Lee

I just want to say that I did great over the weekend. Saturday - Walked the lake in front of my house 3.7 miles, swam for 30 minutes. Sunday - Walked the lake again 3.7 miles This week will be more challenging as it's going to rain 3 days. Today it's not raining so I'm walking to work and back - 40 minutes and will walk 30 minutes at lunchtime. Anna - you have a great plan for the week. I'll be spending a lot of time in the gym on the treadmill on the rainy days. Let's keep moving everyone!

Good Morning! I came to wish CoCo a fun "see ya later" party. I hope you all have a great time. CoCo, I'm wishing you all the best of everything that this world has to offer. I hope that this move brings everything you desire in your relationship, life and furthering your dreams. Good Luck!!! Tamra, why not start with coming back to support group in Kaiser. Beatriz came last week and she's doing terrific and looks gorgeous. There's lots of inspiration in that room. Who cares if you get scolded. You didn't have the surgery to stay fat so go anywhere you can for inspiration and motivation. Ali, did you get your time? I'm so excited for you. Ashley, is your PCP at the Fremont Kaiser? Maybe you can switch to Richmond for surgery. There's a girl in my mini-support group that switched from Richmond to SSF and she's thrilled with the program there. She lives in Richmond but made the switch for surgery. I'm not sure how much faster Richmond is but they have 4 surgeons there. I know that Fremont gets most of the Bariatric patients from Sacramento. When I went to the Elk Grove support group most of the people there went to Fremont for surgery. I've been doing ok. Month two weight loss for me was only 4 pounds so that was very disappointing. I think I'm retaining fluids like a bear. So I set out to figure out what I have to do to lose. I'm not going to be held back by a failing metabolism. I go to several support groups/lunches a month to keep me motivated. I've discovered that to lose 1 pound or 2 a week, I have to exercise 1 hour a day, keep under 20 carbs and keep my calories between 500 and 600 for now. Things are starting to speed up now that I've learned what rules my body. I've been walking to work and back and walking 30 minutes at lunchtime. Weekends are swimming and walking Lake Merritt both day. I'm still in the soft food stage, eating around 2 ounces of meat per meal. I think I've finally figured out how to keep food down and now I'm concentrating on keeping down my vitamins. John, how you doing? I was glad to read that you've got some work in your future. Email anytime. Mo, Jes, Pam, Pat, Heather, Riley, Laurel, everyone... have a great weekend! :biggrin:

Great job Gary!

Great minds... I have dumb bells on the coffee table so that I can't miss them. They also remind me to stretch. I've been on an exercise roll for 10 days. Today - 20 minutes walk to work, 30 minute walk at lunchtime, 20 minute walk home. Total of 70 minutes walk time today. I'm in a fitness challenge over at OH in the Lightweight section. It's really made all the difference to be accountable. I think it's great to see it going over here as well! :001_tongue:

Anna, you little rockstar! Wonderful post and great information for people coming up on surgery. I'm so happy to hear you say that you're feeling good! :blushing:

You go girl! So happy to read that everything went well for you!

YAY! You are so going to make it to Onederland and beyond. It's great to hear you sounding so upbeat and happy! Congratulations!

Mini, how are you doing with your exercise this week? I am finding it so helpful to be part of a fitness challenge. Being accountable for 30 minutes a day seems to be helping to get my weight loss fired up.

Good luck Stacey!! I hope your surgery and recovery are smooth and easy!

Congratulations Paula! You really prove that it can be done when we work our Sleeve. Thanks for the inspiration!!

I too would have to say that it's the type of foods you're eating. I could eat more on the pureed stage than I can on the soft food stage. I definitely wouldn't worry about it.

I"m thinking about you and sending you healing energy and good thoughts this morning!

I'm so glad to hear that Tiffany is doing well. Please just keep sending her good energy from all of us!

We're all here to help you stay motivated. Just let us know what you need and also what the doc says. :confused:

Actually, not since February as I was 229 on surgery morning.

Thanks for the update PNW!

Welcome to VST! I'm glad you're not lurking anymore. I can't comment on the liquid diet because that's not what my plan called for. I was on a 1200 calorie diet until I lost my required weight pre-op. Once I got to my pre-op goal I was scheduled for surgery. I knew that if I gained, I'd be sent home on surgery morning, so it was a great motivator. You can do this! You'll be so happy to be on the Loser's Bench with the rest of us.

I've never been to Walmart. I can see a trip there in my future. For right now I'm not eating nuts and sticking to all fresh foods so I try to shop organic whenever possible.

I never had heartburn pre-op. I didn't know I had a hernia until post-op when the surgeon told me. I take Protonix 2x a day and haven't had any problems since Day 3 post-op. For those first few days I was waking up with a mouthful of acid. I didn't have a clue what it was but I hated it. I just started sleeping on elevated pillows until I was sure the Protonix kicked in.

I often use the Plain Fage Greek Yogurt a week or more after the expiration date on the container. I figure it's already in a tart state and I think the cultures keep it good for a longer period. I always look for the container with the furthest out date. Yup, I'm that annoying person. :001_tongue:

Well when I get there we can all celebrate!! :biggrin0:

Ms B~, you've done awesome. You're so close to goal. I can't wait till I can say I'm in a size 10! :crying:

Congrats on a great start to all this. Being just about half way to goal must feel awesome to you! :crying:

Congratulations!! You're doing terrific!

Thanks Anna. I've been very closeted at work about my WLS. I don't want people looking at me/judging how I'm doing. I feel like this is such a personal journey but love sharing it with everyone here.