I had always considered WLS and dreamed that if I could afford it, I would have the surgery with out any reservations. I already knew my insurance company would not cover the expense, so I would need to a self pay patient. Things started coming togethere in January and I started checking out different doctors in my area. I ended up going with Dr. Cohen, friendly staff, and the female I worked with the most had the surgery and was very informative. I scheduled the surgery, pre-op was horrible beacuse I was on vacation with my kids and watching them eat while I drank my shakes was no fun, but I knew the end result was worth it. I was scheduled for surgery at 645 am and I was home by 1030. Tuesday and Wednesday were rough, every day since has gotten better. i started my journey at 254lbs and I am currently rocking it out at 240lbs. I started walking 2 miles a day, joined a gym and signed up for a 5k run in November. I really want this to work and I know that how well this works is entirely up to me. I have my first fill scheduled for April 27. So, for now I am on mushies and soft food. I keep my shakes on hand because they are handy and after 6 differnt kinds, I finally found one I can stomach. Small meals work for me, I can not eat very much and I stay full for a few hours, sucking down the water (joy). I am glad I found this site and am looking forward reading more for useful help...I am also on MFP user name lizard0103!