lsereno

I had a hard time with meats at first. I did better with lunchmeats. I could only eat an ounce for a while, then as time has gone by (I'm more than two years out), I can eat 3 oz.s and some veggies and starch. If you can't eat something now, give it a few weeks and try it again. Lynda

That looks fun!

Call the Dr. I haven't seen this and I did a quick search to see if it was related to gallbladder because so many people develop an issue with that. Looking forward to hearing what the issue is. Lynda

Do you like the taco meat wrapped in lettuce? I do. I like shredded chicken with seasonings a little hot sauce, topped with chopped tomatoes, wrapped in a big lettuce leaf. When cooking spaghetti, use a low fat ground beef and add some zuchhini. Eat the sauce without the noodles. When making tuna noodle casserole, make a little dish for you with just tuna, a low cal sauce and a little cheese. Here's my recipe for chicken pot pie: http://www.puffpastry.com/recipe/24055/chicken-pot-pie-in-a-shell. I don't use puff paste shell. I pour it into a pie pan and top with a single crust. Eat your serving without the crust and make it with the lowfat cream of chicken Soup and lowfat milk. You can also cut most of the oil used for the onions if you cook them slowly in a nonstick pan. I also like this recipe for garlic lime chicken: http://savingdinner.com/garliclimechicken/. I use less oil than the recipe calls for. Crockpot BBQ meat is good. You have yours without bread and they eat theirs on buns. Goes great with coleslaw. Lynda

It'll go away. When I quit smoking, I smoked in my dreams. Funny thing was, after a while, I felt guilty about in my dreams, but I was still smoking. Then it slowed down and I never dream about smoking. I often think of this whole life style change in the same way. Quitting smoking is the second hardest thing I've ever done. I consider weight loss and remaining at a healthy weight the hardest. I didn't have to have surgery to quit smoking. It's really important for me to find a healthy substitute for whatever I gave up if I really love it. So what can you drink that's cool, refreshing, and gives you a lift BESIDES Coke0? Maybe Lipton Diet Green Tea with Citrus? Maybe lemonaide made with Splenda? Maybe suck an ice cube? It's cold and slurpy. I've been known to slurp down several on hot days. Lynda

Hi Amy, I checked and you're about 4 months out. I think the antidepressants might be a good idea. Hormones can go crazy during weight loss. As far as eating goes, changes need to be for life, so you should be cooking things for the family that you can eat to instead of making two meals. As you begin to be able to eat more or get to goal and go into maintenance, you can eat more of what you cook for them. Things like Stir fry, Soups, roast meats, grilled meats, BBQ should work for the whole family. Another poster mentioned pot pie. I made pot pie and during early months, mostly ate the meat with a bite of veggies. Now in maintenance, I eat a slice including crust. Modeling healthy eating habits will help your children learn to eat healthy too. You might consider Leeanne Elly's menu mailers. It's $15 fore three months. She includes paleo and low carb menus: http://savingdinnershop.com/menu-mailer-3/regular-menu-mailer-membership/3-month-membership/ I'm thinking of you! Lynda

Cheri, Thanks for a fabulous post. You are so spot-on with your comments. I love your pics. Congrats on your continued success with WLS and your beautiful new addition to the family! Lynda

There is a DS forum on Obesity Help, http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/ Lynda

I'm 5'6" I have a bunch of pics in my gallery, with weight details. Lynda

Congrats Fiddleman!

Great post! Can't wait to read the next installment. Lynda

Congrats Coops! Love the dress and that you resisted the late night snack. That's still so hard! Lynda

Yes, everyone heals differently and it doesn't reflect what your final restriction will be. Some people have less swelling or the swelling goes down faster and they can sip faster and eat a tiny bit more at first. You are going to do great! Lynda

Yes, everyone heals differently and it doesn't reflect what your final restriction will be. Some people have less swelling or the swelling goes down faster and they can sip faster and eat a tiny bit more at first. You are going to do great! Plus, you are more than a month out now, so drinking 3 oz. in less than 10 minutes sounds pretty normal. Lynda

I gained 16 lbs. from the IV fluids. I have only met one other person who gained more. I think they gained 17. At least you are protected from dehydration for a few days. Lynda

I've heard many say we should never eat over a cup of food at a time. And we need to know how many ounces of Protein we have eaten to know if we are on track for protein for the day, so I use a combination approach. Artymama, I believe you are just a few weeks out? So the most important thing now is to get enough protein. Measuring non-liquids by ounce or gram allows you to track exactly how much protein you are eating. Also measuring by weight gives the most accurate calorie count if you are tracking calories. Consider 1 cup of ice cream spooned into the cup vs. 1 cup of ice cream tightly packed. Or one cup of large chunks of chicken vs. one cup of finely diced chicken. For liquid foods, such as milk, a measuring cup should be as accurate as weight. Later, when you can eat more, you can measure other foods by volume to help maintain restriction. I'm two years out and I measure my protein by weight still and often measure other foods, such as vegetables and fruits by volume. For example, for lunch yesterday I had 2 oz. lean ground beef, 1/3 c. mixed veggies, and 1/3 c. brown rice. Lynda

Congrats and welcome to the Goalies' Bench! Hope you have been doing well lately. I haven't seen your posts in awhile. We have a new forum for vets and I post there mostly now. I do answer posts in other forums, but it's easier to find others who are further out from surgery in the Vets Forum. Lynda

I haven't met anyone who had NO baggy skin. How baggy your skin will be varies with: How much weight you have to lose and how long you were at that size How elastic your skin is How old you are I have seen everything from very little baggy skin to skin hanging in such large folds it causes problems with chaffing. Lynda

Yep. We've all been there at least once. When I had my bounce range set for 5 lbs I went to town on the junk food. Finally got back to goal and reset my bounce range to 2 lbs. Try writing a letter to yourself talking about your recent behavior and why you want to change. Sometimes when I do that I learn why I am doing that behaviour and it's easier to change. Lynda

I had slimies (foamie liquid) a few times when I first started solids before I quit trying to eat too much. Since then I have not vomited once in over two years. Lynda

You can eat more and a wider variety of foods, but plenty of people do continue to lose after the first year. I lost about 90 lbs post op and it took me 9 months. I could have lost it a little faster, but once I got to normal BMI about 6 months out it was the middle of the holiday season and I slacked off. Lynda

Six months and approval from my Dr. at my six month checkup. Lynda