Canary Diamond

Is this something you got as a free sample? The only Atkins samples I can find are bars and I won't be able to have those for a few weeks.

As someone who recently spent 4 months in a residential treatment center for eating disorders, and seeing women of all sizes struggle immensely with self-esteem, I can certainly vouch for the skinny does not = happy line. I quit binge eating, I quit drinking, I quit teaching for the public school system, I started taking classes to become a nurse practitioner, I adopted the best dog in the world. I'm happy for the first time in my adult life. This is difficult for some people to believe (e.g., my mother) because I'm still obese. The weight loss will just be an added bonus. Thank you for this. 5 stars!

Wow - all good stuff! Really like your morning smoothie recipe - stealing it. I hadn't heard about the restriction being more obvious with solid foods. I'm still on liquids and sharing many of your previous fears. As for your trick with the denim capris, perhaps if you lie about something and they catch fire?

Woot woot! Here comes the skinny train... can you hear it? I was the same way the days and nights before my surgery (I too went alone to Mexico) - not nervous, just ready to get the sucker over with and get on with my life - finally! You don't feel nervous because you know this is the right decision. Thinking good thoughts for you!

Maybe this will help: a woman I work with lost 200 pounds with gastric bypass and is slowly gaining it back now - not because of her food choices, but because she drinks soda constantly, often to the exclusion of all other beverages. She just had to go in and get her license changed (from her skinny picture) because her weight has gone up so much. IT'S NOT WORTH IT!!!!

Just got my first free samples yesterday! Thanks again for posting this!

I feel the same way. First of all, I'm not comfortable with people commenting on my body in any capacity and secondly, raving compliments just make me think, "Gosh, I must have really looked awful before!"

Thank you, Ken! I just added my weight loss stats!

Why does every member profile read "_________ has not entered any information about themselves yet," no matter how much info the person has entered?

Thank you for doing this, Lynda! At some point could you please address why it's important to not consume liquids and solids at the same time? Keep up the great work!

I need some clarification: Are you in a hurry to get rid of the clothes because you want them gone or because you're afraid of your husband's reaction? And forget going to the Goodwill, I'm pretty sure you could open one of your own!

As mentioned on the soon-to-be-viral video, "Life One Week Post-Op and a Note About Surgeon Selection" Beans (whatever you like!) 1 1/2 boxes chicken or vegetable broth olive oil pinch sea salt chipotle powder to taste one onion, chopped one green pepper , chopped (bell, anaheim, poblano - your choice) 2-4 cloves garlic (depending on your taste) 1-2 small cans diced green chiles jar of salsa 1 can corn niblets (optional) Chipotle Yumm! sauce Drain and RINSE beans using a strainer (this gets rid of the gas-forming stuff!) Put all your beans in a pot with one box of broth and simmer On a separate burner, saute onion, garlic, and fresh pepper in olive oil with a pinch of salt over medium heat until soft. Add salsa, green chiles, chipotle powder, and corn* and let them play with the veggies for a few minutes In batches, blend everything from the saute pan, then add to the beans in broth** Voila! Soup! Serve with a teaspoon of Yumm! sauce, if ya got it! *Corn will make the Soup sweeter, which not everybody digs **If still on full liquids/purees, you can puree the beans too and add extra broth when serving. I puree everything but the beans, then puree individual servings right before I eat them.

You are welcome!

I can't seem to figure out how to follow my own blog posts. I've clicked the "Follow" button at the top of the posts, but they don't stay followed. It would make sense that as the original poster I would automatically be signed up to follow them, but this doesn't seem to be the case, as I'm having to click "Follow" for each post individually and multiple times to receive notification about activity on them. Is there something very obvious that I'm missing? Or is this a common glitch? Thank you!

It wasn't automatic for me. I even checked the box that asks if you want to receive emails when somebody responds when I first set up the blog. When I looked at it today, the box was unchecked. I checked it again - so we'll see what happens.

I swore to myself I wouldn't be one of those posters who whines about ONLY losing ______ pounds. "I lost 52 pounds the first two months, but only 12 this month. I was really hoping to weigh less than my cat by now. " Well, I'm whining. It's a week after surgery and I've lost 2 pounds. While I'm sure this is not uncommon, I can't seem to find any supporting evidence to that end. Stalls seem to make their first appearance, for the most part, in the second and third weeks after surgery. Also, I'm full of gas. More gas than I had two days after surgery. I can't seem to take a sip of anything without swallowing three times as much air. And it won't come out. If I tied a basket to my feet, I could probably give balloon rides over the breathtaking Oregon coast (note to self: possible future career?). I'm just crabby. Nothing's working the way it should and everyone else is to blame. I keep having these practice confrontations with make-believe opponents in which I am angrily defending myself in imaginary scenarios. These things that haven't happened are making me very upset. And my mom moved my $h!t around while I was in Mexico. And did my laundry (which was a very nice thing to do, but also implies my incompetence, right?). And bought the wrong kind of yogurt. And I don't want to take Anatomy and Physiology from that @$$ho!e who won't let me change lab times, even though my schedule only permits me to take the online class but not the online class's lab. Oh, it's my responsibility to free my schedule up so you don't have to deal with the grading "nightmare", as you put it, of dealing with students in labs they aren't registered for? I suppose I should apologize for being the ONE student at Southwestern Oregon Community College who's ever gone for her second Master's? (statistic not confirmed) Really, Mr. "I don't even have a Master's! Just a Bachelor's in Biology and a f**king chiropractic certificate"!!! SERIOUSLY???? Maybe I just won't become a nurse practitioner. That'll show him. And this website won't even let me curse. I have to use fµck¡n8 §Ymb@[$!!! First Amendment, anyone? And my dog is stinky.

Hey, maggie914, and thanks for reading! My first suggestion to you is something you already seem to be on top of - working with a counselor or therapist, esp. someone who understands the added complications your FB brings to the table (no pun intended), and CONTINUE seeing this person on a regular basis after your surgery.This is when the big stuff is going to come up - when you can't eat your feelings anymore - and you'll benefit from having someone who can help you monitor your emotions without judgment. I've been on Wellbutrin for 13 years and, after my pre-op break from all meds, starting taking it again 3 days post-op with no issues whatsoever. Of course, this doesn't speak for all anti-depressants or mood stabilizers, but mine never caused me tummy problems before surgery either. Secondly, talk to your doctor. And by that I mean your bariatric surgeon, not just your PCP. Explain your fears, anxieties, concerns, and stress-level. I'm sure this is something s/he deals with all the time and will be able to offer advice or perhaps even suggestions for meds. If you don't find the surgeon to be helpful or understanding (sometimes even the most brilliant surgeons have a crappy bedside manner), talk to his/her nurse. The nurse for the local bariatric surgeon (who did not even perform my surgery) has been extremely helpful to me. Hope this helps, and keep me posted!

During which week of the post-op diet is foot on the menu? I'm teaching a summer chemistry class to adorable little teenagers. My post-op week we were using small, round candies (not using names - don't want to trigger anyone) to represent atomic particles during radioactive decay. Of course, they could eat whatever they weren't using. At the beginning of class, seeing the HUGE and numerous bags of candy on my demo table, they asked if we were going to be doing something with them for that day's class (they are masters of deduction - watch out, Dr. House!) and I joked that it was all for me. Fast forward to the end of class, as they're cleaning up/inhaling their candy like Dysons. One of them asks if I'm going to have any and I reply, "Nah, I have surgery next week and I'm on a liquid diet." WAY TO GO, BIG MOUTH. Of course, they wanted to know more. I joked that I would tell them about it afterwards. That way If I died on the table they could make up whatever story they wanted ("Did you hear Ms. Diamond had a brain aneurysm and farted out her spleen???"). Well, I didn't die (thanks a lot, Dr. Illan), so now I'm in a pickle. I have no idea what to say if they ask me about it in class today. Do I lie and say I was just trying to crash diet before my beach/wedding/girls' weekend vacation? Or do I go the evasive route and imply it's gross and personal and they wouldn't want to know? I know some of you are wondering why I don't just tell them the truth. I'm sure when I'm 50+ pounds down and everybody's asking, my attitude may be different, but as of now the only people I've told are my immediate family and therapist. Something tells me that revealing my very personal secret to a room full of Tweeting teenagers may not be the best way to maintain an ounce of decorum in this very small town. Any fellow foot-eaters who can offer follow-up advice?

True dat!

You're welcome, Bluto! Hey, cool fact - the fictional frat in Animal House was based on my father's chapter (Zeta Xi) at Dartmouth! Should I be proud of that?

How cool! AND 1992 is the year I graduated HS! Which means nothing to you, but.... you're doing awesome! (go pirates.)

Wow, what an exciting milestone! Thank you for sharing!

Wow, what a difference! You were beautiful before but now, whoa, mama! Can you see the difference in your eyes? They look so much brighter and bluer in the close-up after pic than the before. And your tan is amazing - do you live in Florida?

joatsaint - thanks for the singalong! I really hope you're one of my YouTube subscribers....I can tell you will leave awesome comments libearzmom - come to the daaaaaaarrrrrk side... thank you for the congrats. I named him Bob. Because that's what he loved to do *sniffle*

Hey aksmith! It's your birthday! Make your tum-tum! Half its girth-day!