Hi all, I'm hoping you folks will be willing to share your nutrional guidelines -- my surgeon has pretty much provided no info for me -- specifically what I'm trying to find out: Daily recommended counts for: -protein -carbs -fat -calories I haven't posted in a while, things have been crazy busy here. I am down 78 pounds since 6/29 and very pleased with that -- have just come off a 4-week plateau where I swore this surgery wasn't working for me, LOL. Self-doubt!! I hope everyone is doing well. -BJ 300/224/150??

No more bp meds. I sleep so well now,no acid reflux, all in all it's a great time in my life looking forward to the century club too!!! Just 31 lbs. to go Yea!!! Have a wonderful day, Connie P.

Hang in there. Any loss is good. I'm down 60 pounds since June 21 and am very happy. My personal opinion is that the slower the loss, the less excess skin I will have to deal with when I'm finished losing. I went for a while where the scales did not budge at all but I was losing inches. After about 3 weeks I started losing again and for the last 3 weeks I have lost between 1 to 3 pounds per week. I only weigh once a week in the nurses' office where I work. I set my long term goal to be at my ideal weight by December 31, 2005. This gives me 18 months to lose the excess weight and according to Fitday.com I need to lose an average of 2 1/4 pounds per week to reach that goal. Be patient with yourself and stick to your food plan and you will be fine. If there is a indoor pool you can access, perhaps you could swim instead of walking until your sore foot gets better.

Hey Mary, I will hit my 5 month at the end of the month, but I just stepped on the scale this morning. It read 188. That means I have lost 81 pounds since June 21. It is such an amazing feeling to be able to see a 1 in the first number position on the scale. Haven't had that since junior high. I still can't accept compliments. It makes me feel weird for some reason. I am getting used to looking in the mirror and actually seeing my entire body fit into it. Usually I would have to walk past to see my backside. Now I am only 50 pounds to my goal and loving every minute of it. Heather

Hey Mary, Isn't it grand?! There are so many people who don't recognize me and it is so much fun! It was almost like the twilight zone when I went to my children's school and none of the staff recognized me. I still have a mental block that is scaring me from taking pictures. I am so afraid that although I have lost 72 pounds, I may still look the same in a photo. AM I ? I'm working on it though. I almost have enough nerve to take a picture. Life has changed so much. I've gone from a size 22 to a size 6. WHO KNEW I could do this. WLS has been so wonderful to me. I want to make sure everyone has an opportunity to be as happy as I am. I stop MO people all over the place and show them my before picture (we know I don't have an after pic) and give them my Dr's name and number. Someone's gonna punch me one of these times. LOL! A year ago, I was 272 lbs. I am now 144 lbs and I ONLY HAVE 23 POUNDS UNTIL GOAL!!!!! Well, let's all drink our water and protein and lose some major lbs this anniversary month! May we all hit our personal goals this month. Hannah