Bob_350lbs

oohh, Daisy, I love the mix of fruit/meat and fruit/cheese. Great idea for chicken salad, I like to add apples too. It reminded me of something I cooked when staying with my mom. I modified a recipe using pork tenderloin, browned, then stuffed w/cranberries and a little sf apricot jam and roasted it. Gosh, that was delicious. But, just like you, I cook for one. So normally, it's very simple. Tonight, I bought some precooked shrimp at Target and made my version of shrimp scampi. I just love to eat good tasting food. But, I have been divorced for so long now, I am used to cooking for one.

I agree. When I look at my weight graphs vs my measurement graphs it is interesting. The wt drops down dramatically, then levels off and gets slower. The measurements are slower then drop down more dramatically when the wt stalls. I think recording both stats and comparing them will help you get the true picture of your progress. And, remember, muscle weighs more than fat. You are losing fat and maintain or even building muscle. Yay!!

oohh..thank you. I bought some ricotta today and mixed it with Splenda and chopped almonds (the ones with cocoa on them)..yumm..but I'm not buying the almonds again..a trigger food for me, I can't control myself.

Constipation...seems like my new friend nowadays. I put 1 tbls of benefiber in each 32 oz water bottle I drink, and I eat veggies w/every meal, and still..ugh..I think I will try the stool softener and see if that helps. Bob, not to get to personal or scare anyone, but straining while trying to have a BM is called the valsalva maneuver, and it impedes the flow of blood back to the heart, some people with heart disease strain like that and have a heart attack right there on the toilet. I remember that from my days working in a hospital. Anyway, I need to take my own advice, and take Colace. Milk of Magnesia is too strong a stimulant for me, I am in the bathroom constantly, and it's like water. T.I.M...I know.

I think the bypass is good for those that cannot resist sugar/refined carbs, because you cannot absorb them and they go right through you. But, over time, the body can adapt, and then you can't depend on dumping to get rid of the calories. As for the band, I am totally against that after reading too many stories of slippage, damage to the stomach, and that they really aren't reversible as advertised. So, that leaves the VG. I am happy with it, even though I still have *head* hunger at times. I really think it is the way to go.

yum..recipe please. That sounds like something I would love.

yes, anything over that causes a lot of pain. And, sometimes it comes up through the esophagus, they call it *foaming* I believe. It has only happened to me once, but it was horrible, so glad I was at home at the time.

PCA is a patient controlled anesthesia. You press a button and it gives you pain meds. Oh, d/c = discontinue. So I got to pump in pain meds until the min I was discharged. I slept much of the way home. OT (off topic) Have you post-ops had any weird food dreams? I had a dream I started to binge on a big bowl of popcorn, dripping with cups of that digusting bright yellow diet margarine. Yuk, then I tossed my Cookies.

I was told, when I started regular foods, to only eat 2 oz of dense foods (meats) and up to 4 oz if it is softer foods (cottage cheese) at a meal. They used a 32 french bougie, so my stomach is only 2 oz. It will stretch to a max of 4 oz, but I am to never to eat over 4 oz or a 1/2 cup. AND, wait 45 min before drinking fluids again.

Jane, I think that they can also do the DS after the VG, if you really need that extra control. I know that eventually my demons will come back, but right now, I am feel under pressure to lose as much wt as possible before the 6 mos mark. My fear is that after I get to my goal wt, that I will start back on that slippery slope of eating refined carbs. I think the rest of our lives, we will need to monitor our protein intake and H20, right? If I eat my required protein, I don't have room for anything else. It's grazing on refined carbs that is the problem. I can easily eat Hershey's kisses w/o difficulty, between meals, but that only makes me crave more and a vicious cycle starts. I guess that some of us (me) will always just be in remission. Even the RnY folks can gain the wt back once their digestive system starts to absorb w/o dumping refined carbs. And, then you are stuck with malabsorbtion of vitamins and have to take supplements the rest of your life. This is just a tool, I am learning. But, my hunger is 90% controlled. For me, it is head hunger. The wanting to taste and eat good food. It isn't about hunger at this point. But, it is so much easier to keep calories down now. You can lose wt still if you want to just take in refined carbs, right? But then you get muscle wasting. Some people don't care, they just want to lose the wt. So, who am I judge them? It's a choice we make.

You can find the fillets at Target in the frozen section. Each fillet is indiv wrapped. I don't like cheese on my fish, though. Another recipe I love is 1 oz lean beef, chopped onion, broccoli, salsa, sauted, and then topped off w/2% cheese slice, stired in. If you are only using 1 oz lean beef, 1 slice LF cheese, and I think it's around 10 gms Protein and about 100 calories.

I don't trust myself w/starches like bread. I do now eat a few tablespoons of corn and chopped red potatoes w/my dinner. It is very satisfying. And, for lunch, I sometimes chop up a little bit of apple to put in my cottage cheese or tuna. That way, I don't feel totally deprived. Mashed potatoes are too hard for me to control, they go down way too easy. Those slider foods are dangerous for me. Bread is a slippery slope for me, but I have eaten Wasa light crisps, on occasion, but never buy them. I am also at the 2 mo mark today. So, really, I can eat anything I choose. If I visit family, I have been know to throw out Cookies and chips and replace them with whole unsalted almonds and nobody has complained yet. I think they get the message. When I super-duper crave choc, I go for the choc Protein bar. But, I have to becareful, because they are trigger foods just like candy bars. I usually keep that stuff way up in the cupboard where I would need a step stool to get to it or in the trunk of my car. Well, we do what we have to. What if you just don't buy pita or any processed starches? Try whole food starches, in tiny amounts, maybe that is all you need to get back on track.

With the bypass, it interfers with the digestion of lactose (milk sugar), because of removal of part of the small intestines, but later may adapt itself, and then malabsorbtion doesn't work so well for them. With the sleeve, I don't know why we might become latose intolerant or suddenly not be lactose intolerant anymore, good question. I can eat yogurt, cottage cheese w/o any problems. If I bought those WW ice cream cups, it would be disaster for me, though. I don't trust myself.

I think I just need to eat more fish. A bought frozen talapia from Target. I was pleasantly surprised because each filet was individually wrapped. It tasted pretty good. 4 oz has 20 grams of Protein and only 90 calories. And, it is satisfying. Tuna is good too, but I need light mayo, because it is too dry for me w/o it, so that brings the calories up to about 125 and 15 grams of protein. What bars do you eat? The ones I have checked out are too many calories and too many carbs. I like Medifast crunch bars, 110 cals and 11 gm protein, but they are expense.

The more I read about bands, the more it enforces how I have always felt about them.

Wow, Tiff, you have really been through a lot. Thank goodness, you are healthy now, and doing well. Your story is already helping others.

I also wondered how in the world could I stall when I am taking in less than 800 cals per day?? Well, it could be a combination of a the body going into starvation mode and/or that I am not weighing my food properly and not counting all the licks, bites, and taste I may be doing through out the day, and maybe constipation? I don't get it, but it will come off. I am determined to be more accountable. But, I can tell you that I have never lost 25 lbs in two months before. Usually, I would give up and quit. And, I feel so much better, emotionally, physically, mentally. My CFS is almost completely gone. I have the energy to exercise every night after work, when usually I just crashed on the couch. And, I actually feel happier and more hopeful about the future, and that is priceless. Being 2 sizes smaller helps too :-)

How do you motivate yourself when you don't want to exercise? I think my stall is starting to affect me mentally. :thumbup:

KayKay, you are getting the sleeve on my b-day. I hope that turns out to be a very good day for you too. I think after people lose their wt, they look 10-20 yrs younger. So happy birthday to the new you!

Tiff, my heart goes out to you and your husband. It's okay to feel the way you do, that is perfectly normal. Yes, thank goodness it's not a long delay. I pray he is home for Christmas for you.

Oh Gosh Chancie, thanks to you, I went shopping for a pair of Jeans at Dress Barn, cause they have plus sized that look fasionable. And, my old jeans were fallling off me and looked down right ratty...well, lo and behold, I squeezed into a 14W! Yeah, they are stretch to fit and pretty snug, but they zip up and look much better. Then I tried on a 1x top and it was a little big! So, I snuck over to the misses reg sized and grabbed one in XL. The sales lady asked if she could help me, and I made up an excuse I was buying a gift for my sister. As if I still feel like a 2nd class citizen who doesn't belong in "their" side of the store. Gosh, I tried it on, it at little too tight, but I bought it, because I know with the sleeve, it will fit eventually. Okay, another NSV. My ex & I still have a Macy's card together. I am charging a bunch of size 2. And, they letting him get the bill.hahahah. I may not be there yet, but I will. I think living well is the best revenge. Don't let those demons get you. I have them also. Dr. C told he wants my goal to be 125 and I guess I got scared look on my face. He said, "what's the matter, don't you want to weigh 125 Stephanie?"...it reminded me of how vulnerable I feel at that weight. But you know what, we are strong adult women now. Don't let them win.

Oh, just realized another *thing* that makes me feel great..COMEDY & laughing my a** off. The Soup, Reality Hell, Comedy Central, it feels good and has no calories!

Me too, Tiffy. I bought some really loose, baggy sweats. I also about a really big sundress, but didn't need it, nothing touched my incisions. We drove home the next day from SF to Sac, and I was pretty doped up still. They didn't d/c my PC until right before I was discharged. That made it very pleasant for me.

Hey, I just realized a couple NSV! My CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) seems to have disappeared along with the depression. I was going through my old journal, and I was amazed how this has all slipped away. Who would have believed it! It might be that I no longer eat refined carbs (flour/sugar) and am following a healthy regime now. It's like a 180* turn around. I thinks it true, we actually are becoming new people. Maybe that is why others may feel insecure about our weight loss. We are changing to be better version ourselves. Praise be!

NorCal here, Sacramento/Stockton area. Congratulations Donnain & Spikeheel. Do you go to support groups? I am looking for one, haven't been yet and I could use some support. This web site helps a lot though. I wish you tons of success with your sleeve. I think you will do very well, the stats are in our favor!