Hi, Donna.

I absolutely could have written the note you wrote a couple of years ago; and I know that the encouragement to focus on breakfast may feel like it's just not adequate, or we're not really understanding how distressed you are. But please please know, from a fellow traveler, that it works.

If you can really make breakfast your focus, and work diligently on getting all the parts of that down, and just let the rest of your day be whatever it will be, things *will* get better, and faster than you think. As Kathleen just said in another thread, "Think about tomorrow's breakfast rather than all your energy going into thinking about the sweets" -- it changes your whole mental outlook to focus on what's going in the direction you want, rather than focusing on all the other stuff. It makes everything you want seem possible.

I haven't gotten to Step 3 yet, so I haven't lost too much weight -- but it's stabilized, and my bloodwork has improved, even without weight loss. Things hurt less -- they really do! And I feel so much better about myself -- yes, I'm still overweight, and when I see myself, I can see it and look forward to the time when it's changed -- but I no longer feel that crushing despair that makes me want to run and eat.

I hope that helps a little -- please hang in there and keep coming here to talk to us! There *is* wisdom here!

Pam