I chose to blog for my own benefit and in the hopes that someone else struggling with obesity can be encouraged by my transparency. Therefore my blog is public. You can get to it by clicking the link under my name.

Good luck with yours!

I know that my scale can show as much as a 5 pound fluctuation either way in just one day!  I try to not let it bother me.  My entire 2nd month out, I didn't lose ANYTHING.  Now that was frustrating.  I do weigh every day though, sometimes twice a day.  Just try to not let the numbers eat at you.  Good luck!

I think I need about a size 28.  I want one that is one piece so the top doesn't float up in the water while I'm doing water aerobics.  You can email me if you'd like. mccumbersmom at yahoo dot com.  Please tell me what you have and how much you'd like for it.

Thanks!
Jennifer

Edited to say-
I could also do a trade.  I have the bathing suit at this link in a size 32.
http://www.womanwithin.com/clothing/Side-tie-blouson-2-pc-sk ort-swimsuit-by-Swim365.aspx?PfId=210014&DeptId=9293&Product TypeId=1

The exact color I have is not shown, but the bottoms are purple and the top is shades of purple and blue with flowers.

OK, first my question.  Is it ok for me to be able to drink 8 oz of full liquids (like tomoato soup made with skim milk and nonfat milk powder) in about 15 minutes at 2 weeks out?  I'm a little concerned because at first I could barely drink an ounce of water in that amount of time.

And now my Yippee!  I just weighed and I'm down 18 pounds since surgery bringing my grand total to 96 pounds!  Woo hoo!  That first 100 pound goal is so close I can taste it...theoretically, of course.

I laughed out loud about your singing- especially on the phone to your son! I told John not to forget the camera. If I do something ridiculous, I want it caught on camera so I can laugh at it later!

I have the same aversion to texture and the super sweet, thick shakes.  I bought a sample pack that had one each of all the Nectar flavors.  It was something like 13 packs for 13 dollars.  Shipping was free.  That's the way to go so you can try each flavor w/o spending tons of money.  So far I've tried 2 flavors.  The first was called Crystal Sky (I think).  I mixed half the pack with water and the other half with pineapple juice so I could try it 2 different ways.  It was pretty yummy.  I also tried the lemonade but didn't like it.  They are definitely thinner than the other shakes.  Actually, the crystal sky one was good just as the powder- like candy.

I'll try to find the number that I called to order the samples and post it here.

Edited to add:

Here's the info.

We are currently offering a one time only, limit one per person special on the Nectar ‘Variety Sampler’ containing 13 full serving packets of the following flavors:  Apple Ecstasy, Caribbean Cooler, Crystal Sky, Fuzzy Navel, Lemon Tea, Pink Grapefruit, Roadside Lemonade, Strawberry Kiwi, Twisted Cherry, Chocolate Truffle, Strawberry Mousse, Vanilla Bean Torte and Latte Cappuccino.  The price is $13.00.  The Nectar Variety Sampler receives FREE SHIPPING and orders typically arrive in 2-5 business days via UPS Ground.  If you would like to take advantage of this offer, please give us a call at 866-333-7403 x 801.  Our hours are Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm Central time.

Girl, you are smokin' HOT! But I must say, I thought your before pic was great too. I hope my skin springs back like yours did!

When I had about 3 pounds in my cart, the shipping was around 12 dollars.  If I end up ordering it, I'll buy a bigger order to make the shipping costs worth it.  Did you see all the different flavors they have?  They also have flavorings that you can buy separate for pretty cheap and add it to the unflavored protein to make all sorts of different flavors.

I hope someone will critique it as well!

I'm super happy for you! Sounds like a great week indeed.

Your post title made me smile so I had to check out your post.

I have not had my surgery yet, but I have a friend who has.  She is upfront with people about having the surgery and briefly explains the unpleasant 'side effects'.  We're all grown ups.  I recommend just passing it off as no big deal.  I'll bet it's much more worrisome to you than it will be for your roomie.  Don't let life pass you by!

Goodness, thank you for all the time you took for me!  I appreciate the tips.  I wonder what my chances are of getting my hubby to massage my scalp for 10 minutes every night?  I'll have to give it a try! {{smiles}}

Ooops, I forgot to answer the diet question.  I started out with a stricter form of Weigh****chers since WW was where I had the most success before.  I would eat up to 20-25 points a day instead of the 35 allowed me in the program.

About 2 or 3 months ago, I found out that my insurance would no longer be covering bariatric surgery after this year.  I freaked out because my surgeon requires that our BMI's be down to 55 before surgery.  That meant an 85 pound weight loss for me before I could have surgery.  I had only lost about 40-45 at that point.  The surgery center recommended that I go on a meal replacement diet.  So I went on a crash diet, limiting my calorie intake to 500 a day.  I had never done anything like that before and I'll never do it again.  I only lasted about a week and a half until I got to where I wasn't peeing hardly at all anymore.  My body was holding on to EVERYTHING.  I was drinking a TON of water, but nothing was coming out.  After a few days of that I went to the emergency room.  They said I had a UTI, but I thought that was crazy since my symptoms were completely opposite of that.  Anyway, I took my antibiotics and started eating more.  Next time I went to the doctor I had only lost 2 pounds.  =[  He told me to go up to at least 1000 calories a day.

Since then I've just been eating small portions along with my exercising.

Hi Kelly.  I had no idea what PCOS was so I googled it.  I don't think I have that, but really it's so hard to tell.  I am obese, have high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and mild diabetes which are all symptoms of PCOS, but are also symptoms of just being really overweight.  I have had an IUD for birth control for more than 5 years, but had no trouble having babies before that.  The IUD also causes irregular or completely nonexistant periods.  Hard to say...It may be worth talking to the dr. about.

I had a full range of bloodwork done about 5 months ago, and another draw last week for a presurgical baseline.  Do they test for deficiencies in that?  I asked the lady who was sticking me what they were testing for and she said, "Everything."

Thanks for your response!