I can remember alot of what you all are going thru and if it hadn't been for this board since I don't have a close by support group, I'd be so lost. We are so anxious to loose all this extra weight and when we see someone who has lost 40 lbs the first 3 weeks or month and all we have lost is 17 we feel like a failure. Like I said we are different and will loose different but if you follow the rules a year out you'll see it all averages out. So don't fret. When you stall you still lose inches. There is almost no way not loose weight the first months when your averageing under 900 calories but you have to move too! You got to get out and walk for at least 45 minutes and you have to take your vitamins espically your B vitamins that help motabolisum. Some of you might want to take Biotin which is good for your skin, nails and hair. Yep most of us around 3 - 4 months out lost alot of hair which usually last around 3 to 4 months but it does come back. Hence if you look at alot of us we started out with long hair and ended up cutting it in short sexy doos. By no means is this surgery easy phisically and mentally and it wasn't ment to be, it has to be a life changing experiance. If you don't want to gain the weight back than fight the urges that will return with your taste budds to not start eating the wrong things again. Some people dump and alot of us wish we still did or do. See you can grow out of that too. There is so much to learn on this journey.

Give yourself a pat on the back! This is not an easy journey, so to have made it successfully through the first month, is something to be proud of. Today was my 1 month mark and I have lost 37 pounds since my surgery. BUT, I discovered I was becoming a bit obsessive, ok so a lot obsessive, with the scale so I had my husband hide it from me and only get it out once a week for me. Don't forget how you feel is way more important that what the scale says. Congratulations and Good Luck!

Hi Tiffanie, I know it's difficult to compare other people's weight loss to your own. I'm guilty of doing it as well. Just think, you've lost 25 pounds in a month. When have you ever been able to do that?!? I will be a month out on Wednesday and I am down 25 pounds as well. I lost 9 pounds prior to surgery so I am down 34 total. I have also been in a stall for the past week but got on the scale this morning to find that I lost 4 pounds. It also depends a lot on what weight you started at. I weighed 242 before surgery. As long as you are following doctor's orders, getting in your protein and fluids, you are fine.

I've noticed alot of you are hitting the dreaded 3 or 4 week stall. Alot of you, which is normal, feel something is wrong becuase you haven't lost as much weight as someone close to your surgery date and your following all the rules. Take a Breath and stop beating yourself up this is normal. No one loses the same. As a matter of fact alot of us notice we lose the fat totally different than we had in past attempts. If you just scroll on up to say the June 2007 board look at the weight loss advitars and you will see with in the year we All about averaged about the same weight loss, unless you stopped following the rules toward the end of the Honeymoon Phase , like exerciseing and getting into sweets and fats again. Please remember stalls usually occure around 3 weeks, 3 months, 6months, than your weight loss seams to slow up, than around a year out you may have a month long stall. The Honeymoon Phase is the first 6 months when it is almost impossible to screw up since your pouch is so tight but during this time if you don't follow the rules and measure your food, chew and listen to your pouch for fullness and keep trying to stuff alittle more you can start stretching it more than it needs to be. Matter of fact stretching will happen and needs to slowly anyways cause you have to eat more later out to survive. This is why you follow your nutrionist or Doctors food guide. Sometimes not getting enough protein, water and calories can slow your weight loss. Also keep in mind the scale is a pro at mind games so try to pick a day and weigh only once a week. Also know that when you hit those stalls your body is still sheading inches. Start measureing and keeping track. Also start logging into www.fitday.com with your food intake and exercise. It is a great site that will let you know how your doing and if your meeting your needed intakes. Start this now. Seems silly when you can't eat much or you don't want to...well in about 6 months your nerve endings in your tummy will heal and your taste budds will come back and things will for the most part start tasting normal again though some of you will still dump on certain things. So in all don't stress the stalls, just keep following the rules cause the fat is going to fall off your body and you will be so amazed in 6 months! Promise.

I got approved when I went through them with Dr. Katlhouda. His staff did everything for me to get approved and it wasnt that hard. Look him up and if you cant get his information just call up USC University Hospital. Hes one of the best at what he does!