I also imagined a more rapid, obvious change. My surgery was on 5/19/03 and I have lost about 50 pounds. I am 5'9" and have gone from 400 to 350 pounds. When I had surgery, size 32 was a little tight. Now size 30 is a little loose. I had imagined that I would have lost at least 2 full sizes by now, instead of just 1. Oh, well. 50 pounds is still a lot of weight, right? Try the Isopure protein drinks (available at GNC) to try to get your protein intake up. They are NOT milk-based, but are VERY thin and easy to drink in flavors like orange, green apple-melon, and other fruity, easy-to-drink flavors. I am trying to keep focused on the positives of my weight loss...50 pounds of fat is the same as 200 sticks of butter!!! 35 pounds of fat is the same as 140 sticks of butter! That is a pretty good loss for you. Are you taking your measurements? Sometimes you will see more "results" there than you do on the scales. Keep up the good work!

Jeannette - I hear your pain! I hate milk too - for exactly the same reason you mentioned ... the thickness. Give me a clear liquid to drink and I'm happy - but make it a thick one and ICK!! Even soy milk, though not as thick - makes me think MILK. I have been (very sporadically) using the GNC soy protein powder (has 35 Gr. per scoop) - and I use about 1 cup of skim milk in my blender, one scoop of powder and a lot of ice. (the powder is choco flavor) ... I turn on the blender until all the ice is pulverized and it's kind of like a milk shake ...I'm not big on ice cream either, but this isn't really to bad. Problem? I don't like ice cream enough to enjoy this EVERY day ... I wish there was a lo cal CLEAR liquid protein. MORE THAN THAT - I wish there was a protein PILL to swallow.

My surgery date was May 27 ... I am 5'10" tall and started out on surgery day at 260 pounds. I'm still 5'10" tall and now am at about 223-224 pounds. I think this seems rather slow - at least it FEELS slow! I'm eating pretty much REGULAR foods but only about 3-4 ounces of it at a meal. Doing VERY poorly at my protein intake -- and I will probably end up BALD as a consequence. Drinking water is getting boring too - but I keep trying. I'm probably not getting enough of that either. But anyway - I was hoping to see how others with surgery times around my time were doing. (I'm not discouraged - but imagined a much FASTER, more obvious change! *smile*)

I was having problems eating dinner and decided to eat my main meal for lunch. In the evening I just eat light or have a protein shake. For now, skip the chicken since it may be too dry and stick to fish or meat. Try to eat foods that are moist so they go down easy. In Mexico they prepare flank steak in a shredded style. Don't recall what it's called thre but in Cuba it's Ropa Vieja and in Venezuela it's Carne Mechada. Some spanish countries call it Carne Ripiada. It's prepared in a soup and once removed it's grilled. Some people add a bit of tomato. It's very good but you really need to chew it. By the way, my co-worker had to have her esophogous (??) checked because she kept throwing up. It seems these little bumps had begun to grow from all the vomiting. The passage had become too narrow and they had to fix it. I suggest you mention this to your doctor so he can check it. Have fun in Mexico and stay away from the Margaritas.

I am 9 weeks out as of today and have loss a total of 58 lbs. I hit my first plateau this week. Not loosing a single pound... Makes you worry for a second. But I guess this in normal...? Started eating a little more carbs last week and I am thinking that is why I haven't loss any weight this week...? How is everyone else doing...?