LadyIvy

How much have you lost total?

It is the easiest part. My anesthesiologist put the mask on and said here is some oxygen take a few deep breaths. My last words were "you liar, I know Sevoflourane when I smell it". I don't remember anything past his chuckle until I was coming around post op.

How is it deceitful to just say I am eating right and exercising? Is it a lie because you don't choose to say I had WLS? Please see my post above about how it isn't my job to educate the nation about WLS. If my kid wrecked my car, what he did directly effected his life, my life, my insurance agents bottom dollar, the families bottom dollar, and depending on what he hit, other peoples lives as well. In the case of WLS, outside of your household, your decision really effects no one else. Therefore, your argument that is meant to be "logical", is invalid.

Every time I attempt to change my photo, I update it and click done. It changes for a moment and then the second I switch to a different page, it switches back like I never changed it. Help please.

I did not tell people out of fear for what they might say. I agree, to heck with them. I have not told people because I don't want to be remembered or thought of as that girl who got WLS. Getting the gastric sleeve is not my life and I don't want to be referred to as if it is. I also don't want to spend my days answering everyone's questions. I also do not desire to be considered a "former fat girl". When I hit normal weight, the less people who know the more people who just look at me as normal. There are even more reasons than this that I did not tell many people. None of them have to do with me being "afraid" of other peoples words. If I hurt someone because I chose not to shout out my decision to the world, that is their problem not mine. It is not my job to contend with the "stigma" of WLS. This is about me and my voyage of self discovery. I have spent my entire life worried about, and taking care of other people. It is my turn to just let people worry about their own business and not feel it is my job to make sure WLS is understood. If they want to know about it, they can do an online search. Now, on the other hand. If someone came up to me and specifically asked me if I had weight loss surgery, I would not lie. I tell the truth and allow people to fill in their own blanks however they want. To date, this has never led to anyone thinking I have had WLS. Maybe down the road, but who knows?

It took about 5 minutes and then updated. yay!

It is certainly possible. Just take a week or two vacation and don't say a word. You will have to learn some tricks when it comes to eating at work or in front of people. However, I only told about 5 people and no one else has figured it out unless I mention it to them. You will be sort of obsessed with your intake and weight loss, so when you feel like talking about something talk about whatever work out you had that day etc. People hear you talk about exercise and they assume you are doing the right stuff. When I am forced to go out with people at work to eat, I order the grilled whatever, forgo the grease and put water in front of me. I occasionally put the straw in my mouth and pretend to sip, so far the few times I have had to do this, the cups are opaque so no one can see. I also cut things into tiny, tiny bites while I am talking so that I can eat the whole time they are (as a matter of fact, I am usually still eating when they are done). I also push food around on my plate a lot. If they notice I don't eat the bun or bread or whatever I just say that I have found that I am really sensitive to simple carbs and it is how I am managing to get the weight off this time. That is usually the end of it. Oh, I have mentioned that I see a nutritionist and that seems to help too.

Way to go! I bet you feel incredible!

I have not heard of the problem being ulcers. I have heard the chance of death is increased exponentially both under anesthesia and post op. If I were you I would quit early so that if you are going to gain the weight you do it pre-op and don't have to struggle with both the liquid diet and quitting smoking at the same time. You are doing this surgery for your health and smoking is every bit as bad as being overweight. I know this sounds harsh, but if it makes you feel better this is not coming from someone who has never been through it. I was put on the list in October 2011 and quit smoking November 1st. I had to wait until April to have the surgery, but let me tell you it was the best thing I ever did for myself. I will never go back. I bought ecigarettes from esmokeronline.com and purchased the Fluid with 0 nicotine. I went through the nicotine withdrawls, and then had the ecig to puff on when I really felt like I just couldn't do it anymore. I was highly dependent on that thing for about 3 months. Now, I still carry it with me, but will go days and not even remember that I have it. I just thought it would be ironic to permanently change my body for my health and then continue to smoke. I am now 7 and a half months smoke free and will never look back.

Everyone needs to remember that this is not a diet. You need to let your body tell you what you need. I personally need to eat at least 5 times a day or I won't even come close to 800 calories. I have some days where I feel like I could eat and eat, and then other days I am not hungry at all. I think my body is still getting used to the lack of gherlin. Adipose tissue hides hormones that are randomly released when you lose large quantities of weight. I believe some days that hidden gherlin is released. After a while, things will level out. I am a slower loser than some others. I know I am doing what I am supposed to and my body is changing almost every time I look in the mirror. If I don't get in at least 1000 calories a day, I will lose for about 2 days, and then just stop. This one is rather hard for me because it is a struggle to get in that much and I am not going to force it. The point I am making though is that this is a voyage of self discovery and every single one of us is different. You have to listen to your body and find what works for you. However, I don't think you should be hungry all the time. You may need to speak with your nutritionist and she what they recommend. The good news is, from what I have been seeing on this site, it looks like it will stop eventually! Just hang in there! Smoor you should read the literature on stretching your stomach, if it were that easy to stretch there would be no point to the surgery at all. We would all just mess it up pretty quickly. Yes, grazing can sabotage your efforts and you need to keep track of your intake until you reprogram your brain (you could eat an entire pizza a day if you cut it into a hundred pieces and grazed, that would definitely make you heavy again). How do you get in all your Protein in only 3 meals a day?

There are days where I feel like a total pig and that I have been eating all day. I look back and realize I haven't eaten in 2-3 hours. I track my intake on sparkpeople.com at the end of the day and I got in a grand total of 700-1000 calories. In my mind I ate SO much that day. This has been problematic actually because I have realized that if I eat less than 1000 cals a day I stall until I can get that number back up. Its really hard for me to get there so I keep stalling out. I agree that you should track for a year or so. Most of us got where we are because of our distorted image of food. We need to reprogram ourselves to fix this problem.

This is not completely true. Preliminary studies are showing that those who drink diet soda are heavier in general and that it doesn't "seem" to have anything to do with their diet or Water intake. Also, aspartame has conclusively shown to cause cancerous tumors in rats when consumed in large quantities. This was shown in multiple studies, but the amount needed to be consumed was so high in humans that the FDA felt there was no reason to put warnings on it. I was still guilty of not caring enough and drinking plenty of diet soda. Just like you claim that there is no real conducive proof of soda being harmful, you cannot claim that it is "people who are bad" without the same proof to back it up. Some people actually choose diet soda because the others are too sugary, not because they think they can offset the calories elsewhere.

The common name for Splenda is sucralose. I have noticed there is less and less being made with aspartame and more things I am finding made with sucralose. I gained a couple of lbs on my food funerals. My family and I did a buffet, sushi twice, pizza once and homemade guacamole with chips on the last night. I guess my food funerals could have been a lot worse, but like mentioned above, I know me. Had I not done it, I would have been thinking about it constantly. I started my preop diet a day early and managed to lose 13 lbs in the week before surgery. I don't regret it in the least. I had already cut out soda months before (that is my real weak spot and is my only "never again"). You have great recommendations though, if it helps you do what you need to do guilt free then go for it! Life is going to be so different post op do what you think you need to do to prepare.

I don't eat it often, but I am only 8 weeks out and have yet to have an issue with any sort of bread.

ROFL. This made me laugh out loud. Thanks for that.

This one is great paired in small amounts with seafood, chicken or on a cheeseburger (no bun of course). Don't overdo it though or you will drown out the flavor of your food. This is one of those where you have to tell your brain that a tablespoon of something can be a really good addition. (I still struggle with that, it never feels like enough to look at, but is more than enough to eat). Again, this one can be bumped up with half a scoop of unflavored Protein powder if desired. Ivy's Tangy Avocado Sauce Submitted by: LADYIVY79 Has good spice and tang. Great paired with seafood. Minutes to Prepare: 5 Number of Servings: 6 Tips Adjust Spices to taste and size of avocado. Ingredients Avocados, Florida, 1 fruit without skin and seeds *Daisy Light Sour Cream, 1 tbsp Paprika, 1 tsp Pepper, red or cayenne, 1 tsp Yellow Mustard, 1 tsp Directions Peel and mash avocado. Add ingredients and blend well. Serving Size: Makes 6 single tablespoon servings. Number of Servings: 6 Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user LADYIVY79. Nutritional Info Servings Per Recipe: 6 Amount Per Serving Calories: 66.4 Total Fat: 5.4 g Cholesterol: 0.8 mg Sodium: 12.6 mg Total Carbs: 4.5 g Dietary Fiber: 3.1 g Protein: 1.4 g

Is there anything you are ingesting now that you haven't before? It takes two exposures to something to have an allergic reaction, so if you had something once and then never again until now you may be having an allergic reaction. I have heard of people who get hives from stress, I haven't met one yet. Glad you are seeing your doc too.

I just tried too. I now have a new NSV for my list!

My favorite part of the day is getting a few minutes to read these NSV's! I don't know why, but they are so much more uplifting than just saying how much you lost. I am so happy for you, is it easy to cross your legs now??

I disagree. Protein should always be the first thing you get in every day. If you focus on this, you will manage to stay away from a lot of the simple carbs that don't help you and just make you feel hungry. Also, you cannot make it up later. Your body can only hold so much protein a day, so once the day is gone, the chance is gone. Have a great time and don't feel guilty for the occasional small indulgence. That protein is super important though. Also, I would wait to buy clothes until you are just about ready to leave for the cruise. I don't know if there is an average weight loss that can be reliably calculated (and applied) because we all start at completely different points. First and foremost have a WONDERFUL time! I loved getting up in the morning and heading up to the gym to look at the ocean as I walked the treadmill or rode a stationary bike. I haven't been on a cruise in about 3 years and I miss it so much

Keep up the great work. Just remember this lifestyle change is a marathon not a sprint. Start a routine you can keep up with the rest of your life. Sounds like you are doing great!

Flax Corn Muffins Submitted by: LADYIVY79 Minutes to Prepare: 10 Minutes to Cook: 20 Number of Servings: 30 Ingredients **Flax Seed Meal (ground flax), 4 tbsp *'jiffy' corn muffin mix, 6 serving Milk, 1%, .33 cup Egg, fresh, 1 large 1/2 tsp vanilla Extract Directions Make as listed on box. Serving Size: 36 mini-muffin sized servings Number of Servings: 30 Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user LADYIVY79. Nutritional Info Servings Per Recipe: 30 Amount Per Serving Calories: 12.6 Total Fat: 0.6 g Cholesterol: 6.4 mg Sodium: 14.9 mg Total Carbs: 1.3 g Dietary Fiber: 0.3 g Protein: 0.6 g

It is cornbread, so if you have problems with soft breads, I would stay away for a while. However, the mini-muffin size helps keep me from overdoing it, it may help you too.

The big problem is that I am getting him used to me being home to make him this awesome stuff and then I leave for grad school and to his own devices. I am going to have to figure out how to teach him to do this

I find it a point of pride to send my husband with yummy, healthy, food to work for the few months that I am home. This is tomorrows lunch: Ivy's Protenacious Fruit Salad Submitted by: LADYIVY79 Great lunch, high in Omega 3's. Minutes to Prepare: 5 Number of Servings: 5 Ingredients Cottage cheese, 1% Milkfat, 0.5 cup (not packed) Almonds, 0.25 cup, ground Walnuts, 0.2 cup, chopped Grapes, 0.5 cup, seedless Blackberries, fresh, 0.2 cup Strawberries, fresh, 0.25 cup, halves Cinnamon, ground, 0.5 tbsp **Flax Seed Meal (ground flax), 2 tbsp Tried something new yesterday so going to make the edit right here. Half a scoop of GNC Unflavored Protein Powder and 3 tblspns greek yogurt really raises the level of Protein, fills it out to 6 servings and is somehow even yummier! I served it to my son last night with a honey graham cracker and a tiny bit of Peanut Butter and he didn't want to share his "dessert"! Directions Mix all ingredients. Serving Size: Five half cup servings Number of Servings: 5 Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user LADYIVY79.