DIAMOND45

That's Fantastic!

I agree wholeheartedly with Dooter!!! I have struggled my entire life with weight. I have been married to the most wonderful man for ten tears. when we got married, I was a nice size 10, but do to health issues, knee surgery, and poor eating habits, I packed on alot of weight and went to size 16/18 and my husband has never missed a beat in loving me more everyday. He has always made me feel that I was the sexiest women in the room, even when I told him I wanted to have this surgery, he said, "If this is going to help you feel better and healthier for you, then I'm in this all the way." But he also wanted me to know that if I never lost a pound, I would always be his sexy wife. This is the kind of love and support you should be looking for in a potential husband, the kind that loves you "in the now' and will continue to love you no matter what. But first, my dear, you have got to love yourself. I wish you all God's best on your journey! :D

That is such a beautiful attitude to have going into such a lifestyle change. I feel the same way! I am being sleeved on this Thursday and I'm excited to get to the point where my knees don't hurt and I don't get short of breath going up the stairs. I look at this as a wonderful blessing for me, because I have lost weight really well before (90 lbs) only to slowly gain over half of it back. I, like you, don't care how long it takes me, because now we have a fantastic tool to help us finally get there and stay healthy.

God bless you, and keep you! Everything will be fine and your surgery will sail through with out any complications. I will be keeping you in prayer and I'm also set for surgery this Thursday, so we can't be worrying because, "God has got this!"

Good Morning To All, Our Spiritual Vitamin today is A for: ANXIETY 1 Peter 5:7 says that we are to, "Cast all our anxiety on God because He cares for us." Aniexty: A state of being uneasy, apprehensive, or worried about what may or may not happen. Wow! If you are guilty of this at some time on a daily basis, then raise your "virtual hand!" Anxiety, at its highest point, is like putting your "worry" on steroids! This is not good for your heart, mind, or your spirit. As children of God we need to recognize that worrying is a sin against our heavenly Father because He loves us and only wants the best for His children. Psalms 56:3 says, "when we are afraid, we will put or trust in the Lord." I know often it is easier said than done, but it can be done. We need to humble and quiet down our spirits, and then through our love and respect to God, go to Him in prayer and tell Him about the things that are our concerns, and when we finish, thank Him for listening, leave those "issues" at His feet for good, and push on forward. Those of us who are still waiting to be approved, or are on our pre-op liquids getting ready for our surgery, are finding it hard not to worry. We are anxious if we will even be approved, how the surgery will go, and if there will be any complications. Well, I would like to give this scripture to you all, as well as myself: Romans 8:28 says, "All things work out to the good for those who love God, and are callled according to His purpose!" So let us stop concentrating on "what could happen," and start meditating on "what Gods is making happen!" Say this to yourself everyday, that " I am persuaded as your child Lord, because of your merciful love for me, that you are able and willing to take care of all my concerns, and I tie them up together, giving them to you Lord, and I will not be anxious on those anymore because I know that the one who holds all power, has them in His hands." You will be amazed at how calm you will begin to feel everyday. It really works for me!! I'm being sleeved on March 15, and I'm going with God! FOOD FOR THOUGHT: " LAUGHING TIL' IT HURTS, IS A PAIN WORTH HAVING!" Diamond45

Salutations, My Sleeve Family, Let's kick our day off with a Spiritual Vitamin. Today it's R: REJOICE Phillipians 4:4 says for us to, " Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice! " YAYYY!!! We are doing "It!" Winning the battle against our weight issues. So we should be rejoicing today in what we have accomplished so far, and wait in anticipation to see what surprises, tomorrow may have in store for us! Keep a journal of all our "NSV" triumps, so we can have them to reflect back on, when the day doesn't seem to be our friend, and then "rejoice again", praising God for His unwavering Love and support. We've spent enough time being down, sad, and feeling sorry for ourselves. No More! Stay on course, keep moving, remembering that "time waits for no one," so make it count everyday. Rejoice, your heart will thank you later! Praying For My Family Always, Diamond45 :D

I'm so glad you decide to share your story. I wish you much success on your journey and anytime you need to vent or just need some encouragement, we are here. Welcome to the family!

Praise God for the victory! I'm so happy you trusted Him to watch over you. "Happy Losing!"

Godspeed, my future sleeve sister! It's your time to shine! I'm a true believer that God carries us to victory when we humble ourselves in His presence. I to, have given charge, of every step that this journey will take me on. You will be cradled in His arms, while His angels, caress your face for comfort. Amen

Greetings with love, my Sleeve family, Are we ready for our Spiritual Vitamins? Today's Vitamins are T & H: TRUE HAPPINESS Ecclesiastes 3: 12 "I know that there is nothing better for people, than to be happy and go good while they live." Happiness is a wonderful feeling! When we are happy, we just want to share it with everyone. Many of us are experiencing alot of this while we are losing the weight. Some are feeling happy as we get our letters approving surgery. We are getting happiness from our little non sleeve victories. As we are enjoying these accomplishments, let us not confuse them with "true happiness." True happiness is not shallow or external. It should never be based on how we look, our material possessions, our financial status, or how many people like us. This kind of true happiness, if we believe, should be solely based on our "internal spiritual" relationship with God. When we have a deep, personal bond with the Lord, we are so blessed with a "sense of happiness" that no other part of our lives can give us. We should never forget, that our transformations are blessings, courteousy of our Father and we should show all who are watching us change, how grateful we are by first, taking care of ourselves spiritually, and then physically. God is moving in our lives, we need to move with him! So, my fellow sleevers, as we "lose" these pounds and start to see all the changes in our faces and bodies, let us "gain" a better personal relationship with God so He can help us not to be "full of ourselves", now that there will be "less of us!" Godspeed on your journey.

That is fantastic news. We all share in your joy!!!!!

You will definitely be in my prayers and bless your family for giving you the strength to push ahead. Can someone blog us to let us know that all is well with you?

Started liquids today. I'm using a product called Bariessential that I purchased at my docs office. The flavors are chocolate and vanilla. I had both today and they are really good. I mix them with Smart Balance fat free milk (which truly taste like 2% milk) and some ice chips from Sonic restaurant and blends it all together to make shakes. The chocolate is my favorite, it taste pretty close to a frosty from Wendy's. I put some instant coffee grounds in my vanilla shake with some hazelnut extract, and had myself a "Vanilla Nut Latte", delicious. I am going to be over here in my "Crazy Kitchen Laboratory" making some yummy drinks, mixing all kind of "extracts", milks (soy and fat free) and spices to get the most enjoyment out of this experience as possible. ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO!!!!!! "WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LIQUIDS, MAKE A DELICIOUS MESS!"

I purchased my entire Protein liquid diet from my Bariactric doctors office. When we had our information seminar class, we were given taste samples of the different types of drinks that we could buy to see which brand and flavor we liked and could drink for the pre-op diet. I chose Bariessentials ( chocolate & Vanilla ). We were also given a list of different recipes we could try, to mix it up so we don't get tired of the same flavors and also a list of other things we could have as well ( Jello, broth popsicles, ect.. ) to change the diet up a little. Check with your doctors office to see if they have a specific pre-op diet they recommend. It's easier and it takes all the guess work out of what to drink, how much and when. Hope this helps.

This is fantastic news! You deserve to cry, jump, shout or whatever you need to do. We really should celebrate our small victories, because they are so important to us reaching our big victory. I am celebrating with you, "You Breathe Girl!"

Don't be afraid, God will watch over you and your doctors and you will come through this like a champion. I am scheduled for surgery on March 15, and I don't allow myself time to be fearful, because I lean on my Faith, and I understand whom it is that I belong to. I really believe this, " If God brings you to it, He will see you through it!" I to have a silly thing I am looking forward too, and that is to wear a belt with a cute blouse and really have a waist without wearing a waist reducting garment or spannx under it for shape, because I'm sooooooo tired of the "Girdle Garments!" P.S. I will put you in my prayers

Hugs and Kisses, Sleeve Family, Spiritual Vitamins are good for what ever is ailing your soul! Today is vitamin F: FAITH Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. When we first decided that this procedure would be the one to help us finally win our battle with obesity, we really had no idea how our lives were going to change forever. I'm sure if you are like me, you probably googled, researched, read, and watch every resource of information you could get a hold of, to try and get a more better understanding of what was going to happen and what the outcome would be. We also researched physicians that specialized in this procedure. Now, after all our careful research, some of us got nervous, "cold feet" and started thinking if we were making the right choice. But, our desire to be healthier (skinnier, LOL) made us push forward. We finally selected the physician we thought would be the best for our individual needs and we put our "Faith" in him/her that they would be successful in performing the surgery and help us get on our way with this journey. We did not have the slightest idea at all, how any of our procedures were going to turn out, but we "Hoped" they were very skillful and that all would go well. Now: Think about this, we put so much (our lives) faith and hope in physicians who are men and women just like us. But in actuality, they are just the "avenues" that our Father in heaven "utilized" to get us to this point! As children of God, we should never put more faith or hope in any man/women or even ourselves than we put in our Father. This is why, we should talk with Him through prayer everyday and through our "faith" and "hope" in Him alone, shall we wait to receive our increases in life!. God utilizes whatever He needs, to take care of those He loves and those who love Him! "Faith and Hope in the Lord, are our avenues to having a blessed, and successful life!" Feeling strong in the Lord, Diamond45 (a.k.a. Blessed)

Good Afternoon Family, What A Glorious Day! It's time to take our Spiritual Vitamin, today is: Vitamin D: Delight Psalms 37:4 says that we are to, "Delight ourselves in the Lord, and He will give us the desires of our heart." These are very uplifting words for us as we go on our weightloss journey. But we, first need understand that it didn't say He would give us "all" the desires that we ask for. There's also a "condition" that we must fulfill before we can start to receive any of these blessings. We must "delight" ourselves in His love, His mercy, His grace and His Word on a daily basis to show our Father in heaven, we love Him and that He is the head of our lives. God wants us to be happy, joyful, and successful in all that we do. But first, He wants us to acknowledge that all we are, all we have, and all we hope to achieve, we owe to Him and without Him, we are nothing! There is not one thing we can accomplish that is "good for us" without Him! "Every good and perfect gift, comes from our Heavenly Father." James 1:17 (including healthy weightloss) Let us be concerned more about our "inward spiritual appearance" and in doing this, our "outward appearance" will happen as a result!

I am going this morning for my pre-surgery appointment at 7am. This is really happening for me, and I'm excited! Thursday starts my 2 week dance with the "Liquid Diet"! Bring it on, who needs steak and potatoes anyway!! LOL Please pray for me family and I will continue to keep you all in my prayers. Godspeed

Happy Lord's Day Family, Life Is Good! "Spiritual Vitamin" for today is C: CONTENTMENT Phillipians 4:11--- The apostle Paul states, "Not that I speak concerning my want, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am in, there will I be content!" Contentment means: to be satified, to be enough, to be at peace, to be full! How are we doing with our contentment as we go on this journey Family? Is God's grace sufficient enough? For us to be in full contentment, we must believe God will meet our needs, and that He will work out "all our circumstances" for His good and not our own! Remember, He knows how we have struggled with this weight and He has opened up an avenue (The Sleeve) for our battles to end. But, we must let Him lead us and be "content" with whatever big, small or no progress made, that we find ourselves facing each day. So let us take this Lord's day, to truly examine ourselves and when we are finished, Pray to our wonderful Father, and ask that He may search our hearts (mind), and take out those things which are preventing "our spirits from being content!" AMEN AMEN Much Love To You, Diamond :rolleyes:

Top of the morning family :D Today is a great day to fill yourself with some spiritual vitamins, your body will thank you!! Vitamin T: TRUST Proverbs 3: 5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will direct your path! We must understand that God has all power, and that it is he who sustains our life. He has allowed all of us to be on this journeys path, so we must "Trust" that if "He brought us to it, he will see us through it!"