I had my surgery on Monday, October 2, 2006. My starting weight before the surgery was 282. When I had my first pre-op visit on October 13th I weighed in at 264. I am now 261. My recuperation was very good. I had to stay home that week, which was good because, after all, I did have major surgery and had to rest. Two days after the surgery my abdomen felt like I had done 100 situps at the gym but I only had to take Alleve and by the following weekend I felt much stronger. I had to withdraw from my Italian class because I missed too many classes with pre-op appointments and the recuperation but my health is more important. The best part is that my clothes are now getting looser. My winter coat is too big for me already but I'm waiting a bit before I start buying new clothes. I have to be careful with beef, of course. I was warned about that. I am on mashed food now and Monday night made a small turkey meat loaf with string beans and mashed potatoes. I made five meals out of it and simply put it in the microwave for supper. I love soups so I make low fat higher protein soups and use my immersion blender to smooth them out. However, my stomach this morning is doing a symphony. My nurse said that is a result of the surgery. I'm trying more protein for breakfast. I had eggs twice this week. I would make a protein shake but the weather is cold this week I need something warm. This morning I had 1/2 C low fat broccoli soup and a poached egg for breakfast. Still, my stomach was doing an aria at 10:00 a.m. Oh well, I'll figure something out. This is heaven compared to my health before the surgery. My facial bones are showing once again. I've lost one and a half of my three chins.