Lee

Shanda, your pictures are stunning. What a beautiful couple you are. I love seeing your pictures at 4 months because they are so inspirational. Just reading "I'm free" says it all. Thanks for thinking of us and coming to post!

Ashley, I'm so sorry about the funeral today. I hope your hubby is ok. Tamra, keep us updated on grammy. Mo, was great to meet you tonight as well. Candra and Jes, great to see you two! Do they have a caffeteria there? Somewhere we could go drink tea for a few minutes after the meeting? Bev said today that she weighs people - no co-pay on T-W and Th from 9 to 4:30, closed 12:30 - 1:30 for lunch. Just call and make an appt. Even though my home scale was down, I was up .5 of a pound at the meeting. Difference between 8am with no food and 6pm after a full day in the office. So basically I've maintained over the holidays which pre-surgery, I'm not complaining about. But now it's time to get - it - off! I stopped at Costco on the way home, then came home to eat. 1 chicken breast and 1 pear. Sweet dreams everyone!

Tamra, you ROCK! I hope gramma is ok. Candra, have you gotten rid of those 18's? Love me some 18's. I just called Kaiser to see if I can schedule a Liz appt. They said not until I'm documented at or below my pre-surgery goal. Darn. It would be great to have an appt that I had to cram for. I'll be at the meeting tonight. I look forward to seeing some of you!

Good Morning! It's great to read about the 16th, but that's the last weekend that my son will be in town so I won't be able to come. I'm hoping to make the next walk. My son's GF left Monday night and he left for LA yesterday morning. I finally got a great sleep and feel much better. I've been fighting off a sore throat and sleep really does make a difference. By 9:45 I was falling asleep last night. This morning my scale is 232.4. I'm going to try to eat light today and wear clothing that isn't too heavy in hopes of not gaining too much on the Kaiser scale tonight. Dang I wanted to be at 230 on the Kaiser scale tonight but the holidays really got me. My last Kaiser weigh in was 235.5 but that was at 8am. Tonight is the last time there will be a scale at the meeting. How do you all do your weight checks without having to pay the co-payment? I have the dentist for a cleaning at 8am so I have to get moving. Food. B. Muscle Milk Light L. Lot's of romaine, chicken breast and a touch of dressing D. After the meeting tonight - not sure yet. Lot's of water and herbal tea. I do love that Ocean Spray diet Cran-Pomegran that some of you were raving about. Thanks for the tip!! Let's make this a day of great choices.

Hi Marci. I can see you!! :crying: Can anyone get that spam off of this post?

Thanks Tiffy. I saw this over there as well. My doc is giving me a 40 with Buttress to Staples. He said my stomach would be the size of my thumb. I have tiny hands (size 6.5 shoes) so that looks about right. It's hard to imagine overeating or gaining with a stomach the size of my thumb!

Good Morning! I love seeing everyone so jazzed up and ready to shed the pounds. Nice to see you back John. I'm in on the 1200 club. 233.4 this morning. On 12/18 when I was a Kaiser last, I was 234.4 in the morning. I wish the Kaiser weigh in on Wednesday was in the morning, I might be closer to my 230 goal. Question - my surgery goal is 230. When can I call Liz to schedule my appointments with her and Robin? Do I have to wait until I hit 230? With the holidays over, I'm hoping this will happen very quickly. Zach's friend had a flight last night and I just dropped him at BART for an early flight from SFO to LAX. I'm going to really work those pounds off before he gets home on Sunday! Ok - 1200 calorie club... B. Muscle Milk Light = 160 calories L. 6 oz 93% fat free turkey burger - 1T Walden 0carb BBQ (192 calories) S. 1 stick of an Oh Yeah Protein Bar (110 calories- 7 protein) D. Fat Free Fage Yogurt, 1 apple, 1 muscle milk - 400 calories Looks like I'll need to add a few calories in there somewhere. Have a fun day everyone! Who's coming to the meeting tomorrrow night??

I think it's natural to feel fear before surgery. I was scared before my gallbladder was removed in November. I was scared before my ankle surgery in 2008. Fear can be healthy and it makes sure we think through our decisions. That said, I'm way more scared of having a heart attack at 59 because I'm so fat! I'll trade those odds anyday. Good luck and keep talking about your fear until you feel more balanced.

Megan, sending you hugs and good thoughts from the Bay Area. Try to focus on something that makes you feel good and relaxed. Picture your favorite place to hang out and just visualize yourself there having fun. You can do this. You've built up to today and when the surgery is over you're going to be happy you didn't run. Stay close to us the next few days and let us share in your delight that it's over.

Hope, I'm so glad you got in to see the doctor. I've read so many posts where the doctor used a 32. I know mine told me he'd be using a 40. I'm so sorry you're in so much discomfort!

I've been using Sparkpeople.com but I'm going to give Myfittnesspal a try as well. It looks simple enough to use.

MidWestGirl, Congratulations on your surgery day finally arriving! How excited and nervous you must be, all at the same time. I'll be sending you warm wishes for the best possible outcome today. Please let us know how you're doing, as soon as you're able.

Rachel, I never had the truly severe gallbladder pains, but I had a gallbladder filled with stones. I went to the doctor complaining about cramps in my side and back. A few weeks later I had my gallbladder removed. For me the miracle is that at that very visit, my doc recommended WLS to me. That was back in October.

Hi Marci, Welcome to VST! I'm not on the losers bench yet but wanted to say hello. When I started researching WLS in October, I knew I didn't want the RNY so I figured it was LapBand for me. Once I started reading about the Band I knew that I really didn't want it and felt sunk. Then one day I read about someone having the Sleeve and I immediately knew I wanted one. They're fairly new at my medical facility but my doctor said that I wasn't suited for the RNY and that the Band doesn't have good long term results so it was Sleeve all the way! I'm scheduled sometime in February or March. Not sure yet. Good luck on January 21st! You'll find that everyone here is incredibly supportive and friendly! Hey, we have the same ticker.... obviously the same great taste. :biggrin0:

Good Morning, I'm still pre-op so I don't know if it's Sleeve related, but I had that sort of pain when my gallbladder was acting up. I kept telling my doc I had a cramp in my side. She was certain it was back pain, muscle related, until the ultrasound. Do you still have your gallbladder?

I can't wait to hear the reports of what a great time you all had today! :smile2:

I'm sorry this has been so rough on you. Only three days left. You can do it! Where are you having your surgery done? I go to Kaiser Richmond in N. Ca.

Hello Excited, I'm really feeling your pain. I'm pre-op and things always creep into my mind, but as your last sentence says, you know this is the right decision for you, as do I. I think it's normal to have questions/fears about taking care of your 13 month old. Heck, this may force her to walk! You said that you'll have some help post surgery. Do you have any friends that you can solicit for a day at a time worth of help? Do you have a partner that you can get creative about how to time-manage so that you won't have to be doing the lifting? How about temporary daycare? I know it's expensive, but cheaper than hurting yourself in the long run. How about an old friend that you can invite to come stay after the first few weeks? Make a list of everything that you can think of that might be helpful, then see how you can act on it. Having thick hair is the best. I bet the hair loss will barely show on you. Now about those drinks. Hold your nose! You can get through this. You're going to be so happy that you did! Do you have a surgery date? Hey, I was born and raised in Cleveland. Many of my school friends lived in Columbus!

Good morning team! I hope you all have a wonderful time walking today! I wish I could join you all but I'll be walking in San Fran with my family. Maybe next time. Have a fun fun fun time together!! My food wasn't great yesterday. A few cookies, a few chips. My saving grace was a 1.5 hour walk at the dog park. This morning i'm down 1.2 pounds. I'm going to walk for hours today and stay away from all J.U.N.K. while eating out in the city. I still want to shed 6 pounds by Wednesday weigh in. Ok.. so stop laughing everyone! Happy Saturday... good choices to all.

Tamra, I'm in for the 1200 calorie diet as well. I really want to be down at least a couple pounds by the Wednesday night weigh in. I hope to drop a couple of carb pounds. That said, being pre-op, I'm very happy to have maintained my weight over the holidays. I have a 1 hour walk planned for this afternoon at the dog park. I hope it doesn't start raining before then because my throat is still a little off. Later this afternoon I have an open house to attend. I'm going to be very mindful of what I eat. I think I'll have a Muscle Milk Light in the car before walking into the party. In 2009 I learned about WLS and I learned that it's not a moral issue and it's not about my "failing" that's brought me to this point of lining up with surgery. I've learned that I really need help to shed the pounds but more importantly to keep them off for the rest of my life. I thought I wanted the LapBand, then researched, talked to my surgeon and learned that the Sleeve is my best option. I'm looking forward to the surgery and recovery in 2010. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! :biggrin: Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year Team! Welcome to the new people! I went out with a friend tonight. We went to Elephant Bar while waiting for our movie. I had 1 margarita (i have about 1 mixed drink a year) and 1 appetizer. We were planning dinner for after the movie but at 11 decided to just go home. We saw It's Complicated which may be for the "older" crowd like me. I totally enjoyed it and laughed so hard. Here's to a great year for all of us! A new Year, a new Decade!

Good Morning Team! Tamra, you're right about the Richmond meetings. Next Wednesday is the first of the month and the last time to be able to weigh in there. All of you are doing so great. I love reading about petite leather pants and size 32 body shapers. I'm so excited to get into this game and start losing. Heather, hang in there, it's all temporary. I did ok eating out last night. It was one of those very small servings/big money type restaurants. I left hungry and broke. Today is more restaurant food. I'll be so happy when Monday comes. I'll need to do several days of protein shakes to try to get a few pounds off before the weigh in. This morning I'm 234.4 which is the weight I was at my last Kaiser weigh in on 12/18/09. I feel like I barely kept my head above water with the holiday eating but I'm proud of myself for at least having some mindfulness about choices. UGH! Bring back the boring food please! HAPPY NEW YEAR and wishing everyone a svelte, healthy new year filled with joy and prosperity.

Congratulations! What a wonderful New Years gift to give yourself!!

Josephine, you're doing so terrific. You must be so happy!

Judy, what a cool post! I'm so glad that the Sleeve is working so well for you!