Indymom

I felt the same way after surgery, I was so surprised I was craving salad rather than junk! I like that certain "bad" foods actually make me feel sick after eating them, it really helps with the temptation to fall back to old eating habits. Anything too high in fat or greasy/fried just doesn't sit well in my sleevie. I love to have a few sweet grapes as a snack and I love the laughing cow wedges too . . . I like to slice cucumber and spread a little of the light swiss wedge cheese on the slices.

I didn't like the texture of the canned chicken but my nutritionist said I would be OK using regular cooked chicken as long as I kept it moist and chewed thoroughly. I actually bought rotisserie chicken from Costco and that stayed really moist - I made chicken salad with it with LF mayo during my mushy/puree phase. I ate a ton of cottage cheese and string cheese, both were allowed during that phase for me and high in protein (I would recommend the lower-fat options of both). I also ate a lot of refried beans with shredded 2% cheese, a bit of LF sour cream and salsa or taco bell mild sauce.

I post this recipe everywhere but I love the Hungry Girl buffalo chicken dip. I make a half-recipe and keep it in the fridge, I eat off it for close to a week for Snacks and sometimes even take it for lunch with some low-carb crackers. YUM. http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1214

I just use reduced fat sour cream with my hidden valley ranch dip mix for my veggies. I realize I'm not getting as much protein with the LF sour cream, but I like it better than greek yogurt.

Congrats! I wanted to do backflips when I saw that "1" on the scale . . . it had been literally years and years since I had been there.

Pizza toppings are yum, although I try to keep it as a treat since it's pretty high in fat. Eggface has lots of pizza recipes on her site and she makes her pizzas on a low-carb tortilla. I try to get thin-crust pizza if we order in and I can usually eat a piece, maybe 2 small pieces . . . but that stuffs me full as a tick.

Omeprazole is the generic version of Prilosec. I tried 20 mg daily and continued to have acid issues; my doc had me start it twice a day and still not full relief. I changed to Dexilant once daily and for a while took an OTC Zantac at night. I have stopped the Zantac and the Dexilant is working great (only problem is that it is pretty expensive). You could try the over-the-counter options first before having your doc write a script.

Someone on another thread recommended some brand of Wrangler jeans - maybe Aura or something like that? I am going to check out those Levi's at Macy's once I get closer to goal, but until them I'm going to deal with what I can find at Goodwill as I'm sure the Macy's jeans aren't cheap! Edited to add: I tried the Old Navy "Sweetheart" jeans too and didn't like the way they fit - I ended up with the "Flirt" ones I think, they were mid-rise and fit a little better than the others. They are stretchy though, super tight when I first put them on but almost loose by the end of the day.

I travel frequently for work and don't always have an opportunity to avoid the fast food places. I have tried to make the best choices possible when I have to eat at the drive-thru. I like to go to Arby's and get a jr or regular roast beef and eat primarily the roast beef (and skip most of the bun). At McDonald's I get the grilled chicken ranch snack wrap and tear away a large portion of the tortilla wrap. Most places have grilled chicken and I'll eat that without the bun as well. Every once in a while I'll have a burger but I avoid the cheese and mayo, and get rid of most of the bun. I also like Jimmy John's unwiches (sandwiches without bread) and they have some healthful choices like turkey.

~ I love seeing my collarbone when I look in the mirror ~ I love that I can run up the stairs at work without getting winded rather than slowly lumbering up them ~ I love seeing people who haven't seen me in a while and enjoying their puzzled looks ~ I LOVE buying clothes in the regular section of the store rather than the women's section - and realizing that XL shirts are too big!!

Unless you are going super-low carb, I don't see any reason why you couldn't use a little BBQ sauce. I believe they make some lower-sugar versions as well.

Yep, I think you're right on target. I get close to 75 grams of protein daily, and my calories range between 800 and 1200/day.

I couldn't tolerate any of the sweet protein flavors for long - I did do a lot of the syntrax nectar flavors (the roadside lemonade and the lemon tea were tolerable). But I eventually switched to unflavored protein and mixed it with decaf coffee, a little 1% milk and splenda. That was OK but I'm glad I'm getting all my protein from food now!

I am supposed to get at least 75 grams/day. I get pretty darn close most days but I refuse to still do shakes or supplements. I do a lot of chicken, lowfat cheese, etc. to hit my targets.

I still enjoy watching cooking programs (I love to cook for my family) but I agree, watching MVF would probably disgust me now. We got rid of cable a while back so I don't have a chance to watch much food TV, but I do like to watch the cooking shows on PBS. I am typically grossed out watching my stepson eat (he's 15) - the volume he eats and the pace at which he shovels food in his mouth is astounding. It hurts my sleevie just to watch!

Mine started at about 4-5 months and is still going strong. I have a ton of hair so I haven't worried about it thus far, but it is pretty bad. I'm hoping it stops soon!

I haven't been very good about taking my BP since I had my surgery, but at my last doc's appointment (my gastroenterologist, not VSG-related) my BP was 110/70. My BP med is basically just a water pill, so I may be able to eventually discontinue it, but if not I'm not too concerned about it. Both of my parents are on BP meds (they are both overweight but not excessively so), as is my brother who is very fit, so it may be more genetic than weight-related. I was lucky to not have issues with diabetes, and I suspect I was borderline-apnea pre-surgery and my husband says my snoring has all but ceased.

I believe my doc used a 36 and he oversews to strengthen the staple line. My restriction is great.

Sorry you have to deal with that but at least you know what's wrong now. I'm not sure how they remedy a stricture but good luck!

Congratulations!! You look PHENOMENAL.

I got back from vacation Sunday and can't get back on track. I haven't tracked my food all week, haven't worked out, and am making not-so-great choices. Ugh. Tomorrow is a new day!!

Are you tracking your food including fat, calories and carbs? You might back off the carbs a bit and see if that helps. Also if you're not exercising much you'll need less calories to maintain.

I agree with the other posters - allow yourself the treat if you are craving it. You'll be very surprised when you can't (or won't want to) finish even a small. I'm that way about Starbucks lattes - I used to get a regular venti mocha with whipped cream and guzzle it down; now I get a tall, nonfat, no whip and usually can't even drink half of it. I was on a cruise for a week with a soft-serve ice cream bar open nearly 24/7 and didn't have that first cone (just a few licks here & there from my daughter's cones satisfied me more than enough). Any Desserts ordered at our table I was happy with just a bite or two. I tried lots of "bad" foods during meals but limited myself to just a taste of them.

Ugh just discovered a new slider . . . cheez balls (you know, the iridescent orange ones!!!). Thankfully the kids just finished off the bag before I could eat more than a few - I've already told the husband that he's not allowed to buy them again.

Congratulations!! You look fantastic!!