... they hadnt seen me since before surgery and it was really scary gettin off that plane and seein there face... so here goes this is what happened.... I got off the plane and my sis was waitin for me... i knew that she was gonna be surprised considering she was all for all that i had done... When she pulled up she was amazed bc well i had lost a lot more since she had seen me... and it was great to see her mouth drop. We then drove to her house where my parents were... i walked in and my dad said abbey wheres Amanda??? i just looked at him and laughed bc he was callin me Abbey( abbey is my 17 yr old niece...) I said dad its me... he then turned to look again and he was so proud... i saw thears wellin up in his eyes and he said wow you really look great ... and he stood and hugged me... for the first time since i was young he put his arms all the way around and had room to spare... i then went to the garage where my mom was and she said abbey do you have all ur dirty clothes out here so i can wash them ... i said mom all my clothes that i brought with me are clean... her mouth dropped ... i took a spin and said well what do you think.... and she said that it was a good thing but she was going to have to get used to it... You have to remember that the last time i was at this wt i was in 4th grade... so they have never really seen the REAL me or what i was suppose to look like. Both my parents for the rest of the night just kept starin at me... not in a bad way but in a WOW way... for the rest of the wk they watched what i ate ...every bite that went into my mouth... but they were learnin my new way of life... they took lots of pics but i never jumped into a pic... bc the rest of the family wont see me til August so i am hopin that i can surprise them as well... And i do have to say that it was soooo hard not to jump in those pics bc i am sooo proud but my parents cant keep a secret at all... So all in all i had a great time the first day was a little strange bc they were getting to know the real me. As for my niece i finally wear a smaller size then her... i can fit into a size 12 jean... she was a litle disturbed by that bc she has alway been smaller then me... so now she says that she has to go on a crash diet... so in a wk i taught her how to eat... Its not that she is fat she is in a 17 jr jean. She doesnt quit understand how i weighing 205 lbs and her weighing 170 lbs, how i can be in a smaller size then her... maybe its bc i have no butt ... So if ur goin home to meet your family for the first time after a major wt loss dont be scared and DONT be alarmed if they spend all night starrin at the new you... they are gettin used to you just as you are gettin used to urself.... manda ~143 lbs

Hi Sue! I am now wearing size 10 or 12, depending on the cut. I have lost 88% of my excess body weight which translates to 151 lbs since last May and 104 lbs since surgery. I go to the gym to do aqua arobics 5-6 times a week. It's less impact on my knee. My arms look great. I use weights in the water and they have gotten very contoured. I am pleased with myself also but I still weigh 162 lbs and I am still pushing to lose more. I am getting my knee replacement surgery on July 26. I was hoping to releive the pain by losing this weight but I have already done to much damage to the knee. But I look forward to a quick easy recovery! As for a tummy tuck- I would love to have one. My belly is not bad, just wrinkly. I am afraid I will have to save the money up before I can consider that option. But boy would it look good flat!

I am down 84 pounds. My goal is 145. My weight loss has been very slow but it has been great. I am enjoying the energy and not having to always tug at my shirt when I stand up. Boy have I noticed the difference in my behavior since I have dropped some pounds.

HI Susan, I am not sure if this could be possible, but you are describing how my pouch feels when i am full. I can totally feel this distended little area if I eat, and of course if i'm not full, it isn't firm like that. I hope it's nothing to worry about. Good job on your weight loss! I hope your husband gets better each day, that is so scary when someone we love is ill. Best wishes, Sue