pink dahlia

For snacks I like turkey jerkey, Belvita breakfast biscuits, nuts, Wheat thins w/ pb or cream cheese, apple slices, cheese sticks, flavored rice cakes w/ pb.

Yes, the recipe did call for coconut milk, ( I used the canned type) OR milk of your choice, and yes i did get it off Pinterest. I didnt think it tasted exactly like Wendys frosty, but it was good enough to take care of my ice cream craving and not loaded with a ton of sugar, just a little . Works for me !!

Tmf ! Dont be a chicken ! This is sooooo not you! If I m craving a mini blizzard from Dairy Queen, ill do this instead. Ice cream is my kryptonite......sigh........ to each their own .

I second what everyone else said, dont forget a chapstick and a BiG bottle of water. It took me the whole day of drinking liquids to get rid of the cottonmouth I came out of surgery with. Im sooooo glad I was banded, it literaly gave me my life back. Hope all goes smoothly tommorrow for you !

You go girl ! Rant all you want ! I'll bet not one of those people that called you has had WLS themselves, or knows much about it. They would'nt think it was "drastic" if you decided to have a hip replacement or heart surgery for a healthier future, now would they ?? Same thing, different surgery, so to speak. Its YOUR body, and YOUR future, so do whats best for YOU ! Good luck !

Woo hoo ! Way to go ! Keep up the good work ! Since you asked for "1st NSVs " , if I remember correctly, I had also lost my first 19 lbs, and an aquaintance who hadnt seen me in a few months asked me "Have you lost weight ? You look thinner in the face ! ". WOW. That made my day ! That , and cleaning out my closet with bags and bags of too big clothes !! Now, THAT was fun !!

I weighed close to what you weigh (225 lbs) when I got banded. I only looked at the lap band, didnt even consider anything else as that would be removing body parts !!!!!!! Was' nt going to happen, not noway, not nohow !!! Im sooooooooo glad I went with the band, as long as I followed my Drs orders 95 % of the time, I was successful. Trust your instincts !! You have them for a reason ! Good luck !!!

I watch Food Network all the time !!! Im very "food orientated". I love grocery shopping, collecting some "historical cookbooks",reading about different foods from different cultures, how certain foods are made, who invented them, etc. My favorite food shows are Diners, Drive ins and Dives, The Pioneer Woman, Unwrapped, and Down home with the Neelys . We got our ugly kitchen redone last year so I finally took an interest in cooking ..Most of my recipies come from Pinterest, its all step by step with LOTS of pictures. So far, everything has turned out very well ! I dont know who is more surprised, me or my hubby !!!

Wow!! You look AMAZING !! Good for you for getting healthy ! Way to go !

Great job , keep it up ! Congrats ! My key was not only the Drs orders about food and water, but finding activities that I loved helped get the weight off too. I dont like working out on weights but walking outside sloooooowly turned to a little bit of jogging, then slooooowly turned to a little bit of running. Also swimming 3x a week in a strong swim class helped alot. Hope everything continues to go your way ! Good luck !

Congrats on getting yourself closer to being strong and healthy! Not only for yourself but to enjoy many more years with your grandson too. Think of all the memories he will have with you ! My surgery and recovery was a breeze, hope yours goes fast and smooth too. I just followed my Drs advice 95 % of the time and the weight fell off . Best decision ever ! Good luck, let us know how you're doing !

Well you just go girl !! Congrats on the letter ! Hopefully soon for you, keeping my fingers crossed !

Congrats on your 35 lbs ! Woo hoo ! Way to go ! I dont do well with eggs but my hubby loved these Breakfast Bites- preheat oven to 450, grease a muffin tin very well. In each well put 3 slightly defrosted tater tots and squish them down to make a crust. Bake 10 mins. Reduce oven to 350, sprinkle tater tots with cooked meats of your choice, plus chopped veggies, sprinkle with cheese. Whip together 8 eggs and 1/4 cup milk. Pour over each well, add salt and pepper. Bake 20 mins, then slide a fork under each to pop out of the muffin tin. Let cool, store in freezer. Easy to grab and microwave on busy days. Good luck !

Congrats on your 35 lbs ! Woo hoo ! Way to go ! I dont do well with eggs but my hubby loved these Breakfast Bites- preheat oven to 450, grease a muffin tin very well. In each well put 3 slightly defrosted tater tots and squish them down to make a crust. Bake 10 mins. Reduce oven to 350, sprinkle tater tots with cooked meats of your choice, plus chopped veggies, sprinkle with cheese. Whip together 8 eggs and 1/4 cup milk. Pour over each well, add salt and pepper. Bake 20 mins, then slide a fork under each to pop out of the muffin tin. Let cool, store in freezer. Easy to grab and microwave on busy days. Good luck !

Im in retail, standing all day. I went back to work 8 days after being banded with no problems. I just made sure I didnt lift anything heavier than 10 lbs for the first few weeks as I healed. Remember to drink your liquids and pack yourself a healthy meal per your Dr. s orders. I always brought too much food, still sometimes cant wrap my mind around how little healthy food I have to eat to get full ! ( my head still sometimes thinks " but im going to be starving!! Ummmm , no . you.wont.starve..........trust. me. ) good luck !

Since you are 50, Im guessing this has to do with menopause , maybe ?? ( Im 55) . Ive been overly warm for several years, then tried "Estroven" a product designed for hot flashes. I cooled waaaay down, stopped taking it, and have returned to way less hot flashes than before. Try wearing a warm hat and fingerless gloves inside and outside, a light scarf around your neck, plus light layers all the time. This really helps me balance my body temp. Good luck !

I dont get bored with my eating habits, but I have idea for those that do. Have you ever thought of joining some sort of "cooking exchange " , maybe with other WLS people in your area ??? Maybe you could connect through your local support group, and each of you cook/exchange x amount of healthy meals monthly or weekly. That way you'd get a larger variety of good food and some local support from other WLS people too. (I know what you're thinking............ now why did'nt I think of that ?? Is there a smiley face for that ??)

I struggle with the taco shell, or tortilla part too, so I usually skip that part and just eat the insides. As far as the chicken, chicken breast are way too dry and stringy for me, but chicken thighs are nice and moist. Yes, they have a bit more fat on them, but I just cut the fat out of my food somewhere else so I can get the protein in.

Ive been banded since Dec, 2011, started at 225 lb, now im 160. My daily calorie intake is around 1100 to 1300, depending on the day. I try to track my food/exercise on Myfitnesspal.com, you might want to try that too. I chose exercise that I loved and would stick with , 3 days a week I take a hard swim class, 1-2 days a week I run a 2 mile trail. Hopefully this spring ill increase the amount I run . It says on your profile that you had surgery July 2009, but then you say your friends dont want you to have surgery ?? Im confused, but keep in mind its YOUR body and life, not theirs. Also you may not see alot of results in your 2 weeks, your body may be still adjusting. Good luck ! My lap band =best decision ever !!!

I stopped using my cpap when I had lost about 50 lbs, because I wanted to see if I could sleep well without it and not snore. Hubby says I slept fine and didnt snore so its been about 1.5 years since I used it , and I still sleep very well. The machine is now gathering dust in my closet. It is SO nice not to have to drag that thing everywhere we camped/traveled ! What a pain !

Last Sunday, 2 hrs from home, we had major car trouble and ended up dropping the car off at at a repair shop and unexpectaly staying overnight in a nice hotel. Grabbed a pkg of undies and some pajamas, both mediums from Walmart. Tried them on at the hotel, THEY FIT JUST FINE !!!!! Well, Happy Mothers Day to me !!!

As my hubby said , I was a "cheap date" before surgery, as i cant hold liquor much. 2 was my limit, now im "one and done ." !! I have a cup of regulat tea in the am, decaf the rest of the day. Couldnt tell you about soda pop, I rarely had it before WLS , now its never . . Some people just lose their taste for certain things, but honestly you wont care when your clothes are getting too big ( again ?? ) , the compliments are coming in left and right along with all the NSV s !!! Good luck !!

The next time someone says your WLS was "the easy way out" , have them compare it with something like dental surgery or braces. They could have a mouthful of problems for the rest of their life, or they could have dental surgery or braces so that they could have a normal , healthy life . Which would they choose ?? Every single time they make a decision on ANYTHING, ask them if they chose the easy way or the hard way. Did choosing the "easy" way make them "lazy" ??? I dont think so ??? It takes hard work and dedication to make WLS work for anybody ! WLS is simply a tool, just like braces , etc. Good luck !

Ms. Indy Bee, here comes the Tough Love Train !!!! I have to ask you, " Is the 5 % negative of WLS worth the 95 % positive of WLS ????? Nod your head and say YES !!!!!!! I am the biggest weenie in the world when it comes to pain , and I gave up the liquid pain meds after the 2nd day cause I just didnt need them. It honestly just felt like a really bad pulled muscle on my left side. Thats it. No other discomfort, none. Did my hourly walking, lots of liquids, and I was up feeling fine by the 3rd day , back to work on the 8th day, and the weight started faaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllliiiiiinnnnnngggggggg OFF !!!!!! I still can eat 95 % of what iI could eat before, but look and feel 100 % better. BEST DECISION EVER !!!! Good luck !!

8am - Belvita breakfast biscuts, 10 am - Swiss Miss hot cocoa, noon- 1/4 chicken thigh, watermelon, snack - 1/4 cup pistacios, M n M 's. 7 pm - 2 bites meatloaf , pineapple , lots of water