djbwilson

The flap is better than the spare tire that was there!

Look at the rest of what would have been in your future..bad knees, diabetes, cardiac issues...big and small problems of being overweight, and rethink it..You are smart to take the steps to stop those things from happening!

OK..so you gotta give us the no bake recipe you like! I am a little afraid of storebought ones, too..

Chike is good..I keep a stock of vanilla, choc, and strawberry, and they have a new iced coffe that is terrific...I mix the iced coffee powder with my leftover morninf coffee for a great flavor, and pour it over ice on these hot afternoons! I also use my leftover coffee and put vanilla powder in it o make a "latte" flavor. Chike will send you samples, too..google them and call..very helpful

Look at my topic "Help with Starbucks" for some great ideas on what to order from folks on this site...It was real helpful to me..I an 21 weeks out from surgery, and did not have caffeine until about week 16 or so. It is medicinal for me..I am a nurse practitioner, and work a crazy combo of days/nights, and NEED my caffeine fix! I have not had any ill effects from it, and consider it my indulgence..I don't do candy bars or bags of chips anymore, but I sure do treat myself almost daily to a good coffee drink, either iced or hot, depending on my mood...i do know that early on, however, lots of folks warned me that caffeine would make me hungry, that's why I steered clear of it until i had almost gotten to goal. Now that I am at goal, I feel a little better about letting myself enjoy the "high test" my husband calls it!

Ok gang..need help! Missing my starbucks drinks...can y'all help me decide what to order that is the lowest sugar and fat? Iced or hot..just need some suggestions! thanks!

Mark, that's what I got yesterday! A tall blonde with skim milk and sugar free vanilla syrup and 2 splendas....was very satisfying, and cheaper than the espresso drinks. Sounds sort of like a foreign language, doesn't it?!

Thanks so much! I will def ask! I knew I went to the right folks for advice!

Well, TODAY IS THE DAY! I REACHED MY GOAL TODAY!! I began at my highest weight of 244 last Fall, had surgery on March 19th this year, and reached my 150lb goal TODAY!! I feel like bells and whistles should be going off, but instead, I have celebrated by a 2 mile walk, 30 minutes of weights, a thankful prayer to God for the strength and gumption to do this, a fried egg breakfast, and a sobering, humbling new outlook..THIS IS A WAY OF LIFE FOREVERMORE...I am just beginning to see that this is only the real beginning of the way the rest of my life needs to be..good food, exercise, thankfulness, and being more conscious of my choices and actions where my body is concerned. At first, I thought goal day would be the day where I returned to my gluttonous ways, at least a little bit, like it was the end of this period in my life...it's not at all. Today is just the fresh start I needed, with the realization that the hard part really starts here, in maintaining what I have learned the last few months. This is no diet, this is a permanent change in my body and my life. (By the way, I have become very thankful for this website, and each of you on this journey with me!)

Thanks, gang! I am getting ready to celebrate with a BBQ rib dinner with my best friends and husband tonight at their pool, and not at all embarrassed to put my bathing suit on anymore! I can only eat 2 ribs and a bite of cole slaw, but looking forward to it! MandaPanda...I have lost the 94 since October. My surgery date was March 19th, and I have lost 68 from March 19 to today...20 weeks!

Help! I am SO excited to be only 4 lbs from my goal of 150!! I always had the thought I would reward myself in some special way. The only problem with that is...The only rewards I can think of involve FOOD! My husband wants to take me to dinner or let me choose an indulgence. That's real sweet, and I appreciate it, but is there a good reward to mark the occasion without food? I have already bought new clothes, I just had a birthday last week, and I just got a pedicure, and we don't have the time or money to take a trip. Anybody got any good ideas? What do you y'all do to celebrate?

Y'all are so funny! I do it too! I clasp my hands together and they don't feel like my own! I put my hands on my hips and it feels like it is someone else! When I catch my reflection in the mirror at the gym, or in a store window, I still don't think it looks like me! I stare at my legs when I am on the Nautilus equip, not believing they look so thin..and my legs don't rub together anymore, I actually have a GAP where I can see air in between my thighs...sounds gross to anyone but y'all!! Keep on feeling, gang, we deserve it!!

I am 19 weeks out and can just now eat 4-6 oz of yogurt with a little granola in it for crunch. Lunch today, half a hamburger patty and 1 1/2 ish cups salad loaded with cheese, eggs, lite dressing. Dinner last night, half a piece of fish and a few pieces grilled tomato. Breakfast today, one scrambled egg with turkey sausage and grated cheese in it. Hope that helps. I know at first I could not finish a whole container of yogurt or pudding.

I , too, try to avoid pasta at all cost! I even will eat the Lean Cuisine Chicken parm. and only eat the chicken! I KNOW pasta and carbs is part of the reason for my weight issues, so I steer clear! I also steer clear of sugar as if it would give me the plague. I did buy one bag of Russell Stover sugar free chocolates, ate 2, and am staring at the rest on the kitchen counter daily...I bought it to take to the movies as a treat. used it for that, now scared I will develop a craving for it again. I think the carb/sugar thing will always be an issue for us!

I promise the stall won't last long!!! Walk a few extra steps, and make SURE you are getting enough protein. DO NOT deprive yourself of food to lose more. If you do, your body holds on to what it has in case no more food comes down the pike! Drink as much water as you can, up that protein! (Eat some meat if you can, taco meat, chicken salad,etc) It won't take long...in 18 weeks, I have had 2 stalls, and the support on here taught me the advice i just gave you! It works! PS: 27 pounds in 6 weeks is great: You could not have done that without this surgery!

I have found the best answer when people say "OMG you look great! What have you done to lose all this weight??" I simply say, " I had surgery a few months ago. Thanks, I feel really good!" I don't say what kind of surgery unless they ask more questions. The weight loss has been so fast, most folks know you had to have done something drastic.

Sort of the same in my house..I am trying not to feel like it's me. i'm trying to act the same, but it's hard. I am getting new attention from everyone, not just men, friends, people on the street, people at church that havn't seen me in weeks. I'm not looking for other men, and don't feel like that's an issue. I am just very happy with my new self, and wish he was too. He very seldom makes any comment about my looks, except a small, "you look nice" which just makes me beam! I know we can't all be in the same emotional place at the same time, so I'm just trying to calm my excitement about my weight loss....but is that really fair to me? I think I am realizing why they send you to a counselor before surgery!

I crave cold, wet things right now..17 weeks out and summertime! I have found frozen yogurt that has protein, even a greek frozen yogurt like Yoplait and not too bad carbs..I scoop out a small bit, 1/3-1/2 cup. It does okay, and makes me feel like im eating dessert. Flavor not as great as regular ice cream, but that's the trade off..Im afraid of liking it too much, and wanting too much!

Mine, too, are not very noticeable, BUT I have rubbed Mederma on them EVERY day after my shower. I'm 17 weeks out and they have turned from red to a light pink/grey. I probably won't be wearing a bikini, but still they bother me. The 2 smallest ones are almost non-existent. They 3 others are about an inch. (All in all, not a bad tradeoff for going from a 3x to a size 8-10 in 17 weeks!!)

Your 2 cents is worth a million$$ !

Y'all..thanks so much! You have given me some great choices!! just didn't know what to ask for!

OK..but the good part..they were baked and you ate only a handful!! But be careful..if you start the "slider" foods, they may be a vicious cycle!! There are things I crave, ice cream, chocolate...but have not had a bite if them. I am 17 weeks out, almost at goal, and SO AFRAID I will fall back into old habits..be careful! Depends on how strong you are..i am weak, and know I can fall back so easily! Like my Doc says, a regular milkshake goes down as easy as a protein shake! It's all about the decisions..do I sound scared? I am...for all of us..the surgery is just the tool, we still have to make good decisions..ugh!

PS: I also LOVE celery sticks dipped in pnut butter! Protein and cool crisp crunch..see you can figure out how to have what you love!

I am 4 months out, and was craving crunchy, cool salads.. We can have that, just make sure you get the protein in first!! For lunch, I just had a half a hamburger patty and a small 6ish bites salad with light ranch..Saving the rest of the salad for a snack this afternoon! (My husband says I'm a cheap date, now!!)

Hey gang..I miss cold cereal/milk in the mornings..any suggestions that are safe for us? (and that have at least a little protein? AND..need a suggestion about adding some granola or something crunchy to my yogurt. What kind? Most I have found have a lot of fat...Thanks!