Hey, I had my surgery 3/21 and have lost 32.5 so far. I had my follow-up with my doctor last week and he said right on schedule. I have found that I have slowed down but it will come off - just keep moving and remember to measure success in other ways too -- not just by what the scale says. I have lost at least 3 dress sizes (was a 22W and am now getting into my 14W's), can get into my thinner clothes and they are now getting to big on me I have already had to buy a new pair of jeans and will soon need a swimsuit, which is never any fun but it should be better than before. Remember that sometimes when you're not losing pounds, you're losing inches. --Lori

Personally - I think it is so much easier to be around food now than it ever was when I was "dieting". I know that I cannot eat so many things or I will get sick - so being around food that I can't eat doesn't bother me. I find myself cooking and entertaining even more now than I did before. I try to make sure that I am serving more healthy foods than ever before, too (like substituting ground turkey breast for ground beef in tacos and using whole wheat high protein tortillas or serving no sugar added, low fat fruit filled desserts). I made homemade cupcakes for my daughter the other night with my "famous" butter cream icing and didn't even lick my fingers because I knew that I would get sick if I did. So I say, spend the time altering your recipes to make them more WLS friendly rather than running from food. We all need to face our problems with food and conquer them (fortunately we have our little "tools" - our pouches and pouch rules - to help us). Maybe set up a volleyball or badmitten net to keep everyone occupied and away from food as much as possible or have a pool party, but don't skimp on the food - just make it healthier. Good Luck! ~Robin

How about a bowling party or mini golf. Or maybe a trip to the zoo. Fun for everyone. Just pack yourself some healthy food and water. Good luck and Happy Birthday, early. Wanda

Hi Montego...congratulations on your weight loss! I can't imagine getting 1200 calories in a day. Wow! I have found that the New Whey protein bullets help a lot w/ the protein totals. They sell one that has 42 grams of protein and is 176 calories. They have another that's 25 gms of protein and 100 calories. They're a lifesaver! They're sold in test tube shaped containers at vitamin shops. As far as the liquid goes, Crystal light helps me get the fluid in. I'm impressed with your walking regimen. I'm still having problems getting that aspect of my plan fully in gear. Anyway, best of luck and keep checking in! Sadie (formerly of Reston, VA)

Hi Madison - lovely name. I'm sorry you didn't like EAS. Must be honest and say I tried an old myoplex yesterday and battled with it. Isopure I find destablises very quickly, although the taste is still bearable. At the moment I'm using USN which is quite thin, and with an added little bit of decaf coffee for flavouring is quite palatable. I think you're really going to have to WORK to get your protein in normally. Remember you can't count say a 250g steak as 250g protein. It's not. I don't have a protein counter with me, so I can't give you the exact amoung, but basically you might have to eat more than your tum can accommodate, which is why protein shakes are the best way to go. Have you tried the ones that taste like juice (so they say). At least they're thinner and a bit more palatabl.