grannyk

My father died at 91 after his podiatrist cut his toenails, nicking several of his toes. He became septic and died within 48 hours. Who would have thought?!?!?! My brother who died of pancreatic cancer at age 51 always said, "You pays your money, and you takes your chances." Surgery is a risk from the beginning. Make your informed decision and stick with it, and don't stress yourself out living in a "what if" world. I'm in the medical field and probably know more about the risks than the average bear. I hope you will be able to go through the process with some confidence and come out on the other side without regrets. I have. Best wishes...Kathe

I went to MFP and did a very quick calculation on the nutrition info. I used 12 oz for the ham. It may not be exact, but ballpark is good enough for me. I made 8 servings out of the recipe and it came to 164 cal, 15 carbs, 11 prot and 7 fat. Very acceptable for a bean soup. You could add some extra type of Protein or more ham...get creative...and this will be a wonderful meal. @Soup-a-Woman - I am a year-round soup girl. I eat chili and soup anytime...I just turn up the AC!! And cold Soups are awesome, too. I really appreciate all your great recipes. Keep it up!!! Kathe

OK...I read this and had to try it immediately. I used chia seeds and added 1/4 tsp baking powder for a little umph. I also used 1/4 cup 2% milk which will change the nutrition info slightly. YUM!! Using the chia seeds and letting it rest for about 10 minutes tightened up the batter a little, and I definitely had to cook it a little longer than 30-40 seconds before I could flip it. That being said, AWESOME!!! I am 18 months post-op and am able to eat more than I could at first although I still have good restriction. But...my sleeve would only tolerate about 1/3 of this at first sitting. What a delicious and filling meal. My daughter really misses pancakes since her sleeve as she gets hypoglycemic after eating some carbs. I think she will like this, and hopefully I will be able to sneak this my by great grandson. He loves waffles for Breakfast when he spends this night with me and I will try the waffle Iron next time too. I will probably get able to get 2 or 3 waffles out of this batter. Thanks, Ljp

I use GNC Pro Performance Vanilla powder. Chocolate is also good, but I like the versatility of vanilla. I buy the 5 lb bottle which is 78 servings and if you have a GNC Gold Card you can get it discounted. It is about $1 per serving at full price, so you can surely beat the cost of Shakeology. I add a little milk and ice cubes, and this makes a huge shake for breakfast. One scoop is 20 gms protein and I blend it with vanilla greek yogurt, sometimes 1/4 cup blueberries, and I also have DaVinci flavored syrups. My favs are hazelnut, french vanilla (which punches up the flavor of the protein powder) and amaretto. I bought my syrups online. I know a lot of people on here use Torani syrups also. For the price I would give it a try. And of course you don't have to buy the super jumbo size. Happy testing...K

Sounds great. I have a recipe very similar to this. Tastes just like punkin pie. I am trying to concoct a low carb kind of crust to make it more like pie. K

Mexican shrimp soup is DELICIOUS. I posted the recipe on here months ago. It is a staple in my frig...K

Well said, Pdxman. Whether we like it or not, we were less attractive with excessive weight. K

A common occurrence. Get used to it. It isn't the end of the world. When it happens, just look at the person next to you like it was them. Bet they won't say a thing...K

Swizzly, I'm sorry you have such a distorted view of God. I hope something sometime somewhere will show you what God is really like. He cares just as much about you as He does about those starving children. Kathe

Actually I think the majority of sleevers are like you (us). I felt great and had no trouble going through the different dietary stages until I was able eat regular food. I'm about 18 months out now. I sometimes have a problem when I overfill, but that is the only time and it is usually my fault. I think it seems like a lot of people have problems because they are the ones who post with questions and seeking advise. Sit back and enjoy the ride of your life!!! Kathe

I would never have had a bypass, but I jumped at the opportunity the sleeve offered. I am an RN and have taken care of more than a few patients with serious bypass and band complications. I know you read a lot of threads on here that talk about severe problems, but for me the sleeve was the only answer. Don't let the "professionals" sway your decision. They don't know you better than you do. Stick to your decision, and you will be much happier. Anyway, you can always go from the sleeve to the bypass...not the other way around. Good luck and blessings...Kathe

Above posters are right. I love, love, love CC, but not all brands are created equal. Find one you can at least tolerate because the protein is great. You can add sweet or savory foods. Sounds strange, but diced up dill pickles are great in CC, and sometimes I add black olives along with the pickles. Tomatoes are wonderful. All kinds of fruits. The options are endless if you just find the right CC. Happy hunting. K

I put this one in my favorites. Sounds great and will be trying it soon. Thanks...Kathe

Thank you, LilMissDiva, for acknowledging that not everything posted on here may be a true story!!! It is so nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks that sometimes...K

The food I probably miss the most is Subway. I love, love, love Subway, and there is just no way to even think about eating all that bread. Not only can't but don't want too. Also cannot tolerate chinese at all except for shrimp eggs foo yung. Oh, well...it's only food. Kathe

Popcorn is definitely a slider. But I go to the movies so rarely that I just have my popcorn and don't worry about it. K

I love cauliflower, and this sounds quite tasty. Thanks for the share...Kathe

Popcorn...movie popcorn with butter...microwave popcorn...any kind of popcorn. I bought a small popcorn at the movies at about 8 months out and couldn't believe I could eat almost the whole thing. It went down so slick I didn't even realize how much I had eaten. K

The slime is when you eat too much or don't chew well enough and nothing is moving on through your sleeve. There is no place for your saliva to go (and we produce a lot of it) and so it backs up in the esophagus, then the mouth, and then you feel terrible and slimy. The only cure for me is to get rid of it. Well, you wanted to know...

Have you considered a stick blender? I have one that works great. You can use it make creamy soups too because you can use it in the pan. Wouldn't trade mine for anything...K

Thanks to Rootman, I have purchased and started using chia seeds in several different ways. I researched on the internet, looked up some recipes and took the plunge. Fantastic. I am not so bound up and everything has softened up. Also, I do believe my appetite is diminished. Thanks for your testimonial, Root. KI

I bookmarked this so I can try it later. Sounds pretty good...K

Pork rinds...YUM!! Yes you can have pork rinds if your sleeve tolerates them. They are a good snack and just fine if you don't have to watch your sodium intake due to heart problems, etc. And they are fried, but you do need some fat intake to help you absorb your fat-soluable vitamins. Moderation in everything should be your general rule for living with your sleeve. Also bear in mind that although pork rinds are all protein, no carbs, there is not a lot of nutrition in them either. K

Well I tried this 2 different ways and both times it came out with the texture of a 12-year-old marshmallow. However...the taste was great. The texture will definitely not keep me from using this recipe again. I will continue to try to tweak it. Any suggestions about why they came out so spongy? Maybe the wattage on my microwave is higher than others. Just a guess. The best effort was when I used baking cocoa, splenda blend and 1/8 tsp baking powder. All I had for chocolate was Hershey's Bliss which added a few extra cals and carbs, but I won't be having this every day. I did the MFP recipe calculations and it is quite acceptable for a treat every so often. I can see how it could become a real temptation, though. Chocolate for Everybody!!!

Precisely the reason that even if my insurance had paid part of the cost of my sleeve, I still would have gone self-pay to Mexicali to Dr. Aceves. I don't like insurance companies controlling my life any more than absolutely necessary. Good luck and much patience with your uncertainties...K