CowgirlJane

If you track, you can verify you get enough from food. I tracked for a few days and discovered I was having closer to 50g of protein. I find I need to use protein drinks to get to my goal of 80g.

I think different people are more sugar and carb sensitive. I was raised drinking large quantities of milk and am fairly convinced it was one of many factors leading to my heifer like weight class. Even more so if combined with Cereal or Cookies or whatever. I do eat yogurt, cheese etc.

I reread and I think i missed your actual question - about portions vs the WHAT you eat. On a different forum there is a man who is a pretty big person and espouses the eat what/when/how much you want and the sleeve will restrict you enough to keep the weight off. As a 51 year old female, that has not been my experience. I have radically changed my dietary lifestyle along with the portion control. The sleeve helped get the ball rolling and freed me from the 24/7 drive to eat. I experiment and have learned how to manage hunger etc. Via food choices. I lost over 150 and am currently 5 pounds under goal but a little heavier than my all time low.

I am 4 years post sleeve and maintaining. I can eat anything but I choose to manage my diet fairly compliant with the basic sleever rules. Protein first, diverse veggies next and minimize carb type food. Junk food or essentially empty calories and carbs are ok occasionally but not very often.

Sharon, a wise person told me to give guys who are a bit socially inept a chance - because a lot of them are nice guys but make lousy first impressions. The friend who gave me this advice was my tall handsome smooth talking ex lover who had used his attributes to advantage but had grown up enough to realize how fake and wrong it could be. I tended to trust him on this kind of thing. However, you mentioned red flags, and you didn't mention anything that you liked about him....ehhhhh...doesn't sound too promising. I am not dating right now, but I am curious what others think about the idea of casually dating several people for months until really choosing one to enter an actual relationship with. My friend mentioned above told me to do that, my counselor told me to do that, but I really havent done that. By around 3-5 date either I don't want to keep seeing him or I don't want to see anyone else. This has resulted in me having 3-4 month relationship with people who were NOT a good match (including one who turned out to be paranoid, delusional). I notice men will write in their profiles "no serial daters". I think it is a weird term as serial means more like sequential, when I think they mean they don't want to date someone unless they are exclusive right off the bat.

@@UK Cathy good job on the 2# down! I am losing weight and a I am sure the zero alcohol for the last month has h helped -all those carbs! I am at 153.1, down almost 2 from last week. I almost didn't weigh myself as I was expecting a gain. I was desperately hungry as I missed meals yesterday while in the emergency room (started in a walk in clinic and was sent to ER from there.) Anyway I ate about 1/3 bag of sunchips and they were so salty I thought I would be up 2#! How is everyone doing? In spite of my physical misery, my spirits are good. I can't wait to rejoin the real world, which I expect by Wednesday. If I am not way better by then, I will likely be hospitalized but I feel better this morning. No fever, in fact I am back to my cold blooded self, can't even hit "normal" on the thermometer. My leg still looks infected but I need another few days to see that turn around.

Sounds great. I even wound up making a good one from syntrax nectar vanilla bean by adding egg whites and lots of baking powder. I did it in a bowl and it almost spilled over, very good. I am not using milk but rather the sugar free creamer and - I think a generous helping of baking powder is what gives it a lighter more cake like texture but it would spill over in a mug. My order of the mint and cookies and cream flavors arrive tomorrow.you recommend the MATRIX peanut butter too?

So am home. They did a broad spectrum IV antibiotics while awaiting blood test. Came back with no elevated white blood cells which means it is still very local. In 72 hours get result of culture but doc expects I should be feeling better in 2-3 days. I am worn out and my son is pissed because he put off his meager chores t today, and so he is doing them instead of watching super bowl since he wasted all this time with me today. You know maybe it's good he doesn't want kids - how many of us have " wasted " days and nights on behalf of our kids. It is hard to not be irrate although I do appreciate his help and thanked him profusely. I need to sleep now. Just grateful they didn't admit me.

A few from last summer.

I go crazy doing "close work" like sewing, knitting is my idea of purgatory. I think it is cool and I have tried in the past - like painting flower pots etc. I would try to tell myself I like it, but I don't. I do like gardening, especially flowers. You can do amazing things in just pots on your portch!

Well I am pretty disappointed in Dr Sauceda. He hasn't returned a message to me since Thursday as my condition has deteriorated. That is so not like him. Anyway, finally went to a walk in clinic and all the moving around caused the wound to open and I got much needed relief from the swelling. Everything that came out was blood, not pus, but they decided I need to go to the emergency room so I could get blood work and decide what antibiotics I need. I was so hoping to avoid this - I should have gone on Friday but fever didn't set in until Saturday night. I wanted to do this mon-fri more routine care because ER always costs a fortune. Besides, I just hate hospitals. Anyway, here I am awaiting blood draws. I am very displeased with Dr Sauceda because in hindsight I realize I should have been treated earlier. I was so lucky my first round of plastics to have zero complications I just don't have experience with this.

Yes, I am posting and replying to messages so u must be logged in

I am so sorry for the loss of your aunt. 10 years ago, it probably was not the sleeve, but doesn't really matter. A coworker of mine had gastric bypass, what I didn't know is she was a type 1 diabetic. She got very thin, was anxious and sick alot then she didn't work for our company anymore. About a year later I found out she died in her sleep at age 40 - essentially from alcoholism and the diabetes. She had also abandoned her family, had gotten fired from her job- she went off the rails so to speak. It happened astonishingly fast too, I would say less then 3 years from her surgery. I had known her casually for years and I didn't even recognize the person she morphed into - due to the alcoholism. It is a serious subject.

I can't imagine using a corset regularly. ..I think it is asking for trouble (reflux) Compression garments didn't make me vomit but definitely reduced my food capacity too much.

My mood is better today. My good friend Shawn is coming over for happy hour - wine for her, Protein Drink for me. She is bringing pizza which I would normally cringe about ( good pizza is a trigger food) but since I am down another pound when I am supposed to be healing, I thought it might be a good thing. A gourmet pizza joint just opened in town. I ran one big meeting from home, flat on my back...Ha! Thank goodness no video! I hate that people at work know I am not well. Many saw me Mon and Wed. Interesting observation that I feel self protective and want people to think I am fine, when I am not.

Post weight loss the problem I had is skin on my back"spilling over" I wore one for a costume and had to lace the top part loose. It wasn't uncomfortable though.

Congratulations, you have done so well but you should know that this next year is probably just as important, maybe more important then year one because this is the year you either really stick with the good habits, or start backsliding. Then, a year later, for my two year check in he congratulated me on maintaining and said... you should know this next year is really imprtant, because sometimes people start regaining They change their habits and lose that "feeling of restriction " On my third year follow up they focused alot on checking if I had reflux or GERD , which I don't (that is about when it starts showing up for some). He again asked me about my feeling of restriction, habits I had kept etc. He asked me about the emotional impacts, if I felt I had grown accustomed to my new normal....then said, thus might be the most important year post op because statistics show people sometimes regain 3-5 years post op. For my 4 year - I just had blood work done by my primary care doctor, so I had to give myself the speech about how this next year is even more important in terms of maintaining the habits that keep that feeling of restriction, and help maintain. I was thinking today that he is more than a good surgeon, he is a smart man. Tell me something 3 times and I think I got it. It seems that year after year I must maintain good eating habits and activity level to maintain that feeling of restriction and to maintain a healthy weight. I probably heard a million times about "lifestyle change " as a preop and although I am sure I nodded with enthusiasm I really didn't know. How can you really know until you experience it?

I viewed the phase where I hated everything, shakes tasted bad,food tasted bad,I couldn't even stand Water without a flavoring, as that window of opportunity to change my relationship with food. I ate food/had shakes like a prescription medication intended to make me healthier. I hated it, I wished I didnt have to eat at all, but we all know th a that isn't good. I found the transition to solid food difficult, and everthing still tasted awful. But, that was temporary. 4 years out, I have no real food restrictions except what I impose on myself for good health (only exception is ice cream can give cramps). When I go out to eat, I eat like a trim middle aged woman,petite portions of good quality food. I have a skinny minnie girlfriend and we eat very similarly. The freakish feeling of those early weeks does pass.

I ask that you mention which service you watched it on and say a sentence or two about it! Ripper Street - Netflix, set in White Chapel right after the reign of terror of Jack the Ripper. the central characters are detectives working in a fairly troubled police station where the people don't really trust them. And the women from a Brothel are major supporting characters, but in ways you wouldn't entirely predict. Grizzly Man - Amazon prime. Documentary about Tim Treadwell who was obsessed with grizzlies. Making of a Murderer - netflix documentary 8 part series about alot of bad behaving people that everyone has heard about. By the end you don't know what to believe but I feel very strongly that the low IQ 16 year old boy with the crooked attorney did NOT get a fair trial. I actually have a theory about what happened. .but not sure the truth will ever come out.

I am a documentary geek, and have posted about some great ones before..... but ones I watched recently Soaked in Bleach - about Kurt cobain of Nirvana death. Told from the point of view of the private investigator that Courtney Love hired to find him when he first went missing. Conspiracy theory of course, but given that Kurt was a hometown sensation and Courtney much reviled, was interesting to me. Kurt had the most beautiful eyes. First peoples -Amazon Prime - right up my geeky alley. This is a multi part documentary by PBS about early human migration and what the DNA evidence shows....Neanderthal, and several other now dead branches of our genetic trees explored. I love this stuff.

We are all individuals, and I promise you that years down the road, these little stalls etc will be faded from memory. There are things, little tricks that can kick start losses, but I think the most important is getting the basics right - fluids, Protein, veggies, moderate healthy carbs, Vitamins. Once you are doing all that consistently, and are a little further along, ask again for the little "accelerate" tips - although no guarantees.

@@VSGAnn2014 I know that wasn't your meaning, I was just responding to the concept that there is a clear line when a person is an alcoholic. Where I live, there is a big wine and beer with dinner culture, and there are plenty of people having wine daily with dinner that dont get drunk and are not alcoholics. Those recommendations come from studies about health risks like cancer etc. For some sad reason, even at the same bodyweight, alcohol is more harmful for women than men.

I have come to the conclusion that we don't share a common definition of "in love". I can feel starstruck, awestruck, on fire, attachment feelings for someone pretty quickly, but looking back at my whole life, I think it takes me a good year before I feel true love for a person.

So, my thighs are very non typical, no cellulite, very muscular on the outer, front, and back, just cellulite pockets way up high on inner. I hid it fine even in shorts and dresses without nylons and the suffering I am enduring is totally not worth the minor improvement I expect from this. My breast revision looks great, removed 2 ugly moles near my eye, cheek injection - all that is awesome and pretty easy recovery. Regrets do no good, but I do 'regret doing the thighs (complications have a way of triggering regret!) as I am back on bed rest after attempting to return to work this week. I am going stir crazy and it hurts and I don't want to take pain meds.

I wouldn't have done it but I was "under" anyway due to breast revision. They actually dont use much fat at all, so you don't need to have much to do this and it came from my inner thigh.. I had it done with other procedures so cost was low. Quote I got stand alone was 1200 by a Seattle plastic surgeon. It lasts longer, for most people, than juvaderm etc. I asked doc about doing lipo around my waist etc..and he said, nope, I dont have excess fat, it's my muscles and the only way to further reduce loose skin is upper body lift or the vertical/anchor cut - and we both agreed totally not worth it. The mistake I made in all this is that my upper inner thighs had gotten worse over time. I had weird cellulite pockets there that were vastly improved with the small thigh lift, but over the 2 years, it was worse again. Thighs do that.. Anyway Dr was hopeful he could do some lipo and very small skin removal - not a full thigh lift. When I came out of recovery, he told me it hadn't gone well and he had to do alot more than expected to get decent results. Then, I had a complication. I don't blame the doc, I blame me. I should have not gotten greedy and pursued it. Recovery has been hell, I have had a recent setback, had to cancel my MAui trip...etc.