I can totally relate, I've been eating way too much junk. I ate chips every day I was gone. I'm going to drink a 2nd shake in the evenings again it always helps fills me up and I don't snack. Dianne 340/159/150 or less

He's a scientist at a local college - he is a PhD in human performance and Kinesology. If you ask around there are people in most areas who can do this - it's just a matter of finding them. He worked primarily with High Performance athletes before we fatties found him. (Someone who had the surgery was dating a triathlete . . .and thought "Hmmm . . .I wonder if he'd be able to give me a goal weight?" ) Now he's actually running a study on us surgical patients, because he's so intrigued with how we lose, and what kind of weight we lose. Thanks for the encouragement lady! ~Lara

They do help, Dawn. Seeing it written down puts it in perspective - it's so easy to forget the rules... Thank you. P.S. --- I hear ya on the nuts - I can't have real trail mix here, it's too tempting. Plain nuts don't seem to attract me as much, and they almost always make me feel sick, so there ya go. -Beth

Hi there friends and family, Hello All! I went to the body analyst this morning for the 4th time to find out how much of what kind of weight I have lost thus far (fat loss vs. muscle loss) and how my loss has impacted my metabolism. **drum roll** There are 4 dates: Preop 10/24/03 1st Postop 9/11/04 2nd Postop 12/17/04 3rd Postop 5/15/05 The results are as follows: Weight - Preop: 388 (I had already started losing from my high of over 400lbs) 1st postop: 249 2nd Postop- 212 Today - 194 (I'm on a bit of a bounce since I started running - you'll understand soon why I'm not worried) Total weight lost: 194 lbs (It's 206 when you include pre-op known high) Fat Mass - Preop: 184.7 lbs 1st Postop: 83.2 lbs 2nd Postop: 57.9lbs Today: 39.8 lbs Lean Mass - Preop: 203.3 lbs 1st Postop: 165.8 lbs 2nd Postop: 154.1 lbs Today: 154.2 lbs (Yes, read that correctly - I've managed to gain .1 lb of certified muscle since December - hence not being worried about my bouncing - I do believe that my running is the "culprit" of my weight gain) Total Fat Lost - 144.9 lbs - 74.6.0% of loss Total Lean lost - 49.1 lbs - 25.3 % of loss True BMI - Preop: 47.6% (Through electrical impedance testing. . .I was too boyant to do the underwater weighing successfully) 1st Postop: 33.4% 2nd Postop: 27.3% Today: 20.5% This means that for women my age, I am in the 60th percentile - meaning that if 100 women aged 20-29 were together in a room that I have a better lean/fat ratio than 60 of the people in the room. It BOGGLES THE MIND! - I'm slightly above average . . .I'm not only well into the "normal" range - under 24.9%. . . but I'm getting into the athletic range. . . ! - also note that according to the chart, my BMI is 24.3 - I'm in better shape then the charts per Hydrostatic Weighing. Basal Metabolic rate - note - this is MEASURED metabolic rate as tested through expired air testing for O2 consumption. Preop: 2750 calories/day 1st Postop: 2433 calories/day 2nd Postop: 1981 calories/day Today: 1887 calories/day - meaning that when I'm not doing ANY activity - I must get in almost 1900 calories just to maintain my weight. . .and when I'm doing my running - I need to get in even more. On my run days, I figure that I'm burning up to 2400 calories that I have to get in to maintain my girlish figure (NO WONDER I'm hungry all the damn time!) And the fact that I've lost fat, and gained muscle. . .says that I'm feeding myself nicely! Goal Weight - Preop: 261.0 lbs 1st Postop: 212.8 lbs 2nd Postop: 190 is an achieveable goal (top 50th percentile). 180 is an aggressive goal (top 70th percentile). Today: He asked me - "You don't plan on losing any more do you?" I said, no - not really. He said - "You're done. You've done it!" What does this all mean: 1. I achieved my goal of retaining the majority of my muscle mass. I did this by walking 30 minutes EVERY day, and beginning to find ways to make my life more active (THERE's NO stopping me now. . .especially once I get rid of this skin!) 2. My metabolism is still quite high. Since I can eat plenty these days, its not a big problem. 3. I have significantly reduced my risk factors for Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabeties, Stroke, High Blood Pressure, and MANY many more diseases and causes for early death. 4. I think I'll see him once more - after/if I achieve my goal of running a marathon next spring. It will be after plastics, and after significant training. . .we'll see where I end up at almost 2 years out. Thank you to all who have supported me on my journey. This is a LONG road, and it makes all the difference having good friends and supporters cheering me on. It means more to me than I will ever be able to adequately express. ~Lara Lap RNY 4/1/04 6'3" 400+/355/AT GOAL - DONE DONE DONESKI! Riding the Maintain Train!

Hi Carole - better late than never - I very rarely drink with my meals - well, maybe every 3-4 months I'll have a few sips of wine. Satiety is what our tool gives us and if we wash our food down with liquids we won't get satiety. It's your choice and I don't think a few sips will hurt a lot. As long as it's not much. No shakes - I hated them and managed to get down a grand total of 2 in my first week post op - tasted a sip or two of many - and then gave up on them. They were too gross for me. But - I do get lots of protein from food and that's what my surgeon prefers anyway. Vitamins are a different story. Please start taking them every day. The consequences can be very dire down the road. We don't absorb nutrients the way we use to. Please take them. If you can't take them with your other pills find a different time of day but please be regular. You're doing ok. Confession is good for the spirit. Take care. Ruth