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Surgery Date May 23, 2012 Jan 2012 - 324 May 2012 - 301 Jan 2013 - 197 I am about 20 lbs from my goal in less than a year. Feels awesome!

Everything is great for me! Down 91 lbs today (23 prior to surgery on 5/23/12) and I am really happy. If I never lose another pound I could be happy here forever. I went from a 48F bra to a 40DD, a size 26/28 that was getting tight to an XL on top and a 20 on bottom. This is the wildest ride ever and I am working really hard right now on fixing my head issues because I am pretty sure those dont magically disappear! Well, who am I kidding, I know they dont. I have been really good. I have followed every single rule to the letter and my program is extremely strict - I only get Protein for the first 4 months so 2-3 oz of protein 3 times a day and one Isopure shake (yep, that is it) so for the last four months I have been living on only a few things - meat/fish/chicken, high protein yogurt, eggs, cheese, and... well, that is pretty much it! It has been hard and I have not even licked anything I cant have - no sugar, no starchy carbs, no Beans, no veggies and no fruit. I just got to the point where I get to have 2-3 tablespoons of non starchy veggies with a meal, after I eat my protein. However, the other day I was watching Dr. Oz and it was about binge eating. I could sure relate to the women on the show and in some small way was wishing I could eat that much and have all that crap. I could hardly believe what I was thinking in my head and I am not sure if that is due to the fact I am so limited on what I can eat or if I really need to do more work on my head issues or BOTH. Probably both but I have an appt. set up to see a therapist and this is a life long process for me I know. It wont magically fix itself or go away until I find out what got me there in the first place. Thank goodness for support groups. these forums and good therapists! I love being in my 40's because I feel like I have all the other stuff figured out - this food beast though is my one hang up and I intend to figure it out or keep working on my head issues until I die! I dont know if I will ever get all the answers but I do know I am committed to loving myself, taking care of my body and finding a way to stay on track.

WE ROCK! I love being in my 40's

How you all feel is totally normal. This is a big deal, major surgery and you need to educate yourself as best you can so you feel as prepared as possible. There is tons of info out there if you look and organizations like American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America and all kinds of other sites that have info too. I felt a lot better knowing all the information going into the surgery. I read everything I could get my hands on, night and day! If you need help with exercise there is the Bariatric Guru Erin Akey who has had RNY surgery herself and runs marathons now and is very inspirational. She is on Facebook and is a great champion to have in your corner if you need motivation to exercise (she even uses hula hoops to help you have fun while you exercise) Also, having plans that require you to do 6 months or more of work to get to the operating room door is also good because you have time to really know you want to do it or not and develop good habits.

Amanda, at the top of the screen there is a button that says "reply to this topic" that is how you make a post without using the quote if you want.

I have lost 77 pounds total, surgery on 5/23/12. (I lost 23 lbs prior to surgery) What I am learning to focus on is just TODAY. I cannot do anything about yesterday or before and I cannot control what the future holds, I can only do the best to use my tool today. I strive to focus on only that because that is really all we have. So today I am eating right, sticking to the plan and exercising my new, healthier body. That is it. Every day is a choice and for today I am choosing the right path. There is absolutely no way to predict the future or know what will come. I am choosing to not obsess over something happening or not happening in the future which will simply take my mind off appreciating what I have today! Living in the moment here!

I have the same problems but I know one of the issues is sugar free sweetener. If I have too much, look out. I will be in the bathroom all day. It makes me crampy and gassy too. The sugar alchols so that might be something to watch for those with crampiness. And yeah, the poop is stinky. Probably from all the supplements/vitamins/minerals - I would assume that since we malabsorb, they are coming out there. Lot of magnesium is helpful to get things moving in the bowels. I take 600mg/day and that keeps me moving really good. Sometimes you have to ease up if it is too much and find the right amount. Milk of Magnesia, magnesium tabs, miralax. Those work for me.

WAY TO GO! That is so awesome. What a fabulous accomplishment! I am so proud of you and I don't even know you :-) I just started the Jeff Galloway 5k trainer so I hope to get there myself.

I never had a pain pump and I was up and walking in a couple of hours. Never used any pain meds for pain issues at all. No issues at all so count yourself lucky and enjoy it! I have had a totally wonderful and amazing journey so far. I do feel bad for those who have a tough time because that is never pleasant.

You might try miracle noodles or rice. The rice is made with glucommanan which is a supplement my Dr. gave me a few years ago for appetite control. glucommanan is a Fiber so they are fat free, calorie free etc.. www.miraclenoodle.com (website says the noodles are made with shirataki but my co-workers says they are good and not smelly like the tofu shirataki you have pictured. I did not like those either and I rinsed the hell out of them) Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 3 oz Servings Per Container: 2.3 Amount Per Serving Calories 0 Calories from Fat 0 Total Fat 0g 0% Protein 0g 0% Protein <1g 0% Sugar 0g 0% Carbohydrate <1g - only fiber Zero Net Carbs, Zero Calories, Zero Glycemic Index Ingredients: Water, glucomannan (soluble fiber), Calcium additive. No soy, gluten, or wheat!

It is really normal to have stalls. Especially in week 3-4. I have found in all the reading I have done that is very common. Your body is going to go through stalls periodically while it catches up with you! Starving ourselves causes our body to freak out and hold on for dear life so just try to work with the stalls and know your body is just trying to save you and they will pass.