CAMMYD

N2B8R you have so much positive energy , I feel energized reading your post!!!!! So happy for you and looking forward to your updates ad you progress!!!!!! Two fingers, One Love !!!! CAMMYD*:-)

NikiJ great to hear your good news!!!!! Keep up the work Ms Lady!!!! Two fingers, One Love! CAMMYD:-)

Paul WAY TO GO!!!! I am so happy for you! I pray you reach your goals and improve your life 100%, thanks for sharing your successes!!!! Two fingers, One Love! CAMMYD

PhatGurl80, congrats on your journey, trust me it gets better. You have assisted yourself in the physical portion , now its the mental part you have to figure out. Be assured that food isnt going to cease to exist anytime soon, and it now becomes a source of fuel for you and not a prize/reward. Tomorrow I will be officially 3 mons out from my surgery and I can honestly say my relationship with food has changed! I never thought so much about protein and a balance in my diet as I do now, before having a meal I am figuring the nutritional value and how it will help keep me balanced for energy and appearance. Trust me you will get to the point where food is not one of your constant thoughts. Great you are already thinking about exercise , I do Jazzercise no less than 3 or 4 times a week and I walk at least 40 mins a day on my lunch hr at the mall, I want to keep tone while this weight sheds. Best wishes for your goal being realized! Two fingers, One Love! CAMMYD!!!!!

Congratulations Paul!!! I am happy to hear of others successes, I gave away my first two boxes of clothes last week , I will be three mos. post op on the 27th of this month I have lost 44lbs and I have never lost that much on any diet I've every attempted. Thanks for sharing your story of accomplishment ! Keep up the outstanding work !

Congrats on finally "tasting thin" It feels awesome when the old clothes we have been hiding in finally reveal the new body we are working so hard for!!!!!!! Keep up the good work!!!!!

NiiJ, Smiley is right hang in there girl! You can do it , you can do it , you can do it ! Get some Crystal Lite and put it in the blender with 8 0zs of water and some ice , it tastes like a misty from dairy queen to me , helps break up the monotony. For my preop I did EAS Carb Control Chocolate Protein shakes with chocolate whey powder in the blender with ice and two table spoons of vanilla greek yogurt, YUMMMMM!!!!! Its like having a chocolate shake! Hope that helps :-) But Hang in there !!!!!

Yeahhhh!!! Congrats on reaching Onderland!!! YOU GO GIRL!!!!! Glad your day is fantabulous hope it just produces even more positivity as the clock ticks !!!! CAMMYD*:-)

I'm Scared, 3 mons. from now when you see that initial weight loss you will be saying you are so happy you made this decision to take your life back!!!!! I am a little over two months post op myself, and the only thing have to cry about is I have lost 42lbs and my favorite outfits no longer fit . I had to box them up and give them to my best friend !!!!! Bittersweet , but one day, in the not too distant future, I will find the joy of buying clothing that only has a single digit size!!!!!!! So Pray about your decision, but read as much as you can at this site, I myself have found it to be so useful and informative! Best wishes for your upcoming surgery!!!!!!

Yes I spelled it Wonder ,because I wonder what its going to feel like to be back in my 100's, I can't remember the last time I saw a 1 as the first number of my weight ...sigh!!!!! But OH BABY I sure am looking forward to it in the not to distant upcoming days!!! I got on the scales the other day and they tell me I am at 209.2 , the scale wavered between 208.9 but stopped at 209.2 , I'll take it !!!!! I went to Jazzercise to get my sweat on and burn some of the calories from yesterday and my Jazz instructor really made my day when she said "The more I see of you ... The Less I see of you !!!!!!!!" Wow that felt good to hear, I don't visually see the change , but I feel it in my clothes and the way I feel in general. MY STATS: June 10th, 2011 251 lbs - Two weeks prior June 27th, 2011 234 lbs - Day of Surgery July 13th, 2011 217 lbs - Two weeks after surgery (Down 34 lbs) Sept 1st , 2011 209 lbs - Today a little over two months - (Down 42 lbs) 9 lbs to Onederland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And also My first visit to Victorias Secret

Great for you , as long as you are pleased and doing what you want to do , I say way to go !!!! Hope your healing goes really well and fast!

What a wonderful story!!!!! I am so happy for you to "RE-Capture" your life!!!!!!! Keep on sharing your story because there are plenty who need to hear it!!!!!! You have given yourself more years by taking the first steps in getting rid of your co-morbidities and getting off that couch!!!!! Happy to be among the sleeved!! Two fingers, ONe Love - CAMMYD!

27lbs in a month is nothing to sneeze at , and the joy of getting into clothes that didnt fit before is remarkable!!!! I have pants that were so snug (OK Tight) that are literally slacks now ! Pretty soon I will be going to the Goodwill to get some inbewteen clothes. Yeahhhhh!!!!!! So hold your head up high, you are doing something positive for you !!!!!!! Much success and good health to you !

I am lovin my water too, queenmab! andrea1672, I dont know when the "whoosh" is coming but when it does, I am hoping its major reason to dance and celebrate !

i am happy to share and glad someone else found this article helpful!!!This was the understanding I needed , I was thinking maybe my insurance company shouldnt pay the doctor since I am stuck on the same weight . I am walking a mile and a half every day and doing Jazzercise 4 days a week! I can't eat that much , I have mostly protein to eat and then what I have room for after that, amounts to very little so what gives ? My clothes are becoming very saggy inches are definitely leaving I knew there had to be a hold up. Well, note to my body, you can let go of the water pockets and give me my "whoosh" cuz the FAT AINT COMIN BACK!!!!!!!!!! SINCERELY , CAMMYD!

Don't even prepare or buy the empty calorie items , next time make a shake or try the Atkins Snack Size Peanut Cluster bar , its low in calories and has 8 grms of protien , there's your salt fix !!!! And you don't have to feel guilty or Work out then drink some water, you will feel so good about yourself!!!!

Lady's here is some information I came accross that gave me the Oprah , Ah haa, moment !!! How many of you have said to yourselv, I havent eatten that much and I worked out really hard, so how the hell does your body hold onto weight and still manage to get smaller while you are on your chosen low carb diet?!? Losing inches but not weight? You know the scenario: You are on Induction for two weeks, and you haven't cheated even once. You notice that your clothes fit better, that you are stepping a little livelier, and as far as you're concerned, all's right with the world. But then you step on that evil construction of the Devil himself, the bathroom scale, and you instantly feel betrayed. The stupid thing insists that you have done nothing! Sometimes, it even states you have done less than nothing; it accuses you of cheating because it tells that you haven't lost any weight! Well, there area couple of simple explanations to help you get through this trying time. First of all, if it is at all possible for you to do so, throw that insipid Monster Scale in the trash. Or at least put it up somewhere that it is really, REALLY inconvenient to get to so that you won't be tempted to ask it's opinion every single day of your life. Face it. If you are feeling better and your clothes are looser, do you really need the scale to tell you that you're on the right track? No! You don't! Why do you think you do it, then? I'll tell you why. The low fat diet demons have a tenacious hold on your brain. That's right, you've been brainwashed. All your life they have told you through doctors, dietitians, newspaper and magazine articles, surgeon generals and the like, that you give up X calories per day and you will lose a pound of fat. They even go on to tell you how much fat you should lose each week. In the process, they've made you dependent on the Monster Scale to gauge your progress! What a big lie! Even on the diets that "they" advocate, the Monster Scale does not often cooperate. You go back to the Diet Demons and demand to know why the scale does not reflect the torture you have put yourself through for a month. They immediately start backpedaling on the "give up X calories and lose a pound of fat" story, and start talking to you about water retention and muscle buildup. Sometimes, they even blame it on you with questions like, "Are you sure you counted the calories in everything you ate?" (This is delivered with a knowing little smile that makes you want to rip their knowing little face off.) Being the type that is given to blaming things on yourself, anyway, you cooperate with an answer like, "Well….." They pounce on this with "Ahhhh, well.." Then, they launch into one of their scoldings/lash/encouragement speeches. So, get off their bandwagon, already! Then, there's the competitive spirit. You hear about what other people have done on your chosen diet. Yes, Brian went on Atkins a year ago and lost over a hundred pounds. Yes, a hundred pounds in a year is over eight pounds a month, or 2 pounds a week, or .0119 pounds per hour….but, "Hello? You ain't Brian!" And, did Brian ever say that he lost .0119 pounds per hour? No! He said a hundred pounds in a year. This only proves he got on the scale twice; a year ago, and yesterday. Take a hint from Brian. Stay off the scale! The second solution is to understand what is going on in your body in light of the current state of human affairs. Today, all a person has to have to eat every day is money and transportation to a grocery store or, better yet, a nice restaurant. However, your body's survival instincts have not matured in a million years. Your body still thinks you are a hunter-gatherer. Yes, in spite of a million years of evolution, your body still thinks you are going to have to go out and kill a mammoth to eat. The survival instincts with which you are going to have to come to terms are read-only memory. You can't overwrite them. Deal with it. That said, let me tell you what happens when you lose a pound of fat. Your body has been saving this fat for that long hunting expedition you're going to have to go on to track, kill, dress and retrieve that huge animal. It keeps the fat in little pillows distributed throughout your body. When you start losing fat, it doesn't trust you to continue whatever insane path you have chosen that is causing the fat to dissipate. So, when the fat comes out of the pillow, it injects water as a "place holder." Sometimes that water actually replaces the weight of the fat it lost. Sometimes it replaces the volume. Water weighs more than fat just like lead sinkers weigh more than feathers. If you stuff a pillow with a pound of feathers, you'll have a nice big pillow. If you stuff a pillow with a pound of lead sinkers, you'll have a nice (but rather hard and uncomfortable), small pillow. Now, let's say your body removes a pound of fat and replaces the weight with a pound of water. Your weight will stay the same, but you will be smaller. But, if your body decides to replace the lost fat by volume, that is a quite different story. Remember the great big feather pillow as compared to the tiny lead sinker pillow? Well, now think of a gallon of feathers and a gallon of lead sinkers. Try to pick up the gallon of feathers. Piece of (you'll pardon the expression) cake. Now, try to pick up the gallon of lead sinkers. Sucker's heavy, ain't it? So, you will be smaller, but you will have gained weight. Eventually, your body makes the executive decision that you are not going to replace the fat you lost, and it lets go of the water. In the words of Danny Skaist: "When your body accepts the fact that they are no longer needed, the water will be expelled and the cells closed. This is known as the "whoosh." What makes your body decide to replace by weight or replace by volume? I dunno. But I do know that it does not seem consistent to the casual observer. What makes your body decide that you are seriously not going to replace the fat you lost? I dunno. But now you know why it's so important to drink your water, huh? Loss of fat is inextricably related to water intake. It's more than a little foolish to go on a diet that facilitates the removal of fat and then refuse to give your body the tools it needs to do so. Bottom Line: Stop getting on the scale and drink your water. If you stick to your plan and wait for the "whoosh," it will come. <BR clear=all>

Congrats on Losing while on Vacation!!!!!!! Keep up the good work !!!!!!

I totally agree with KathyD49 , walk to get ridof that Gass!!!!! I am 1 week post op and I have been active everyday since coming home, as a result I feel really great!! The Biotin does help keep your hair and nails strong , you can get it at Walgreens or your GNC stores. Make sure you are getting in your Protiein shakes/supplements at least 50-60 grams a day for a woman and you shouldnt really have hairloss issues. My time seemed to drag by , but I just got myself busy in other things and my surgery date rolled by in no time. I was following a liquid diet prior to surgery and lost 14 lbs gained two of them back by surgery day 6/27/11 , as of 7/6/11 my total weight lost is now 27lbs , can't wait to see what the month is like when I return for my 1 month pre-op appt with my doctor. Hang in there and you will be at your VSG eve before you know it !

Today I had my 1 wk post appt appointment with Dr. Tariq, my incisions he says are healing beautifuly, he is amazed that I had no naseau, no pain and no reflux!!!!! Thank Goodness , the big scales say I have lost a total of 27lbs Yippeee!!!!!! I get to add milk and greek yogurt to my diet , mmmm something new !!!! The metal taste in my mouth he says will go away as I build back up the nutrients in my system - Thank God, this taste is horrible !!!!! He said I can exercise , low inpact so yes I went to Jazzercise tonight - yeah me , I LOVE LOVE LOVE Jazzercise!!!!!!!! I am taking 5000gm of Biotin and using Carol's Daugter hair care products as well to try and prevent any lost of hair. Just trying to stay ahead of the game to be healthy , happy and whole!!!!!!!!! My next Dr. Appt with my Surgeon is Aug 3rd, wonder what changes I will have gone through by then???? Already my clothes are feeling loose and some are actually just fitting correctly :-)

RedShoesinDallas, I am doing really well, tomorrow I go in for my first wwek appointment with my Dr., I have absolutely no pain, and I havent had any nausia or reflux like my surgeon warned me I might have. I have learned you must sip your liquids slowly as it hurts if you try to swallow too much at one time. I don't have hunger pains , so I drink my liquids so that I can get my protein. Which is how we are learning to nourish ourselves now, eat to live not live to eat. I have lost 26lbs so far. I am so ready to go back to Jazzercise , but I have to wait until the doctor says it's ok to do so. So my exercise now is walking. My prayers are fo you to have the experience I've had so far! My nurses were top notch as were my surgeons. Let me know how you are when you finally make it home and are able to get back to your PC!!!!! Best Wishes !!!!!

Hope all goes well for you tomorrow! When you wake up in recovery , know that you have made the right decision, because yesterday I was one week post-op and I had no pain, went to the Fireworks in the City and felt fantastic. This morning when I stepped on the scales I was happy to see that since my last doctor visit June 17th, I have lost 20lbs and and a total 26lbs overall from my highest weight since the first week of June when I started my liquid diet.

LilMissDiva Jazzercise classes are local all around , mine is only two blocks from me held in the local friendship center. I go to Jazzercise wherever I am , such as in Michican when I visit my parents and in Virginia Beach when I visit my best friend, the website to find local classes and times is www.jazzercise.com Once you start going you are hooked I say that because it happened to me after trying so many other workouts that I gave up on . If you try it let me know what you think!