1. Surgery date? 1/21/04 2. Starting weight? 309 lbs. 3. Height? 5'5" 4. Smoker before surgery? yes 5. Stopped smoking just to have the surgery? yes 6. Weight as of today? 172 lbs. (YEAH! Down about 140ish) 7. What size do you wear now? 12 8. Do you smoke? yup, picked up that addiction AND Shopping 9. Would you do it again? In a heartbeat 10. How old are you? 32

Well, I was told by my Kaiser nutritionist yesterday that Kaiser does not cover reconstructive surgery unless it is medically necessary. So ... document, document, document, document. As for when, most of what I have read confirms what your doc said. Most want you to be "stable" when you get the PS done and that won't really happen for us until we are about 18 months out. Good luck!

This is not MY recipe-I got it on the OH recipe site. I did change it a little though, I added dry cottage cheese and when I make it with a raspberry flavour, I add a little sf raspberry syrup to it. I also do not use low fat-it raises the carbs and I like the taste of full fat better. Anyway-I saw lots of posts lately looking for ideas to take to work etc, this is my absolute favorite. You could even play with it to make a pretty fruit layered dessert for the family or company! Heather post lap rny jan 27,2004 253/143/140 Lemon Gelatin Whip (makes 6 servings) 2 boxes sugar-free lemon jello(or flavour of your choice) 2 cups boiling water 1 cup cold water 1/3 cup dry cottage cheese(optional) 1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream 1/3 cup part-skim ricotta 1/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese 1/2 tsp lemon extract(or match to flavour of jello) Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water. Stir in the cold water, cover, and refrigerate until firm. In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, sour cream, ricotta, cream cheese, and lemon extract. Blend on high speed until light and fluffy. Cut the gelatin into sections and add to the mixture. Blend on high speed until smooth and frothy like a milkshake, about 3 to 4 minutes. Pour into individual serving dishes or small containers with lids. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. 137 calories 14 g protein 3 g carbohydrates 5 g fat (you can reduce this by using non-fat ingredients instead of lo-fat) 3 g saturated fat 18 mg cholesterol 537 mg sodium 0 g fiber

1. Surgery date? 1/27/04 2. Starting weight? 253 lbs. 3. Height? 5'8" 4. Smoker before surgery? No way 5. Stopped smoking just to have the surgery? n/a 6. Weight as of today? 143 7. What size do you wear now? between size 1 & 5 for pants s-m for shirts 8. Do you smoke? NO 9. Would you do it again? In a hearbeat! 10. How old are you? 33. Heather

I too understand your frustration. I was so sure because I started out larger than most that I'd be a fast loser. That theory got ditched by week 3 when I was at 18 pounds lost. As I look back on the year though it is a miracle. I feel like a normal person. At this point there isn't anything I want to do that I can't do. I've decided I might not make goal by 18 months but I will make it eventually. My surgeon explained at my 6 month checkup (80 pounds) that my expectations were just too high. He said if I'd had a normal metabolism I could never have gained to 410 pounds, plus my age 58 makes it harder to lose, then throw being diabetic on top of that to doom me to the slow loser group. At least I am losing and not gaining. Without surgery I'd probably have added another 20 lbs during the past year. Best of luck to you! Pat 410/352/232/190 (plus PS for another 30-40 lb loss)