lsereno

I eat the same thing for breakfast almost every day: Greek Yogurt and 1/2 piece whole wheat toast. Before breakfast I have a Soy Latte. If i have room, I also eat 1/3 banana, but most days that's a bit too much. For lunch, I often have lowfat salami and lowfat string cheese, 1/4 apple, and the other 1/2 piece of whole wheat toast. I also like tuna mixed with lowfat mayo and honey mustard and whole wheat crackers on the side. dinner varies. I have fish, chicken, shellfish, beef, or pork cooked in a number of different methods. Then I have a little fresh vegetables and about 1/4 cup of something starchy, such as noodles, bread, potatoes, or winter squash. Sometimes I have chili or Beans for dinner or lunch. I also like Anderson's Split Pea Soup because it's high in Protein. At dinner tonight I had a chicken thigh that I dusted with cajun seasoning, thyme, and oregano and grilled in the basket on my Showtime grill. I had 1/4 cup noodles and sauce from a boxed mix and two fresh asparagus spears. I didn't eat the chicken skin. On Friday I had a ground beef patty on wilted spinach with 1/3 small baked potato. On Wednesday I had PF Changs Ooolong Tea Marinated Sea Bass, which is served on a bed of spinach and about 1 cup of edamame in the pod. Lynda

I have a soy latte every morning. When I make it at home, it's 8 grams of Protein and 80 calories. The Tall Soy Latte at Starbucks has 130 calories and 7 grams protein. I don't have the Starbucks version very often. I suck mine down usually within 1/2 hour then have Breakfast after I work out. Sometimes in the afternoon or evening I have a second one with Starbucks Via Italian Decaf. Lynda

At first, I ordered appetizers, but now if I don't see something I like on the appetizer menu, I just order off the entrees. If it comes with soup, I ask for it to go. I don't have room for soup and dinner. If i have a choice, I get veggies as the side. I eat beef, pork, chicken, fish, or shellfish. I mostly eat at local restaurants, so I can't weigh in on what's good at the chains except at PF Changs: I love their Oolong marinated sea bass. Its served on a bed of spinach. Hubby and I usually split it and maybe an appetizer too now that I'm further out and can eat more. Lynda

Congrats! you could sing that 99 bottle of beer song with a few minor changes. 99 is a big number! Lynda

I took it 6 months. Kaiser Fremont recommended 3 months, but I was still losing pretty rapidly at 3 months, so I just finished out the prescription, which worked out to 6 months. My hair is a little thinner, but not much. I am still wearing the same style and it doesn't look different. But I have noticed a little more hair coming out in the brush and shower. Lynda

For me, it's about doing something with others on a schedule. So I'm in two exercise classes, meet once a week with a trainer, and walk with a group of friends twice a week. I prefer to work out in the mornings and get it out of the way. I started exercising 5 days per week trying to get healthier and to get off antidepressants. It's worked for me. I couldn't really see the exercise results before I lost weight because of the fat covering my muscle layer, but now that I am losing weight, it is great to see muscles popping out here and there. Even with all the positive results I've had, I have to stick with group activities on a schedule. I will not exercise on my own. If class is cancelled or my trainer can't make it, I skip that day. If you haven't worked out much, be prepared to be tired at the beginning. When I first started working with the trainer and when I first started taking group exercise classes, I was completely wiped out for the rest of the day. That goes away pretty quickly though. Lynda

Pasquini, Congrats! Less than 5 lbs. to goal! After you get to goal, what do you plan to change to enter maintenance and stop losing? I've got 15 plus a few ounces to go to goal, but I've been thinking about how I'll do maintenance quite a bit lately. When I'm not obsessing about not losing the last 15 :-) Lynda

You do look young, cute and thin! And smart too! Congrats on rockin' your sleeve almost to goal already! Lynda

Diva, I know you will be in those Levi 4's in record time! I'm sending healing thoughts your way. Lynda

I've been on the boards since last December, and I've seen this discussed a few times. One of our most famous losers waited to drink till she was at goal. Some people drink fairly early out without issue. Some people report they get heartburn from alcohol. Some drink beer, some don't drink anything fizzy. I chose to follow my programs guidelines and not drink for the first six months, which just passed yesterday. I'm now cleared for 1-2 drinks per week, but I haven't had one yet. I plan to start with port because it's festive, lighter in alcohol content, and can be sipped really slowly. And it tastes great when the weather is cold. I'm planning on trying on a couple ounces at home to see how that goes. Many people report liquor hitting them like a freight train after surgery, at least the first few times they tried it, and I don't want any embarrassing public incidents. Cheers! Lynda

Hi all, I celebrated my 6 months surgiversary last Thursday. I made the goal I wanted: 70 lbs. lost post-surgery in 6 months. The six-month checkup went well. I've been trying hard to stick to Kaiser's guidelines and they are working for me. I'm now cleared for 1-2 alcoholic drinks per week. Yahoo! I'm going to start out with a small glass of port, probably this weekend. I'm planning on enjoying Thanksgiving this coming week, but I hope not so much that I dont' lose. I've lost every week since surgery and I don't want to break that streak yet! Lynda My Christmas Goal also includes reaching the following goals: 154 lbs.: I'm a NORMAL BMI!!!! and I have 19 lbs. to goal 154: I've lost 100 lbs total - 32 pre-op and 68 post-op. I'm in the Century Club! 152: I've lost 70 lbs. post-op 149: My number starts with 14. I haven't weighed this since the mid-90s. 146: I've lost 10% of my total body weight for the fourth time since the operation. I have less than 10% of my body weight to go to goal, so it will be my last 10% loss. 145: 10 lbs. to go to my final goal! 144: My Christmas goal and I've lost 110 lbs. (32 pre-op and 78 post op). 9 lbs. to my final goal!!! Christmas Goal: SW-157.9.............CW-150.4...............Christmas Goal-144 Oct 28: 157.9 Nov. 4: 155 Nov. 11: 152.8 Nov. 18: 150.4 Nov. 25: Dec. 2: Dec. 9: Dec. 16: Dec. 23: Christmas:

Excellent tip to bring Butternut Squash Soup if you have recently had surgery. It's festive but can be tolerated easily. If you make it savory with sage and rosemary, you can dollop on some greek yogurt instead of sour cream to up the Protein content too. Lynda

Congrats Coops! That last 10 lbs. is going to melt away - you are rocking your sleeve!

Little Miss Diva: Happy 15 month surgiversary!! You look fabulous and you are an inspiration to so many of us here. Myself included. Thank you so much for sharing your story, your support, and your tips with all of us. Lynda

I'm in the same boat as you Becca. I'm 6 months out and I can eat more. I have yet to stay the same or gain since I've had the surgery, and I really hope to not break that trend on Thanksgiving week. We are having Thanksgiving at my sister-in-laws, but my husband and I are cooking most of the dishes. I am making everything I usually make, but I will not be bringing chips and dip as I usually do. I am not going to eat everything from dinner. For example, I won't be wasting room on dinner rolls or mashed potatoes. For Breakfast, I will have my usually yogurt and a Soy Latte. At lunch I will eat the turkey liver and 1/4 cup of macaroni salad that I am making for dinner. Dinner is early in our family, around 3 p.m. I will have turkey with a bit of gravy, cranberry sauce, and a bite of stuffing. Later in the evening I will have a bite of pumpkin pie and maybe a piece of sees candy. I will be working out Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday Thanksgiving week. The next day for lunch and dinner, I will have turkey and a little something else, but not as much as on Thanksgiving. My goal is to eat Protein first, limit the bad foods to 1/4 cup or less of only my favorites, and to NOT GRAZE. If I limit the number of times I eat during the day, I will automagically have more portion control. Additional goals are to limit the indulgence to Thanksgiving and the day after and to work out as many days as I can that week. I'm looking forward to a fun family holiday. I'm toying with the idea of adding a new craft for the day: Maybe a little branch and a bunch of paper leaves. People write what they are grateful for on the leaves and then tape them to the tree. My family may find this too hokey. Other possibility is some little Christmas craft I can do with my nieces. They are in their late teens now, but sometimes still like to make a craft. Lynda

I like to look on the bright side of life and people's motivation. I would take this as concern. I had a friend who was worried about me having the operation because she had another friend who had the operation and then committed suicide. I stuck with this line: I'm sorry (fill in the blank) had problems. I know some people have problems, but I have a great medical team looking out for me and I take full advantage of it. Compared to the risks of staying overweight, this surgery is/was the right option for me. I could sense her fear, but I didn't let it hold me back. Lynda

Suzanee, Thank you so much for sharing your story, I'm getting close to goal, and maintenance scares me. It is so inspiring to know that you are successful this far out from surgery, you are not starving, and you are healthy and happy. Your success tips are very helpful too. I'm guilty of not chewing my food enough.I practiced before surgery and was forced to eat that way till a couple of months out, but after that it's been back to my old habits. I don't eat as fast as I did before I began the journey, but I don't chew 30 times per bite either. I'm going to work on that as I work towards goal. I think if I do it long enough, it might become habit and not such a bother. Lynda

Hi all, I'm in the Century Club this week! I lost 32 lbs. pre-op and I've lost almost 70 lbs. post op. Yahoo!!!! I have some sagging skin on my arms, legs, tummy, and behind, but it's not as bad as I expected. I'm 55, so things are only going to spring back so much and even life-long skinnies get lose skin as they age. Just 17.8 lbs. to go to my goal, which will put me at a BMI of 21.8. Lynda

Cheri, Congrats on goal! Thanks for sharing your pics before and after. You look hot! And thanks for the tip about goal clothes. I'm getting close to goal and have been dreaming about buying some fun clothes. But after reading your post, I think I'm gonna wait a few months to be sure that's where my weight stays and give things time to readjust. A few more months with a minimum wardrobe won't kill me :-) Lynda

Oh my goodness! I hope it does snap back. Overall, I'm so happy to be thinner I can live with it. But if it snaps back even some, I will be thrilled! Keep us posted. And congrats on 6 months in maintenance. I have to admit, maintenance is what scares me the most. It's easier to be good while all these big changes are happening and I still feel bad after eating junk. Lynda

I know what you mean! I've had to tell several neighbors who I am :-) I think after seeing how well it works that VSG is the topic at many dinner tables in the neighborhood. Lynda

Pasquini, You look fabulous! Looks like you dropped 20 years with that weight loss. And only 5 lbs to goal. Way to rock that sleeve! Lynda

1. Do as much family prep as you can. Make meals and freeze them. Buy things that are easy to pack for lunches, even if they cost a little more. Wash clothes, get hair cuts, wash the dogs. Whatever you can do now to make life easier on yourself. If kids are old enough to go to school, can they feed the animals for you? Buy some busy-time toys, color books etc. for the kids. Hide them and dole them out after surgery to buy yourself a little peace. 2. First couple of days, if it hits the floor, don't pick it up. You may feel better, but for me, I hurt if I tried to bend over. 3. Use a measuring cup as pitcher and a one ounce medicine cup or a shot glass as your drinkng glass. Keep an eye on the clock and down an ounce every 15 minutes. 4. Make sure you have a couple of nighties. I didn't want anything touching my tummy after surgery. Only wore my stretchy pants if I was leaving the house. Good luck on Monday. I will be thinking of you! Lynda

Sharon, Thanks! I am so happy to join you in the club! I have to admit, other than maintenance, these last few pounds scare me the worst, but I'm gonna work it. Lynda

Congrats Little Miss Diva! You've rocked that sleeve and provided an inspiration to all of us! Can't wait to see the pics when you heal a little bit more. And I think you should change your handle to Smokin' Hot Extra Small Little Miss Diva :-) Lynda