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I'm 7 months out. Today I've had: B - Premier Protein shake S - Mozzarella snack size 1 oz (not string cheese - the fresh kind) and 10 almonds L - 1/4 c give or take cottage cheese, 4 -5 cubes firm tofu and a piece of cauliflower. S - sugar free cocoa D - unsure - probably 2 oz of some Columbus brand chicken breast deli meat and a few mini marzano tomatoes with some ginger dressing S - Dannon 80 calorie light & fit yogurt or if I feel like living decadently, a cup of air popped popcorn I bought at trader joes that has herbs on it. Add to that 2 16oz green tea plain, about 20 oz Water and a snapple diet green tea for the bus ride home. I don't normally do diet drinks but thought i'd give this one a try for some variety as it is no calorie/no carb. Multi Vitamin and 2 Calcium chews.

I quite literally have lost my butt. I'm 7 months out and experienced a hip injury. I had my first PT appt. The PT said I have very little if any muscle tone in my glutes. Bad thing is I've been KILLIN' it at the studio 4X per week, 2 days dance and 2 days strength classes. I feel like I've done the strength classes for nothing. Time to build the butt in physical therapy.

@@JamieLogical, if at all possible please do not use cost alone as a determining factor. I almost did the same thing. You have to live with the finished product for a lifetime - a local nutritionist reminded me of this when I was deciding on a surgeon in Mexico, which I thought was a very valid point. I was considering a "cheaper" surgeon but my nutritionist had several clients who had a good experience with a more expensive surgeon (in TJ). She had no knowledge of the less expensive surgeon I was planning on using and had nothing to gain by sharing her knowledge. I came up with the extra funds and followed suit, and in hindsight I'm glad I did. I had a minor complication that required a second surgery and it was handled quickly and professionally. I felt so guilty initially for spending such a large sum of money on myself. I had to get over that because dang it my health is worth it! Good luck in making your decision

I am also 7 months out, found out a month or so back that I have gallstones. I've not had any symptoms (GI doc ordered an ultrasound without symptoms just as a precaution) until last night. I had some unusual left front shoulder pain after eating (nothing out of the ordinary, just 2 meatballs). I was going to put off having the gallbladder removed until I reach 100 lbs lost but I probably won't now.

Congrats Stacey on your loss! We have similar stats, I had my surgery in December 2013 and have 7 lbs to go to hit 100 lbs lost. We have accomplished a great deal! I can really identify with what you're saying. I have a hard time on the weekends. I am definitely more aware now and it's scary seeing a glimpse of old habits. I too, could slide right back into old patterns. Sweets cravings seem to be my kryptonite. I wouldn't wait to get on the scale, I'd just get it over with so you know exactly where you are. I find myself already thinking (and worrying)about maintenance. I am pretty low carb right now and wonder if I'll have to stay that way and wonder how realistic that is. Congrats on your fantastic success! We can do this!

8, 10 and 11, guilty as charged!

I'm with Kindle on this, I handle it in a similar fashion. Before surgery I was tight lipped. I wasn't sure how things would turn out, if it would work, etc. Post surgery is an entirely different story. I am open to anyone who asks. Could I say I'm watching what I eat and exercising and be telling the truth? Yes - but for me that is only part of the truth. Weight loss surgery is my truth and if someone thinks less of me, so be it because I refuse to be ashamed of taking control of my health My employer asked me to write for our "be inspired" health column. When I mentioned WLS, I was told I could not not include that because "it might create confusion because our health coverage doesn't cover it". Guess what? They don't get my story because I refuse to omit an important component of my weight loss for the sake of being politically correct.

@@Bob2013 you and I eat pretty identically, minus the turkey chili. I have a Quest bar probably twice a week when I don't have time to stop at home before a strength class. Good job on the loss!!

@@Fiddleman how is Phoenix doing? I saw pics of her several months ago and she had made amazing progress!

Just started C25K last week, providing all goes well (in other words if I find that running agrees with my joints) I'm thinking about the Biggest Loser 5K in the Seattle area in October. I think it might be on the eastside somewhere.

On my functional strength training day (an hour class with squats, lunges, resistance band work, small handweights, core work), I have a Quest bar about 30 minutes before class. This helps get me through the class without feeling totally drained afterwards. I don't seem to require as many carbs for straight cardio.

I've noticed that carbs in any form, sugar and even artificial sweetners make me want to eat more. When I am more aware of my carb intake, my restriction seems better. 60 grams or less per day seems to be the magic number. I was drinking crystal light sweet tea for awhile and my appetite increased! I looked at the label one day and realized it had (gasp!) corn syrup solids. I stopped drinking it and low and behold, my appetite was back in check. Will the 5 day pouch test give you a re-set and "tighten" things up a bit so to speak? I've heard it does but have not tried it.

No pains in my stomach. Is it for sure in your stomach, or is it to the right closer to your ribcage? I've heard that kind of pain is gallbladder. As an update to fellow OCC'rs past or future - at Dr. So's suggestion (because I still have acid), I had an upper GI done here in Seattle including biopsies. The GI doc I saw was very thorough. He also ordered ultrasound imaging of every organ in my mid-section. His findings are: Mild gastritis - (said the ppi should take care of it) GERD - on the mild side of the scale (doesn't feel mild to me!) No Barretts Esophagus (OCC said that prolonged acid left untreated like mine was before surgery can cause Barretts) No Celiacs (have a history of wheat allergy as a child so he tested me) Ultrasound revealed gallstones. I'm not surprised but to date I haven't had any pain or symptoms. He bumped me back up to 40mg of omeprazole per day (I had cut it down to 20 but he said to bump it back up because it would help the gastritis). He also wants me to have my gall bladder out. I know I have to eventually but I want to hit my 100 lbs lost first. My doc here was skeptical when I told him I had my surgery in MX. He didn't come right out and say it but I could see it in his expression. He was extremely thorough in his testing and I came through pretty well. He hadn't seen a sleeve before (but had seen bypass and lap band) so I was a learning experience for him and other docs in his clinic. I had my vitamin levels checked back in April and besides Vitamin D being low (always is), everything looks fine. I must admit, I wasn't so great about taking vitamins until a few weeks ago. Now I'm in compliance (I know - bad). My insurance has an exclusion on WLS or complications but they covered all my testing and will cover me to have my gallbladder removed. Down 92 lbs and feelin' sassy! My exercise is 2X week Zumba, 2X week functional strength class and just started C25K 3 days a week/30 mins each time. I have pics on my phone, must figure out how to download

I used it as a part of the "phen-fen" craze back in the mid-90s. I was trying to get my weight down to have a healthier pregnancy. I lost about 30 lbs in 5 months. The other Phen was pulled by the FDA - Fenfluromine. I tried the phentermine again (via mail order - probably a mistake) and I'm pretty sure the pills were phony because I had no success. I gained back the weight the first time with pregnancy.

@@Ava324, thanks for the cake tip! I've been looking for some "safe" occasional dessert options and that might be just the trick! How do you like C25K? Are you doing it on a treadmill or the pavement? Have you had any knee or hip pain? For years I've always thought I had a runner in me but I knew I was too heavy to try. It's very liberating to finally be able to lace up my shoes and hit the pavement and not worry a bit about how I look. I do worry a little about hurting myself, have to be honest! Are you planning on doing a race anytime soon? An avid runner I work with told me to give myself 12 weeks to complete the program then not to wait, to go ahead and sign up for a race. I'm thinking a race in September or October with the goal being to FINISH, I don't really care about my speed (yet) because I am super slow! I like your siamese cat icon, I have a siamese too, crazy thing she is.

Congrats Kindle! Fantastic number, that is my goal too!

Before I had surgery I knew exercise was going to be the hardest part for me. I picked up a 10 class zumba package on Amazon Local and started six weeks before surgery. I took seven weeks off to recover from surgery, started back with 2 hours a week and by 4 months out increased to 4-5 hours a week. Almost 7 months out and I've added C25K. Look on Amazon Local and Groupon, there are usually crossfit, zumba,barre or bootcamp packages available at reasonable prices. The gym just didn't cut it for me, I found it too boring. Pick up something you enjoyed as a kid, maybe that is a good starting place! Whatever you do, just start and be patient with yourself Eventually you will find a pattern that works for you. If someone told me six months ago I would be an avid exerciser I would have said they were lying!

@@CowgirlJane, I suspect the same is true for me. I'm curious and if I'm not out of line, can I ask you how many grams of carbs you can have and what kind to maintain your loss? I have 40 lbs to go to maintenance but am already thinking about this. I'm thinking that bread, rice, potatoes, etc. are out of my diet for good if I expect to maintain. I'm ok with that but just wondering if that is going to be the case.

Date of Surgery: 12/16 Dr Ariel Ortiz HW 280 SW 262 CW 188 TPL 92 TGP 130 This is quite an interesting journey! The thing that has surprised me most is the energy I have. I'm doing 2.5 hours zumba, 2 hours of strength training per week and I just started C25K (3 half hour running sessions per week). I'd like to do a 5K in October. I used to be quite fond of coming home from work and spending the evening in the recliner. Not any more, I can't sit still for that long! My eating is pretty good, but it is not perfect. I would say I'm "behaved" but not deprived 95% of the time and throw caution to the wind the other 5% usually on a weekend day. This past weekend I had cake AND about 10 skittles. The cake nauseated me a little because frankly the piece I had was probably too much. It had whip cream in the frosting and foods that have air in them tend to bother me, anyone else have that problem? I'm also back to having some dizzy spells when I stand. I've increased my water and my protein to try to figure out why that is. I've also stopped taking a bariatric vitamin and moved to a whole foods based vitamin with iron. So fun to watch everyone's progress!

I eat two a week only because for me (and only for me, not saying this is the case with everyone) they could be a slider. I tend to crave sweets, if I eat more than 2 a week I crave sweets more. I take a 6pm strength class twice a week and have one before class because the carbs help get me through using all those large muscle groups. I always carry a Quest bar in my purse. The other day I was out running errands and found myself unexpectedly hungry so rather than make a poor choice I had my emergency Quest bar! Another bonus is they help keep me regular. My biggest problem is keeping my family out of my bars! I burned out on any of the chocolate flavors and prefer lemon, berry and coconut. I see some of the Protein bar companies coming out with "minis", I hope Quest does the same thing because 200 calories seems like a lot sometimes!

I take a functional strength class with a lot of lunges/squats, the first time I tried the class I nearly passed out. On my strength class days I up my carb intake to 50-60 grams, 20 grams of that being within 30 minutes of class, usually via Quest bar. This helps me a lot.

I'm 5 ft 8, balanced figure (curvy jeans fit me best) 38C 189lbs size 16 misses in jeans (as opposed to women's) 14 or 16 in dress clothes. XL in compression type workout pants, XL/L in fitted workout tank tops. There is a difference between 16W and 16 misses. 16W is cut more generously. Seemed to take me forever to move from the bottom of the women's sizes to misses sizes. For a long time 14W fit me better while a 16 misses gapped at my waist. I still have that jean gap problem sometimes.

I used to take my coffee black, it doesn't appeal to me anymore. Brocolli doesn't agree with me, gives me uncontrollable acid. Bread, rice, potatoes, Pasta I do not miss. Not at all. I still have a sweet tooth on occasion. I had a bite size reese's cup on my way to Zumba last night. Had a lil' sugar crash about 15 mins into class!

Same with me - pre-op I had GERD that presented as a chronic cough but never as heartburn. I had a cough for about 10 years. I was told many times it was allergies. My surgeon informed me I'd had acid for years and had built up scar tissue which he removed. Now I have full on heartburn but the cough is gone. I keep it in check with omeprazole 2X per day. If I miss a dose or 2 I can tell because I get heartburn that wakes me up at night and I don't want to eat. I am six months out of surgery. I had an upper GI recently and a biopsy to check for Barretts. I don't have Barretts but still have acid, on the mild end of the scale (it does not feel mild to me!) and a bit of gastritis. I also have gallstones, I would almost bet I had some gallstones presurgery. Otherwise - clean bill of health. I had my surgery in Mexico.

Great message however the method of delivery leaves a little to be desired. I agree - I find it offensive and I'm not that easily offended.