Fight4Light

In just 7 months (almost to the day, my 7 month anniversary of my surgery will be 7/28). I have lost 90 pounds. I can't believe I'm just 10 pounds away from triple digits. In honor of that, I've updated my signature ticker (which hadn't been updated since I was at 261), I also edited my profile pictures and added some more current pictures of me. I'm attaching a picture to show what you can accomplish in 7 months.

First I would like to say thanks to all the well wishes. It's been a long journey, and i still have a ways to go. To answer your question, yeah I do have a lot of extra skin, on my back and stomach and thighs. It's really annoying because when I'm clothed and standing up it hangs and makes me look faster than I am (almost like a perpetual muffin top), and when I bend over it hangs from me. I added some pictures from about 10 to 15 pounds ago. You can see the muffin top effect and the way it hangs. But it will hopefully go away within the next few years, I'm pretty young and my skin has been taken care of pretty well.

Another recipe invented by yours truly, low carb, about 22 grams of Protein per serving and super easy. Ingredients 2 large slices of smoked ham lunch meat 1 wedge of queso fresco & chipotle light laughing cow cheese, divided 1/4 cup of nonfat shredded cheddar, divided 2 tablespoons taco sauce divided Taco seasoning, to taste Instructions 1. Lay out ham slice and spread 1/2 the laughing cow cheese over the ham. 2. Use 1.5 tbsp of the cheddar at one end of the ham, then roll it up like a taquito, then place it on a sheet pan seam side down. 3. Spread 1 tbsp of the taco sauce over the top of the ham roll, then sprinkle with the taco seasoning (be careful, taco seasoning is strong stuff, so season like it was salt or pepper). Top the roll with the remaining 1/2 tbsp of cheddar cheese. 4. Repeat with the second ham slice. 5. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes 2 rollups, which is 1 serving. Optional toppings are salsa, guacamole, nonfat sour cream On a side note I recommend using a toaster oven because it's quick and easy. But if you don't, I would duplicate the recipe and make several servings, they refrigerate and reheat well. That way it will be worth the time to preheat the oven and bake them. If you try them, let me know what you think.

Ingredients: - 2 pounds of lean ground turkey - 5.25 sticks of light mozzarella string cheese, quartered. - 3 tablespoons of egg substitute - Greek Seasoning (I used Konriko brand) makes 21 meatballs (7 servings) Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit 2. Lightly spray 13x9 pyrex baking dish with cooking spray (I used butter flavored) 3. In a big bowl; mix ground turkey, egg substitute, and greek seasoning together. 4. Cut 6 string cheeses into 4 pieces each (you will have 3 pieces left over to snack on... Cooking is hungry work!) 5. Using a tablespoon, measure out 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture in the palm of your hand, then take one piece of the string cheese and form the meat around the string cheese then place in the baking dish. 6. Repeat for all 21 meatballs, if done correctly you will have 21 meatballs exactly the same size and no meat leftover. 7. spray the tops of the meatballs with cooking spray lightly, this will help crisp up the tops. 8. Cook in oven for approximately 25 minutes. 9. Remove from oven to drain off the fat completely, then return to oven to cook for another 10 minutes. 10. Enjoy! Nutrition Facts Calories per serving (3 meat balls): 224 calories protein: 29 grams fat: 12 grams carbs: <1 grams So I know mozzarella isn't a greek seasoning, but konriko brand does have a lot of similar spices to italian seasoning. If you prefer you can use italian season, or just even salt and pepper. You can eat these by themselves or you can eat them with some Pasta sauce. I know yesterday at walmart I found a basic tomato & basil pasta sauce for 45 Calories a serving! (That's a full 1/2 cup of sauce!). In my opinion, this is one of those lapband perfect foods. It's easy to make, makes a lot of servings, high in Protein (3 meat balls is about half of what a lapbander should get a day in protein!), low in fat, just about no carbs to speak of and it's fairly low calories. I hope you all enjoy

Lisa Lillien on the food network, she has a show called Hungry Girl, but she also has a website and specializes in guilt-free options. http://www.hungry-girl.com I just saw today a delicious liking parfait she made with non fat cottage cheese, chopped apples, and a little splenda, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. She also made a Denver omelet in a mug in the microwave using egg beaters, and you could sub out any toppings you want. Just so many good ideas!

Awesome, just don't forget that Protein is your first concern, I know it seems counter intuitive, but every meal should be protein first, then if you have room veggies and after that, fruit. Are you taking a Multivitamin? I have a brand from cvs that is like adult gummy Vitamins. Tastes pretty good and goes down really easy.

http://m.pinterest.com/fight4light/ There is a mobile link to all my boards

Ah I'm 4 months in and 3 fills I'm very restricted. I think tortillas are just a trigger food for me. It's like how some people have problems with beef but I can handle it fine. After the first fill, I gut stuck on a tortilla but it went down on its own like 5 min later, then I didn't attempt it again, until a few weeks ago, and there was just no way it was going down

I'm not a fan of shrimp but you are so lucky to eat tortillas, I can't even handle a single bite -__- what's your secret?

First off, congrats! Second of all, there is plenty of variety, but right now, don't think of it, it just makes the post op diet harder. But since you asked a question I'll answer, let's go through each option. Chinese food - Dumplings can be difficult if soft, try eating the fillings and not the wrapper. Crispy wontons are ok, but then they have been fried which isn't all that healthy. Egg drop soup is completely fine, just watch the sodium intake, orange chicken is doable but again remember it's fried, a better option is the grilled mandarin chicken. Lo mein and fried rice are completely off the menu but check out bandfriendlyrecipes.com for a fried rice recipe using cauliflower (sounds crazy I know but so good) Japanese food - Chicken/shrimp teriyaki are perfectly fine but watch the sodium in the teriyaki sauce if that is a concern for you. Shrimp tempura is ok, though again, in moderation because it's fried, tamago sushi (egg custard) should be fine but watch the cholesterol and if it has rice then it's a no go. Shumai is the same Chinese dumplings, no if it's soft, yes if it's crispy (but careful cause it's fried). If you like other sushi, forego the rice and get sashimi, tofu is a good option, and miso soup is on the menu still. Edamame is still edible. Cheeseburgers - light or nonfat cheese, low cal version of toppings, no bun and eat with a knife and fork. Switch to turkey if at all possible. Chicken fingers - they are alright, they can still be eaten but remember they are fried. Try grilled chicken strips. French fries - they are alright, you can eat them but they are unhealthy. Search pinterest for things like baked zucchini fries instead though. pizza - eat toppings only, or eat minimally topped thin and crispy. This is just wasted food though (I work at pizza hut so I know). I posted a recipe here for a cauliflower pizza crust, check it out. spaghetti - ditch the spa spaghetti and go for spaghetti squash. Find the lightest tomato sauce you can. I just found a tomato basil Pasta sauce yesterday for 45 calories a serving (half a cup!) Meatballs - all about what goes in them, extra lean ground beef or Turkey. I am actually going to be making a recipe using ground turkey stuffed with bits of nonfat string cheese. Mashed potatoes - it's ok in moderation but it's pure carbs so it's wasted space, I keep mentioning cauliflower, but try a cauliflower mash. meatloaf - same as meatballs noodle pudding - you've stumped me as to what this is, but the noodles tell me no. cake - extreme moderation, like I'm talking, for only your birthday only! tuna sandwiches/turkey sandwiches - all sandwiches really... take off the bread, put the toppings in the meat and roll it up. Tuna is harder, just make tuna salad and use it as a spread for high Fiber crackers. Use things like mustard (0 cal) and extra light mayo to flavor it. Any way sorry that was so long. Just remember, this is not a diet, it's a lifestyle. It's all about the decisions you make. Good luck, and pm me if you need to. I'm always here to talk. Also my name is fight4light on pinterest and I have a pretty popular lapband board so you should follow that for some great recipes.

Stay away from bread, if you do eat pizza make sure it's minimally topped and get the thin crust so it's super crispy. If not, just eat the toppings off the pizza. To be honest, it seems as if you're still thinking like pre op. You have just had radically life changing surgery where your intake had been drastically reduced. 2 weeks post op and I was still moving slow and took me over an hour to eat a Greek yogurt. Also as some people suggest, keep ready sources of Protein, though I wouldn't recommend more than one protein shake a day, unless it's an emergency. You're better off getting it from natural sources. Finally, it does seem a bit like sabotage for your husband to even suggest pizza you at this stage. I'm not saying he's a bad guy, but this soon after surgery you still have a "fat mindset". One thing I learned with my boyfriend... Just because you live under the same roof doesn't mean you need to eat the same meals. My boyfriend eats whatever he wants, meanwhile I eat whatever I need to. I can think of quite a few occasions where he's gotten fast food and I have eaten some fast home food. But if you're dead set in eating where he eats, there are healthy options everywhere. If we go to McDonald's, I get small fries, 4 piece nuggets, and unsweetened iced tea. If we go to Jack in the box, I get grilled chicken strips with teriyaki sauce and small curly fries (and I can't eat all the fries). Rather than get a chicken sandwich, just get grilled chicken. Our if it isn't too bad just get a cup of chili by itself. I know it seems like people are attacking you and your husband here, but they are just concerned for you, so please don't be scared off. We just have been where you are (I've lost 75 pounds in 4.5 months). Right now is the time for you to have an Iron will. Think of how much the pre op diet sucked, think of how much the pain of surgery sucked, the nauseous feeling of the anesthesia recovery, the pain of surgery you went through, the scars you now have (permanently) on your stomach, and think of how the 2 weeks post op diet sucked. Do you really want to ruin all that with eating exactly what you have been told not to eat on your first or second time back on solids? (Namely grease, sodium, bread, etc) Any way, good luck!

I used to love diet coke. Like it was in my veins, I didn't give it up until my pre op fast (2 days before surgery). But I'm proud to say, in the almost 5 months since my surgery, I have not even touched the stuff. Anything carbonated in fact. I have been tempted to see if I could drink it since my surgery but I never let myself because I'm half afraid I'll really hurt myself and I'm half afraid I won't hurt myself and I'll go back to my soda drinking ways. Same thing with swelling carbs. Anything that can have the potential to hurt me gets avoided, I've gotten used to Water and things like 0 cal Powerade and propel zero and Crystal light. My usual drink when going out is now unsweetened iced tea (sweetened with splenda), and if I'm feeling naughty and want a bit more flavor I get a raspberry iced tea. Though I really like that diet Snapple half and half they just came out with. Long story short, every once in awhile, I crave soda but there are so many options I can have that I just put it out of my mind

my doctor believes in a longer road to recovery. I was on a liquid diet for 2 full weeks after surgery. That included sf Jello and popsicles, Protein shakes, Water, and beef and chicken broth. After that I was on mush for 2 weeks, which included egg white, cottage cheese, yogurt, thin sliced deli meats, cooked veggies... Basically anything I could turn into a mush in my mouth by chewing. After that, I was back to real foods

I mainly eat chicken, and choose to eat ground turkey, but I still like and eat ham (sidenote: ham has more Protein and less fat in an equal portion of chicken) and beef. If it's protein rich, it's fair game on my menu, as long as it's not seafood, I just hate fish. Just really stay away from carbs (complex carbs can be ok, just be wary of things that swell, fries and mashed potatoes, if prepared healthy are ok. Rice and Pasta are no go). Be careful of fat, but even that isn't a huge concern for me, sodium doesn't even phase me that much. But being a 25 year-old guy, I do play kind of fast and loose with nutrition but my body can handle it and I still lose a lot