Well so far we have 5 members! Sounds like a good group to me! But I hope some others will see the group and join us. How's everyone feeling today? I have been doing some things around the house and personal care in preparation. The other day I cleaned out my dresser drawers and closet. Then I did the bathroom cupboards. Yesterday I cleaned the frig top to bottom. Yuck, something had spilled in there that wasn't pleasant but it's sparkling now. I've done a pedicure and facial. My daughter gave me a haircut. Actually she chopped it. I asked for a trim from a person who has never cut any hair so I guess I got what I deserved... Yikes it's chin length and not so nice right now. Thank goodness it will grow (unless I lose it all from this surgery, lol). Today I'm going to Walmart for some postop shopping and things for others. Tomorrow I have to work from 8a to 4p but I'm glad cuz that will take up a good part of the day. I'll be off work for 2 weeks after surgery. My surgery is at 7:30 am and I have to be there at 5:30.

It's almost here everyone!! I'm not feeling nervous, a little excited and mostly just want to get it done and over. We are gonna be on the loser's bench soon. Oh, on this preop diet, my starting weight was 212, and today it is 203.5, so a loss of 8.5 lbs. Not bad, my liver better look like a little shrunken prune for that surgeon after all this suffering! How's everyone else doing today?

Congrats on reaching a major goal Sheila!

Janet - My NUT encourages Protein drinks, and no guidelines for carbs, but fat around 40 gm. I usually start my day with a Protein Drink which gives me 30 gm of protein first thing. I usually have a snack before lunch and a snack after dinner.

I went to a wedding yesterday and ate so much it was scary. I had a protein drink before going and part of a Protein Bar. At the wedding, I had watermelon and grapes, 2 meatballs, cheese and crackers, a slice of pork loin, potatoes, corn casserole, salad, and wedding cake. And when I got home, I was craving things, and wanted to still eat more. I thought it was very interesting, and I was trying to analyze it. Maybe carbs? Anyway, it was an eye opener for me about how easy it would be to undo this surgery with poor eating habits. I don't want to go down that road!!!

Congratulations Sheila! What an accomplishment!

Hi everyone....sorry again for taking so long to check in. Hubby & I are dealing with some tough issues and had decided to take a week apart. He's back home today but things are shaky so will be starting counseling soon.

I am so happy to hear that you are all doing so great. I hit my first goal of 50 lbs lost and am really starting to feel the difference especially when I was taking out my marital anger on the yard work....my stamina really surprised me. Yard looks great too

I had quite a scare yesterday that sent me to the ER....thought for a minute that I was having a heart attack. Thank God I wasn't but that was pain I have never felt before, it felt like some grabbed me in the middle of the chest and was twisting my diaphragm...called my ER friends and of course they made me come in but it turns out it was an esophageal spasm probably caused by my having a cup of coffee first thing of the day and not eating a bit of something or taking my antacid first. I knew that our stomachs still created alot of acid and that coffee is acidic too but I didn't think about it that day, but I will from now on.

Congratulations to everyone on thier achievements...we are all doing so great and should be very proud. Arre any of you doing special rewards for goals you meet? If so, I would love to hear your reward ideas, trying to come up with some for myself.

.

Hooray! I used to lean heavily on the bannister when walking down steps. Now I can walk down without holding onto it at all!

On another note, I am on a four week plateau. I'm eating right and have increased my exercise, but no positive results.

I am going to focus on the bannister accomplishment.

After five weeks at a plateau, I finally lost 2 pounds. Since being sleeved, I am down one pants size and two shirt sizes. These are real accomplishments, but I had hoped for better.

Is everyone else lost or is there just nothing to check in about?

Hi! I too have had slloooww weight loss. I have also noticed that I am able to eat a whole lot more in the second month postop than the first. I've been told that could be because all swelling went down and I now have more room. Supposed to go for postop check tomorrow but not going because it's at 8a. Just much too early for me, especially after the day I had today..... anyhow, all is well here. Hope others check in too.

Sorry I haven't been on here in awhile. To add to my already busy schedule I now have my 14 year old son out of school for the summer and have baseball almost everyday between tournaments and practices ugh! Just a quick update since my insomnia is starting to go away. I have lost a total of 54 pounds, went from a 22 to a 14/16W in pants and a 3X to an XL in tops. Still having trouble digesting meats as it just seems to churn in my stomach for about an hour in turn making me feel crappy. I have no problem eating cottage cheese and cheese sticks which tend to be my favorite snacks lately. I tried some philipino pansit (not sure of the spelling) and was surprised at how much I could eat. I ate a small cup (8oz.) and didn't get a stomachache. I love it! I did however, stay full for a while after. The old me would have put away a whole plate full of the stuff! Well getting tired. I will keep everyone posted as I get a few moments! Have a Happy Wednesday all!

I have been busy too. Just got back Monday from taking the kids to Pensacola Beach for a week. Got home and the grass had to be cut yard work done, unpack etc. so busy busy.

Im losing slow too. And I can eat more than I could a month ago. Im still having probs getting the Protein in, but other than that no problems. I am now in a large shirt and a 14 shorts. Seems like it still soooo far away from the sizes I want to be but Im getting there slowly but surely. We all will!!!

For sure, I can eat quite a bit more than a month ago as well. I hear it's because the swelling has gone down in the stomach. Makes sense I suppose. What really gets me is that I have a larger capacity for foods which are not the greatest for me. Crackers, etc., but not really protein sources.

Sooo good to hear from everyone. Sounds like we are all experiencing the same things. I find that sometimes I can eat a lot more than I thought I should be able to at only 2 months out and I had a stall for about 2 weeks but am now at 58 pounds lost and have went from a snug 4x to a nice 2x. I'm not sure of everyone's starting weight but I think I may have been the heaviest of' our group. Starting weight at the pre-op stage was 328 and I am happy to report that today I weighed in at 270.

My 50 pound loss reward was an inexpensive $20 Walmart maxi dress that I feel so wonderful in. It's been a long time since I bought something that I LIKED rather than something that FITS and it's been a long time since I have been able to buy a dress here in our small town because nobody carried my size. It's amazing how this $20 summery dress makes me feel

I know I have a long way to go, but I am feeling great!

Take care and please pray for Colorado....the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs is still only 5 percent contained, 32,500 people have been evacuated and 200-300 homes and numerous businesses have been lost. We have had historical monuments burn to the ground and there's no hotel room available for miles. This fire with the winds and heat is burning out of control and we currently have over 800 firefighters risking thier own lives, It's absolutely devastating. Thank you in advance for the prayers

Congratulations on your progress! Your joy leaps from the page.

I've been watching the news about Colorado's fire and have a hard time comprehending just how large it is. Are you anywhere near it? I am thinking of the people who's lives are being devastated and will continue to hope for a speedy end to the disaster.

Congrats on your wt loss and your new dress! I too have been watching the news regarding Colorado and also can't wrap my mind around how large that is. And the people who were told you have 5 minutes to pack and get out..how heartbreaking. I don't understand why a solution hasn't been found in 2012 to put an end to these devastating fires. Are you anywhere near them?

Colorado Springs is actually where I had my surgery..... I live 30 miles away so thankfully we have not been personally affected. My husband & I have friends and coworkers that have been evacuated. We are seeing alot of evacuees in our hospital that were first evacuated from thier home, then the motel they were at so they decided to come here so they could put some distance between them and the fire.

I have a lot of First Responder/Medical/Law Enforcement friends that have been helping and my coworkers that commute to work are monitoring the evacuation notices and some have had to leave mid shift to go evacuate or help eldery parents get out of the area, it's devastating.

Thankfully it wasn't as hot (90's instead of 100) and so they have been able to contain it to 15%. I haven't watched the news today yet, you can only watch that so much ya know?

Thank you for your prayers!

Hey Sheila, I was curious about the philipino pansit you mentioned, so I googled it. Wow, did that bring back memories. When I was about 18, I worked with a philipino woman who made this cold salad with cellophane noodles for potlucks. I loved it so that I still remember it, but never had a recipe. You mentioning that got me into all kinds of recipes, and I'm going to try to recreate what I still remember. So thanks!

I joined the neighborhood health club today. Now I just have to make myself use it!! Really want to firm up and get fit while I lose the weight. I haven't been doing any exercise at all but walking once in awhile. Gotta get movin' more!!

I also had my first bottle of diet pepsi since before preop! It was great!!! I don't want to become a slave to it again, but I would like to enjoy it in moderation. Hugs to all!

The story of the fire, its destruction and the effect on people's lives has caught the attention of everyone I know. We are pulling for you.