Hello Dara - I just read your post to the message board and wanted to thank you for sharing "all" sides to this WLS with us. It's not always a buncha roses and there are a lot of challenges along the way. I don't have any sure fired advice to give you, not that you asked? But I suspect you already KNOW the answers. The Adkins diet sounds like an excellent way to jumpstart your weight loss. I have it on the back burner as a Plan B for myself. Dieting is never easy, but it doesnt get any more simplistic then; protein, veggies, water, water and more water. Good luck to you, I have all the confidence in the world that you can DO IT!! Hugs - Lei