I wrote out a version of my whole story and accidentally deleted it. Oops! So this will be much shorter and then I will get back to doing the longer one another time. I am very excited to jump headlong into this journey. I joined this site at the beginning of June and am grateful to so many of you for helping me in ways that you didn't even know that you were. I was lurking in the shadows soaking up all of your knowledge and information and thank you for providing it! Now I have my surgery date: July 1, 2013. I am quite excited, a bit nervous (mostly about starting the liquid diet soon - mainly because I have never done it before).

But quite frankly, at 49 years old, I am simply sick and tired of being sick and tired, in pain, yo-yo dieting, years of weight loss / gain / loss / gain..... and ready for something that will help me gain a greater permanence. So here goes! Looking forward to getting to know many of you better! Deb

Welcome and good luck. This site has been a godsend to me.

Remain positive and focused and you will be great! Best of luck in your journey!