tonya66

LOL - not about your ordeal, but your attitude. I got a good chuckle reading your post. I am going thru "almost" the same ordeal, but it turns out its my uterus making me pee my pants. lol. So I'm having a hysterectomy to remove it. I have adenomyosis which is causing me - not so much fun. Well, I love your attitude and hang in there. I've been banded for "almost" 2 years and I absolutely would not trade it for anything, I love love love my silicone buddy.

Well, things are rolling along, I'm doing great, then what happens? Well, I start to sab0tage myself. I go on an eating binge that last approximately 5 days. Man, old habits are hard to break! I will say, since the band, my binges are less frequent, however, the band has not stopped my binge eating. I am not able to binge on as much food pre band, but let me tell you, I can still hold my share of eating. Not that I eat a whole lot, I guess what I do now when I binge eat is eat the wrong stuff. I ate about 2 pieces of Tres Leches cake - yum. I guess I should be happy that all I was able to eat was 2 pieces. Pre band - I would have eaten at least 1/2 the cake. Now, thats not all I ate during my bings, everytime I would eat - I turned to sugar, instead of my good protein. It was a vicious cycle. I don't know what is wrong with me sometimes. But, because of eating the WRONG stuff, the scale has not moved. Also, when I binge eat, I figure, why exercise, so I don't even exercise. Enough of my talk, enough of being down about it, so I got rid of the cake, and headed to the gym last night and I just got back from the gym today. So, I'm over my binge eating for awhile. And over whatever made me snap and go crazy. My question to myself is WHY? Why do I do it? I'm doing so great then all of a sudden somthing snaps inside of me and I go completely CRAZY with food. Why? For the life of me I cannot figure it out. They say people eat because of emotions, but I can't figure out what emotions are causing me to eat. I have a wonderful marriage of 20 years, two beautiful children and my life is for the most part is perfect. Or at least, its perfect for me. My dad was going thru an ordeal, he almost died in November, however, he had two surgeries and pulled thru wonderfully. The binge eating didn't even start until a few weeks AFTER his ordeal. I held myself together and made good food choices when he was going thru his ordeal, so not sure why all of a sudden, when things are good, I go crazy. So, this is something that I must work on. I must be good to myself and quit trying to destroy all the work that I've done to get to my weight. Well, my goal was to weigh 160 by end of the year. In order to do that, I need to lose 2.5 lbs every week until the end of the year. Can I do it? Darn right I will! So I am making a promise to myself that I WILL be good to me. I WILL NOT binge eat. I WILL go to the gym, and I WILL do everything in my power to reach my goal. I deserve it and I'm worth it. Now, how is that for self talk. :thumbup: wt - 167.9 exercise - 10:00 am 20 min eliptical HIIT 3:00 pm upper body work out 9:00 pm - 30 min on eliptical Goal for the weekend - 1. stay off the scale 2. eat clean 3. Go to the gym - EVERYDAY!

Well, I have been having some "female" issues. So I had my annual with my gynocologist (sp?) and anyhow, after a few test (ultra sound, MRI) they have found that I have adenomyosis - its a form of endometriosis (sp) but it effects the uterus. Well, to make a long story of short, I will be having a partial hysterectomy in January (1/14/09 to be exact). So, I'm not looking forward to that. Well, maybe a little. I'll be glad to not have the massive cramps during my monthly, well, and not even having a monthly will be nice. I've asked the doctor to keep my ovaries, so I don't have all the hormonal issues, and she has agreed to keep them if all possible. I will be off work for 6 weeks, and I won't be able to exercise for at least 4 I think. But the doctor says she usually order her patients to take off 6 weeks. So not sure, how long it will be. My main goal is not to just lay around and EAT. I don't want to gain weight, I would like to lose during this whole ordeal. Talk to everyone later.

I need to do the same! I need to get with my program and STICK to it. Oh yuck. I don't really mind the snow, but I HATE the ice.

Wow, that will be nice. My sister-in-law had one, and I swear, she looks like a totally different woman. Food is such a hard thing to cope with. Juno - hang in there and it will get better.

I'm doing a count down like several others - I have two goals I'm pushing toward, the first is my healthy BMI goal, and my Doctors goal for me - 155. I'm currently at 171 and 16 lbs to go for that goal. After hitting the 155, I will push for my goal of 145. It has been 20 years since I was in the 170's. Of all the diets I have been on, I never thought or never did, get this close to goal. The fact to be just 16 lbs away from being NORMAL, is just amazing to me, its almost unbelievable. I am wearing a 10/12 now. I used to wear an 18/20. I went shopping this weekend and bought a size 10 jeans - and it felt so great to walk out of the store with them - even though they were $80! I wanted to shout at everyone at the mall, "hey these are a freaken size 10 people"!!!! Anyhow, I don't want to stop now, I don't want to think this is it, I want to complete this race, I want to finish it to the end. So my countdown to goal, 16 lbs!:embaressed_smile:

Well, I went to the gym last night. I received a 7 day free trial to the new Gold's Gym that opened up about 1 1/2 miles from my house, so I decided to go try it out. Even though I belong to another gym, which is just 1 mile from my house, I figured a change of scenery might be nice. Well, now I'm thinking about joining the Gold's gym too. It was really really really nice. I went into the "cardio" room. It is a huge room with a freaken movie theater in it. Its like being at the movies, with surround sound and its dark. I jumped on the eliptical and before I knew it, I was into the movie and looked down and had done 45 min on the eliptical. Burned almost 400 calories. I loved that! The bad thing is they do not have a "family plan" like my other gym does, so if I join, I will have to just join and pay additional and keep my membership at my other gym too so I can go with my family when they go. Even though they rarely go......my 16 year daughter has been going a lot lately. She just won't get up in the mornings with me. I need a morning partner to help encourage me to get up! My weight this morning was less than yesterday. I seem to be dropping again. wt 168.1 My exercise plans for today are: Exercise - 10am 20 min on eliptical Exercise - 3pm - 20 min on eliptical Exercise - 9:30 pm - 30 min on eliptical Next week I will focus on getting back to stregth training 2 to 3 days a week. I will still need to do 5 days of cardio but I do need to add my strength training in.

I have a gym right here at my office, I'm on the 4th floor and the gym is on floor 1. Its free and available to all employees. I can take a few breaks and go down there and do a quick 15 or 20 min to get my matabolism going. I just need to do it more often. Then at night, I like to go to my gym by my house. Its open 24 hours so I have no excuse not to go.

Hey, where is everyone? I get lonely if I don't pop in here at least every other day. Hope everyone has a great week, and don't eat too much. I am still trying to fit exercise back in my life. I did go to the gym last night, and just got back form a 15 min break on the eliptical machine. I'm going to really focus this week on the gym.

Just to update - I'm still 12 pounds away. arggggg - This is so hard, but I will do it. It's jut going to take some time to get to goal. I did make it to the gym last night, I know that I need to be more consistant with the exercise and until then, I won't get to goal. The only way to get to goal is to get to the gym! Even though the scales have not moved, I am smaller for some reason. I bought my first pair of size 8 pants the other day. Yes, a size 8! I haven't worn a size 8 since - well, I can't even remember a size 8. I'm sure they are made big, because every other pair of pants I try on I have to take a 10. Well, I really didn't care for the pants that much, but since they were a size 8 I had to buy them. I just had to. Anyhow, will post later, but I am still working hard to get to my healthy weight of 155.

I found your albums and looked at your picture. Not only do you look like a totally different person, I'm sure you feel like one too. Congratulations on your success!

Well, I went to the gym last night. I received a 7 day free trial to the new Gold's Gym that opened up about 1 1/2 miles from my house, so I decided to go try it out. Even though I belong to another gym, which is just 1 mile from my house, I figured a change of scenery might be nice. Well, now I'm thinking about joining the Gold's gym too. It was really really really nice. I went into the "cardio" room. It is a huge room with a freaken movie theater in it. Its like being at the movies, with surround sound and its dark. I jumped on the eliptical and before I knew it, I was into the movie and looked down and had done 45 min on the eliptical. Burned almost 400 calories. I loved that! The bad thing is they do not have a "family plan" like my other gym does, so if I join, I will have to just join and pay additional and keep my membership at my other gym too so I can go with my family when they go. Even though they rarely go......my 16 year daughter has been going a lot lately. She just won't get up in the mornings with me. I need a morning partner to help encourage me to get up! My weight this morning was less than yesterday. I seem to be dropping again. wt 168.1 My exercise plans for today are: Exercise - 10am 20 min on eliptical Exercise - 3pm - 20 min on eliptical Exercise - 9:30 pm - 30 min on eliptical Next week I will focus on getting back to stregth training 2 to 3 days a week. I will still need to do 5 days of cardio but I do need to add my strength training in.

Wow, what an inspiration you are. Self image is somthing that we always will have to work on, so keep working on it. ONe thing that helps me is looking at my before pics, and comparing them to a recent pic. Try it, you will be happy with how far you've come.

When they make that comment, simply reply "I have to disagree with you, it is not easy for me to get out and workout 4 and 5 hours a week, nor is it easy for me to stick to low carb, however, I chose to do it." If it was easy for me to lose weight at 31, I would have not needed my little helper. Congratulations on your success by the way, your doing great and don't let those comments get your down.

Get back to the basics, follow the rules. Don't get discourage if you are a slow loser. I was a very fast loser the first 6 months, but the past year, it takes everything I have in me to lose 1 lbs. Stay on top of your fills. Make sure you are at your sweet spot, stick to lean Proteins, eat them first. and DON'T DRINK AND EAT. Drink Water right up until time to eat, then stop. I know its easier said than done, but you can do it. The thing about the band is it is very forgiving, it is still with you,now you just have to start using it as a tool and it will help you. Best wishes. PS - Your not a failure, you haven't quit, so chin up and get back to the basics.

Congratulations and I look forward to watching your journey. I don't know many docs who have the band, but have read on here where a lot of nurses have the band.

When you say your weight is 100lbs? Are you stating 100lbs overweight? As previous posters have stated, make sure you do lots of research, there are many changes that you will have to make FOR LIFE. Something you might want to read: Rules of the Road What you need to know about living with the band By Robin McCoy When you begin the decision-making process to have Weight Loss Surgery (WLS), and specifically Lap Band® Surgery, it is vital that you fully understand the changes you must make in your lifestyle. WLS is not a magic pill. Weight loss is something that you must work at to be successful. There are several rules and circumstances that someone who has undergone Lap Band® Surgery, a “Bandster,” must follow and understand to see success and have a high quality banded life. Drinking Before and After Meals Not drinking during meals is, by far, one of the most important things to learn and is vital to your weight loss success. It is also one of the most challenging. Stop drinking all liquids at least 30 minutes before your meal. This allows all that is in your pouch to drain through to the lower stomach. Therefore your pouch is empty when you eat allowing the food to fill you up properly. Forgo all beverages during your meals. Drinking during a meal flushes the food through your band and the band is unable to function properly. Most people will have 2, 3 or even 4 glasses of liquid with meals. Servers in restaurants, trained to keep customers happy, will keep beverage glasses full throughout the meal. This is unhealthy for bandsters and sabotages their success. State firmly and clearly that you do not want a beverage. From personal experience, I know the often bewildered looks that follow the statement: “nothing to drink for me,” but diligence is the key. Like most changes required after the Lap Band® procedure, not drinking with meals gets much easier with time. Having now lost over 100 pounds, I no longer have difficulty asking my server not to bring me a beverage! Do not drink for an hour after a meal.The main reason is the same as drinking during your meal. Liquids wash the food through the band defeating its purpose. Another reason not to drink after a meal is if your pouch is full the beverage might not have anywhere to go…except backwards resulting in a spit-up. Suffice it to say that food and liquids making a return visit is not satisfying. By starting this practice immediately, at the next meal, you will be well on your way to a successful banding experience. Smaller Bites. More Chewing. Slower Eating. Begin to recognize and understand what a Bandster Bite is. At your next meal look at your bite size. Look at the amount of food on your fork and remember it. Now, cut that bite in half. This is the Bandster bite size after surgery. Now, cut that bite in half. This is the size of a Bandster bite after the first fill or adjustment. After each fill the bite size will get smaller until the bandster is eating toddler-sized bites. The reason for this is so the bite can be chewed completely to a liquid before swallowing. The next point is chewing. It is very important that food is completely chewed. Before swallowing ensure the food is a liquid. As the weight loss progresses the opening from the pouch to the lower stomach will be getting smaller. Therefore the food needs to be chewed more thoroughly. If a piece of food is too big to go through the stoma, or opening, it will get "stuck". This can be very painful. Slower eating becomes inevitable. Eating too fast encourages bigger bites. The bigger bite means the food isn’t chewed properly and it can get stuck. As a Bandster with over 18 months in, I still find myself falling into this trap. I get excited, chatting with friends and just forget to pay attention. A Bandster’s Eating Order Lap Band patients have a specific order in which to eat their food. It is important that there is enough Protein in the diet to keep the bodies moving properly. Therefore, the protein should be eaten first. WLS patients need 40-60 grams of protein every day. This can come in a variety of ways. Protein shakes, cheese, fish, beef, chicken, soy. The challenge comes when only certain foods can be tolerated. Also, it is important that the protein is a “hard” protein (chicken, beef, and fish) if possible. It shouldn’t all come from protein shakes and cheese. The vegetables should be eaten second, and carbohydrates/starches last (if there is room). Proteins last longer in the pouch and take longer to process through the band allowing you to feel full sooner and maintain satiety longer. Hard proteins are the most difficult for a Bandster to consume. The hard proteins need to be more moist, more tender and chewed more completely than any other type of food. Generally speaking, proteins are the foods that get “stuck” most often and cause spit ups. This happens because the bite isn’t small enough and/or, because the protein hasn’t been chewed sufficiently before swallowing. For the record, beef is generally the most difficult food for Bandsters to eat. Beef is one of the most difficult foods for humans to digest. It can take several days for a piece of steak to actually work its way through the digestive track. And that’s on an un-banded person! So, if you eat a piece of steak and it isn’t chewed it up completely, it can sit in the pouch for an extended amount of time. Further, the stomach acids that help an un-banded person process beef are not present in the pouch and therefore are not there to help the body break the beef down. Remember each and every person is different so you will have to test your own waters. Some Bandsters have no trouble with beef whatsoever; others won’t go near it. From personal experience I know that each Bandster will figure out what he or she can or cannot tolerate through trial and error. Trust me when I say that tolerances change; one day ground beef is fine and the next you realize it isn’t any longer. You must be willing and able to adapt to sudden changes in your body’s ability to process certain foods. The Constant Quest for Restriction; Not enough vs. too much Restriction.No one can really describe it but everyone wants it. You have restriction when your band is adjusted to the point where you can eat 3-5 bites of well-chewed food and you are full. When this happens you have what is called good restriction. You are too loose, or open, if you don’t feel full after just a few bites.You are able to eat more on a consistent basis than before. Maybe your weight loss has slowed or stopped. This is when it is time for a fill, or adjustment, in your band. You are too tight when you can eat very little solid food or worse—none at all. If you are so tight that only liquids go through your band or you are spitting up too often this is too tight. If you can’t keep liquids down this is a medical issue and you must get some removed. You run the risk of becoming dehydrated. Being too tight is not a good thing! Not only are you not getting the nutrition your body needs to function properly but it can also bring on a slippage in your band. If this happens you will require minor surgery to repair it. Now that you know a little about what restriction is, let’s get a little deeper. There are three points to learn: 1. The first thing to understand is that every banded person feels restriction differently. So to compare yourself to others is difficult. 2. Also the amount of Fluid in the band and the stomach’s reaction, or restriction, to it is a varied as the Bandsters reading this now. Everyone’s stomach is a different size and reacts to the band differently. It is fine to compare fluid levels but don’t get too caught up in “I have this and they have that”. 3. Finally, your level of restriction can change day to day. It can change meal to meal in some cases. You are now asking, “How in the heck do I deal with that?” My answer is trial and error and learning about your band. Let us go back to the beginning. Immediately after surgery you will feel restriction. The surgeon usually doesn’t put any fluid in your band during the surgery. The restriction you feel is the swelling of your stomach and it’s adjustment to the band that has suddenly been wrapped around it. You won’t get your first fill until 4-6 weeks after surgery. You will be on Clear Liquids and they will fill you up quickly for the first few days. Then they will stop filling you up you will begin to feel hungry. About this time you will be allowed to eat mushy foods like mashed potatoes, creamy Soups, etc. You will find that you eat just a few bites and you are full. This is great! Who knew a ¼ can of Soup would be enough? This is going to be a piece of cake. It isn’t going to last. Shortly this won’t satisfy and you will be moving on to solid food. That feeling of restriction comes back. A slice of turkey and you are stuffed! This doesn’t last either. At about 4 weeks, sometimes earlier, you will start to feel hunger again. You feel like you are eating everything. Your weight loss has slowed or stopped. You start to freak out. “Where is my restriction?!” you cry. This is a difficult time but one that every Bandster gets through.Just be patient and let yourself finish the healing process. Watch what you eat and know that you are not eating anywhere near what you were pre-band. The unfilled band supplies a certain amount of restriction and you won’t hurt your progress. Your first fill will bring you back to the restriction point right after surgery. You will eat a few bites and feel full. You will start losing weight pretty quickly. You want to make sure you are eating your protein first, vegetables second and any starches last. This will ensure satiety. This fill will usually last several weeks. Then it starts to loosen up. Your second fill is the one that usually kicks a Bandster in the butt. This is where they learn what not chewing thoroughly and taking bites that are too large can do. And so it goes. Some Bandsters need one fill others need more. I had 4 over the course of the first year. I heard of one woman that lost 80 pounds on her first fill. This is why I stress not comparing yourself to your banded friends. It brings on frustration and we have spent enough time in our lives comparing ourselves to others. Now is the time to stop. One of the largest environmental factors that make our band feel tighter is stress. I never truly understood what Bandsters were talking about when they said stress was tightening their band. That is until I started the process of buying a house. The stress of the pending inspection and what they might find had my band so tight I was barely eating. My band was so tight I cancelled my fill appointment. Let me say right now that I learned from this experience and you need to make sure you are getting the right Vitamins in to ensure your health. I wasn’t in any danger but I was very tired and was bruising like crazy! Well, the inspection went well. I got my house and my band opened back up. Food started going through more smoothly and I started eating better. Other environmental factors can be tiredness, excitement, sadness, or just the fact that it is morning. Many Bandsters find they can’t eat until after 11 AM every day. I don’t know if this satisfies your curiosity of what restriction is or what you are to do with it. I do hope you understand that everyone is different and it is a learning process. You will learn what it feels like for you to have good restriction and when your band is talking to you. Being “stuck” and “spitting up” As WLS patients we have a few fun words we use. Some are nice and some are not. You will hear “PB” which means “Productive Burp”. I prefer the simple term “spit up”. What does “stuck” mean?Stuck means that what you have eaten won’t go through the opening between your pouch and lower stomach. This is called your “stoma”. The bite is too big to go through (meaning you didn’t chew it enough), it isn’t something that moves smoothly through the band (lettuce), or you just ate too darn much. When a bite of food goes through your esophagus and hits your pouch it has one of two places to go…through the band or back. If all is well it will go through with no problem either now or later. If it can’t make it to the pouch or through the stoma it will result in a spit up. Understand that this is something that will happen to you and to every bandster out there. Call it a side-effect or whatever you like but it will happen. The questions are what causes a spit-up, what it feels like, what to do when it happens, and how to avoid them. Remember, things can change day-to-day, heck even meal to meal. This is the nature of the beast. Frustrating? Yes. Small price to pay? I think so. What causes a spit up is easy.The bite it too big, you took one or two too many bites, you didn’t chew properly, or it is simply a food that you can’t tolerate right now. It is up to you to determine which of the above it true. Trust me… you will learn to determine this. What does if feel like?You will know. The best way I can find to describe the feeling is when you drink a big gulp of Water and it goes down with air. You get this pain in your chest that makes you feel like something is going to bust out. That is what it feels like when something is stuck. It can be minor or it can hurt like a son-of-a-gun. Some bandsters say their bodies tell them when they are finished eating and need to stop. Some Bandsters start to salivate which is their body’s way of washing the food through. Some, me included, get a heavy sigh or exhale; this tells us we are full. Don’t worry; you too will learn to read what your body is telling you…even if you don’t now. What should you do when it happens? Stop eating is the first thing. It doesn’t matter if it is your first bite or your fifth. A spit up is your body’s way of telling you that you are full. This is your band in full-alert. It is telling you that you are done and to put the fork down. Many times you can stop eating and just wait it out. Until you are used to it you might get the “deer in the headlight” look. Soon you will just adjust. If it doesn’t go away then you need to deal with it. Dealing with it means excusing yourself and heading to the bathroom. A spit up is just that. I compare it to a baby spit up. It should never be what you classify as vomiting. This is hazardous for a Bandster and should be avoided as it can cause slippage. There is a very large difference in spit ups and vomiting. How to avoid them?Well, that comes with experience and a willingness to acknowledge when your “food police” tells you to stop. Very quickly you should learn when your band tells you to stop. I found that after my 2nd fill my band was at attention and told me when I was full. This is when I experienced my first spit ups and found foods that I could no longer tolerate. One of the most difficult things to get your mind around is just how little you will be eating. Your band tells you that you are full but your brain engages and says, “You haven’t eaten nearly enough!” So you take that extra bite or two. Then there it is…the feeling in your chest…your eyes get big…and saliva fills your mouth. The biggest point I want to get across to you is that, while normal, spitting up is not necessarily a good thing. You don’t want to be doing it every day and certainly not every meal. If this is happening you need to take a good look at what you are eating, how big your bites are, how much you are eating and to what level you are chewing. Be aware at the beginning and it will become more of a habit soon enough. Surgery Is Not a Magic Pill Surgery is not the magic pill we have all been waiting for. You will not wake up thin. You must be willing to meet the band half way. You will lose weight at a different pace than your friends. You must change your behavior for this to work. It is a tool—and nothing more. An electric mixer is easier than mixing by hand but you still have to follow the recipe for the cake to taste good. Right now you should be asking yourself one question—“Am I ready to go the distance?” It can be a joyful journey with the highest of highs. Moments that are so thrilling and uplifting that you don’t think you will ever come down. It is also a frightening journey as we venture into unfamiliar territory of who we are and where we are going. You are not going down this path alone. There are many Bandsters ahead of you on this path that are ready to help you along the way and take you with them to the next level. So I ask, “Are you ready to go the distance?”

I did pretty good this weekend with my eating, plan on going to check out a new gym tonight. I got a 1 week free membership and I hear they have an awesome, surround sound cardio room with a huge plasma tv. I went out to eat on Friday night and stuck to my plan, except ended up having a margarrita. yum yum it was good. Didn't weigh on Saturday or Sunday. Just focussed on eating clean. Wt 169.0 - I think I'm holding a little water, TOM is due. Now, my goal for the week is GET TO THE GYM and do 5 hours of exercise this week!

I did pretty good this weekend with my eating, plan on going to check out a new gym tonight. I got a 1 week free membership and I hear they have an awesome, surround sound cardio room with a huge plasma tv. I went out to eat on Friday night and stuck to my plan, except ended up having a margarrita. yum yum it was good. Didn't weigh on Saturday or Sunday. Just focussed on eating clean. Wt 169.0 - I think I'm holding a little water, TOM is due. Now, my goal for the week is GET TO THE GYM and do 5 hours of exercise this week!

ditto to the previous post. I will say the closer you get to goal, even though its hard to lose a pound, every pound makes a huge different. 2 or 3 lbs can sometimes make me go into a whole size downward. Remember when it took 10 to 20 pounds to go down a size? So keep you head up, even though it takes longer to lose lbs, it makes a bigger difference now. We're about the same size I think, not sure how tall you are, but I'm 5'5 1/2 and weighing in at 167. Last night I was at Bass Pro Shop and decided to try on these pants, guess what size I fit into - 8!!!!! This was the first time I fit into an 8!!!!! Most of my clothes I buy I have to take a 10. But I believe another 5 lbs I will be buying a size 8! You will have to tweak your diet too, and up the exercise. Again, best wishes to you.

I was feeling the same way, and finally my daughter told me that a lady at church said something to her. She asked her if I had lost weight, she said she was scared to say anything or didn't want to hurt my feelings by asking. I think a lot of people just feel like it would bring attention to the fact that we were "big" and don't say anything. Trust me, THEY NOTICE. You notice, so don't feel bad and keep going to goal.

This is very common, some people cannot eat anything in the mornings, and have to wait until afternoon to eat anything at all. Its one of the side effects with the band I believe. Not sure why there is more restriction, but I know its common. When you get a fill, I suspect you may be one of the ones that will not be able to eat in the am but perhaps you could have a Protein shake? Best wishes.

Thanks michellelei, I think you should keep track of your weight, but I also think month to month pics are important too. Sometimes the scales don't show much, however, inches do and your pictures will show the difference when the scales do not. Best wishes to you and congratulations on your surgery.

Consultation with Doc 11/24/06 - 248.9 Surgery Date 1/18/07 - 226 1 mo post op (Feb 18)- 206.8 2 mo post op (March 18) - 198 3 mo post op (April 18th)- 193 4 mo post op (May 18th)- 184.2 5 mo post op (June 18th(- 178 6 mo post op (July 18th)– 174 7 mo post op (Aug 18th)- 178 - went on vacation and ate big (7 day cruise) 8 mo post op (Sept 18th)- 174 9 mo post op (Oct 18th)- 170 10 mo post op (Nov 18th) - 167 11 mo post op (Dec 18th) - 170 - haven’t even been trying 12 mo post op (Jan 18th 2008)- 174 - again, not trying. But finally refocused - exactly where I was at 6 mos post op – so basically no weight loss in the past 6 mos 13 mo post op (Feb 18th) - 183 - Ouch! started taking steroids and made my weight go up, along with not eating right and no exercise! 14 mo post op (March 18th)- 185 - grrrrr 15 mo post op (April 18th)- 180 - weight is finally going down, but inches are actually coming off faster since I've been exercising a lot. 16 mo post op (May 18th)- 178 17 mo post op (June 18th)- 175 18 mo post op (July 18th)- 179- still not focussed:sad: 19 mo post op -(Aug 18th) - 178 - focussed again - This time I am committed to getting to goal and will not stray! I do not ever want to see the 180's again! 20 mo post op (Sept. 18) - 171 - :willy_nilly: 21 mo post op (Oct 18) - 168 22 mo post op (Nov 18) - 169 - I am focussed and doing good, but need to get back to exercising. I want to hit 160 by year end.