I am so tired of friends and family asking me "if I can loose the weight before surgery why have the surgery"? I started a month early doing shake, lunch, shake. The problem for me is sticking to something. I feel this surgery is going to hold me accountable. If I gain weight it will be my fault. I have PCOS and high testosterone and blame my weight on this often. HW 208, CW 197, 5'3 and 40 yrs old.

Here is a link called "What was the last straw?" about why we decided go forward with our surgeries. This topic really lays open our collective heartbreak with being overweight and needing help to get healthy. There are over 700 responses.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/219831-what-was-your-final-straw-that-broke-the-camels-back/page-74?hl=%2Blast+%2Bstraw#entry3631116

Have you spoken with a mental health professional? I am a big proponent of the feeling, that if you cant accept why you are fat ( yes I call myself fat, I have come to terms with who I am and why) then you will have a much harder time trying to succeed. If you always blame something other than yourself, how can you possibly make the lifestyle change if you're not the problem. We are all our own worst enemies for a multitude of different reasons. It by no means makes us bad people or lesser beings. In my blog I used this analogy for when people asked me. If you are out running and your tired and you see a small hill up ahead you grit your teeth and go for it. That's losing 20 pounds. But if you saw a mountain front of you you would probably just turn around and avoid it. That mountain is how much we have to lose. If I climb that mountain on my own, I will never make it. But the surgery is my Sherpa, I still have to do the climbing, but he will be there to show me the way, and all my friends and coworkers are my climbing gear that support me as I climb.

Try using that one and see if it works for you.

Best of luck and success to you!

P.S. I an running taste test videos of many types of Protein shakes and drinks, on my blog, at http://cuttingthefatwithaknife.blogspot.com (no ads, no sponsors, no money or anything like that)

I LOVE your analogy Stevehud...I will have to memorize this! I have yet to start my journey, but I inevitably know SOMEONE will put me down for having surgery....

@@Stevehud I can't find the "About Me" Protein shakes on the GNC website...isn't that where your blog says you got them?

I too have pcos and find people asking me the same thing. I need this tool to help me. I've learned not to care what other people say. Those who support me get it. Best of luck!

The shakes are from Abouttime that's about time as all one word.

And I will be doing the test tests on their products very shortly.