I have not had the dizzy feeling in quite awhile but when I did I would drink Gatorade or one of the other sports drinks. That would help me very quickly. Donna

good morning girls.....Sounds like your both doing fine We are soooo blessed to have this surgery and it looks like we had it around the same time, I have been struggling with sugar, and I am a snacker but some days I am sooooooo faithful, I did get up to 150pds and went on a 2 week all protein diet and lost 9 pds but didnt feel that great so i know if i can stay between 140-145 pds i feel good. I have met with people who have put on 40-50 pds and they say that they are soooooo mad as they know they can do it, but this was our tool.. Sometimes i really talk to myself and tell myself that i dont want to go back to my old self habits. Well wishing you both the strength to proceed on with your best weight loss ever Janice 320/231/145 5'1

I will happily answer yes to all the things that you said, Kathy. Best thing since surgery is I blend in, I am normal. The world treats me better, I don't have to try half as hard to get twice as much back. I went through an awful divorce two years before my surgery and that combo made me invincible. I started at 315#'s, I am now 193#'s and my doctor wants me to lose just 20#'s more because of my frame, I am nearly 5'10". If I do it I will do it with exercise. The noise in my head is quiet; you know the one that "talks" to you when you are heavy, and with that gone I was able to hear new things, like a gorgeous intelligent man asking me to marry him with my son holding the ring box............Barb

Just thought I'd try and check in with my fellow March 05'ers! How is everybody doing? I'll start off with my update, stats first: Starting weight 351, BMI 61 Current weight 189, BMI 33 Goal weight 170 Best things since WLS: Well of course the obvious, ease of movement & mobility, enjoying better health (BP resolved, type II diabetes gone, cholesterol normal - off all those meds), loving shopping for clothes & shoes (SHOES!), able to do for myself and others in ways I just could not at the time of surgery. I was so afraid pre-op that I'd NEVER have some of the foods I loved again, and I was willing to let them go. Little did I know that in the end, if I stuck to my surgeon's protocol, I'd work myself back to where I can have pretty much anything in moderation. I do dump on large amts of sugar - fine, keeps me honest. I "fit" into places better - booths, movie & concert seats, buses & trains (haven't had the chance to fly yet post-op). I LOVE seeing the small changes in my muscles, bones and shapes showing where I haven't seen them in years (or ever???). Worst things since WLS: the drudgery of "managing" all the details of maintaining a healthy post-op lifestyle - some days I am just TIRED of it! Loose skin is a serious problem now, and I am looking at several PS procedures in my future - scared of that! THE SCALE - thank God I don't have one in my house. This far out, I am usually "stalled" and big losing weeks are few & far in between. I haven't had serious complications, but I have had kidney stones, which were painful and required an outpatient surgical procedure to remove. Thru this I've learned I need 100oz/fluids a day minimum. TIRED of managing that! SHopping is fun, but it's expensive to continually replace clothes, even from thrift & consignment shops & ebay. If I don't wear it for 2 weeks, it may not fit when I go to put it on! This has causd probs when dressing in the morning & I have to check everything out the nite before now. OOK well I didn't mean to write a novel. I'd love to hear from yall - how are you doing? Best & worst things since your surgery in March 05? Have a great holiday! Kathy

Hi Barbara, Whine away! And I hear you loud & clear. I love the way you put it "managing myself." I am so tired of that, too! Last night after supper I asked what time it was - I didn't have my watch or cell phone on me and I was so thirsty! BUt committed to waiting 30 minutes post-meal to start sipping again. My father in law says, "Got somewhere ta go??" And motherin law chimes in, "Relax, honey!" thinking I was stressing about something. Thank God my sweet husband knew why I was asking and he just said, "It's 6:15 baby" and smiled. This whole thing just got on my last nerve and I felt so doggone irritated about all the little ways I have to "manage" myself post-op. Sometimes my job has me in cir****tances where I have to sit in a small room with four other people for up to six hours straight. I always have my food & water along so I can get what I need during the day, but I have to sit there and watch the other folks munching on chips, cookies, candy, stuff from the vending machines sitting right next to us usually, and they always kindly offer me what they are eating. A) NO THANK YOU but man, it gets hard to say "no thank you" every time somebody whips out something, and eventually I feel I need to explain why after a few hours of this, and B) Just listening to the crunching and the lip smacking and the conversation about how DELICIOUS it is..I feel like I'm in a Fellini film or something how crazy it makes me some days. So to make a short story long I have no additional suggestions for you, apparently I had some whining of my own to do. You inspired me! At least you know you are not alone? Well, I could suggest this, it's trite, but true for me - when I feel mired in the negatives, and if I can get just a moment of clarity, I try to consciously shift my focus to the positives. I don't know your stats, but for me, I've lost gosh, I need to do the new math or look at myticker - whatever 351 minus my current weight of 189 is. 162? I've lost a bunch of weight, anyway, and I feel so much better. I'm loving shopping for clothes. I had no serious complications & can enjoy almost any food I choose in moderation. I feel strong and powerful - I used to be so timid and afraid physically - of falling, embarrassing myself, etc. Now I can run up AND DOWN stairs again, chase my niece & nephews around the yard, take my dogs for a JOG! You get the idea. In the final analysis, the good definitely outweighs the bad for me. I hope the same is true for you! Took a look at your profile & picture - you are looking wonderful! That's a great family picture! Congrats on your wonderful success. Feel free to "whine" anytime! Kathy