JULY ROLL CALL

GOOD MORNING DELAWARE!!! How's it shakin guys and gals??? Can you believe it? July is already here! Time sure can get away from us these days! At any rate, it is THAT time again! Time to support our wonderful newer post-ops! Time to support older post-ops! Time to post support for our special Non-ops! Time to support all the wonderful new pre-ops just finding this place! Time for old friends to catch up! Time to make new friends! Time for the lurkers to peek their head around the corner and say "hello", if even for a short visit! If you are kinda shy (as I was a short time ago - I know - HARD to believe now eh) just post a wave : wave : (minus the spaces) Come on everyone ... lets see just how many people are hanging around these boards lately!!! Let's set a posting record for one DE post!!! Come out, come out wherever you are!!!

I'll start ... This past month has been a bit of a crazy ride. After months of almost no loss at all, I lose 15 pounds. WOW!!! Problem is, I did not do it the healthy way. I went on pretty much a no carb diet. As soon as I went back to eating normally, I gained back 5 pounds almost immediately. But I have managed to settle into a new weight low for me. Have spent the time since then maintaining that loss and recovering the muscle firmness that I lost there also. My lesson learned was ... yes, I want to drop more pounds, and yes I am able to do so ... but not at the cost of body firmness and my health. So I have gone back to eating good food choices. Eating a varied diet and my body is catching back up with the loss. I have also learned that while I weigh slightly more now than I did in high school, my size is considerably less. Say Yeah!!! I just packed away my jean skirt (size 12) and purchased a couple of jean skirts size 10!!! I can hardly believe it. It was great when I bought my workout gear in size 4-6, but I always kept qualifying in my head that it had lycra=stretch, so it didn't really count. Oh the head games we play!!! BUT jeans have always been my largest size that I have to buy. And here I am, buying them is a size 10!!! OH YEAH!!! If I could just get that to finally fit in my head!!! At any rate, I am feeling better than ever! Again, I am so very thankful to my docs for helping me get my life and health back. Now for my soapbox portion of my post! For everyone - Rob was so very right in another post ... it is summer, it is hot ... so up the water accordingly! For our posties - Stay on top of your protein and take those vitamins! These are lifetime requirements (that we agreed to before our surgery) for our healths and even our lives sakes! For our pre-ops - Take this time to learn, learn and learn some more. Also, do all you can to help your body get as healthy as possible for your surgery. Truly it will help your recovery far more than I can tell you. For our non-ops - I am so very happy for you and encourage each of you to continue doing the wonderful job you are doing. It is not easy for any of us ... we are all in this struggle together! For each and every one of us - Spend a bit of time every day, showing yourself the love and respect that you show everyone else around you!!! You are so VERY worth it!!! Until next time ... hugs and Love ya, Tammy

Hello My Twin, Well this month has been a busy soul search for me. So many things are changing for me....Not just the outward appearance but my feelings for things and how to deal with issues. I feel like I have grown up in many ways. I realize things that bothered me in the past don't bother me anymore. I know what I like and don't like and like my opinion of things instead of hanging on the fence. Food is no longer my main concern and I am very grateful its not! I am learning to cope with things such as the new me and how the new me wants to be treated. I started therapy this month. I have only had one session but it feels right. I am glad I started the process now. Any earlier in my journey I don't think I would get what I needed from it. When you are losing the big numbers you think what help do you need? I don't eat alot so why do I need help. I need help to remain focused. Its too easy to get off track. I need help to keep me accountable. When left to my own devices I go a muck. I am so happy I have met so many wonderful people on this journey and they have helped me alot. Its always nice to know you aren't alone. I had a bit of a stomach issue for a few weeks...Now we are having the endless period. Figures huh! I have taken off 5 pounds this month which is great.....I want more but I will settle for the 5. As long as I keep working at it I am sure I will lose more. I have been riding my bike alot lately and really enjoy it. I go see my hottie surgeon for my year follow up on the 12th. I am so excited. He is the most wonderful man I know next to my hubby. I thank him every day for helping me find me! Life is wonderful and I am so glad I know that now! My loss for this year has been ~180 lbs. another 20 and I will be at Dr's goal. My goal is another 80 lbs. I know I can do it! And I will with the support system that I have I can't lose!

Debbie, Yeah, for you! I am so very happy for you Debbie. What an incredible transformation you have had ... both inside and out!!! I love watching everyone change! It still amazes me at just how much of our journey really is an emotional awakening! May your next year be as wonderfully blessed as this past year has been for you. Hugs & , Tammy

Oh, I forgot to mention ... I just purchased my first bathing suit since WLS. I had been wearing my old maternity suit (don't ask - something about comfort clothes) Anyway, hubby had been bugging me to buy a new one. I was not up for the shopping trip. Trying on bathing suits had always been such a traumatic deal for me, I doing everything in my power to avoid it. At any rate, when I tried on my maternity swim dress size 3 or 4X this year, the bottom piece fell straight to the floor, EVEN with the lycra, and the safety pins in it from last year. It was at this point that I knew shopping for a new swim dress was unavoidable. I finally bit the bullet and grabbed everything and anything and took them into the dressing room with me. Swallowing my pride, I started trying them on. I tried the swim dresses, and they didn't look right anymore. I was bummed, cause I though this was the only thing that would even begin to work. I finally tried on a tankini and while I didn't fall in love, I fell in like!!! I never in a million years thought I could wear a two piece that clung to my body, and yet, here I was doing it!!! I paired the new tankini with a matching pareo. Here is the best part ... while certainly not a bathing beauty ... I no longer felt overly self conscious in my suit. As a pre-op, I would run, not walk (the ONLY running I would do pre-op BTW) from the pool, drenching wet straight to my room, dripping and making a mess all the while. This year, I felt comfortable enough to take off my pareo by the lounge chairs and then walk (not run) to the pool. Get in, enjoy myself swimming and then get out, dry off and lounge until I was dry before getting up and going back to my room. Sounds like I have finally hit another "normal" milestone!!! What a blessing!!!

Dimples! I have been a real lurker for the past year or so, had my surgery five months ago tomorrow and I decided a few days ago I'll be a lurker no more. (Part of is was Elissa telling me to "Knock off the lurking and just post already" at the last PMRI meeting!! I'm down about 96 pounds. I have been stuck at this mark for 2 to 3 weeks. I stopped counting after the first week. I decided not to panic because I know this is just a plateau and I know I will eventually start losing again. It really sucks though to get on the scale each morning and see the same darn number again and again. Well, at least it's not going up, right?? Plus, 96 pounds is nothing to sneeze at and my body is probably saying, "OK, what the H are you doing??" I also don't stress because I am so happy to be feeling like I'm half way to normal. Walking outside in this kind of humidity used to make me sweat immediately. I just walked a few blocks -- not one bead of sweat!!! Life is great and I can't wait to see how I feel a year from now!!! Can't wait to see how all of the other lurkers are doing. OK, Delaware room, follow my lead and listen to Elissa -- stop lurking and post already!! We all love to read about your concerns, questions and what you're going through. We're in the same boat and we want to help anyone with problems. Love, Kristen ;)

Kristen, So very glad you have come out of lurker mode!!! (Special thanks to our dear E for the gentle prodding!) Congratulations on your EXCELLENT loss. 96 pounds in 5 months!!! Wow! The stalls can be pretty hard to deal with sometimes. At least they were for me. But your excellent attitude will make a world of difference! BTW - now is the time to take those measurements. It was during my stalls that I had the greatest loss in body inches!!! Now about mowing the lawn!!! Isn't it amazing??? One minute we are desperate not to leave the comfort of our air conditioning, the next we are looking for reasons to get outside - pushing a mower none the less!!! Life truly is grand!!! Keep up the good work!!! Hugs & , Tammy

Kristen, Thanks for coming out of the shawdows. Its great to hear from you and everybody else too. I have been getting on the scale alot lately. Sometimes I get on in the morning and again in the afternoon. What's up with that??? Anyway getting to the plateau, if you are keeping a journal take a long hard look at it. Do not deprive yourself, just eat smart. Try to stay hydrated in the summer. Drink more water and it'll keep you on track. 96 lbs is truely awesome. 4 more to go til you be in the Century club. It'll happen quickly again so keep doing what you need to do and you'll start loosing again. This is a great thing and it feels good to be healthy. Gives you the energy you need to keep on loosing. Elissa

Hi Tammy, Congrats on the new bathing suit that is a big step, I haven't bought one yet, but I keep trying them on. Just haven't found the one yet. I have been stuck at 91 pounds weight loss for 4 weeks now, I need some suggestions, this heat and humidity has been taking a toll on me. Every day I have been coming home with a really bad headache, not feeling like exercising at all. I have been going to the Y and swimming on weekends, but I really need to walk. I am also having a hard time with foods, and packing for work. I drink a protien drink and my water it seems like I have been so hungry latley. Any suggestions for meal ideas for the summer time let me know. Sorry, I have been whinning....Take care, Dana

(((DANA))), You are NOT whinning ... BUT even if you were whinning, who better to whine with, than our friends who have been there and done that or may very be there some day? You ask for some ideas. I will gladly share what I can think of, and hopefully after the holiday others will be around and will have other ideas that may help you out as well. First thing I am thinking Dana ... you work in an extremely hot enviroment so you really need to up those fluid levels if you are getting headaches. I really have to UP UP UP my fluids when I am in an enviroment like that or I end up exhausted and headachy (is that even a word?) Anyway, I completely understand why you are beat when you get home. Which Y are you going to? My Y has an indoor track and it is airconditioned. Was just there last night and the temps were very comfortable - even with me running. Perhaps a couple of nights a week, after work you could hit the pool at the Y and then hit the track or vice versa. Perhaps the pool will help invigorate you? I know that sometimes I really have to push myself but I always feel so much better once I do it. Maybe it will help you get your second wind after work. I really feel for you Dana ... that kind of heat really zaps ya!!! Maybe an exercise partner would help? I would be glad to hit the Y with you sometime if you like. Just let me know. About meals ... it is really hard for me to eat in the summers, so I just stick with easy and usually cold stuff. There are days in the summer that I get most of my protein via drinks and then use my meals for my veggies and etc. Most of the protein I do "chew" is cold, salad type of protein. Check out my profile page. I put up a link to some of my favorite summers foods for you. I have some recipes there that I LOVE LOVE LOVE! The link is near the bottom and it is called "Summer Recipes". I especially love the salad. I usually eat it at least once a day. BTW - hunger at this point is SO VERY NATURAL. We can not survive on a bite of this and a bite of that forever. We have to eat. The secret here is to start to fill the void with healthy foods, like veggies and etc. Perfect time for them BTW! Now is the time to use all you have learned over the past several months. It was kinda scary for me at first, but then I learned that I did in fact have control, it was not just the surgery. You are perfectly normal and you are going to be fine. Now is the time to start using your tool to your advantage. Have you seen the Pouch Rules for Dummies? Some of the information there has really helped me after I got a little further out from my surgery. BTW - This is not something that is really for the newer post-op, your pouch has to be a little more mature with hunger returning for these principals to work. (http://) leslie_anne1.tripod.com/pouch_rules.htm. With specific emphsis on Fluid Loading. When I first started feeling hunger, it scared me. I thought this is it! Everything I worked so hard for is now down the drain. But quite honestly Dana, when I was honest with myself, most of the time I had hunger was because my meals were irregular or even missed. If I can eat my 3 meals and 2 snacks a day on time and good food choices, I don't necessarily get hungry. But when I do, I am able to use my tool to my advantage, and it is WONDERFUL! If you want to talk, just give me a call. Be glad to share with you anything else I have found to help me along the way. Hang in there Dana ... You have done an absolutely awesome job. I still can't get over how very much you have changed. Truly you look like a different person!!! So adorable and so now!!! Take your measurements!!! Hugs and Tammy