PATCHELTON

At group support this month the dietician talked about caffeine. She said it tends to dehydrate you, so they recommend against it. The water is designed to keep you hydrated. I was never a coffee drinker so it wasn't an issue for me. I was a water drinker but I even had to up that to get the 64 oz a day they recommend we get in. I carry a water bottle everywhere.

I too was 100 lbs over a good weight for me (I am 5'7"). My problem was portion control. While I didn't always eat healthy, I knew what I should eat, and even when I did I ate too much. The band helped me reign in portion size. I have a problem with bread, so I don't eat much (that kind of took care of subs) and what I do I chew carefully. Some of the denser foods are harder to get down, but in general you can eat anything you ate before. Some people have trouble with salad greens; I don't, so I eat lots of salad (chicken Caesar type to make sure I get my protein--grilled chicken breast, hard boiled egg, and parmesan cheese with light dressing and fat free croutons on a bed of Romaine--one of my favorite meals). Generally you will be instructed not to eat concentrated sweets, not to drink through straws and protein first. You have to look at head hunger and recognize it for what it is--not true hunger. The band is a tool that helps with portion control. It is up to you to make healthy food choices. That doesn't preclude a drink out with friends, but you will have to approach eating differently. Take advantage of all the resouces your bariatric team offers. Stay in close contact with your surgeon, dietician and nurse. Go to group support. I began going to group 6 months before I had surgery. You can learn a lot between there and reading here as well. Good luck on your journey.

I am sorry to hear about your problems with your port. You would think that complications like that would be covered under your surgery. I can't believe they want $5K to fix it! My first fill was too tight, too. I was okay in the office drinking water, but by that evening even the water made me feel like I had indigestion. I met the doctor the next day at the hospital when he was finished surgery and he unfilled me about half to 2/3. I was okay up to a point, but two weeks later in his office I said I could get mushies and liquids down okay but anything with more substance was giving me trouble, so he took a little more out. I was good after that for about four months, and then I was ready for another fill. This time he was more conservative (first time was 3ccs) and he gave me about 1.5cc and I was fine after that. I have enough restriction that denser foods remind me I have a band, but I can eat a little more than a cup of food depending on the food. I still eat too fast, and once in a while will get stuck and slime, but mostly I am in a good place and I am at goal weight, so unless I start gaining and can't keep it under control, I am at my "sweet spot" I believe. I hope they are able to fix your port so you can eat. Continuing they way you are doing now will only end in failure to lose, and you could get nutritional deficiencies to boot. Good luck.

Congratulations on your success! Feels good doesn't it? I am off 2 cholesterol meds, a reflux med, and one of 2 BP meds (with a reduced dose on the one I still take). I haven't gone for the sleep study yet (I was not really good about using my CPAP) and I live alone so my cats aren't talking about whether I still snore(LOL). I am thrilled with the results of my surgery. I am still learning to chew thoroughly, and some foods don't agree with me like they used to, but I have adjusted. If you like pizza, I devised a crustless pizza recipe for the microwave. It eliminates the chewy crust and I get the sauce and the toppings I love. PM me if you would like the recipe. I have a fat free Mexican dip recipe too if you are interested. Lots of Protein in both. Good luck on your journey.

I have used, and still use Worldwide Protein shakes. They are ready to drink in cans. Trader Joes carries 21g and 35g in vanilla and chocolate (approx $1.69 and $2.29 each, respectively). The Vitamin Shoppe carries only 35g but in all the flavors (Vanilla, Chocolate, strawberry, banana, and Cookies n' Cream). Individually they cost about $2.79 each but if you buy in 12 pack the price drops to about $2.33 ($27.99 for 12 pack) each. The Cookies n' Cream is like drinking an Oreo. I could take or leave Chocolate, but I love the Cookies n' Cream. I pack it in my lunch for work and drink first thing in the morning, since I don't like to eat right away. I get 35g of Protein right off the bat. Foodwise if you like yogurt and have a Trader Joe store in your area, you can buy Greek style yogurt which has more protein than others. I am trying to minimize sugar and fat free flavored yogurts have loads, like 8-10 or more. So I recently started experimenting with plain fat free Greek Yogurt (has 6g sugar in the one I got--skim milk has about that much--I think it is the naturally occurring milk sugar). Trader Joe sells two under their name. The cheaper one has 12g protein but more than 6g sugar. The other that costs twice as much, has 22g protein (that is 22) and 6g sugar, so I got that. I dish out a cup into a container, and add sugar free preserves for my fruit, and maybe a spoon of cinnamon. It is delicious! I made raspberry cinnamon yogurt and had that mid morning. So combined with my shake I have gotten 57g protein before lunch. The shakes say not for weight loss on the can. They are a protein supplement (body builders use it) but Brigham Womens Hospital has it on their list of approved Protein drinks in their bariatric program. It doesn't have added Vitamins like Atkins, and you will be taking vitamins anyway. Calories run 160-170, 1g fat, 1.5 sat/fat, 5 cholesterol, 150mg sodium, 210mg potassium.4g carbs. 1g Fiber,1g sugar, 35g protein (I fished my can out of the trash to give you the nutrients). It is sweetened with succralose (Splenda) and is milk based (in case you may be allergic). I keep protein powders at home to make smoothies (my surgery was 3/25/08). I have EAS and Team Vic(from a local gym). I have also order unjury powders online (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, plain, and chicken Soup flavors). Go to unjury.com. Good luck on your journey.

Welcome. I assume you are looking into lapband. This is a good place to ask questions and get lots of information. So ask away.

My experience leading up to surgery was elevated liver enzymes on my cholesterol blood work. This is either due to the cholesterol meds I was on, or according to my surgeon, a fatty liver. I was put on the two week pre-op liquid diet (ended up being 3 weeks because I caught a cold and my surgery was bumped a week--not enough time to stop and restart the pre-op diet). The surgeon also told me that if my liver looked fatty when he did the surgery he would sample it for a biopsy. After surgery he told me my liver didn't look that bad. My first blood work post-surgery still had elevated enzymes, so my PCP stopped my cholesterol meds (as well as one BP med, a reflux med, and I wasn't using the CPAP anyway). I just recently had blood work off meds for 6 months. My numbers are still in the normal range AND my liver enzymes are finally normal. It was the cholesterol meds after all. Talk to your surgeon. They probably have a similar approach. The pre-op diet helps to shrink the liver, but I don't know that they can tell if it is fatty until they get in to put in the band. Clearly it wasn't going to stop mine, just get me a biopsy, but I didn't need it. If you think you may have a fatty liver and they put you on the liquid diet, stick to it. It can only help. Good luck with your journey.

One of my favorite meals is my version of a chicken caesar salad. I buy Romaine in heads, store them in those green bags you see on TV (they really work well with greens). When I make a salad I grill some chicken breasts in olive oil or Pam, cut up one for the salad and store the rest for other meals. I also cut up a hard boiled egg, then sprinkle Parmesan cheese to finish off my Protein. Then I top with light caesar dressing and fat free croutons. I eat this several times a week (I don't like to cook, so this is my work around). I also get jullienne cut turkey and ham at Mars and use that instead of the chicken to vary it a little. I love it. I could eat it every night. I have heard of some people having problems with greens but so far I have not. I did have trouble with a fresh tomato last night. I cut it up and put salt and pepper on it. I think I didn't chew it enough and it got stuck and made me slime. But I can also make chicken, turkey, or tuna salad with chopped onions, celery and Kosher pickles and eat it without problems. Post band eating is a bit of trial and error. Talk to your dietician. She may have some tips too. Good luck on your journey.

I use Worldwide Protein shakes. They are available at Trader Joe (chocolate and vanilla only, 21g Protein $1.69 each, 35g $2.29), The Vitamin Shoppe (35 g only in all flavors--Vanilla, Chocolate, strawberry, banana Cream, Cookies n' Cream--$2.79 each, $27.99 for a 12 pack--available online also), and GNC (35g only in Vanilla and Chocolate $2.99 each--other flavors available online). I drink one every weekday in the morning, and sometimes on the weekend too. Sometimes I make a smoothie instead. They have about 4 carbs, 160-170 calories, only 1g sugar, 1g Fiber, and 1g fat.

I would like to add my congratulations, too. I had a similar experience I'd like to tell you about. I wear scrubs at work, and began this journey wearing 2x size. I had moved down to large and was ready to go down again, so I went to my favorite outlet store and picked out some medium tops and pants and took them home. Well, the tops looked okay, but the pants looked baggy. I can't be a small, I said. So back to the store, only this time I wanted to try the pants on before I exchanged them. Well, the small fit, and was I ever in shock over that! I am almost to the point of small tops, but I like a little room, so medium is okay for now. In numbered sizes, I went from women's 22-24 to misses size 12. The 12's are comfortably loose, and I recently returned a pantsuit to Blair exchanging a medium for a small, as the medium was too baggy looking. I am broke from buying clothes, but ecstatic over being able to wear some more form fitting clothes. Congratulations again, and keep up the good work.

I think you are in the wrong forum, if you had gastric bypass. This is mainly a lapband site (though there is an area for gastric sleeve people). Have you been to obesityhelp.com? That has message boards for all bariatric surgeries, plus info, magazines and such. You are more than welcome to come here, but it is mostly lapband issues.

Allow me to add my congratulations as well. I was banded 3/25/08 and have lost 103 lbs. Sounds like you are well on your way to doing the same. You go girl! Proof that the band works if you use it properly. Keep up the good work.

Walking is my primary exercise and my suggestion would be if you have a park or nature trail near your home, it makes the walk much more interesting. I walk a 2 mile nature trail, carrying peanuts for the squirrels. Right now it is dark after work, so I do Curves, which you can't just yet. But when daylight savings arrives, I will likely be at the park almost daily. I really enjoy it. Other than Curves I do water aerobics occasionally. I don't think your doctor will allow anything besides walking but those are ideas for after, unless you already belong to a gym and can work out there. I usually do a minimum of 4 miles (twice around) and sometimes more if the weather is nice and I have time. How fast I go depends on how many squirrels I run into. Hang in there. It is a good thing that you are chomping at the bit to get back to exercise. Don't shortchange walking, though. Check my signature for what it has done for me along with the band. Good luck with your journey.

I agree completely about going to the support group. I was banded 3/25/08, and I have been going to group support since July of 2007. I joined LBT in November 2007, and visited obesity help.com as well. They have lots of information, and a magazine you can subscribe to if you like. There are many books available. Two that I have are The Lapband Solution and The Lapband Companion, both available on Amazon.com. Going to the group is helpful because you will hear issues discussed that you may not have thought of, and you will meet other pre-ops and post-ops at all stages. I found that very helpful. If you can, start bumping up your exercise routine. Exercise is key to band success. I was going to Curves but that wasn't enough. I started walking, nothing fancy, in a park near home. I carry peanuts for the squirrels, so how fast I get around depends on how many squirrels I run into. The nature trail is 2 miles around; I try to do it twice as a minimum, and sometimes I do more. Now when it is dark after work, I do Curves, or sometimes Water aerobics, and walk on weekends and holidays. When daylight savings arrives, I will probably hit the park almost daily. I did that before surgery and noticed a difference in how my clothes fit even before surgery. Eating post op will be trial and error. Some foods that agreed with you before may not after. You will find what works for you. Good luck on your journey.

I do eat meat, but find salads a treat because I don't have trouble getting them down. I make variations on a chicken Caesar salad with chicken breast cut up, hardboiled egg cut up, Parmesan cheese, Romaine, light Caesar dressing, and fat free croutons. Getting your Protein will be more of a challenge, unless you plan to eat dairy, such as cheese, yogurt and the like. Beans are a good source of protein, and if you like Mexican, refried beans could be your new "meat". I would certainly try anything to relieve the RA pain so that you don't have to take so many drugs. I have OA in my knees, but I hardly need any pain medicine now. I can't remember the last time I took it. I do use glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM, and I take fish oil (I found it in a liquid--one tblsp gives about 1600 Omega 3's--I use Twin Labs Emulsified Fish Oil--it is mint flavored--just one tblsp a day). Good luck on your journey.

When I went to the bariatric seminar, one thing that stayed with me was a comment by the doctor who became my surgeon. He said exercise is key to the success of the band. If you were not mobile, they wouldn't even do surgery on you. Well, I was working out, sort of. I went to Curves a couple times a week, but then I would pick up a 12-15 inch pizza on the way home and eat the entire thing for dinner. The band is a physical barrier to my doing that again (plus bread that gets chewy doesn't agree with me, so I rarely eat it now). I wanted to enjoy pizza, so I devised a crustless version that I make in a microwavable dish that is meal portion size (1/3 to 1/2 jar Ragu Homestyle, Hormel Turkey Pepperoni on top, cover with peppers and onions--I use Birdseye Pepper Stir Fry for that, and top with Kraft Free fat free Mozarella or Cheddar. Nuke for 2 minutes on high to warm ingredients and melt cheese). Believe it or not, that actually satisfies me when I crave some pizza. With the physical barrier I have felt the discomfort you describe. As a food inhaler, I got fat by not paying attention to the food I ate, and eating until I was stuffed. I don't think I yet recognize satisfaction, but I do recognize that tight feeling, and I use that as my signal to stop. I may have still been hungry early on post surgery, but not now. I really wanted to get off most or all of the meds I was on, and I have done that. I am on one blood pressure pill and I have a pain pill for my knees, which I can't remember the last time I took. I feel that much better. I was on two BP meds, two cholesterol meds, one reflux med and CPAP for sleep apnea, plus the pain pill for knee arthritis. That was my motivation for doing this, and my recent blood work bore it out. My cholesterol is normal, and my liver enzymes that were still elevated on cholesterol meds has normalized. I don't eat the way I used to, that is true. I try to make healthy choices, and I exercise. As for exercise I don't do anything fancy. I mostly just walk. There is a park near home that has a 2 mile nature trail. When daylight savings comes back I will be there almost every day, as I drive past the turn off on the way home from work. Right now it is dark after work so I do Curves and occasionally Water aerobics, and on weekends, holidays and days off I go to the park. I don't walk especially fast. I carry peanuts for the squirrels, who are always happy to see me. How long I am there depends on how many squirrels I see. I try to walk twice around as a minimum, and when I have time and nice weather I will do more. Prior to this journey I didn't walk at all, even resented the fact that the scanner at my office is at one end and I am at the other. I used to feel the inconvenience of walking up to put in my reports, walking back to my desk to start up the software, and walking back up to retrieve my papers after scanning. If a paper jammed it was an extra trip to reset everything. Now I look at it as an opportunity to get away from my desk and exercise a bit, and amazingly I don't mind it at all anymore. The activity hasn't changed, just my attitude about it. I also go to group support (been doing that since the summer BEFORE my surgery) and I visit here to pick up tips and tricks other people use. If I have a question about diet or nutrition I can email the dietician anytime. My doctor is very proud of my success, and I am too. Like I said, I don't recognize satiety. I was used to inhaling my food. If I don't pay attention and eat mindlessly, that is when I get stuck and slime. I don't have a sweet tooth (makes the band more of a challenge--too many sweets will slide right past and actually make you gain weigt) so I rarely eat sweets (holidays mostly). If I want something sweet I will have a sugar free popsicle, or some yogurt. For Snacks I get them from kaysnaturals.com. They make high Protein chips and pretezels, and that keeps me out of potato chips (though once in a while I will have a beer pretzel or two--I am talking about twice since surgery). I do a lot of salads, which seem to go down without causing that tight feeling. I make chicken Caesar salad at home with chicken breasts, Romaine, a hard boiled egg, Parmesan cheese, light Caesar dresssing, and fat free croutons (the croutons crumble so they don't get chewy like bread). This may have been more than you wanted to hear, but I hope somewhere in there I was able to give you some hope. You do need to change some things you are doing, or not doing. But it is not the end of the world. I have loose skin that I hope one day I can have plastic surgery on, but even if I can't, I would rather have loose skin at this weight than be fat again. My starting weight was 252, wearing 2X or women's 22's. Now I wear small to medium tops and pants, and misses size 12. I am broke from buying new clothes, but it is the happiest I have been being broke. This morning I weighed 148. Good luck on your journey. Please don't give up on your band.

You mentioned that you started exercising a few weeks ago. It may be that you hadn't been prior to that, and that may have slowed your loss. The band helps to control portion size, but exercise is a big part of the picture. You don't have to kill yourself at the gym. You can take a walk. I mostly walk (a park near home has a 2 mile nature trail, and I carry peanuts to feed the squirrels). How fast I walk depends on how many squirrels I run into. I do twice around most of the time, and occasionally a third time (or even a fourth if it is a beautifal day and I don't have to be somewhere). I stop to feed the squirrels or pet dogs I see sometimes. All you need is a good pair of walking shoes. As an alternative until daylight savings comes back, I do Curves with an occasional Water aerobics class. I try to do something every day, but occasionally I need to run errands so I take a day off. I have a hard time recognizing satisfaction, but I do know when I am full, similar to another post. I feel the food in my throat, or I start to get tight in my chest. I have gotten the hiccups (which don't necessarily lead to sliming) and that is my signal that more is not good. Sliming occurs when something is stuck in the opening. For some reason your body reacts by producing an impressive amount of saliva, which has no place to go but up and out. I had it happen in a restaurant. I thought I could get away with mozzarella sticks and a salad, but the cheese got stuck (and I eat cheese--usually fat free--all the time). I excused myself and went to the restroom and tried to discreetly expel the slime. I was gone long enough that my friends asked me if I was okay. I just said the cheese disagreed with me. You really don't want to eat routinely to the point of sliming; I would think that could cause your band to shift over time. Sliming usually happens by accident. I have read a lot of people get hiccups if they are pushing the limit. I do too. I use the tight feeling in my chest as a guide when to stop. If I feel tight, I stop.

It is my experience that the CSR's at insurance companies are clueless, at least when it comes to bariatric surgery. I called mine and was told I would probably be denied because I had used an out-of-network provider for my 6 month diet and for my psych eval. Heck all that means is I used someone who didn't take their insurance and had to pay out of pocket. They accept Weight Watchers for the diet, and wouldn't that be out of network? Anyway, I was having a meltdown, trying to call my surgeon's office. They were trying to call me to tell me I had been approved. My advice? Stalk the surgeon's staff, not your insurance. They have been dealing with this for a long time, and can tell you better than the CSR (who in the beginning told me my insurance only covered bypass, which was also wrong).

I heated tomato soup and broke up slices of Kraft fat free cheese in it until they melted. Some protein, and the soup wasn't bad either. On my list I could have low fat yogurt as a liquid, too.

They told me that pureed was anything the consistency of applesauce. If you like refried beans, you could pulverize some chunky salsa in the blender, mix that in, heat for a minute or two in the microwave, then melt some Kraft fat free shredded mozarella on top. I even squeezed some cheese into tomato soup. Kraft fat free slices, broken up will melt in tomato soup. More liquid than mushy, but something to think about, maybe after a fill. I could have instant mashed potatoes, too. I heated fat free gravy to put on them. Congratulations on your banding, and good luck on your journey.

If you use the band, and get your head around the fact that you will need to eat differently (like not drinking until 45 minutes after you eat), and make healthy choices, and exercise, you will do fine (see my numbers in my signature). If you are calculating how soon you will be able to eat sweets, and thinking about eating on the pre-op liquid diet (if they put you on one--not everyone does, but all do liquids post-op), then you may be wasting your time. The band is more of a challenge if you have a sweet tooth, because there are many things that slip down easily (ice cream, icing, cheesecake, fudge) regardless of the amount of restriction you have. I don't have a major sweet tooth and have had maybe 6 Cookies since surgery in March. On major holidays I indulged in a little pumpkin pie, but generally I steer clear of sweets. For exercise I mainly walk in a park near home. During daylight savings I go almost every day, but right now it is dark after work, so I do Curves or Water aerobics. All three are on my way home (less excuse not to stop). Start going to support group now. You can learn a lot. People at all stages come. I have been going since July of 2007. My surgery was March 2008. I wish you well on your journey. Don't let anyone pressure you into a different surgery. Utilize all the resources your surgeon has to offer (dietitican, mental health nurse, group, etc.) I had a coworker who fudged her 6 month diet (we had same insurance and they required it), wouldn't follow up with the dietician, didn't go to group, didn't exercise, and ate sweets. Since November 2007 she has lost 20 pounds. She still eats fast food too. She wanted to stop binge eating, but she didn't want to change what she ate. The band is only a tool; it is up to you to use it properly.

What I would suggest is your and your wife attend a bariatric seminar at the hospital you are considering using(usually it is free and you have no obligation to go forward with the process, but if you do the seminar is normally a required first step). They explain all the different procedures, what to expect, and some of what is expected of the person having surgery. Next I would call the surgeon's office and find out when the bariatric support groups meet. They could be combined or separate (at my hospital the gastric bypass and sleeve group meets the first Monday of the month, lapbanders the third Monday of the month, 6-7pm). People at all stages come, those thinking about it, pre-ops getting ready for surgery, recent post-ops, and post-ops several months to years out from surgery. Issues come up, and they are discussed, questions get asked and answered. Some meetings have themes, like getting through the holidays, or nutrition, sometimes a guest speaker (we had a plastic surgeon one month). Best of all you can network with other people at the same stage or different stage than you and you can learn a lot. I had surgery 3/25/08. I started going to group support the previous July. I joined here in November. I had to do a 6 month diet for insurance so I spent the time learning all I could about the lapband, and worked in increasing my exercise (I mostly just walk). I also visited obesityhelp.com and read all about the different surgeries. There are several good books out, and you can find most on Amazon.com. I have The Lapband Connection and The Lapband Companion. There are also cookbooks there too. A nice easy cookbook I have has recipes by weight loss surgery patients. It can be found on livingafterwls.com. The better informed you are, the better you will feel about your decision. You and your wife can find lots of support here. Choose a hospital that has a Bariatric Center of Excellence rating and take advantage of all the resources they have to offer. The band is just a tool. It is not magic. It helps control portions (which is what I needed most) but it is still up to you to choose healthier foods. Now, instead of a 12-15 inch pizza loaded with toppings, I have a crustless pizza I make at home in the microwave with low fat turkey pepperonis and fat free shredded cheese. You both need you get your head around eating differently, and exercising. The band is more of a challenge if you have a sweet tooth, and exercise is critical to success with the band. If you can only walk a block today, do that. And again tomorrow. By next week it could be two blocks. It is never too late, but never is too late. Good luck with your journey. If it would help I can email you my before picture. I have to scan it at home, so email me at patchelton@aol.com. I came across it recently (my 60th birthday party) and even I had to say "Oh my God!" I haven't taken an after picture but I need to. The numbers in my signature are for real. The bariatric nurse told me I weigh less than she does now (she is an open gastric bypass post op from several years ago).

If it is burned it might be crispy enough, but if you think it might be chewy and you still want to try it, take the smallest bites possible and wait a bit between bites. I still have trouble with chewy breads. We had a pizza lunch at work yesterday and my office manager told me about it. She always nudges me to eat because she thinks I am not eating enough, but what I am doing is eating differently, and I think that makes her somewhat uncomfortable because she has a weight issue. If you are all eating the same crap, then everyone can be miserable together. Anyway I had two small squares (Ledo cuts the pizza that way) but the dough just sat. It didn't get stuck, but it takes a while to go down, and I would just as soon pass in most cases. Shrimp is a little hard, but I love it so I chew it to death and get by. With breads if it is really crispy, or in salads I use fat free croutons. They just disintegrate so they don't get chewy at all, and I like the crunch. So good luck with the muffin if you decide to try it. BTW, I am a reformed pizzaholic (I used to work out at Curves, stop at the pizzeria on the way home and pick up a 12-15 pepperoni/onion/green pepper/extra cheese pizza and eat the entire thing. Now I make crustless pizza and it satisfies my craving for pizza. Take a microwavable dish (meal portion size) cover the bottom with 1/3 to 1/2 jar of Homemade Style Ragu pizza sauce, cover that with Hormel Turkey Pepperoni(70% less fat and a Protein source), cover that with your favorite veggies (I use Birdseye Pepper Stir Fry--it consists of 3 color pepper and onion chunks), cover that with Kraft shredded fat free Mozarella or Cheddar. Nuke for 2 minutes on high. Hope you try it. Big change from a 12-15 inch loaded pizza, but it works for me.

Not sure if the bone spurs qualify, but if your podiatrist feels they are weight related, a letter from him/her should help. On my insurance (Blue Choice) the list includes diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint arthritis, reflux (GERD), sleep apnea. I had everything but diabetes and my BMI was around 38. Sounds like you have a winner. You never know with the various insurances, but most only require one or more co-morbidity.

I don't know if anyone will see this as no one has posted here since November. I hope all is well with the new bander and is still going well with the others. I will be 64 in February, and I was banded 3/25/08. I have lost 100 lbs and gone from 2x scrubs (I work in a doctor's office) to medium tops and small pants, and in numbered sizes from women's 22 to misses 12. I am broke from buying clothes, but a happy broke. I was able to stop one BP med, two cholesterol meds, a reflux med, and will have a sleep study sometime soon to see if my apnea has resolved. I am not using the CPAP, as it never made me feel better. I also have knee arthritis and the weight loss has greatly improved how they feel. When I was heavy I tried Synvisc and it didn't help, but now I don't even take the pain med my doctor gave me. I take one BP med and both that and the pain med I can get at Walmart for $10 each for 90 days worth. Big difference! Now if I can just find a plastic surgeon who is hot to do some pro bono work . . . Good luck on your journey and congratulations on your success.