I'm not at the beginning but 2/3 of the way through my required 6 month required pre-op work. I have my first meeting with the surgeon in September (he is going on a 3.5 week vacation...must be nice). Anyway, I just wanted to say I've actually enjoyed the monthly visits with the weight loss specialists MD, the nutritionist, psychologist and believe it or not the exercise physiologist. I'm learning a lot from all of them...well maybe not so much the MD. With their help I've already lost 20 pounds! I live in Michigan and Beaumont has a fantastic program that guides you through the entire process and beyond. I hope you have good support like that throughout your process.