Thanks for that info Tina!! I've done SBD breakfast bar things, but those are stage 2/3. I was never able to do stage 1 because of being pregnant or breastfeeding. I JUST finished with that, so I think my body is still acting in response to that.

That being said - I am down 10lbs today!! At the end of January I was 325 and today I am 315!! Progress! i'll take it!

There is a pre-WLS diet that the surgeons up here in Canada require. It's called Optifast. My husband did this before his surgery (his choice, not Dr.Fitzer's, because he doesn't require it) and he lost 25 lbs in 2 weeks. It is 4 Optifast shakes per day and nothing else except for your water and other no-calorie liquids. It's brutal, but it works. The 4 shakes per day contain 100% of your daily requirement of vitamins/minerals/etc. Anyway, that's just a suggestion, but sounds like you are working very hard on your own. :)

As for the CDN/US conversion rate...
$80.00/CDN = $77.39/US

And for the reverse conversion...
$80/US = $86.42/CDN

I found the conversions here: http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/cgi-bin/travel/fxconvert.pl

Good luck!

I've looked into Optifast, there's also Medifast....but both are Sooo expensive! I know it would be worth it, but we just don't have that kind of money right now =( My husband has been out of work on FMLA due to gout issues. We've lost about 3 months income because of that. I'm not sure if the surgeon's office would provide anything like that. I think SOME do, but nothing was said to me the times I've gone up there. I wonder if I could call my insurance company and ask if they'd cover it. Wouldn't hurt to ask, right?? =P

I'm so sorry to hear about your husband.  It wouldn't hurt to call your insurance company to see if they cover something like that; you never know. What is FMLA by the way? (I'm not familiar with the acronym... is it something in the U.S.? I'm Canadian remember. <--- That's me. lol)

Sorry =) FMLA stands for Family, Medical Leave Act. It's meant so that you can be out of work and not get in trouble/FIRED for cases where employee or family member needs medical attention. It's also for pregnancy/adoption - maternity and paternity leave, etc.

Basic Leave Entitlement
FMLA requires covered employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to eligible employees for the following reasons:
• For incapacity due to pregnancy, prenatal medical care or child birth;
• To care for the employee’s child after birth, or placement for adoption or foster care;
• To care for the employee’s spouse, son or daughter, or parent, who has a serious health condition; or
• For a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the employee’s job.

My "re-birth" is April 6th! WOW I never thought of it as a "re-birth", interesting. I'm calm, for now. Getting mentally prepared; you know hunger vs. head hunger, etc.. I start my 2 wk liquid diet on the 24th of March. I NEED to tighten up on my exercise routine, since i can workout up til surgery.

That's about it for me!!!

Amy

Tina - I have a question about the phase 1 SBD.

This is what I saw on the site -

Foods Allowed in Phase 1

DAIRY

• Low-fat (1 percent) or fat-free milk or soy milk
• Plain or sugar-free low-fat or fat-free yogurt
• Fat-free half & half

BUT then I see

Foods NOT Allowed and to be Avoided in Phase 1

DAIRY

• 1/2 cup of plain fat-free yogurt (once per day max.)
• Fat Free 1/2 & 1/2, Nonfat milk, 1% milk,
• Soy milk allowed with coffee. Otherwise avoid all other dairy products (unless listed under protein choices or sweet treats).
• Limit to < 2 TBS per cup of coffee. Otherwise, avoid all milk products in Phase 1, including:
• Yogurt, cup-style and frozen
• Ice cream
• Milk, low-fat, fat-free, whole
• Milk, soy

Any help?

You are allowed this...

• 1/2 cup of plain fat-free yogurt (once per day max.)
• Fat Free 1/2 & 1/2, Nonfat milk, 1% milk,
• Soy milk allowed with coffee.Limit to < 2 TBS per cup of coffee

So milk and such is okay in COFFEE, but not to drink like a 8oz cup alone?

I rarely drink milk anymore, lactose intolerance. And I use non-dairy creamer in my coffee. I just thought the way it was worded sounded weird, or I was reading it wrong, lol.

Thanks!!

Hey everyone,
I want to be a part of this group-my date is April 7th.  I read the post about South Beach and what I am doing is pretty much the same but it's the Atkins you know mostly protein- very little carbs-so far I've lost 3lbs and I just started a few days ago but walking about 30 min also. Congratulations and good luck to everyone. I am getting so excited.