Congratulations from a March 2006 WLS guy (long post)

Hello to all of you prospective March 2007ers. I can tell you that I am proud to be a "Marcher". We have a great group of March 2006ers. I welcome all of you to stop by our board and ask any questions that you might have. For what my two cents are worth, I do have a few suggestions. Rely and lean on each other on your board. Dont be afraid to post a question or suggestion, there shouldn't be any taboo subjects and are no dumb questons Take several pictures of yourself at least monthly. You may not want to now, but you will be amazed at the difference is just a short period of time. Measure yourself at least monthly. There will be times when you will feel that you are not losing weight, but you will be losing inches. I track my weight loss and inches lost at: http://www.weighttracker.info/Default.asp It has a lot of nice features. Some people swear by fitday.com to track their calories and protein for each day. It's worth a try. Try to walk as much as you can, even if you don't want to. Prepare yourself mentally and physically for your upcoming surgery. Start drinking lots of water now. If you feel awkward when someone gives you compliments on your weight loss, just say "thank you" and move on. Tell only the people you want to know about your surgery. As best as you can cleanse your house of junk food items. Most of all, enjoy this wild ride you are about to take. Let us other Marcher's know if we can be of any help. I am excited for all of you. Here's my numbers since I started my journey: weight 1st consult (Janurary 13, 2006) 339 weight day of surgery (March 20, 2006) 300 Weight today: 188 Life is great, Rick

Rick, Thank you so very much for the words of encouragement and advice. I for one really appreciate it. Maryellen

As another fellow Marcher from 2006, I would like to echo Rick's congratulations to you all on the journey you are about to take. It is going to be an incredible ride for you all. I agree with all the suggestions Rick made. I would also like to emphasize the importance of exercise. Start walking as soon as you can and continually try to do more and more. I made it a habit of walking early morning and after work to jumpstart my metabolism twice daily. I really think it made a big difference. Anyway, as Rick said, feel free to drop by the March 2006 board if you have any questions about what you can expect your first year. Good luck to you all. Here are my numbers. Weight at Cardiology exam February 22, 2006: 405 Weight day of surgery (March 15, 2006) 389 Weight today: 208