So I am exactly 4 months out, I have lost 68 lbs since surgery, totaling a 133 lb loss since Jan 2011. I was 326 on 3/26/12 and I am now at 258lbs and loving it so far. Something that's been bugging me at the back of my mind though, is that SO many people ask me if I could of just done this myself. And I always say no I couldn't of. But as I really think about it, if there was a way to teach me the lifestyle and mindset changes that have occurred because of this surgery, then yes I could of done it without this surgery. Think about it fellow sleevers! Almost all of you know that this surgery is NOT a fix, it is a tool. It teaches us how to listen to our body for when we're truly hungry vs. thirsty or truly hungry vs. behavioral eating. But what if there was a way to take that piece and teach it to people so that they wouldn't need the surgery! I know that there are thousands of books and materials out there of people trying to do just that. But 9/10 the books are written by thin people but no big person wants to hear how hard being overweight is and how to lose weight from a thin person. And the Pre-op me had "listened" to the dronings of "know when you're full, know when you're hungry, know when you're thirsty". But what if there was a way or a program to actually teach people these things? I think it could "cure" obesity. But I've racked my brain over and over and even have tried to teach these things to my husband and mother but it doesn't click. Just like it didn't click with the Pre-op me. So I wonder and keep wondering these things and how I could make a difference in other people's lives. Anybody ever think about these same things??

On another note, previously I had entered a blog post on SF jello pudding mix and greek yogurt and I finally tried it! And it's good, it makes a consistency of like a cheesecake. I thought I'd make some for breakfast and boy was that a mistake. It was just too sweet for me in the morning. But I guess if you want a high protein snack in between meals and you want to cure a sweet tooth that is definitely the trick. I used a SF Vanilla pudding and my vanilla greek yogurt. It tasted so close to cheesecake that I bet if you bought the SF cheesecake pudding and mixed it with the GY, that you would get an actual cheesecake!

There was a ricotta cheese recipe that I tried as well that I found on this website. It was good, but I made some changes to it to incorporate some vegetables. The recipe originally calls for a cup of ricotta mixed with egg and italian herbs. I did this, spread it on the dish. But instead of topping it with marinara and cheese, I made a Green Giant creamed spinach in the microwave, and poured it over the top of the ricotta and then topped with some cheese.. It tasted something like a vegetable white sauce lasagna. Just a little of this went a long way, I think there are still leftovers in my fridge!

Well off for now! Talk soon!