What can I expect in regards to weight loss or weight gain?

[Guest guest]

I am alomst 56 years olf and have been overweight for several years. Until I

was in my 40's I stayed within a normal weight range (with the pressure always

up), but after age 40 I started struggling with obesity.

When I started this program a little over a month ago, I weighed 260 lbs and am

5'8 " tall. I have come to accept my weight and do not consider myself

unattractive. My motive for radically changing my diet was strictly because I

was sick and felt that I would die before my time if I didn't heal myself of

blood clots, excessive uterine bleeding, type 2 diabetes, celiac disease, joint

pain, muscle weakness, neuropathy, fribromialgia and excessive low energy. I am

pleased to report that I feel much better, and all of the above conditions have

already immproved dramatically. Some of them have disappeared for the time

being! YAY! My appetite has even felt satisfied and I find that I don't eat as

much as I used to.

Weight loss was never a primary motivator. I figured that since I will be in

the strictest form of this diet for at least 5 to 7 years (and probably the rest

of my life), at some point my weight would start to normalize, but I expected it

to be slow and probably a few years down the road. I have been surprised that

as of today, I have lost 13 lbs. Of course, I am not unhappy about this, and

naturally want my weight to be healthy along with everything else. But I was

not prepared for weight loss to come so quickly, and wonder what to expect.

Will I lose weight fast so that I need to buy clothes in the near future, or

will the weight loss be gradual enough to replace my clothes gradually?

Since I need to lose more thatn 100 lbs, will my skin sag and look ugly? I was

expecting my health to improve before the weight loss came, and hoped that

gradual weight loss and improved health would prevent sagging. To find that I

have lost 13 lbs in only 6 weeks is kind of surprising and I hope it won't

happen so fast that my skin cannot respond.

Anyway, after I realized that weight loss has begun, I have been thinking about

it all day. I am kind of glad, but wonder about those two concerns. Will my

weight normalize at a predictable rate or will it fluctuate? Some people say

they have gained weight on this program, and I don't want to dispose of my size

22 clothes, if the weight will come and go.

Thanks for all the great advice,