VA - Northern VA

[betty_s 476]

I grew up all over NOVA (fairfax, loudoun, warrenton) then moved to the beach for school, now I reside right outside of Richmond, VA!

[Deactivate 10]

Hello, how is everyone?? Mine was 7/7. Feeling tired today. Slept a lot, only issue is gas really. Occasionally incision site pain due to rubbing of clothing. Still moving slow.

[5BeautifulDays 68]

I'm glad to hear you're doing well!

I had my EGD/colonoscopy today. The prep was nasty, but the procedure itself was a breeze, since I was knocked out cold!

[Deactivate 10]

I didn't have to do either of those, thankfully. Just relaxing....

[mooncat 106]

Hello! I live in Northern VA (Woodbridge in Prince William County) which is about 30 miles south of DC. I had my sleeve surgery 12/3/13 at Sentara in Woodbridge by Dr Halmi from Bluepoint. I am within 20 pounds of my goal now as I have lost 73 pounds. My journey has been slower than some. I set realistic goals for myself knowing that I have a very demanding and stressful job which takes at least 60 hours of my week and I spend 10-15 hours per week commuting to DC. That makes a serious exercise routine nearly impossible. I do Water exercise 2-3 times a week for an hour each time, as my community has both outdoor and indoor pools. I take the stairs some at work and I try to take at least a short walk each day. Our community also has a clubhouse with a gym which I have not used yet, but probably will have to at some point in order to reach goal and maintain. Our HOA fees include these things, so even though I would prefer to take classes at the Chin center, I can't see paying for a membership when we already pay for these. We have a gym at work which I could join for $10 a month, but some days I don't have time to go to the bathroom, so I am pretty sure I would not have time for the gym!

[pik 262]

Hello! I live in Northern VA (Woodbridge in Prince William County) which is about 30 miles south of DC. I had my sleeve surgery 12/3/13 at Sentara in Woodbridge by Dr Halmi from Bluepoint. I am within 20 pounds of my goal now as I have lost 73 pounds. My journey has been slower than some. I set realistic goals for myself knowing that I have a very demanding and stressful job which takes at least 60 hours of my week and I spend 10-15 hours per week commuting to DC. That makes a serious exercise routine nearly impossible. I do Water exercise 2-3 times a week for an hour each time, as my community has both outdoor and indoor pools. I take the stairs some at work and I try to take at least a short walk each day. Our community also has a clubhouse with a gym which I have not used yet, but probably will have to at some point in order to reach goal and maintain. Our HOA fees include these things, so even though I would prefer to take classes at the Chin center, I can't see paying for a membership when we already pay for these. We have a gym at work which I could join for $10 a month, but some days I don't have time to go to the bathroom, so I am pretty sure I would not have time for the gym!

I'm in Woodbridge as well, ans Dr. Halmi was my surgeon!

[pik 262]

Hello! I live in Northern VA (Woodbridge in Prince William County) which is about 30 miles south of DC. I had my sleeve surgery 12/3/13 at Sentara in Woodbridge by Dr Halmi from Bluepoint. I am within 20 pounds of my goal now as I have lost 73 pounds. My journey has been slower than some. I set realistic goals for myself knowing that I have a very demanding and stressful job which takes at least 60 hours of my week and I spend 10-15 hours per week commuting to DC. That makes a serious exercise routine nearly impossible. I do Water exercise 2-3 times a week for an hour each time, as my community has both outdoor and indoor pools. I take the stairs some at work and I try to take at least a short walk each day. Our community also has a clubhouse with a gym which I have not used yet, but probably will have to at some point in order to reach goal and maintain. Our HOA fees include these things, so even though I would prefer to take classes at the Chin center, I can't see paying for a membership when we already pay for these. We have a gym at work which I could join for $10 a month, but some days I don't have time to go to the bathroom, so I am pretty sure I would not have time for the gym!

I'm in Woodbridge as well, ans Dr. Halmi was my surgeon!

[amorse5416 1]

Hello everyone, kind of a newbie to this site. i been using obesity help forums, but didnt really see anyone local and i get on this site and i see tons of local people, even people who had the same surgeon as me ( Amir Moazzez) or the same hospital as me (Fair Oaks in Fairfax, Va). I'm looking to chat with local people who are in the same boat as me and can be there for support as well as me give them support! I had a quick question for you all. How is the monthly support group at Fair Oaks (BluePoint Surgical Group)?? I have been wanting to attend but I work 3rd shift and have a 9 month year old so i havent be able to attend one yet. I'm 3 months post op (RNY Gastric Bypass) and i'm down 90lbs (103 lbs since i started my pre op liquid diet) and so far its been easy. But now i'm starting to have some craving here and there. So i want to find some people for support before I end up making a bad decision. I've tried talking to friends, but they all dont have a weight problem so they dont fully understand what i am going through and the one heavy friend i do have hasnt had surgery, so he doesnt quite understand what i'm going through. So i'm looking to meet and chat with people who know what its like to be heavy and what its like after having surgery. So if you care to chat please, please let me know. I would love to talk to anyone! Age, sex, religion, race, makes no difference to me/ Just want to feel like there are people out there like me! Hope to hear from you soon! ------ Andy -----

[ferguson23024 30]

I have Dr. Halmi. Absolutely love him! Had surgery 7/8. My weight loss has been really sssslllloooowwwww! I have only lost 23. I was losing a pound a day and now it is a pound ever 4-5 days. Not sure what is going on. I live in Spotsylvania, so I go to the Stafford office. I also attend the support group at a local hospital in Spotsylvania instead of driving over an hour to the Fairfax meeting.

[jenncox 4]

Hi Andy and Ferguson this is Jenn I'm still pre op but I am going through fair Oaks . Waiting for approval which hope to find out mid September. Surgery likely the end of October. Haven't been to the support group yet because I. live an hour and 20 minutes away and there's a local chapter at a hospital nearby. I may check out the Fair Oaks group at least once after my surgery. I'm using Dr moazzez hope you're both doing well . Stay in touch if you'd like

[amorse30 2]

Hi Andy and Ferguson this is Jenn I'm still pre op but I am going through fair Oaks . Waiting for approval which hope to find out mid September. Surgery likely the end of October. Haven't been to the support group yet because I. live an hour and 20 minutes away and there's a local chapter at a hospital nearby. I may check out the Fair Oaks group at least once after my surgery. I'm using Dr moazzez hope you're both doing well . Stay in touch if you'd like

Hey Jenn how are you doing today? I'm doing pretty well. I just had my 3 month check last week to go over how I am doing and my blood lab results. They said everything was great except 1 or 2 of my Vitamin levels were a little lower than they want but they have improved since my last visit, so they're hoping by next visit they will be up to where they want them. But they were shocked to see I've lost a little over 100 pounds in 3 months! I was to, I was ecstatic. Since this time last year (when I went to the bariatric information seminar) I've lost a total of 155lbs. And I feel amazing, wait until you've had ur surgery, you'll know exactly what I'm trying to say! Its so nice to be completely off blood pressure meds and diabetic meds. Lol it great to just walk a flight of stairs and not be out of breathe. But I would love to chat with ya. Its so nice to meet people who have been through the same stuff as me and has or is having surgery..and its even better when your talking to someone local. Hopefully they get approval for ur surgery and it happened quick. They are great at what they do, especially Pam. She is great, she is so nice and so quick at getting things done. I remember she called me and was submitting it for approval and it was like 2 days later she is calling asking how surgery sounds in 4 weeks. I was shocked how quick that process went. You'll love Dr. Moazzez! He is one of the nicest doctors I've met and he actually truly cares about his patients! He has a great bedside manner. And the day of surgery he'll come in and talk with u and he will go over every step and answer EVERY AND ANY question you have and won't rush you. Truly amazing, even my scars and everything after surgery went extremely well. So if u have any worries or are nervous, trust me DONT BE, you are in great hands, and the nursing staff after surgery on the 4th floor were great, very at tentative and caring. So if you have any questions what so ever about pre op diet, the surgery, eating afterwards, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask! I will answer your questions the best I can. I wish I would have found this site before surgery, I would have loved to have a weight loss buddy!

[jenncox 4]

Wow 100 pounds in 3 months that's unbelievable ... Congratulations! What was your secret to such quick weight loss? A hundred pounds is my goal for weight loss. Thanks for all the info about dr.moazzez. I didn't Meet with him initially but pam told me he was the best there so I decided to choose him so I actually haven't met him yet. I'm sure I will when the surgery gets closer. If I have any questions thanks for the invite it ask you. Right now I'm just trying to maintain my weight not gain by drinking Protein Shakes and eating Protein Bars. Trying really hard not to eat like it's the Last Supper since my diet will be so limited after surgery. What exercises are you doing ? Keep up the great work. Thanks for getting back to me and I'll keep in touch

[amorse5416 1]

hello everyone... i am from the Fairfax area of virginia...i had gastric bypass done on 5/20/14 and i would love to find some new local weight loss buddies!!! its so hard to find people to talk to that actually know what i am going through, and it would be nice to connect with local people for support, and i also would love to help support someone! if interested, my name is Andy and you can just message me here or text me, lol i am a huge texter.....570-220-7555

[amorse5416 1]

Wow 100 pounds in 3 months that's unbelievable ... Congratulations! What was your secret to such quick weight loss? A hundred pounds is my goal for weight loss. Thanks for all the info about dr.moazzez. I didn't Meet with him initially but pam told me he was the best there so I decided to choose him so I actually haven't met him yet. I'm sure I will when the surgery gets closer. If I have any questions thanks for the invite it ask you. Right now I'm just trying to maintain my weight not gain by drinking Protein shakes and eating Protein bars. Trying really hard not to eat like it's the Last Supper since my diet will be so limited after surgery. What exercises are you doing ? Keep up the great work. Thanks for getting back to me and I'll keep in touch

Hey Jenn, lol i was just as shocked as you are that i lost 100 pounds in 3 months...Lol the nurse practioner at Dr. Moazzez's office was shocked as well, she actually told me that she thinks i have lost the most weight in 3 months that she has evert seen there. I was worried maybe i wasnt getting enough protein and losing muscle mass or something was wrong and thats why i lost so much. But i get atleast 90 grams of protein a day and all my lab works came back and they were all great. So everything is going perfect. All i do is make sure i get all my protein and Water in each day. And i try to keep everything under 600 calories a day and i usually walk on average about 9 miles a day. Out of those 9 miles, usually 3-4 of them is walking fast (exercising) and the rest is my normal day of just walking ( i have a physical job where i am always moving). Plus about a month ago i started doing those 10 minute work out videos that you do 3x's a day for 10 minutes each time and that has seem to help alot...The nurse told me i am going to hit a plateau soon probably, so i havent looked at the scales in almost 2 weeks now, so i might be down even more, i hope :-) So thats all you have to do for surgery to be successful is to just listen to the doctors!!!!!! Exercise and make healthy choices and trust me, that weight will come right of!!! Have you attended any of the Blue Point Meetins at Fair Oaks (Every 3rd Monday of the month) I have been busy every time there has been one, but i really want to attend one, i was curious if you had been to one because i am curious if its worth going to? And good for you with the shakes and protein bars...Keep it up, it makes it so much easier to get ready before surgery. It makes it alot easier if you already started your new habits before your surgery so it isnt a shock once you get there. I know its easier said than done! But take it one day at a time and keep focused on your goal and you'll make it! You just got to have strength, faith, focus, and determination!. Just think as it as starting a whole new you!! So are you from the fairfax area? how old are you? (i know you arent supposed to ask a lady that), but i was just curious. Also tell me a little bout you. Do you have a family (husband and kids)? What do you like to do for fun/ercise? Are you a sports fan? (STEELERS fan here). go to go for now, write me back when u get a chance. -----Andy-----

[Beni 1,484]

Hi, I know this thread hasn't been active in a while but I am also in Northern VA. My surgery is tomorrow at Fair Oaks Hospital with Dr. Matthew Fitzer. I am having a Bypass and I am READY. I was hoping to connect with you and would love to hear your stories.