delta_girl

Do you know your daily caloric intake? I've read anything from 200-300 up to 800 from those still in the loss stages.

After months of documenting and gathering information, doing tests and my doctors recommendation, I was turned down by my insurance carrier. I appealed the decision and was denied a second time. I knew that, even though I was scared and it felt hopeless, I had to find a way. I went through a self-pay option with my surgeon. It was much more expensive than Mexico, but I only had a few days scheduled to get off of work and I had to make it work. The first month after surgery was really tough and I kept doubting myself and wondering if I had made a huge mistake. At 13 weeks out I now know that it was the best decision that I could have ever made. Easy? No way. There are options available. Don't lose heart. I have read so many good things here about the doctors in Mexico if you go that route.

I'm having a problem, too with protein. My doctor said no more protein shakes after Jan 1. He wants me on solid food only. I know that there is no way I am getting in enough protein with the little bit that I eat. Every once in a while I can pack in a good bit of food, maybe 6 oz, but that is not very often. Today I had 3/4 of a piece of string cheese, 1/2 cup of low acid orange juice, about 2 tablespoons of saurkraut and maybe 1.5-2 oz of boneless pork chop. That's 11g of protein and 15g of carbs and 190 calories. I'll probably eat one more time today. I really don't feel like eating more. This may be partially the result of eating holiday food for several days in a row, but I'm dropping weight even with nibbling on a few treats. My next appointment is in two weeks and I know he is going to chew on me if I don't get it together somehow. ..and I'm 13 weeks out.

Excellent information. One of the items that stands out to me and is a problem area for many of us is the excuses we make for not having time to exercise. I tried this with my surgeon and he was very quick to explain that he has practices in two towns and is the only bariatric surgeon at a huge hospital in a major metro area but he still exercises 10 hours a week. He thinks of it in the same way as prescription medication, you just do it, no excuses.

When I'm in a hurry I just grab a Muscle Milk Light, chocolate. When I'm on the road working and I have to grab something I like the yogurt parfait from McDonald's or some oatmeal with nothing on it but a tiny bit of butter. String cheese in the individual packets and Greek yogurt are also handy. I gave up cereal and don't really cook for breakfast or lunch.

That is fabulous!!! Congratulations on your success. You are doing so great that I can't imagine any tips you would need. But for an activity with the kids, volley ball or badmitten might be fun and not very expensive.

The hunger felt during the first 8 weeks or so is not the same as after at all. Totally different. At least for me.

I'm 12+ weeks out. I felt a lot of hunger at first, but it was mostly stomach acid. Now I try to eat when I'm hungry. Sometimes that doesn't happen until late in the day. I have to make sure I eat, and get in my protein. Some days I don't even feel like eating at all. It is more about health and nutrition than about feeding my face.

Running for 30 minutes? I am very jealous. I signed up for a 5k in May and I am lucky if I can run for more than one minute at a time. I'm 12 weeks out.

51lbs gone, 53 to go, though some don't agree and think that is too much. I'm just going to see how it goes.

I'm at about 1/2 way to goal and I keep thinking and saying to myself that it is "over." That this is the best I can ever expect. It comes from a long history of diet failures. It still feels like no matter what I do.. I'll just gain back to where I was plus more. But the reality is that I keep losing weight. My head is not keeping up.

It isn't a diet, it is a lifestyle choice. And yes, it will be forever. But you will begin to realize as time goes by that you do not want a lot of those things and they don't make you feel good. Your body teaches you. I tried chess pie during Christmas, and chocolate covered almonds and sugar free ice cream. At 12 weeks out. I was so sick that it was not worth it. And I LOVE these new lessons. This is not a diet. It is a new nutritional plan. It is a choice and it is wonderful.

Dec 24 and I'm 169. Unless I lose my mind over all if this holiday food I think I'm gonna make it!

Careful about the fat. It can make you really ill

I'm 5'3" and 170 lbs. I am in between a 16 and a 14. It amazes me how different we are in shapes and sizes. I have seen people my height and weight (and even heavier) saying that they are wearing 10s and 12s.

Every day of the week at my field office people have been bringing different themed foods. Monday was chocolate, Tuesday was savory, etc. I get away from there to go to my home office and we have a huge all day office party centered around....food. Then I return to my field office and today is their big food party. And people are giving me gifts of home baked treats. Now I get to go home for the holidays where there will be ......more food!!! But at least my dad has a lap band and understands something about moderation, even if he is a candy muncher. I've been very good every day at Breakfast and at supper. I've allowed myself one small plate of tiny tastes of various things at each of these parties and I count that as both lunch and one snack. I'm not gaining and I'm not losing. Temptations are so challenging!!!

Yes! Even more so when I miss my multivitamin for a few days.

Use a pillow to prop for your stomach and one for your back. Having the support from a pillow really helps a lot and your internal stitches won't pull as much.

Just.....wow!!!

I'm only 12 weeks out and already thinking about going back to do a recalibration for several days. I can eat more now than I could since surgery and I am losing sooooooo slowly.

I had surgery on a Wednesday and was back at work on Monday. I was still taking pain meds and was moving a bit slow, but was just fine for desk work. No problems whatsoever. I actually had more problems trying to get myself in a comfortable position when I went to bed than sitting at my desk at work. Now I don't know if this had anything to do with it, but my surgeon had me sitting in a chair about 2 hours after surgery and I was allowed very, very little time in the hospital bed. If I wasn't sitting I was walking. Sometimes I was sleeping sitting up. Since I had to wear those inflating, moving, pressurized leg things in the bed, I really didn't mind not being in it.

Yes, we do get into it here sometimes. There are posts and comments that cause our hackles to rise. We are from different states, countries, cultures and have different values systems, experiences and opinions. We respond to different approaches in different ways. Some of us need a "kick in the pants" or "tough love" and respond well to that, others are more responsive to a gentle hand and softer words. There is no one size fits all in these forums, which is what makes it stronger for the differences. One thing is obvious to me at least, and that is we all share a common experience and passion. We are planning to, or have been through vsg surgery and we are at times scared, excited, thankful, ashamed, proud, angry, apathetic, and countless other feelings. This is an emotional process. It is mentally stressful. It is academic in our search for information. It is very physical. For some it is even spiritual. We do not have to agree on everything. We are here to share our thoughts, opinions, experiences and questions. Since it is a public forum, it is also open to anything from anyone at anytime. That may be more challenging for some than others when they read a response that they interpret as offensive. Some react strongly, others are not as emotionally invested in what others have to say. There is no right or wrong way to feel about this. We do all need to remember that we are working through a framework of a shared experience, though we may process our thinking about it in different ways. Definition of Reactive Thinking Reactive thinking is crisis-based thinking, coming up with solutions after problems develop. Reactive thinking responds to the situation. A reactive thinker often spends too much of his time fighting fires. A reactive thinker is easily blindsided by circumstances. A crisis-driven reactive thinker may be more prone to feeling stress. Definition of Proactive Thinking Proactive thinking, on the other hand, involves foresight. To be proactive means to think ahead, in anticipation of future changes or problems. It means covering your bases to include all possible scenarios. A proactive thinker will have several contingencies in mind. A proactive thinker sees the likelihood of crises before they happen. Ref: http://www.ehow.com/...e-thinking.html

1. ...No idea why you would assume you know what I mean by "tough love." I have never called anyone an idiot or told them they should be ashamed of something in any thread in any forum. 2. That is very personal and rude of you to say you hope I am not a parent based on your assumption of #1.

Mine said no more than 45-50 grams of protein.....ever. I'm 5'3" and he said do NOT eat more than 50 g of protein. This is very different from other recommendations I have heard.