Catracks

My serving size is more like 1 oz. so 95 calories isn't too bad for a starch.

I have never separated digestible carbs for non-digestible carbs. I'll try it though. I'm not inclined to eat Pasta at all during this time when I seem to stall for long periods, but I will make an exception because I'm really curious. It's available at Albertsons, Vons and Ralphs in my neighborhood. Thank you so much!

I have loose skin on my upper arms, the bust, the inside of my upper thighs and on the lower abdomen bellow the navel. The only thing really bothering me is the abdomen. When I lost about 80 pounds 10 years ago I did not really have any lose skin. I added that back plus another 50 pounds and 10 years. It all depends on your age, skin type, how fast you lose and several other factors. I look fine with clothes on. Naked - eh, not so much. A bra shapes the puppies, but I really can't wear short shorts -- nor should I at 47 Board shorts are fine for the beach. I don't wear spanx as I hate a lot of constricting clothes. It's great that you have the muscle. You will have to continue to exercise and get all your Protein in to keep it. I know it's stressful to think of, but ask ANYONE here. They will tell you that the weight loss and great health trumps any lose skin.

Eat broccoli. If you cannot handle the stalks yet you can make broccoli cheese Soup and puree it. Any fibrous vegetable will do. I've also had good luck with Citucel, but it's better to relieve this the natural way if possible. My husband and daughter camp in the bathroom and take drinks and books. I just can't do it.

i was thinking about the using the whole wheat Pasta. I tried quinoa and corn pasta, but I hated the texture.I don't make Mac & cheese using a butter and flour roux. My family has always just layered macaroni and longhorn cheddar, added milk and then baked it. I really don't care for the creamy kind and longhorn cheddar melts well. As funny as it sounds, I don't eat reduced fat cheese except for string cheese, cottage cheese and lite Baby Bell. I'm usually Under 25 grams of fat per day, but I don't really control it. I use butter and coconut oil too. What sets me back is sugar and carbs. Fat doesn't seem to affect me in the losing department. Maybe when I reach goal I will try the wheat elbow macaroni, Longhorn cheddar mixed maybe with some skim mozzarella and 2% milk. Nothing below 2% for me thanks. I'll have to see how my body deals with carbs over 50g a day. Have any of you tried stirring in a laughing cow wedge into hot whole wheat pasta? It would make a good replacement for Alfredo. Throw in some broccoli too! I will always be adamant that certain foods never hit this sleeve, but I am SO far from deprived. I try to tell people that I have never eaten so well. For lunch I'm having shrimp that I stir fried in coconut oil pineapple and chili paste. Tonight I'm having tri-tip and scallops. Contrast that to one of my before sleeve meals of a Big Mac, 10 McNuggets and a super sized large fry. Okay, I will admit to a tiny bit of sugar in the occasional bit of Trader Joe's 82% dark chocolate. I only eat a square of it and I have read repeatedly that it actually helps weight loss and is good for you. Win/Win I say.

I think I would be amiss for not telling a person that is 3 days out of surgery that if they are wanting to know when they can have Doritos, mac & cheese, milkshakes and other junk foods it might want to speak to a nutritionist. It was not a criticism. It was advice that was not rudely given. I think that people confuse difference of opinion or disagreement with meanness or something. I steer people to TheworldaccordingtoEggface.com constantly. She does not eat any Pasta, sugar, potatoes or bread, She won't even touch crackers. I don't go as far as she does, but her recipes like pastaless lasagna are staples at my house and she gives me great ideas. I personally did not give the poster of the mac and cheese thread an alternate mac and cheese recipe because she was 3 DAYS OUT and not nearly ready. I did talk about ways to make Protein shakes taste like milkshakes and only got "protein shakes make me gag." I felt that perhaps she needed to learn how to deal with the head hunger first or no control is even possible. If you see a thread where someone has given polite advice that they think is sound: "instead of criticizing them or making them feel bad, either choose to simply keep the peace by passing up that thread, or perhaps offer some healthy alternatives like many have chosen to do." Actually I would never tell someone not to post. Just making a point.

I tell you, I am scared to death of plastics and while I don't have lesions, the pannus pulls on my back and the skin is slightly irritated and during the summer, sweaty. I would wear two pants sizes smaller without it. I cannot imagine having it halfway or even to my knees like I have seen. See, the boobs are deflated. Plastics would make them nice and perky, but I'm not even considering. My batwings are weird, but again, not up for consideration. The upper inner thigh? Nope. I can't do a bikini, but board shorts are fine. I'm not sure a hip to hip scar is worth it. Eh, we'll see.

What I meant is that plastics are not necessary to live. In many cases they are medically necessary, but I could survive without it. I hate it, but I could live. I'm just saying that her husband feels he doesn't want her to risk it. It comes down to her decision, but I'm just saying that I can see where he is coming from.

"poisonous hissing queens" LMAO!!!

I can see where her husband is coming from. He's not jealous or insecure. Jeeze. The sleve was medically necessary for you to live. Plastics just make you look and feel better. That's a great thing, but one needs to weigh the risks. I saw a Discovery special and this one man developed a major infection and spent months with drainage tubes in his body. A friend of mine had a mastectomy and prosthetic boobies put in. She got an infection and her incision came apart. The sleeve is a pretty non-invasive surgery. Plastics put the I into invasive., especially if you are getting a boob job, a tummy tuck or one of those 360 things. I have insurance that will cover my panni, but I don't know if I want to do it. It's a little desirable and more comfortable IN THE LONG RUN perhaps, but no, it is not necessary.

I've been smacked repeatedly for suggesting that someone perhaps should forgo the junk food and substitute it with something healthier. The responses are sometimes very angry. Not all, but some. I can respect the "everything in moderation" folks, but I personally cannot succeed that way. I make my own Protein "milkshakes" and sugar free protein ice cream and Cookies when I have to have a treat. More often it's Greek yogurt with a sprinkle of sliced almonds. I make my own nut butters because the commercial ones have added sugar. I do not eat Pasta or rice. I eat quinoa once in a great while. The only time I have bread is on a mountain hike because I will drop in my tracks without it. I have a tiny bit of potato once in a while, but more ofter I will substitute cauliflower or have a bit of sweet potato. I'm just not the kind that can have one chip so I will sprinkle Parmesan cheese on wax paper and bake it for my crackers. I can eat a couple of those and be happy, but potato chips and onion dip will cause me to binge. I used to dip artichoke and broccoli into mayo or butter. Now I dip it into Greek yogurt mixed with onions or herbs or spices. You are right Butterthebean. Having one bite of a doughnut does not make me happy. It makes me frustrated and sick from the sugar. Making a 5 minute microwave, lowfat, sugar free protein chocolate cake makes me happy. For that matter so does lowfat cottage cheese with a few sunflower seeds. I'm still a total foodie, but I rather eat filet mignon and scallops rather than burgers and fries.

The hair loss is going to happen no matter what you take and scrub into your scalp. It's a reaction from surgery and the massive weight loss. I started losing mine a 5 months and it started growing back a month and a half later. My stylist said: "OOOOOOOOOOO, baby hairs. Go to your stylist and get a cut that makes you look like you have more. Avoid harsh chemicals. Try not to use the straightener and blow dryer so much. Eat well and get all your Vitamins. The hair will grow back.

There are some things that are permanently of the menu for me. For just about all of them, I can make a sleeve friendly substitute that in some cases taste better than the original. Flan custard is probably not one of those, but sugar free vanilla pudding with a drizzle of salt and Caramel Torani syrup might work. What do you think? I'm always getting into disagreements with the all things in moderation folks when I say that I simply never will eat certain things anymore. I'm just not as strong as they are in the control aspect of things. In other words, I cannot trust myself to stop after one bite so I don't go there -- or at least I try not to go there. We all have slipped up.

Talk to me about slow! Cutting back on calories now is excruciating since I am eating 750 a day with low carb. Cutting back does work for me, but it isn't easy. I also tend to exercise the same way because any more would kill me. I take very long strenuous hikes on the weekend with shorter hikes and bike riding during the week after work. I don't do gym. To me it's BORING! This last 30 pounds is going to be a killer!

I really do get tired of hearing about the 1 year expiration date on the sleeve. It simply is not true. The duodenal switch turns the sleeve from a purely restrictive surgery into one that is both restrictive and malabsorptive. The DS isn't as severe as Roux-En-Y, but I am with Heatherr. If it's still working, keep working with it. No reason why you can't lose all the weight on the sleeve.

A lot of people do not compliment because they are afraid they will offend you. It funny but I have seen it here on these boards. I personally LOVE the compliments, but some people really do take offense and think things like, "Oh, you mean I didn't look good when I was fat? I wore designer clothes then and nobody said I looked good. Why are you only saying it now! Why are you only noticing me now??!!" etc., etc. On the flip side, that is what they think you will be thinking. I eat the compliments up because, well ... I looked like hell when I was 246 pounds. I looked worse than hell. I look much better and feel much better now thank you VERY much . Don't worry. They see it.

"Why am I posting this thread? Seems like many people at my height, 5'7" and weight, 160 are much smaller than I am as it relates to size. I have some "give" in some of the 12's I'm in, but mostly I am a 'solid' 12/mediums now." I don't nearly match your height and am small boned, but now at 160 pounds I wear mostly 12s with the occasional size 10 thrown in. Tops are mostly medium with the occasional small. Also like you I exercise quite a lot. I go on strenuous 6 hour hikes though with smaller hikes throughout the week. I have replaced a lot of the fat with muscle in my core and lower body. I have zilch for upper body strength. I do think you are at the correct clothing size, but what you have been told about the lower sizes is close to correct. When I reach goal at 130 I should be wearing a 6 as I remember. It is more like one size for every 10 pounds whereas at size 22-16 it was more like 30-40 pounds. Weird huh?

I found out about hydration an blood. For my 6 month labs they tested for EVERYTHING. They had to fill 16 tubes. I was in a hurry and didn't drink enough Water that evening or that morning. My vein are tiny to begin with and they could barely find a vein. Glad you are feeling so well. I was one of the ones lucky enough to bounced back quickly from surgery. Glad you are too. You have a fantastic attitude and I am convinced that it makes all the difference. Do keep in mind that stalls will happen. Don't sweat it when they do. It's just your body readjusting. You always lose inches even when the scale is not moving. Once your body is done moving things around, the weight will drop again. It's just something that has to happen. Great things are coming your way.

You need to go back to Hawaii when you reach your goal weight. That's exactly what I plan to do. I'm going to Maui though. Just think how much more fun it will be when we can rock a bathing suit. Actually you look bathing suit ready now! Congratulations!!!

Yes, but it seem like she's looking for permission to go to the DQ as soon as she can get there -- or as soon as someone gives her advice to go ahead. Three days post-op I was looking forward to cottage cheese - which I would not get for another two weeks. Come to think of it, nonfat cottage cheese is still heaven to me. My "non-preachy" answer would be: NEVER. I did feel that I should elaborate on that. I thought the replies were polite and given by people of experience, including ones who believe in all things in moderation.

Gee, thanks LT for being the Queen of the thread. I'll just bow and back away. She's 3 days post-op and has major food issues (see the post on mac and cheese).. We care. Disagree, that's fine, but don't try to shut down the conversation. I think she needs to speak with a nutritionist.

Shanbutler, did your surgeon send you to a nutrition class? Does he have one on staff. I might gently suggest that you speak to someone about food issues. You are 3 days post op and wanting to dive right back into foods that got you this way. Moderation is for people with good control. I have some, but I rather not let my tastebuds and body get used to that stuff. Right now, sugary stuff is sickening sweet to me and I hate it. I rather it stay that way. Right now it sounds like you are having a massive attack of head hunger that you might want to nip in the bud. Just a suggestion. One can eat around this sleeve and sabotage weight loss. It would be a shame to say the least.

You're hilarious!

No white Pasta for me ever. I do have a small amount of whole wheat pasta with red sauce.. I don't plan to eat mac and cheese the way I used to make it. I do however have shredded zucchini and cheese. Carbs make me stall and gain and I stick under 40-45 grams a day. It's just like the milkshake thread. I make nutritious versions of the stuff I used to eat when obese. I can run up mountains now. I'm not trading it in for food.

I personally wont touch them because even tiny children's sizes have upwards of 500 calories. I also don't do refined sugar. I can make a Protein shake that's tastes just as good. You can if you learn the tricks. I only eat around 750 calories a day and I'm not going to forgo my food for a day just to have a milkshake. I need to be eating nutritious food and there is no room in MY sleeve for junk. That's the old fat me. I'm not going to trade it in on a chocolate shake. It's not like I'm depriving myself here. There are 100 healthy treats I could indulge in instead.