lsereno

Georgia, see the Dr. SAP. If it's shingles, the sooner they treat it, the better. If it's not shingles, get the vaccine to protect yourself down the road. Lynda

And well you should feel like a different woman! You certainly look like two different women in those two photos. Love the curves and your hair looks great! Happy birthday tomorrow! Lynda

Early out I drank on a schedule. Write out a schedule and stick to it. For me, it looked like: 1 cup before Breakfast. 2 cups before lunch. One by 10 and second by noon. 3 cups before dinner. One by 2, one by 4, and one by 6. 2 cups after dinner. One by 9 and last one before bed. If that doesn't work, break it down even further into 1/2 cup goals. Lynda

Congrats Madame! That is a great NSV and I'm glad you and hubby had a good time too. Life's short, so it might as well be happy. Lynda

Congrats! Love to hear from fellow vets who have been successful over the long haul. Lynda

Lunch today. New weight watchers fire roasted veggie soup with 1/3 cup black beams, three ounces Costco rotisserie chicken and a small handful of fresh spinach. Cooked the soup 2.5 minutes, then added the chicken, beans, and spinach and cited another 1.5 minutes. Yum!

Fage 0 Greek Yogurt. I eat it with frozen blueberries and splenda, just splenda or sometimes as a shake with a couple of frozen strawberries, a splash of OJ, splenda, and a bigger splash of Water. I also use it instead of mayo or sour cream in Soups, dips and as a topping. costco Rotisserie chicken. I eat it plain, on a sandwich with one slice of whole wheat bread, chopped with apples, celery and Fage, and I add it to salads, and soups. Costco Low Fat Ham Lunchmeat. I eat it plain, on a sandwich with one slice of whole wheat bread, and I add it to salads. Soy Milk. Still a little lactose intolerant after almost three years. I use it with low calorie cereal, in oatmeal, with Starbucks Via Decaf instead of a Latte, and heated with a little sugar free Torini syrup for a sweet treat. Fish. I eat fish at least three times a week for dinner. I portion it up in serving sizes and freeze. My current favs are Steelhead Trout from Costco and Chilean Sea Bass. My fav way to fix it is with a sauce made of soy sauce and splenda, with brocolli on the side or served on a bed of spinach. Ground Beef. My hubby grinds it for us so we control the fat content. I eat it stir fried with frozen mixed veggies, in a patty, and made into meatballs and added to soups. I also eat whatever fresh veggies and fruit are in season, whole wheat bread, oatmeal, Special K cereal and crackers, baked potatoes and sweet potatoes, and Minute Maid Whole Grain Medley. I almost always have romaine lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes fresh. I also eat a lot more frozen veggies now. So easy to shake out a little for a meal to add to a salad, soup, or stir fry. My current favs are frozen mixed veggies, roasted peppers, Beans (no sodium, which is hard to find in the canned), butternut squash, and corn. I know the corn is not the best food but I love it in a southwestern salad. For treats, I like pretzels, Peanut Butter or PB2 on fruit or graham crackers. I also have a stash of candied ginger because it's one of the few sweets that I can keep in the house without over indulging. I drink Diet Lipton Green Tea with Citrus, Sleepytime Tea, and a lot of water.

Hi Charlie, I'm in the south bay. I had my surgery at Kaiser Fremont in May 2011. I've been at goal two years later this month. I'm guessing that you have co-morbidities because it looks like your starting BMI was less than 40. I see that you joined last summer, so I know you've been working towards this surgery for some time now. I'm sorry some of your family doesn't understand how difficult it is to lose weight and keep it off without surgery. I suggest sticking to a line, such as "my doctor and I have have determined this is the best option for me." Keep your eye on the prize these next fews days. Buy yourself some non-food treats to reward yourself now and after surgery. I was scared as surgery approached, so I used that energy to clean house, get out my too small clothes, pay bills, stock up on non-perishables, load up some movies on the laptop or my DVR, and stock up on books and magazines. I am so happy at goal. I feel so much better, my energy is better, and I spend less on food and clothes. I'll be thinking of you on the 10th! Lynda

Hi Coops, Sorry to hear of your struggles! Even at goal and exercising, my body fat is much higher than I wanted it to be. I think it was 28 or something like that and my BMI is 21.8. If I were in your shoes, I would buy some index cards, write some positive affirmations on them, and leave them around where I could read them often. Like the medicine chest, by your computer, bedside table, as a book marker. I suggest: "My mind is a garden. I plant positive thoughts and pull negative ones." "Taking care of myself first sets a good example and helps me help others because I am healthier, happier, and prepared to help." And buy yourself a present! You deserve it. Maybe a really pretty cup for your Water or other fluids. I use a whiteboard on the fridge to track Protein and fluids everyday. In weight loss mode, I try to get as close to one gram of protein for every 10 calories as possible. I add in veggies, non-fat dairy, and small servings of whole grains. I still weigh and measure to keep portion creep under control. You will get there my friend because the one thing you are not is a quitter! Lynda

I sometimes drink right before eating, but I always wait at least 30 minutes after. Lynda

Also, according to most info I could find, there is minimal nutritional difference between instant, quick cooking, rolled, and steel cut oats. I generally eat the quick cooking (not instant). Lynda

Have you tried the unjury Protein? It is the easiest to tolerate and the only one I could keep down the first fews weeks after surgery. Lynda

When making any long cooking grain, like the steel cut oats, I make enough servings for a week. I portion it up in little bowls and reheat with a little extra soy milk or Water. Lynda

Congrats and welcome to the goalies bench! There's room for lots of us here because we are so tiny! Lynda

I love fruit. My VSG was in May and that first summer only fruit I tolerated well was melon, unsweetened applesauce and bananas. I could eat a couple of berries in a smoothie, but not straight. I love peaches, nectarines, and plums, but they all made me feel sick. By the time fall rolled around, I could eat a little fresh apple, orange, or grapes. Everyone's stomach is different and every program is different. Many people think fruits have to many carbs, but I love my fruit and it's a great snack for me. Lynda

I knew I would eventually be able to eat small quantities of whatever I wanted occasionally, so no food funerals for me. I did eat some of my favorite foods and have drinks a few times. But not enough to gain weight preop. Lynda

Well to me, it means he doesn't quite get it. Although my husband loves to feed people, he is very supportive of my weight loss and normal BMI goal. I stress to hubby and family that I am eating healthy, getting enough fluids and No where near an unhealthy BMI. I believe Cowgirl Jane lost very little weight from the skin removal. Bean is another recent plastics that was pretty extensive. Not sure, but think his was less than 5 lbs. Lynda

I have to do them on my forearms because my wrists are wrecked from arthritis. But they are a great exercise. l

Congrats! Love the pic. I can see why all eyes were on you! Lynda

Yes. I got dizzy in the first few months post op. I was careful to get enough fluids so it wasn't that. I think its pretty common post op. Do be careful to get the fluids in. If you are taking blood pressure meds, they should be evaluated again. Lynda

I'll be three years out in May. At goal two years in March. Can you eat a whole apple? YES, a smaller one. I prefer them without the peel now. Can you eat rice and Pasta without discomfort? A small serving, about 1/2 cup. Do you ever have the occasional glass of wine with dinner? I don't drink with dinner, but I do drink before dinner once or twice per week. How have your close relationships been effected by your weight loss? So far so good. Are you able to quickly drink a glass of Water on a hot day or after a workout? YES, about 1 cup. If you were an emotional eater, what behavior have you replaced the emotional eating with? Exercise, playing games, doing something nice for myself. Do you have any sadness associated with the inablilty to eat a large portion of something incredibly delicious? No. I'm sad I can't eat an unlimited amount of junk and stay at goal, but I don't know anyone who can, so I'm dealing with it.

Ooh! I would love a good local support group. I have been to several in my area and they are not focused on what I am interested in. so to answer your question: Would you be interested in attending regular local chapter meetings in person? YES Would you be interested in being a leader (or co-leader)? MAYBE. I don't have a lot of free time. Would you like BariatricPal to provide agendas for meetings? FUN IDEA. Then we could discuss online after. What additional support could BariatricPal provide to encourage your participation and/or leadership? Help with location, topics, speakers, handouts. Should there be limits on the minimum and maximum numbers of members that each Local Chapter can have? NO What other ideas do you have? BP would have to provide enough resources for this to be a value add over my setting up a group myself.

RJ, I think your family may not be used to seeing you at a normal weight. Also, after the rapid weight loss and thinning hair, many look a little peaked until the fat resettles around a bit and the hair grows back. I heard lots of comments about not losing anymore, but I stuck to my original goal of 21.8 BMI and I'm happy at this weight. I know you have health issues too, so I think the doc would be your best bet for setting a goal weight. Lynda

Satisfaction comes from within. Anyone can find something to dislike about themselves. Train yourself to think differently. Catch those negative thoughts and stop to find something to praise. It's work, but it's worth it. As for the rest, It's gonna take time for your mind to catch up to your body. At almost three years out and two years at goal, my clothes look normal to me now. I've learned to walk sit and stand differently. I still have things I don't like about myself, but so does everyone else on the planet. Yes, I do wish I was young, beautiful, smart, rich and unbelievably kind. But I'm still me, just healthier, skinnier, older, and wiser. Lynda

Hi Pasquini! Looking good! I'm three years out in May too. Lynda