Catracks

I need to get over to Whole Foods and get those chia seeds!!! I can't do the green shakes. I love leafy greens, but not ground up. If I were to try, would a food processor do the trick? I only have that and an old Waring blender.

I came here to say what Jersey Girl already did. You can make your own healthy smoothies using vanilla or strawberry Protein powder and a few frozen fruits and maybe some Greek yogurt thrown in. sugar free Torani syrups could be added too. Soups can be protein packed and provide lots of liquid. Most canned soup, especially the creamed varieties are not the best choices. I made my own ham and navy bean soup. Just take the leftover ham bone with some meat on it and add 1 pound of navy Beans that you have let soak. Cover it it chicken stock. Add chopped garlic, onion, celery and carrot, salt and pepper and simmer until the meat has fallen off the bone. Take a cup of the beans and a bit of both and stick in in the blender. Pour back in the pot and stir. DINNER!!! or Breakfast or lunch or snack ... It's always better for us if we do it ourselves. That's what I think anyway. This way you know exactly whats going in.

Handsome cowboy!!! I ate all kinds of things I shouldn't have over Christmas, but here I am back on the wagon. I just brought the last of all the candy, Cookies, sugared nuts and chips to work. We have a lunch room and if you leave stuff out, it disappears fast. I too just missed the century mark I'm sitting at 99 pounds lost!!! Oh well :-)

Pot, meet Kettle.

I've use 2% from the beginning. It actually astounded me that people in my support group were making it with Water. They are 99.9% RNY patients, but nobody told them that they were allowed to make the shake decent. I had one this morning with 4 oz. of frozen coffee and 4 oz of 2% milk, a bit of Torani SF chocolate syrup, 1 shake of two of SF chocolate Jello pudding powder and a scoop of chocolate whey isolate powder. I use pro Max from SEI. I love the shakes. I'm using them to lose my last 17 pounds.

I sailed through surgery and recovery. Lost the diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea after two months. I have posted this before plenty of times for those looking for stories. Heck, I was horseback riding after my 2 week follow-up. I also read extensively about the complications before I had my surgery. I vowed to stick to my pre-op and post-op diets and to eat Protein first to 70-90 mg, cut the carbs, drink my Water and take my Vitamins so I would succeed. There was one lady who had a horrible time of things just about when I was to go in. It didn't bother me a bit. It just wised me up. I find that this forum is more positive than negative actually. There are so many success stories that I found myself more hopeful and happy. I just knew that I would succeed too! I thank God that I wasn't subjected to nothing but flowery posts. Sure, YAY for you, but tell me about the constipation and slimes and gas pain so I know what the heck to do about it. There has to be room here for the people who have troubles too or it turns into some kind of never-ending group hug. Nice, but silly in light of what's at stake here.

I eat very slowly - especially when eating dense Protein. You will learn to feel the signs before it comes to slimes. Measure, eat slow, chew well and put the fork down between bites to see if you are full. It happened to me a few times early on.

Sure, I can eyeball things and do when I am eating away from home. When I am at home and packing my lunch for the day I measure. I also log everything single I eat into My Fitness Pal. It takes 10 minutes or less and keeps me on track. I can "handle" a lot more food that I should actually be eating. What's 10 minutes out of my life?

My surgeon was very conservative. My diet was 2 weeks clear, 2 weeks full liquids and 2 weeks puree. I attribute this diet to the fact that I healed quickly, lost weight quickly and am now able to tolerate just about anything. I think the only thing I hate the feel of is densely packed ground beef. I also attribute it to reversing my diabetic condition and lowering my cholesterol. I guess I was one who didn't mind the post-op diet because I really had no desire for anything other that what was prescribed. I did "cheat" one or twice, but it consisted of a finger dipped in the Peanut Butter jar and a bite of some mushed up fish on week 3. I think an earlier poster is right. It's near to impossible to pinpoint the cause of a leak, but following a strict diet after your stomach was just sliced open is smart. It helps healing and trains your body for a new way of eating. Now, there are documented cases of people busting their sutures or RNY pouches by binge eating just post-op. Somebody posted some stories in another thread, but these are people with real issues who absolutely gorged themselves. Just play it safe and stick to the diet. It's not forever and it will pay off.

I need a new picture. I mean I REALLY need a new picture. California is really stingy about doing that too. I was walking around for 15 years with my 16 year old self on the license. The last couple times I renewed they would not take a new one. Now the picture is of me 100 pounds heavier. I should demand a new picture and say they refused to take my identification fro my credit card purchases.

I know how big I was and now I cannot EVEN imagine trying to walk carrying 100 pounds on my back. The extra skin bums me out at times, but I try to imagine it as a badge of honor and proof of how far I've come.

Try the looks and eye rolls you get counting out 10 almonds.

I was January 11th of last year. I just wanted to say that by this time next year, you will be a whole new person. I loved the ride. Each bit of weight loss revealed more of the true me and each bit revealed more that I could do. Yesterday I ran 1/4 mile up a steep mountain road at 9,000 feet. Just ran up that hill to the car with heavy boots and a parka and didn't get winded. I loved the ride. I hope you all do too!

A year out and still cold all the time. My office is 70 degrees and too cold for me, but I have no control over it. I keep the house at 75 and my husband can barely stand it. I like it about 80.

Congratulations. I'm overweight too! :-)

I'm a year out and I still measure and weigh things. Serve yourself a portion and pack the rest away.

To me coddling is not supportive. I cannot respond with sunshine, flowers and puppy dogs. Call it a flaw. Take my advice or don't. I suppose there are very wounded people here, but I don't walk on eggshells at the expense of people who respond to common sense rather than emotion.

I'm shy about asking for an extra plate, but not the way you mean it. Some restaurants will charge you extra for a plate. It's one thing when they have split a meal back in the kitchen and plated it nice, but I'll be darned if I will pay extra to do it myself. Just use a bread plate or something. Yeah, I'm cheap. I don't stiff the waitstaff though -- although not to the extent of tipping as if we had spent $100 instead of $25.

I have been rewarding myself constantly since I started losing. Every time I can buy a size smaller or get into cute boots or go to an amusement park without the worry of fitting into a ride is a reward. Being able to hike 10 miles up a mountain is my reward. I am close to goal and do not have an ultimate goal reward. If I had the money, a trip to Maui would be in order, but perhaps my planned hike to Havasupai this spring will suffice. It's an 11 mile hike into the canyon. No way in or out except on foot, horseback or helicopter.

I actually had some wait-staff poke fun at me once, but it was all in good fun. I had order this Diced sausage and eggplant with spaghetti entree. I couldn't eat half of it when I had my full stomach. This time I didn't appear that I had touched it at all. They acted mock-shocked when I refused dessert. They said that they had thought I was saving room for dessert. I suppose they over-stepped, but I sort of egged them on. I ate the sauce with the sausage and eggplant for the next week and gave the Pasta to my husband. Grammy's idea to put it all into a container first thing is good, but I get REALLY odd looks if I do that. I have taken to bringing my own tupperware in my purse or bag. It's not always possible, but it travels and keeps better that way.

Lana, It almost sounds like you have dumping syndrome that is only really supposed to happen to RNY patients. Whatever the case, you sound like you are in a crisis and need to get to the ER. Keep us posted.

Susan, we cannot help the cravings, but we can be in control as to how we respond to them. Sorry, but if a life can be saved, I'm not going to say that ignoring your surgeon's advice is okay and try again tomorrow. The proper response is: You did a bonehead thing. Don't do it again. Why is that so hard for people to take?

You can have popcorn again, but it is a snack for much later on. It's got good Fiber and can be low calorie when you do it right. There are ways to make it healthy. The sentiment is correct though. A food is not more important than your health, but you can still learn to eat right and enjoy food like normal healthy people do.

I agree with the OP too. Seriously, how hard is it to stick to a surgical diet after you've just had you stomach sliced in half. The post-surgical diet is not a suggestion, but a prescription to be followed or else unpleasant things can happen. I'll say it yet again: The "stop judging me" thing gets old. The OP has a valid opinion. We all know how difficult it is, but it's not impossible for people with frontal lobes. These first weeks are for healing and training yourself for a life-long new approach to eating. When I was on two weeks of clear liquid, I hated the fruit-flavored Isopure stuff. The guy at the GNC store told me: "You just do what you gotta do. Period." It's actually empowering to know that you can take firm control over your own future. The VSG is a tool, nothing more. It is up to you.

You can also make your own pizza using a baked whole wheat tortilla for the "crust," Then add sauce and toppings. It's the easiest thing and a great way to use leftovers.