Fallenangel2904

Great topic I'm in charge of cooking so I got to plan everything out and make it VSG friendly Christmas Eve I made a noodlesless lasagna. Used eggplant for the layers and layered with sauce, ricotta, cheese and ground turkey. It was great and was a cross between eggplant parm and lasagna. I made shrimp scampi with it (didn't use real butter- margarine instead, lemon, a splash of wine. I only had a tiny bit of both. For dessert I made pumpkin yogurt panna cotta. Awesome, healthy and good amounts of Protein. And no sugar in it (made with stevia) Christmas Day we had Turkey, I made a small think of stuffing (I didn't really want it but my mother did) so I made it from scratch, used whole wheat bread and added ground turkey. I made a Rachael Ray version of 'stuffin muffins'. She basically put the stuffing in a cupcake pan. Perfect serving size! (I only had a tiny tiny taste of it, but still perfect servings for my guests- maybe they won't overeat if I portion it out for them too lol) also made roasted sweet potatoes and brussle sprouts with balsamic vinegar. I only ate a few sprout halves. And For dessert- skinny cheesecake with strawberries. Low carb, no crust and made in a cupcake pan so perfect portions. The food was well received also, healthy and great. Ill attach a few pics of my Christmas Eve dinner. I forgot to take pics of the Christmas Day stuff lol.

I'm about 6 weeks out now. My starting weight was right about where you are. My recorded heaviest was 379 (though I was definitely well over 380 at my biggest I just don't know how much) I lost 20lbs before surgery and had surgery at 359. Today I'm 323 and feel awesome! I've lost 36lbs since surgery and 56 all together. Good luck to you

First two days are the hardest. I had a very bad time the first two days between pain and nausea. I cried pretty much the whole first night. Day three I started to turn a corner and things got a lot better. Trust me every day is better then the last. Sending you hugs!

Every surgeon is different. I am about 6 weeks and was cleared for salads and grilled veggies at my 1 month check up. Check with your surgeon first though

I would also be cautious of the brand of protein. Some are meant to used as a weight gain add. Make sure you stick to whey isolate and as said above use it as a meal replacement. As long as you are doing that I don't understand why your doctor would have a problem with it. You're doing great! 16lbs is awesome!

Don't beat yourself up. Yes it was very soon and hopefully you won't have any problems. The holidays are tough everyone is either tempted or caves. I've had a few little slip ups and it just makes me made at myself. Today is a new day. Make sure you track too. Whenever I don't track I slip up way more then I would if I didn't track.

It took me a while to get used to Greek yogurt. I hated it at first. I still really don't like Chiobani. It's too sour. I love Fage. It's much milder and I can actually eat it plain. So if you don't like one brand you may be surprised if you try another. My all time fave is Oikos honey but its a little too sugary so I don't eat it much (ate it pre op) but it is amazing!

Oh and I also made a pumpkin yogurt panna cotta to tonight that was great! Had the element of a pumpkin custard or flan but very low fat. Ill attach that recipe too. Oh and I used almond milk instead of skim, regular canned pumpkin NOT pie mix like it says too and i just sweetened with some SF vanilla syrup, pumpkin pie spice and splenda and Fat free vanilla yogurt. I put a tiny bit on SF maple syrup on the bottom of the cup and it almost came out like a pumpkin flan. Awesome! happy holidays all!

Um all I see in that picture is a hot, curvy, gorgeous woman! Seriously! I know how it feels to gain a lot of weight, you still picture yourself as you were in your head and when you look in the mirror it's a painful blow. The truth is you need to come to a point where you love yourself regardless of size because if you don't love yourself it won't be a priority for someone else to love an treat you well (I know it sounds like the famous Jerry Springer line lol) but its very true! Truth is there is beauty in us all at every size. We need to see it. I honestly see a beautiful woman when I look at your picture- I WISH i was blessed with that shape! I hope you can try to see your beauty so you can see your worth. Happy holidays!

I only have one confession. I've grazed a lot the past few days and even had take out the other night (nothing bad just chicken and broccoli) but the sodium must have been HIGH because it said I gained 2lbs today. In 2 days. I know it's water weight but UGH that pissed me off a lot. And I've fallen victim to the holidays also with running around, shopping, tastes of things that I shouldn't have. I know a bite of a cookie didn't cause me to gain 2lbs BUT I feel like that was the universe saying okay STOP NOW! Kind of cant wait for the holidays to be over!!

Loved Deviled eggs yum! I was in charge of the Christmas menu this year. I adapted it to be WLS friendly. I made a noodless lasagna for Christmas Eve- eggplant as the noodles and all the stuff you would find in lasagna. It was a cross between eggplant parm and lasagna an delish! Also made some shrimp with garlic and lemon on the side sort of a scampi style. Served it with some cheese before the meal. Only had a small amount of it all but was great! Tomorrow making a turkey with roasted brussle sprouts and sweet potato (ill probably only have the sprouts and maybe a taste of potato but my mom really wanted sweet potato) and some whole wheat stuffing on the side. Again I could have done without but she really wanted stuffing. Making a skinny cheese cake for dessert made with cottage cheese and strawberries on top so very interested to see how that turns out!

Ramekins are a good idea. Perfect serving size (though I know not a cooking utensil) I would recommend a vegetable julliener. You can use it to julienne zuccini to make zucchini 'pasta. Awesome pasta swap idea!

Exercise is my big one. So establish a regular exercise routine. Personal goal- try to let go of the past and leave it there. That's never an easy thing to do lol

People refer to sliming as that stuck feeling you get in your chest, and then saliva kind of builds up in your throat- hence the 'slime' lol it's a bit nasty. It happens to me if I eat too fast or don't chew enough. I LOVE deli turkey, and eat it a lot for lunch but that is one food that pretty much always makes me slime

1 I confess sometimes in afraid I can eat way too much, even though I know it's a fraction of what I used to eat, but still more then I expected. 2 I confess I still don't get enough fluids in every day. 3 I confess I've been grazing way too much the past few days. These holidays are killing me! 4 I confess eat way too fast sometimes. I've slimed a few times and I know it's because I still scarf down my food a lot. I don't know what I can't stop that! 5 I confess I AM proud of myself. Almost 40lbs down in a month and a half- almost 60 total. I know I could never have done that in this time frame with out the sleeve!

I had a cath. I was SO dreading it and really didn't want one but you know what? I was SO glad I had it in!!! Yes you heard right. I has a rough recovery and there is no way in Hell I would have been able to get up and go the first day and a half- especially with all the fluids I would need to go every hour. I was SO grateful for it and even wish they left it in longer. The removed it late day two for me and I was forced to go to the bathroom on my own. I was almost not able to bare it (I has very bad incision pain) and had to use a bed pan the first time after they took it out. After that i was forced to go on my own and it was a big struggle having to go so frequently because of the IV. Very hard to get on and off the toilet and every hour or so no less. I was afraid it was going to hurt coming out but not at all. Just some pressure. So honestly I was extremely grateful for mine!

It depends on where your weight is proportioned, age (which is on your side) genetics and how long you've been overweight. By your pictures I honestly don't think you'll have much of a problem. Your arms aren't that big. My arms are my worst area, even pre op they sagged (from years of yo-yoing with my weight) now they are already very saggy and I've only lost 55lbs (have lots more to go). But I had a 20 inch forearm at my biggest so it's understandable there is going to be skin issues. I honestly think you'll be fine. And by the way your beautiful good luck to you you'll do great!!

I also was given antibacterial sponges to use the night before and morning of surgery. The sponge even had a little scrubby pad and I made sure I scrubbed my tummy with it good lol

I've always been interested in becoming a vegetarian so it's awesome to hear it is possible! I'm only about 5 weeks out so if I did make the transition I would wait until I was at least 6 months but its something I have been thinking a lot about. I would imagine being vegan is very difficult with wls but seems vegetarian is doable yay!

It was a piece of cake for me (no pun Intended lol) he asked me about my life, my family etc. there were questions like 'have you ever been abused physically or sexually, have you ever had anxiety' stuff about my mental health history. We talked about my life growing up. He asked me if I had a good childhood. I was honest about things and I was afraid a bit too honest but it helped me actually understand where a lot of my emotional eating habits stemmed from. He was very nice and it was a very good experience over all. Don't be nervous it's really not a huge deal

Congrats! I wish I had it done a few years ago. I'm 23 and about 5 weeks out and it's been great! I've lost 36lbs since surgery (56 all together) and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. You'll do great!

I'm about 5 weeks about and all I've been since Surgery is constipated. It's been extremely uncomfortable honestly. It was so bad one night I was crying. I only go maybe about every 4-5 days which I guess makes sense considering how much I eat but I dread going to the bathroom. I know constipation is extremely common even for us VSGers. With a high protein diet we aren't really getting in any fiber so it makes sense. I'm going to begin a fiber supplement and see how it helps. I'm hesitant to do a stool softener because I've had issues with them in the past pre VSG that gave me explosive diarrhea which no one wants lol. Wish I could tell you constipation was untrue but it's an unfortunate reality for most of us.