Supersweetums

That is an awesome story! I cannot eat them at all and found that out the hard way! But, if you are in a bind, literally, worth a try!

I like NOW brand Better Stevia liquid. It says it is non-bitter and I really like it. You can get it in flavored as well. Another one that I have just tried recently is called Stevia Sweet & Natural liquid. I find it highly concentrated and I need way less of it than the NOW brand. I live in Canada, so not sure if it is down there, but worth looking for. I love stevia and use it in everything. I use the flavored ones to sweeten my yogurt and the plain to bake with. My family cannot even tell the difference when I cut out most of the sugar in recipes! Another natural sweetener is Luo Han Guo Sweetener. I have never used it so I can not tell you how good or bad it is. I have seen it on this site: http://www.holdthecarbs.com/luo-han-guo-sweetener-concentrate?keyword=lu&category_id=0

This seems unconventionally and I discovered it totally by mistake, but anything with sugar alcohols. Not ideal, and I never eat products with it anymore because it upsets my stomach. But "sugar free" chocolates are usually the biggest culprits. I eat 3 of them and within an hour it hits. They do have calories though and can be addicting because they taste like the real things, so only in case of emergencies!

Cheri, you have done so well, but I know how hard it is to really accept that and not obsess about the few pounds left. I was also a slow loser, it took me 18 months to reach my goal weight and then I actually dropped a couple pounds below my goal weight. Then, for close to a year, I was maintaining easily. I always watched what I ate (but did not track) and weighed myself daily. Then I made a switch in medications and that little switched caused me to gain 7 lbs in 3 weeks. I quite taking the medication and stopped gaining, but have been struggling to get those pounds off now. I have been diligent watching my food choices and it is helping, but frustrating none the less. I was like you, happy where I was. I wasn't obsessing about my food. Don't get me wrong, I have always watched what I ate since getting the sleeve and made many changes to my lifestyle in order to lose and maintain. But I was ok with having a treat here and there, I was OK eating garlic bread at the restaurant and not feeling guilty. Now I am back to the guilt, feeling bad about eating anything. And with my cycles I have huge weight fluctuations, so now I am hitting numbers that I haven't seen in a long time. Even though I know the numbers will go back down, just like they did 6 months ago, they stress me out just that little bit more. So I am trying to relax a little. When I lost the first time, I was relaxed about. I think because I never thought I would really reach goal, I didn't stress about as much. When I stopped losing a few pounds above goal, I just thought I was done losing and I was ok with that. Then, after a few months, I started losing again. Now that I have been there, I want to be back there. Plus, I have the same fear that I will regain all the weight that I lost. I know that stress is terrible for weight loss, so I am trying my best to just take a deep breath. I am watching everything I eat. And now that the weather is warmer, I am more active than through the winter. I am trying to just roll with the punches. You are not alone in your feelings, I am right there with you! It is hard to get back in the mode of "dieting" when you felt that you were done with that. The thing that differs now though is that you are aware of it. You have not gained 20, 40 or 100 lbs back. You are up 8 pounds. Back in the day, we would have scoffed at that! You will get there again!

From smoothie Girl Eats Too Blog http://www.smoothiegirleatstoo.com/2010/11/moist-low-calorie-microwave-protein-fudge-muffins/ This is seriously AMAZING! I use the applesauce instead of the pumpkin and use 1 TBSP of coconut flour and 1 TBSP of Protein powder. I also have added a TBSP of sugar free pudding. I have made the chocolate below, vanilla using vanilla Protein Powder and SF vanilla pudding (adds 25 calories), and cheesecake using vanilla protein powder and cheesecake SF pudding. With the coconut flour, they are so light and delicious! I also just use a whole egg instead of egg whites (70 cal vs 30 cal), but that is just me. With my changes the stats are a little higher: Per Serving: 194Cal 23g Carbs 9g fat 15g protein 5g Fiber 6g sugar Note that I am 2.5 years post op. I can eat one of these, but it is VERY filling. Newer post ops might be able to do half if lucky! Ingredients: 2 Egg whites (**If using liquid egg whites use 1/2 cup and add 20 calories) 1/4 cup pumpkin (3 T applesauce or other starchy carb works well too!) 2 T coconut flour* (1 T also works, and results in 40 fewer calories) 1/2 tsp baking powder stevia or other granular sweetener to taste 1 T. cocoa powder (Hershey’s Special dark cocoa is best!) *(Edited to add: Hallie asked if whole wheat or peanut flours could sub for the coconut flour. I decided to do a test for those two and they both work. The whole wheat is not quite as moist; it’s a bit more chewy, but the peanut flour is very moist. All taste great. My fave is still coconut flour, but obviously you can use whatever you have on hand!). Also, some other subs for pumpkin or applesauce are bananas or yogurt which are quite good too. I love all the reader feedback! Method: Spray a Soup bowl with a very light layer of oil to prevent sticking (not even necessary but makes cleaning up a bit easier). Mix ingredients well with fork, whisk or spatula Microwave for 2:30-4+ min on High (depends on your microwave, altitude and the whim of the cupcake gods.)

As hard as it might be, I would wait until you are done having kids. You are young and not really that heavy, your skin will probably bounce back well, especially if you exercise. Pregnancy, as amazing and beautiful as it is, does horrid things to your body, especially your belly. Chances are you would have to have the work redone after having children. I would also be concerned with complications with the stretching of the skin, since they remove a lot of skin. Not sure, could be just in my head, but maybe worth researching.

Without all the extra cushioning, you can get a hell of a lot closer, in a hell of a lot of ways!!!

I am 2.5 years post op and still haven't told a lot of people. I think it is a very personal decision to make. I choose not to in the beginning not because of embarrassment, but more because I didn't want anyone talking me out of it. My husband knew, and my parents, period. And even that, my father was trying to talk me out of it, saying I didn't need it, I was fine the way I was (when I clearly was not!), etc. I didn't want the stress of trying to defend my decision to everyone. Then, afterward, I thought I would tell everyone, but I just haven't. Some of my closer friends know that knew me before surgery, and my family knows. But others do not. I have not had many people ask what I have done either, they just tell me how good I look. I have only had one person really ask what I did, and I was vague because I know this person is a gossip type of person and would have told everyone! And I don't feel like every teacher and parent at my son's school needs to know, and everyone that I would just consider an acquaintance either. If I knew someone was really struggling and they asked, perhaps then. But really, I am not my WLS and I do not want to be defined that way..oh there is the woman that had that surgery....The people that know I have had surgery do not treat me any differently, and others just know me as me!

If you are feeling fine, I wouldn't worry about it! And I agree, it only gets better! And better! And BETTER!!!

OH, that sounds really good, I might have to try that! KCCO

I reached goal, it took me 18 months, but I got there!

I find the Fast Diet very interesting, I might just have to look into it a little bit more. And I heard him say that he is in maintenance and only fasts once a week. I have seen similar things (the 8 hour diet) and it seems people have a lot of success with them.

It usually has 2 or 3 times the protein as regular yogurt. Plain it is gross, tastes like sour cream. I flavor mine with vanilla flavored stevia. It is also a lot thicker than regular yogurt. I always tell people do not eat it plain. But don't buy the flavored ones either, most of the time they are flavored using sugar and high in carbs. You could mix protein powder with regular yogurt, but not sure how well it would dissolve.

This is a great thread, because this is the reality of surgery for many of us. Whenever I talk to someone about, I always stress that it is not magical cure. Losing is the easy part, maintaining is the harder part. I am 2.5 years post op, and I always have to watch what I eat and think about what I am eating. I don't get really hungry, but I do still get hungry sometimes. That is not what I struggle with though. I struggle with the head hunger. Just wanting to snack on something and have something in my mouth. The only way that I have been able to combat this is just not having the food in my house. If it is there, I will eat it and I have no will power. The only thing I do notice is, the more crappy foods I eat, the more I crave them. I wish I had better advice for you, but know that you are not alone. For me, I know that food will always have to be in my mind and I will always have to be conscious of it. I think you will have to find what works best for you. I always try new recipes to see what I will like so I don't get bored with my food. I don't track anything, but I do weigh myself everyday to keep me accountable. Some people use the 5-day pouch test to kill the carb cravings and get back on track. It is also important to give yourself credit for what you have accomplished. We forget how far we have come sometimes. I kept an old pair of pants and if I am feeling really down, I throw them on to remind myself where I have come from. The sleeve is great and, as you even said, still gives you great restriction. Work with it and you will find a solution that you can live with and that will help you succeed!

I have never tried them, but for me, I could probably eat the whole bag in a sitting which would be 300 calories. I have made my own kale chips. A bit of work but super delicious!