solson8201

Made this last night and it was delicious! Coat the squash halves with evoo and salt, then bake open side down at 400 for 30 minutes. Scrape all squash loose, leave in the shell and mix in chopped tomatoes, basil, and garlic powder. Top with mozzarella and broil until melted. [ATTACH]27440[/ATTACH]

Jean, I've been reading your fabulous articles for a few months now and just realized you are the author of the awesome cookbook I have next to my reading chair! Not sure why I haven't made the connection sooner, but thank you for the great articles AND the delicious recipes :-)

Dr. Grossbard's colleagues, Dr. Aguila and Dr. Dicicco are in Tampa. I go to Dr. Aguila and he's wonderful, the whole office is wonderful as a matter of fact. Their office is across from Memorial Hospital in south Tampa. Welcome to Tampa!

I was never one to worry about my burping, but this is ridiculous! Lol! I think I've found my soft stop because right around the time I've eaten enough I belch. Loud! Then I proceed to belch, loud, for the next hour or so. Is this normal?

I got the recipe on Facebook. Really simple and delicious.

I'm not sure, I think on MFP I'm shellywolson, but I've been using My Net Diary lately instead. I found that MFP wouldn't let me change the Protein and carb levels to my own choices. It let me do it, but then 2 days later it would revert back to what the app wanted me to eat. Drove me a little crazy :-/ So far I like it a lot better. It was 9.99 for the iPad app, but worth it to me. I've never really been to Greenfield, but I'm sure I drove through on my way to VT many times (when I was there VT drinking age was 18 :-) )

Yay!!!! Congratulations! Are you back to regular food yet? Wondering how different you feel while eating.

Where are you in Western MA? I'm in FL now, but grew up in Enfield CT and Springfield MA. Went to college at Westfield State. I'd be happy to be a WL buddy. As I was banded only a month ago, not sure a mentor would be the best title :-)

Congratulations! I know how you feel as my Doc is very happy with the progress I am having with blood pressure. He just wrote me a new prescription with only 3 refills because he feels confident it won't be needed much longer. Yay us!

One that took me forever to figure out: IMO = In my opinion...I think. Lol!

I posted about this last week too! My husband has always said I burp like a guy, but this is even worse because it comes without warning. I used to strategically save my burp until it was really good just to annoy him, but now it surprises me too! Lol! I think I've figured out though, that the first one while I'm eating is my soft stop. This is my first cue that I've eaten enough. After that first burp, I can usually only eat a few more bites then I'm done. Pay attention to them and see if this is true for you.

Also ask if you can have broth. You may need some sodium.

I've lost 11 since being banded on the 13th (23 total). I go for my first fill on the 26th, and I can't wait! It's too easy to eat too much right now :-/ Congratulations to everyone! It sounds like we're all right on track. We need to make sure we keep checking in at least every couple weeks.

Yes, I'm usually good for about 2 more bites after that. It's nice to have a signal :-)

Haha! Now when my husband yells "damn restrictor plates!" I can yell "I know, right?!"

That's in 2 days!!! Yay!

When my daughter was 2 she had brain surgery which left her with a large scar on the back of her neck. We taught her to respond simply "knife fight" when someone asked about it. Bad parenting? Now she's 6 and has a cast on her arm...the new story? My husband likes "fell off the roof" I prefer "street fight with ninjas". We need therapy. Lol!

Another factor in daily fluctuation are inflammation reactions we have to certain foods. Google The Plan by Lyn Genet and you will get more information. When you are cleared for all foods, or if you already are, her 20 day plan is a good way to find out which foods are reactive for you. I did it and found that I am highly reactive to cabbage and tomatoes. Many of the foods that 90% of people are reactive to are on the healthy foods lists for most diets (oatmeal, turkey, black beans, tomatoes). It's very enlightening to read her book and go through the Plan. I was stuck not losing for 5 days when I should have been losing a half pound per day when I finally realized my salad mix had red cabbage in it. Well I checked the book and sure enough, cabbage was on the 85% reactive list. The next day I picked those little pieces of cabbage out and I was down 3 lbs the next day! I became a believer that day :-)

Go with how you feel. I was banded on a Thursday and went back to work training teachers the following Monday. I was a little tired and the gas pains still snuck up on me, but overall I felt fine. It felt even better to get out of the house and feel like a real person again. I would say if you're still taking pain meds and are really still uncomfortable then don't push it, but know that it's not unheard of.

And the anesthesiologist will come talk to you before your surgery and you will be able to ask all the questions you need to. Don't worry, they know what they are doing and they want you to be comfortable.