I personally would like it to continue. Start: 383 Today: 274 Loss: 109 Feel great was at a stand stil for a few weeks, started loosing more consistently this month. Have to do Iron infusion as the Iron therapy has not worked. With that aside I feel great, more active, life is good!!! No Complaints. Continued success and health to all!!!

Hello all! I'm not lossing as fast as all, which at times I get alittle down about but then I remind myself how damn great I feel and that I am eating GREAT, Taking my vitamins, running at least 3 days a week. So Thats really all that matters is I'm living a healthy life. right?! Sugery Date: 10/18/04 Started at 282 Now at 202. For about the last 6 weeks my husband and I have started a running training program so we are running 3 days a week for about 30-45 minutes and it is going so great. Since I started this I can feel and see my body shape changing. I feel so great I haven't lost any hair at all and surprisingly the only saggy skin is in my boobs and my upper legs. Woohooo. Last weekend my husband and I got a babysitter for my daughter and we worked on taking out wild blackberry bushes all day long from 1-6pm. That was darn hard work let me tell you. I can't belive I had so much energy to do that all day. It made me feel good to see how much work we did then to know that I could acutally do it. Before WLS I wouldn't have been able to to that at all. Everyone is doing

I think it should continue! I've had a pretty good month. I seemed to have stalled last month, but I seem to be back to losing again. Surgery date: 10/12/04 Starting weight: 379 Todays weight: 242 Loss: 137 Still learning how to keep the pouch happy, it seems like trial and error sometimes and I can be a slow learner! Oatmeal seems to work good for breakfast...I actually enjoy decaf coffee now too. And to control snacking urges the almighty sunflower seed is wonderful! Craigerzz

Hello October losers I have had a few emails about our roll call. Seems that some people would rather not see how others are doing because they are not doing as well. I will leave it up to the majority. Do we continue or do we stop? I am going to post for June and everyone is welcome to do the same. Please also indicate if you want me to continue each month or stop. You can email me personally at [email protected] Surgery date: 10/11/04 Starting weight: 334 Todays weight: 204 Loss: 129 I had a bad spell last month. I had severe stomach cramping, vomiting and diarrhea. An upper GI did not show anything wrong and today I have a CT scan. I was miserable for 10 days, only able to eat very soft foods and liquids. I also lost 15# in 10 days. Hopefully the CT scan will find something or nothing and I can get back to my regular routine. How was your month? Sheryl

Hi everyone, I agree, I never dreamed of posting anything like this! At this point I have lost about 124lbs. and acording to my doctor "it wouldn't be unrealistic to believe that I will be about 140" which means I still have about 40lbs. left to lose. However, my doctor also told me that the weight loss will continue definately for the first 12 months and very likely up until 18 months after surgery. So, that left me with the same question, when will it stop? Believe me, I don't want it to stop yet... although I can't say I would be too upset if it did, but if I could continue to lose for another six months or so... where will that leave me? I have read stories of people that could not stop. Honestly I know I have already gone from one extreme to another... but I don't want the 'another' extreme to become VERY EXTREME. Reading some of the other responses has already helped me with this. I agree that we haven't been this small in a very long time, so it seems to be a lot different and we may see it as smaller than it is. Personally, I still have a lot of trouble seeing myself as anything other than a 300lb woman. I know this can take time, especially since I am one of us that has NEVER been of a "normal" weight, for almost 30 years when I looked in the mirror there really was a very large person looking back. I can't imagine that image leaving my mind as fast as this weight has been leaving my body. I also realize that the comments that other people are based on our former size(duh,I know), but I mean...They see a 300+lb. woman(in my case) that is now around 180, to them that is a very drastic change... so they will make comments like 'you'll blow away', or 'we wont be able to see you sideways', or 'pretty soon I wont recognize you'.... so that along with everything else going on in our minds will perhaps cause us to wonder if it is going too far, and meanwhile we are just becomming 'normal'... Just a theory. I also would like to share an experience I have been having lately that I think sort of ties in with this. I am not the richest person in the world... I work hard to pay my rent and bills and I am single(which means a single income), so I can't really afford to buy clothes as my sizes go down... so for the most part I have been wearing clothes that have been too big for me. I did begin to buy some things, but I found it hard for me to actually buy the right size... I was so used to looking for the biggest one and buying it! I know what you are all thinking...TRY THEM ON! Yes, I know, And I do now. But, with my budget I have to buy some things at secondhand stores and I didn't really like trying those on... anyway over the past week or so I have been wearing some clothing that actually fits me now and it has caused quite a reaction. A close friend said 'I think you have lost more than 120lbs', and a relative asked what I was down to and I told him and he replied 'are you sure, you look like you weigh less than that' I find this interesting. I actually fight with myself sometimes because I tend to wear clothes a bit baggy so that people don't make these comments. The reason I fight with myself over it is because I know I dressed to hide my body my entire life(at least since I was old enough to realize it) and now when I can buy jeans in the 'normal' section of the store I shouldn't try to hide my accomplishments, but it is still my instinct. Sometimes I find it so weird, the other day I was getting dressed and I said to myself 'these jeans will NEVER fit me', and in reality they do and are a size too big. OH, WILL THE ISSUES EVER END?????? As far as bruising, I have noticed this as well. My theory on it is that we had more padding before. Sounds too simple, I know, but I really believe that. Our bones are much more near the surface than they were before, and when banged against something it is sure to have more impact. I really think that over time we will adjust to this, just as the oddness of the bones. I had tailbone trouble for quite some time, but now I realize it and it doesn't bother me anymore, it is natural to me now to sit so it doesn't hurt and to sit the right way in the bath. I still have a little trouble with the hipbones and leaning against stuff, but I noticed that my body is adjusting to it as well. I think it will all work out in time, remember we still haven't even hit the year mark! I have had cramps as well. I notice them more when I don't get as much water in. I know cramping is a sign of dehydration and lack of potassium, so perhaps those of you that are having trouble with cramping should ask your doctors about this. Congratulations to everyone, and I wish us all continued success! Amber 304/180/?