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I have 2 wonderful sons. Roger is the oldest, 38 and Frank is 34. Roger was born chicken breasted. He needed to have surgery to fix his chest at 2 1/2. If it was not fixed he could have had a heart attack by age 10, his heart was not in the right place and he was hunch backed from the chest problems. My husband asked the surgeon about risks (he was head of pediatric surgery at Boston Children's Hospital). The doctor said you can walk across the street and get killed. Since that time when any doctor has recommended surgery my husband don't really think of it. By the time Roger was 5 he had 4 different surgeries. He is perfect! Frank was born slightly chicken breasted but did not need the surgery because his heart was in the right place. So this leads to why I am writing. There are pros and cons to everything. Last week a young man around 24ish had his wisdom teeth pulled and died. You never know when it's your time to go. I love this site and enjoy reading about other's wonderful results, accomplishments and seeing their pictures. I am too computer challenged to put any pictures on, sorry. Writing that the Band is awful because you had a problem is sad but don't knock all of us. A Boston hospital many many years ago did a research drug, turned out to be Merida, I signed up. It worked great for me until I stopped. In the study, in Boston and England they said 2 women had strokes. You know what, I didn't think about quitting because out of the 2500 people they were over 60 and with that many people there is sure to be health issues. ​Let's all think positive thoughts, that we are going to beat Obesity and get healthy and fit. I know I am doing it. By the way I have had about a dozen different surgeries. From a small mole I got MRS. You never know what is going to happen. Have a wonderful evening and super Tuesday-spring has arrived!!!!!! at least in Boston. Arlene

So I had a rough weekend. I got to add soft food to my diet on Friday. One would think that after three weeks of not eating any "real" food that it would be great, and it was! I got up on Saturday and I was up a pound from where I was Friday morning. Now, I know that my body is saying "Hey! I finally got some food, I need to hang on to it cause I don't know when I'll get the next round," and that is why the scales haven't been really nice this weekend. I still am bouncing around the same stupid half pound since Friday and its just frustrating. In my "previous life" I would have been irritated and just eaten something that I shouldn't have to justify the increase on the scales. Now, I didn't do anything or eat anything I shouldn't have but, boy, did I have a battle with head hunger all weekend. One of my favorite places to eat used to be Moe's, my husband has never really cared for it and I think that we have eaten there together just once in the past 5 years. Yesterday I had to run across town and what does he ask me to bring him back for supper?? MOE'S!! i couldn't believe it and it just plain made me mad when I had to go in there and order his burrito. I wanted one so bad but instead, I ordered his just like he asked (with absolutely nothing that could be considered healthy on it) and brought it home to him. I fixed my supper and was satisfied with it. My dad used to say that it didn't matter if you got full off of black eyed peas or steak and potatoes either way you were still full. That is very true, steak and potatoes just taste much better, as would have Moe's last night. Anyway, I needed something to take my mind off of the negative and I figured I'd list the NSV's that I could think of to lift my spirits a little 1. I can get my wedding rings on again, I haven't been able to wear them individually since last June and it has probably been more than a year since I have been able to get both of them on at the same time. 2. I already have a pair of pants that are too big and I can no longer wear (at least my husband refuses to be seen in public with me if I do!) 3. Its easier to shave my arm pits cause they aren't so full. 4. I can bend over to paint my own toe nails again! 5. The seatbelt in my husbands truck doesn't lock just because I'm trying to put it on and pulled it out a little too far anymore. I can actually bend down and pick my purse up from the floorboard and it doesn't lock! 6. I can put on and tie my shoes with almost no effort. 7. I have bad breath. (Okay so maybe that one isn't so exciting but apparently when you are breaking down fat you get ketosis which causes halitosis aka bad breath. I must be doing good breaking it down cause even my 5 year old tells me my breath is stinky! LOL!) I know there are more but these are all I can think of right now. I'm going to keep working at it and keep working my tool. I know that I did the right thing and I know that I'll be able to eat more normally again some day. I did this for my kids and they are going to have a more amazing mom because of it.

So here I am. I have decided to take a step towards the final frontier of my personal happiness. My health. I have been through a hell of a ride on my journey to today. I have struggled through a dysfunctional marriage to an abusive alcoholic, stood witness to the attack on New York City first hand, narrowly escaped death from sepsis blood poisoning, fought a ten year fertility battle, and buried a friend/lover taken far too young from brain cancer. Life as a human being is hard enough, no wonder I was unable to keep my weight under control – there was too much else to focus on. Today, I am the proud mother of a beautiful two year old boy, I am fulfilled in my 10+ year career with a fantastic company who value my efforts, I own my own home, have a functional car, and am in a relationship with a man whom I have known almost all my life in some capacity… its new… its fresh, but its good. He is kind, and patient and wonderful with my son. The song Good Mother by Jan Arden goes through my head on a daily basis these days – if you don’t know it, check it out on YouTube. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to truly believe that I am finally happy and at peace. There is only one concern left… and that is my weight and my health. I have tried over the years to lose weight and on a couple of occasions have been somewhat successful, most notably loosing 70ish lbs in 2001 on the Dr. Bernstein Diet. But, being predisposed to easily gain, it keeps coming back. Last year I topped my scales (having left my husband 3x in the same year my child was born) at 296! I knew I had to do something and quick. I started an exercise regiment and eating well, and managed to lose 26 lbs in about 4 months. 270 felt pretty good and I started to gain back some confidence in myself and hope for my future. Then suddenly, my guy (who was not my guy at the time) broke up with his girlfriend and landed on my couch!! We were not an item but decided to try and live as roommates until he either found something more permanent or the arrangement was too awkward. Riiiiiiiight. That clearly didn’t and wasn’t going to work. He came with a WHOLE lot of baggage and there were some serious growing pains – the to point where I threw him out of my house in January. That’s what we needed I guess to determine that our friendship (and the stuff that blossomed along with it) was in fact a love neither of us were looking for. But, all that confusion and activity made me put my weight loss on the back burner, yet again. So here I go again, at the start of this year, new diet, new exercise regiment –this is going to be it! I rejoined Weight Watchers (probably for the 18-20th time) and bought myself a treadmill. Starting the year off at 278 I went gang busters being perfectly well behaved with my eating and working out on my treadmill approx 5 times a week at 40 minutes a pop. I was on the move again and dropped to 265. Then suddenly I started suffering from sciatica. So, thinking that the exercise would sort it out, I pushed harder – increasing my efforts to every day and included some workouts on my vibration platform. By the end of February I could no longer sleep or stand for long periods of time without pain. Turns out I have something called Piriformis Syndrome. Apparently what is happening is a muscle that attaches somewhere in my butt and hip is clenching up when I exercise and pinching my sciatic nerve. Are you KIDDING ME? So through acupuncture, deep massage therapy and chiropractic, they are still trying to make the muscle ease up… and I have not been able to work out. I continued my diet plan for a while but then threw my hands in the air out of frustration and so here I am - and back up to 277.8. So much effort to lose it, so easily regained. What I do I know is that I have the will and determination to make this work… all I need is the rewarding results for my efforts. One thing that my fella said to me shortly after we started to cohabitate was, "I dont understand with all that you do, and how you eat, how you weight more than 98 pounds!" That sort of outside review is the justification I needed! :wub: This is a big step... and a bit scary... but I am worth this effort, and there is simply put, nothing I wouldn't do for my boy. He deserves a healthy mommy who will be with him a long long time. Let’s do this thing. May 10, 2013. Dr. Rodrigues at Star Medica in Juarez. I’m ready.

Today has been a very hard day already! With having my husband and daughter eating all the great foods that I would love to just join in on munching on; is very difficult. But I have self control and I need to do this; that is what I am telling myself!!! On a good note; there are going to be some very interesting items on my list that I have never tried or things I have not eaten since I was a child to shrink my liver I am looking forward to these two weeks pre opp too go by really fast. Anyone have any great recipies for me just let me know ... Right now I am whilling to try anything that will keep me sain lol I have heard writting about the progress, good and bad definitely helps with not building up stress and makes others feel good seeing their process and getting good comments from others as well. ... That is why I looked up a place to meet new people and to write things down as well.

Hello all I haven't been on here in a min. All is going good. Since the weather is so nice here I went running for the first time in a year. One top of me working out with my personal trainer and I feel really good. A little sore but good just the same. I haven't got anymore fills yet and I'm fine with that. But just wanted to share the I was able to do 130 sit ups with a 10 pound weight plate. It's the little things in life. Have a good day all.

Everything's coming together and building momentum!! Did my psych evaluation, which was actually quite nice -- I liked the counselor a lot. The RN coordinator had warned me that it would take at least a week or more for the surgeon''s office to get the psych report back, and she was really pleased and surprised when she got it back less than 24 hours later approving me! I guess I really AM a good candidate for surgery! Now I can go get my ekg, chest xray, and h pylori test. I have to travel to Oahu for surgery, so my next NUT and exercise appointments are over the phone. Then they'll submit to insurance for surgery approval. I specifically asked -- with all the diligence in getting the insurance requirements done, is there any reasonable possibility that insurance would say no at that point? And the RN said "nope!" Yay! So today I got my tentative surgery date of May 22. This....is my mom's birthday. I know she'll be ok with that - - she is VERY in favor of me having the surgery, and she's not the type to need special attention on her birthday (we can celebrate early I'm sure!) I just feel like I should ask and make sure she's ok with that. Surgery is always on a Wed., and the required pre-op class is always on a Thursday before surgery...so I'll have to make one more day trip to Oahu. That's getting a little tricky with work, but my boss has been supportive and I will do what it takes to make it happen! omg so excited!!

Well I have exactly 2 weeks until my surgery!! Im excited but im nervous...I have never been put to sleep so im kinda worried about it even though I know I really don't need to be lol I have been a heavy girl my entire life..from being called names as a child and being picked on for my weight in middle school..guys would treat me differently because I was heavier then the normal girl...it was hard..but looking back at that really shows me that im ready to prove everyone wrong..im ready to start my life! I have a 2 year old daughter and a wonderful fiancé who are with me on this journey and im so excited to see how everything turns out! The possibilities are ENDLESS!!

So my big butt was so big it could hold a serving tray. Well it is gone! I need a butt lift and I still have a lot to lose. My husband said I need to have the fat sucked from the belly and put into the butt. I told him they do that in Brazil. Brazil, here we come? It is a nice feeling to know that huge monster is gone and there is still room for improvement. I have a lot of belly fat. I go to the gym but I am sure I need to something else to work it off. The fat took many years to get there and it will take some time to get off the body. my fatonmythighs have lost at least 6" since September (that was when I started taking measurements). I hope every one realizes that inches count as much as numbers on the metal monster when losing. Every one enjoy your thinner day, off to the gym now. :wub:Arlene