Miss Mac

My psych evaluation was verbal conversation that lasted about 1/2 hour. She asked questions pertaining to my knowledge of the procedure and its consequences on the rest of my life. She was looking for information as to how committed I was to following my team's instruction. She asked about eating disorders and family history of obesity. Overall, it was pretty painless.

Sometimes going crazy can be a short trip. Just hang around here and ask questions.

At two weeks, I was just starting purees and 1/3 of a cup felt like a gallon. Yes, it does get better. By the time I was at six weeks I was up 1/2 cup food with no problem. Your tummy is still healing from being brutalized. I would hold off on rice for a while for these reasons: Foods with little bits can get lodges in your staple line and cause complications. Starchy foods take up tummy real estate that is needed for what little Protein and veggies you can eat. Starchy carbs can slow your roll and interfere with your weight loss. I tested tolerance for pizza at six weeks, but without the crust. I ate the contents of one slice. Just make sure that everything you put in your mouth has some nutritive value. Be patient. It takes a while to heal.

I use fermented foods for pro-biotics: yogurt, eat pickles, kraut, ricotta, ginger, dark chocolate are sources I eat, but there are others. Ii did not get constipated until I started soft foods. It happened ONE time and will not happen again. It was like pushing a watermelon through a straw. I put Walgreens Smooth-lax in my smoothies and have stool softeners on hand if I need them. There is also Smooth Move Teas. There is a certain joke to eating Haribo's sugar free Gummy Bears. They are so effective that you will be cramping within a couple of hours. The joke is that if there is someone you don't like or is giving you grief at work, just set some out on your desk or in a lunchroom, and you will reek havoc and chaos as people fight for bathroom stall. Go to Amazon.com and search for reviews of Haribo Gummy Bears. OMG it's hilarious.

Love languages are real. My love language is verbal and physical. My boyfriend of ten years is a gift from God, and I show my appreciation for his kindness by writing little love notes and also just flat out telling him I love him. I get a kick of of hugging him around the waist (that's all I can reach - he is a foot taller than me). When he is sitting down at his computer, I sneak up behind him and kiss him on the back of his neck. If I get up at night to go to the bathroom, I will gently squeeze his big toe. His love language is through demonstration. He has never said "I love you" but he "does" I love you all day every day. He comes straight home from work every day and gives me a kiss as soon as he gets in the door. He kisses me goodbye before he runs out for an errand. Every time (without fail) that he goes to the store, he brings me home a surprise. He planted tons of flowers around his vegetable garden and keeps the flower vase on my dresser refreshed all summer. The other day he sent me an email of a picture that he Photoshopped It was a tree with a heart carving on it, and it said "Tony loves Shirley. I nearly cried. I put it on my laptop as my background picture. He has included me in his daily activities and respects and validates my opinions. He welcomes my family into our home and plays with my grandchildren like they were his own. I used to wonder where I stood with him until I realized that we show our love in very different ways.

Search issue.....if your query has more than one word, put quotes around it. I typed in "Protein Cakes" and got two results, one was this thread. But did you notice that "Protein cakes" is not in the topic, but was in the content. Also make sure you check that little drop down menu just left of the search symbol. If it is not set to FORUMS, you will not get as productive a search. This function is such a crapshoot. I just finished a 45 minute Zumba workout and came into the kitchen for a protein snack. So, I tried this recipe with a variation. I used vanilla Protein Powder, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 4 tablespoons of milk, and 1/4 of a sugar free vanilla pudding packet. 45 seconds gave me a fluffy cupcake that smelled awesome. I have some low cal whip cream but decided to try making a frosting with some coconut oil that I recently purchased. I melted it and mixed it with the rest of the pudding powder. OMG! I will do this more often. Next time I am going to use coconut oil in place of the syrup.

Never heard of matcha, but on your recommendation, I will check it out.

Been there, done that, got the shirt. My longest stall was six months, so here is how my primary physician helped me break through: My B12 gummies were switched to sublingual B12 tablets, which are small, taste fruity, melt in my mouth and are available at Walgreens off the shelf. He also added a Folate supplement for extra measure. I get Vitamin D from a Chewable D plus Calcium at Walgreens. You can get chocolate or caramel. Plus, in the summer, early morning sunshine is an outstanding natural way to get D. Here is a B12 trick. When I was a teenager, I was underweight, anorexic, and anemic. My doctor suggested to my Mom that I eat calve's liver twice a week! Really????? Blech! Mom's only way to fix liver was in the fry pan. It tasted like shoes with onions! Sorry Mom - rest in peace. We had a Mexican neighbor who offered to help. She took liver and minced it. Then she fried it up with her meat mixture for tacos, tostadas, tamales, etc. It was so well hidden among the other meats, spices, and peppers, that it was not detectable. Between that and The monthly B12 shots, I came out of it in a few short months. I have loved Mexican food ever since. As a matter of fact, I am eating a taco salad right now. Another thing my dear departed mother did was serve hot spinach wilted in vinegar. Oh my, no! I found out as an adult that fresh spinach actually tastes kind of neutral. I have some in this taco salad I am eating. I put it in omelets, smoothies, and casseroles and don't notice any taste. I figured it out that it wasn't the spinach I hated, it was the vinegar. So add spinach to stuff. I took my journal to my doctor, and he suggested that I eat more fish and poultry and less beef and pork. He also had me cut waaaaay back on cheese, Peanut Butter, and nuts. There are 43 calories in one ounce of cod and 100 calories in one ounce of cheese. my "tablespoon" of peanut butter was closer to 1/3 cup. My 100 calories of peanut butter was more like 600 calories. If you have stopped weighing and measuring, go back to it. I did not realize how my portions were getting distorted. I love nuts, but my handful was more like a cup. Seriously. I could eat my day's calories just in mixed nuts....plus the salt. I was letting salt sneak back in. Other changes: If I have carbs, I have them early in the day, and they have to be healthy, like oatmeal. If I have milk, I have it as a bedtime snack and it helps me sleep. My shakes are made with almond milk and berries. No more bananas and sugary fruits. I had to stop drinking my calories. As for the constipation, I had to increase vegetation in my diet If I have an egg for Breakfast, I will slice up a small tomato. I now eat taco salad for lunch almost every day. I eat more veggies Soups than before. I eat more veggies and less fruit. I was eating three or four pieces of fruit every day. Now I eat berries in the morning and maybe a banana before a workout. Look at the balance of your food and incorporate more green veggies and less potatoes. (I never met a potato I did not like, but they are one of my slider traps). The other suggestion my doctor gave me was to up the ante on exercise and daily activity. Obviously, my metabolism was slow and not using up what I was eating. At two years, when I should be eating around 1400 calories, 1,000 is my maintenance barrier. All of these adjustments work together and broke that stall. I wish the best and hope your nutritionist has a heart.

At two years+, I still journal what I eat and when I eat it. I account for calories, carbs, Protein, and Fiber. It's a little tedious, but a journal can be your best friend. I take mine to every appointment with my bariatric team and my primary physician They look at it and we discuss if anything might need tweaking to maximize my success. My dad was a scientist and he told me many times that you cannot control that which you do not measure. I know I am weak, so journaling keeps me on the straight and narrow path, plus I weigh every day - many people don't need to, but I know I personally need that control. We have a lot of details to keep track of, but it's so worth it. When I started adding the time of day to what I was eating, it really helped. I would have denied night eating (one of my major downfalls pre-op) but it has clearly snuck back in. Determine to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible and consider the kitchen as a restaurant that is closed after supper. What helps is to have the right stuff on hand, like the protein Snacks mentioned. Now I keep sugar free Jello in the fridge. I keep homemade bone broth in there, too. So if I must eat something at night or go crazy, I can reach for a bowl of jello or warm up a cup of broth. Both will satisfy enough to get back to sleep......plus they both count as Fluid. Another thing that helps is to avoid unnecessary exposure to food advertising. I rarely watch any of the food shows anymore because my mind wanders too much into the food funeral mode. My boyfriend does the grocery shopping now so that I don't have to overcome temptations that I know I could easily get reckless with. He really is invested in my success. Sometimes I will go to the produce market with him where we get our fresh meat and cheeses and fresh fruits and veggies. We do not go into the inner aisles. I know this is a lot to lay on you, but I suggest that you go on a mission to eliminate excuses and hunger traps. At my computer desk, I have two signs: Eat Leaner - Train Meaner and Hunger is not an Emergency. One thing you will learn about this forum is that although opinions and tact will vary, we have your best interest at heart.

Stalls are like lovers. Your first will probably not be your last!

I know that my surgeon will not proceed with bariatric surgery if your blood tests positive for nicotine. The materials I was given say : "Patients who use tobacco will be required to stop smoking eight weeks prior to surgery. Blood tests will be conducted to ensure that patients have stopped smoking in order to improve surgical outcomes." To go one step further, my surgeon asked my main man to not smoke around me for at least six weeks.

Congratulations on being able to go home! I hope that your recovery picks up speed now.

Amazing! Here is an article I found on SparkPeople.com about what things weigh. Can you imagine now that your previous weight was like wearing a full gown Irish Setter for a belt? http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/team_messageboard_thread.asp?board=20566x12366x59768538

In my opinion, the massive amounts of soda, tea, milk, juice, etc. that I was drinking with each meal probably expanded my stomach, making it easier to be a "gobblegorp" and overeat. Indeed, now is the time to begin practicing the new behaviors you will need post-op. You will need the head start to make the post-op transition easier. It was hard at first to get that required 64 ounces in, but you just have to keep Water with you and take a small sip every few minutes. By six months, I had no problem getting about 100 ounces and now at two years +, I am closer to 120 ounces. I can drink a 10 ounce bottle of water in about 15 minutes, but I will never be able to be a "guzzlegorp" again and swig it all at once. The only problem I had with not being able to relieve food stuck in my throat was when I tried Peanut Butter in the soft food stage. It took forever to get that PB washed down. I waited a long time before I tried it again. Testing foods at the various stages is truly an exercise in "trial and error" research. One thing I did do without guilt was when I got to regular foods and started testing tolerance to spices and peppers, I would have a sip at the end of the meal to rinse out my mouth and then spit it out. Your new tummy will forever be the boss of you, so you may as well practice submission now. When I would mess up and try something I was not ready for, Miss Tummy would make me miserable for hours.

One of the things I asked in my surgeon consultation was about his approach to pain management and is the shoulder gas pain inevitable. The surgeons typically will expand your abdominal cavity with CO2 so they can see your organs better more easily manipulate their tools. After they close up, whatever gas remains has a tendency to rise up into the shoulder area where it will torment you for days until it dissipates. by the way, walking is about the only thing you can do to keep that gas moving along. . My surgeon said that he does indeed use CO2, but he extracts as much as possible before closing you up. Consequently, I did not have shoulder gas at all I am surprised that more doctors don't do this. It won't cost you anything to ask.

Yeah, you gotta tell your main man to tie it in a knot for a while. You're going to have to go into Plan B to satisfy the need for nookie.

We are never guaranteed another minute in this life. Just the same as you have home, auto, and health insurance, the living will is "what if I am not able to communicate my needs" insurance. One of the sayings I picked up from my grandma was "It is better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it." Not only have I established a Living Will, but I also have an appointed Medical Power of Attorney, Financial Power of Attorney, and Final Will and Testament. In a gesture to pay it forward for all the benefits I have received from medical research, I have left written instructions to complete arrangements I have already contracted to donate my earthly container to medical science. Although I got sleeved to extend my years and improve my quality of life, still there is no guarantee. So, I think it is a good idea and I hope you never need it for decades to come.

First, congratulations for your little nugget. I had placenta previa when my oldest daughter was born at 26 weeks gestation. She was 13 3/4 inches long and weighed 2 pounds two ounces. This was back in 1976 when Neonatology was a fairly new science. I felt like part of an experiment because I was. Just before I got rushed to the OR, they asked if I would accept an experimental injection (Betamethasone) that would mature the baby's lungs. She only had a 10% chance of living without it and they were about to lose me from hemorraghing. So, I said Ok, then off I went for a c-section. I ended up with a humongeous bruise on my hip, but it was worth it. She breathed on her own from the start. her weight dropped to 1 pound 10 ounces and then she began to gain weight properly. She was born with no problems with her vision, or muscles, bones, development - any of that. They let me bring her home at 3 pounds 9 1/2 ounces. I was scared to death but was not going to say no. They said she was just laying there growing, so it was OK even though that hospital had not released any baby under five pounds prior to that. She got the nickname of "The Champ". What is encouraging for you is that she just celebrated her 40th birthday in good health. She has a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy, so definitely there were no cognitive problems either. Hopefully you can hang in there a few more weeks. If the doc says lay down then lay down. If they want to give you that steroid, let them. I have already tested it for you. Web MD has a good explanation of how an incompetent cervix can be treated. http://www.webmd.com/baby/cervical-cerclage-to-prevent-preterm-delivery Please keep in touch. Feel welcome to send me a private message and I will encourage you in any way that I can. Here's some love and hugs from Chicago.

What helps me to realize that I don't need to buy anymore diet books, is this thought: My money can be my money or their money.

When I started regular foods at one month, I could hold 1//4 cup plus two tablespoons, but often did not eat the last bite or two. At about six months, I could eat 1/2 of dense food or 3/4 cup of fluids. I just passed two years on 12/23 and can now eat a cup of dense food, or a cup of Fluid, or two cups of a green salad which breaks down to mostly Water. At one year I had a swallow test and could see my new tummy very clearly in the images. It is mostly over to my right side and looked like a small banana.

I can now drink 100-120 ounces of Water a day. I just sip, sip, sip, every few minutes even at two years out.

Your story reminds me of something funny. Not long after I divorced a cheatin' no 'count lyin' son of a gun, I was at the doctor's office for some bloodwork in the lab. As she was preparing to put the needle in my arm, she said "You are going to feel a little prick." To which I said, "My ex-husband was a little prick". Well, you really have the best opportunity to discover who you are apart from his influence and to re-invent yourself. Congratulations on finding the new you.

I was about six weeks before I got the go-ahead for raw foods. Just watch out for seeds. You don't want them to lodge in your staple line.

Just order something you can have that you would enjoy and save half for a take home box. Then pick at what is left on your plate and engage in conversation. My first restaurant food was chili. When I went to a Mexican restaurant I ordered a chicken fajita, ate some of the insides and took the rest home for another day. This might be easier than you think.

I don't live in Indianapolis now, but in the early 90's I lived at the Fountainhead Apartments on Laguna Drive, which was walking distance to St. Vincent. I was the General Manager of their Martin House Hotel. I was never hospitalized there, but I did go to their Hand Center for a serious injury and was quite pleased with their care. One of my daughters (teenager at the time) was suffering from a bad case of teenage angst and visited a St. Vincent psychologist for a while with good results. You might see what you can find out about their Bariatric program. They are a Bariatric Center of Excellence, which many Insurance companies require. Several of their physicians and bariatric professionals got their training at the IU medical Center.