joatsaint

Funny ya'll should mention the "secret menus". I just read this article. It lists some of the more popular fast food joints that offer a healthy alternative "secret menu." And it has links to some of the "secret menus." Panera is on the list. http://health.yahoo....st-food-finds#6

See, I wasn't kidding when I said it was like eating little bites of heaven. :-)

I agree with Magpie, eat the eggs slowly. Like 1/2 teaspoon per bite, and wait a minute between bites to see how your stomach reacts. My stomach did not like eggs at all the 1st time I tried them post-op, no matter how much I chewed them.

Now that IS an NSV to celebrate! Not too TMI for this crowd. Keep Pimpin that Sleeve!

It took me about a month to get back to feeling normal. It just takes time and patience.

You Go Girl! Keep Pimpin that Sleeve!

******************************************************************************************************************* Update:5/23/2013 Man, reading these old blog entries is strange. It's only been 5 months and I'd forgotten almost everything that happened pre-surgery. After these few months post-op, it just seems that I've "always" been living this way and my previous lifestyle never happened. I feel like I've "always" eaten such small portions and could walk away from food. I've "always" gotten out and walked around. I've "always" had a positive attitude and energy. Anyone else feel this way? ******************************************************************************************************************* Being my first blog entry, I plan on keeping it short and sweet. I'm about 3 weeks pre surgery. Had my psych eval, NUT counciling, chest x-ray, liver/kidney ultarsound, blood work and EDG. I am going in this Sat. for the pre-surgery diet counciling. Expected surgery date is 12/27/2012. I am on the "fast track" for surgery. Got the insurance approval in just 2 weeks. So far my out of pocket expences have been about $3000.00, that includes the doctor's office visit and tests at the hospital and gas going back and forth (my docotor and hospital are 2 hours away.)

I tried a chocolate flavor of MM. I thought it was okay, just too many carbs for my taste. I prefer the EAS carb control shakes, cheaper and lower in carbs. If I want caffeine, I just take a caffeine tablet.

Congrats! Keep Pimpin that Sleeve!

It is for me to gain weight for no reason. For the past month, twice I've picked up between 3 and 4 pounds, then lose it (plus a pound or so) over the following 2 weeks.

Way to go! Keep Pimpin that Sleeve!

I was eating nuts after week 5. They have some good things about them, but are very high in calories and can be a slider food. Just be careful of eating too many - as far as the calories go. I love sunflower seeds and can easily eat a sleeve of them - 1 1/4 oz.. That's about 300 calories.

I listen to podcasts when I'm walking. I download them on my phone and carry a $1 pair of earbuds. It really helps keep my mind off the monotony of the walking. I also found that walking in a parking garage helps keep things from getting boring. All the curves and ramps and dodging the cars :-) keeps my mind busy. Plus going up and down the ramps adds a little diversity to the walk. I was always bored to tears on treadmills and stationary bikes, even when I was able to watch TV while doing it. I was always watching the clock.

I discovered Crystal Light lemonade about 10 years ago and have never looked back. Before surgery I had about 1 20oz coke a week, but post-op, I haven't been tempted to drink any soda.

Congrats! Eat your ice chips and walk, walk, walk - like an Egyptian, like a duck, or whatever.

Almost every type of bariatric surgery is done laproscopically today. Some doctors can do it in one incision - through the belly button and others still use the old method of making 5 incisions or ports into the abdomen. The 5 port method is what I had. Doing it laproscopically means that they don't have to open you up and recovery time is minimal - you're usually out of the hospital in 2 days. Older methods had the doctor making an incision across the abdomen and opening the patient up. Recovery time was much longer and the surgery was much more risky. I saw a new bariatric surgery being tested recently - no incisions. They go in through the patients mouth and snake the tools down the throat into the stomach.

I've tried chocolate, carbs, chips, bread, Pasta - only pasta seems to make me hungrier as I eat more. Use to be that bread and chips did that too. Not anymore! **happy dance** Keep Pimpin that Sleeve!

sugar free Popsicles sugar free Jell-O comfy clothes, pillows and an inclined place (like a Lazyboy chair) to lay or sit and sleep. Cream of mushroom soup! (I lived off the stuff for about 2 weeks, till I was released to start soft foods) Oh, and the most important! DVD's of your favorite TV series - The Sopranos, The Wire, Red Dwarf, Rome, Spartacus, Game of Thrones...

Today was one of those scary days were it seemed like I just never got enough to eat. I have days like this on occasion and don’t really know what triggers them. I haven’t strayed from eating “good” foods, so I don’t think it has anything to do with the foods that trigger my hunger monster. But, the amount of food I have been able to eat is really starting to scare me. With everything I’ve eaten, I definitely feel full, but the feeling doesn't seem to last but an hour or so. So to combat those feeling of “I’m going to obsess about eating until I’ve eaten something,” I keep plenty of lean protein in the house. Grilled chicken breast, grilled pork loin and plenty of low sugar sauces. I don’t keep any temptations in the house to ward against days like this. Maybe I need a WLS voodoo doll with pictures of bad food and pins stuck through them. I really started thinking about how and what I've been eating. And I have read the warning stories about people regaining their weight after surgery and it is a really scary feeling. I would never forgive myself for having gone through all this just to gain all the weight back. So, I've set some limits on myself. Not so strict as to feel deprived, but not so loose as to let myself get out of control. I will eat healthy food first. Protein/vegs/fiber every day. I will let myself try a dessert, but never eat more than a bite or two. (And by bite, I don’t mean “as much of the cookie as will fit into my mouth at one time” bite. :-P) I will not bring unhealthy food into the house. If I want something that bad, I’ll have to get off my butt and drive to the store. Most times, the craving does not overrule my need to stay camped out in front of the TV in my underwear or by the time I DO get there, the “craving” has worn off. I will make my own lunches to bring to work. That way, I can’t rationalize going out to eat and making food bad choices, convincing myself that eating healthy food costs too much. I’m trying to be realistic and know that I’m not always going to be faithful. But having the rules reminds me to stop and think before making a food choice. It’s a tool, just like WLS. Knowing that I am allowed to eat SOME bad stuff removes the stress of “I can’t ever have that again!” Knowing that I CAN eat a little of anything puts the power back in my hands and puts the responsibility on my shoulders to CHOOSE to eat the right way. It is empowering to feel like I am allowed to eat anything I want, but it’s my CHOICE to pick a different food option. I like this new lifestyle and after 5 months of hating to get out and walk, I am beginning to WANT to go on daily walks. Although I don’t necessarily like them, I do like seeing the scale drop and my energy level go up! Keep Pimpin that Sleeve!

Sorry, but I don't want to wind up on internet, like the guy in pic I used in this post! :-P If I am going to have embarrassing photos of me on the web, it's gonna be a photo of me going commando while getting out of a low slung sports car. Yeah Baby!

My motivation was the prevention of blood clots after surgery. The 1st week I was walking to prevent blood clots and from there on, my walking kinda took on a life of its own. :-P

Excellent! Now I don't feel so alone.

I believe anyone that has 85% of their stomach removed will lose weight. You can't help but lose, if you are limited to 4oz of food every few hours. Now the big question is, where is your hunger coming from? Only you can figure that part out. Is it from emotional eating, boredome, stress, or is it because you have hunger pangs caused by the hormone ghrelin? From my own experience, I knew that my hunger was real (even though I had eaten 2 hours earlier, I'd be hungry again). It wasn't until I talked to my surgeon that he told me that I had an excess of the hormone ghrelin (produced by the stomach). The bigger the stomach, the more of the hormone produced. The surgery stopped my hunger pangs. I have not had that nagging sense of hunger (other than my stomach growling) since surgery 7 weeks ago. And 4 or 5 oz of food keeps me satisfied, whereas before, I could eat 1 lb of steak and know I'd be raiding the fridge in 2 hours. And I don't have any cravings anymore for certain flavors. Whereas before, I'd think about something that would taste good and I couldn't get the thought out of my head until I ate it - and a lot of it, not just a small portion. Don't get me wrong, you can sabotage yourself after surgery. There are foods, called slider foods, that are calorie dense (ice cream, peanut butter) that pass through the stomach quickly, so it's possible to eat more. And it is possible to just graze all day on snacks that are high in calories. The sleeve gave me the control over my eating that I needed. When I eat, I have full control of what I eat. I can pass on the donuts or just have 1 and be satisfied. With the exception of pasta - it triggers my sugar cravings. So I have to be real careful about eating it. But I don't know if I'd the same success if my hunger was tied to my emotions instead of hormones. I really believe food was an addiction - one you can't quit and never touch again. Other addictions can be quit and never touched again. But what if a heroine addict, smoker or alcoholic knew they had to take some every day or their body would die? What if they had 75 TV channels that ran commericals for cigarrets every 10 minutes during their favorite programs? Or had reality programs (like the best places to pig out or the food challenges) devoted to the best places to get their fix and showed people taking drugs and loving it? Could the addicts just reduce the amount they took every day and never over do it or would they give in to the nagging voice in their head telling them how good it was going to feel? Ok, rant over. :-)