LindafromFlorida

Way to go Jenny! Well said!

These are great ideas Lynda. The smell of Christmas in my home is the sweetest smell, and I love holiday candles. I bought the SF apple cider and cannot wait to try it. I found a Gingerbread Torani SF syrup so I just might try it in the coffee. Creamer has been a problem but deciding to go with skim milk. We are not supposed to have raw veggies for awhile. I wanted to buy some hummus, but crackers? Not sure. I love the idea of taking the yogurt and making my own dip, using something to snack on though. You could also use the yogurt, add Splenda and a Torani flavoring for a sweet dip to dip small slices of apple, or grapes in. There are so many options and a lot of things available to us. My husband is finally doing great after 4 exhausting days in the hospital last week, so all is well. I keep looking at new sites, reading posts, gathering information. My take on most is that the younger generation are too focused on the scale, mad that they cannot eat a hamburger again, regretting their surgery, cheating on their diets, and complaining. I guess at my age, a few life tragedies, I am not in their frame of mind. I want peace and harmony, I want to enjoy my new life, I want to make friends with you all and follow your journeys, and share your ups and downs. Recipes are a Godsend, sometimes my mind goes blank. I took my former son-in-law to lunch 2 days ago, checked out the menu online before we went, and enjoyed the sweetest experience, sipping on a seafood bisque while eating out. Something I was not sure I could do. I reverted to the same diet as my husband otherwise, so we would be on the same menu daily, and it is good that I don't have to think about cooking. My next venture in about 2 days will be a crustless quiche I love, and it is good warm or cold. A good go-to for the holidays, and I use skim milk rather than half n half. Thanks Lynda for inspiring me again. Wishing you all Happy Holidays, and praying for Dema as she recovers from her surgery. Linda

Mustang, your ticker is showing here...... Best wishes!

Be happy! I have worried too much in my life from heartaches and losing loved ones. This sleeving is going to be the best thing to happen to me and my husband in a long time. So excited!!!!

I was sleeved Nov 18, my husband Dec. 2. I was in hospital 1 night, came home, no pain whatsoever, a little soreness. Thrilled. I went shopping 2 hours by the end of the week. Not hungry. Just follow the plan, it is designed to give you what you need. I am 22 days out, today I had two 4 oz shakes, popsicle, 1/2 can cream mushroom Soup, and will have yogurt soon. You might have head hunger but keep the Snacks out of the house so you wont be tempted. We have avoided functions for 2 months - and now plan to attend 2 parties, and I am instructing my husband what to do LOL. You will be so happy, and surprised how this is not bad at all! Prayers. Dont read the negative posts please, about stalling and everything else. Ignore the scale. Or someone 2 weeks post op asking can I have chicken and rice. We have to be smart about this and you will be!!!! Good luck!

I am not picky LOL, I could eat taco bell sauce from a spoon. How has hot sauce affected you Buplee?

I love spicy and hot sauce. So does my husband lol. He was sleeved Dec. 2 and prior to surgery was putting hot sauce in the broth. I tried little bits of my homemade chili with refried Beans, hoping it would not kill me. I mince and puree in my mouth also, just to get a tiny taste. I 22 days post op and am staying on same diet as my husband so we can be together on this journey, but ready to sample! Happy Holidays!!!

I am 67 years old. Sleeved Nov. 18. I dose of pain meds at home on Nov. 19. None since. No gas pain but some recommend gas-x strips. I went shopping 5 days after surgery and 3 weeks after surgery I have shopped several hours at a time, 2-3 stores. I feel better than I have in years, and I amazingly don;t have the neuropathy foot pain which was killing me before surgery. Praise the Lord! I am so happy I had this surgery. Just rest and take it day by day.

I keep seeing reference to wendys chili - looks like nothing approved on my diet. Myth? not sure, but I am 3 weeks out and that looks a long way out unless pureed. I can make a real low fat chili with fat free chicken broth, tomatoes, refried Beans and chili spice. Very good, Small portions.

I am 3 weeks post op. Busy yourself doing something when others are eating. But stay away from those foods and the temptation. This is surgery remember, and start of us getting control. It isnt easy but is so doable. My husband had the sleeve last Monday too, so I am still on the liquid diet with him eating cream Soups diluted, but mostly the same as my husband. December and November are happy eating times and next year it will be better for us!!!!! Happy Holidays everyone!

Just count your blessings everyone and don't let the scale take over your life LOL. I think I have lost 5 or so lbs since surgery 3 weeks ago and I am still feeling lighter and happier and not hungry and fantastic!!! 67 years old and knowing I am looking good again!!!!! My pants are loose so it is going somewhere!

You are in the ER so look for answers there. We are all so different and I hope that your doctor finds the problem. Hugs and blessings, I know yo will be better real soon!!!!!!! Linda

My surgeon is awesome. He is a little bit more relaxed than some I can tell. The dietician says he wants his patients to eat healthy so we are to follow the guidelines he sets and make wise choices. We can have anything pureed/minced day 10. Yesterday was day 10. I thinned the chili and refried Beans, and am supposed to judge if it looks like baby food I can have it. So I adjusted the recipe. Plus I ate about 1/4 cup, maybe a little less. I can have pureed bean Soups (homemade) so that is my next project. At 11 days post op I had a shake this morning, yogurt for lunch, and 1/3 cup chili puree tonight and very satisfied. I am being very careful and following the the doctor's plan to a T. BTW Sassy, I am talking about plans and projects but meatloaf is not on my radar for awhile, if ever? LOL. When my husband comes home after surgery next week we will be minimizing everything until he is able to start catching up to where I am. I am going back to creamed strained soup this weekend. Doing good, but thanks for the concern!

Hello everyone! Sassy, sounds like you had a good day and thankful you have a doggie for comfort. I am not doing much cooking right now because Monty is having his sleeve Monday and informed me today he is on shakes til Monday, with Jello and broth. Doctor is allowing him fruit because of the diabetes. But yesterday was awesome, Thanksgiving. I browned ground turkey with onion, bell pepper and celery, added chili spices, along with low sodium canned diced tomatoes, and cooked at least an hour. It was awesome! I love spicy food so I was testing to see if I could eat this. I took about 1/4 cup refried fat free beens and put a couple spoons of chili on the Beans and omgosh it was my first "meal" since I don't know when. Monty and I both loved it but he left off the beans. It really was filling and I barely had eaten a few small bites when I started the little burps. Until eating yesterday I had not experienced the burps so that told me it was time to stop eating, The best news is I can still eat a little spicy! I tried a teaspoon of fresh salsa and ok with that. I plan to use the fresh salsa in small meatloaves cooked in muffin tins (learned this at weight watchers, the only way I like meatloaf.). I use as much salsa as possible added to lean meat to make the meatloaf. Also, when making Soups, I can add the low calorie salsa to the soups which saves on chopping onions, bell pepper, etc. My next project is to make a quiche. I learned when on Atkins diet I could make the quiche without a crust in a glass pieplate, and it is just as awesome. I use skim milk, egg, dry mustard (recipe somewhere) and will add as little as possible lowfat shredded swiss cheese, I will leave out the bacon. I have used crabmeat in the quiche also. Will focus on just getting in my Protein til we get through this weekend, and will start getting adventurous. Sorry about your post going into cyberspace Sassy, not much fun! Thanks for reposting though. Hugs everyone. Linda

Hi Boomers, everyone is quiet. I tasted my first bite of refried Beans and looking forward to having that with cottage cheese tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I still have not seen the scale move but I know it will since there is not much food going on here! Hugs all, Linda

Sassy, thanks for the post! 15 years ago my niece had a gastric bypass, and one of my husband's dear friends had his 10 years ago. We have been attending seminars for many years. Our insurance would not pay for my husband, and his friend self paid, $25,000 in Georgia. We considered that, but my husband is too practical and worried about the consequences of future insurance problems. We both got on Medicare January 1 of this year, and with my weight creeping out of control with more health problems, we decided to do this together. He rejected the idea of gastric bypass so long ago....despite success stories. He is still not as "happy" as I am to have this surgery, but he knows his life span is more limited if he doesn't. I am just thankful he finally made the decision. Thanks for the suggestion Sassy, I am an open book here.

Sassy, I was thinking about you last night and glad to hear everything is going well. I agree with you that Dema's husband needs a reality check that you are having SURGERY Dema! I have my hands full with my husband's blood sugar and blood pressure.......Almost thankful we are taking this journey together to be on the same track the rest of our lives. I am almost obsessive about him, moreso since I retired a year ago but too many late night calls to Rescue with him unconscious has apparently made me bonkers. If he can come off insulin and all this medicine maybe I can relax. Wishing you all happier times and continued good health, Linda

Wow I would be overwhelmed about a party that soon too, but, its his idea so get him busy!! I love to cook and usually go way overboard, never again though. Set up a buffet and relax! They do warn you not to be lifting so keep in mind. I think you will enjoy yourself. How is everyone else doing? I have not lost a lb in 3 days but it isn't fazing me because I am feeling "lighter" for some crazy reason!

Glad you have that surgery date down Dema! Think I will forego the zipline, but surgery one week ago today and I spent the entire day shopping. I am tired but it is a happy tired, not so exhausted from feeling fat and even though I don't think I have broken any records in losing weight, I still feel good and feel lighter. I have been so sluggish for so long.......dragging around feeling down in the dumps. I am even thanking my blessings for Thanksgiving, and looking forward to eating some pureed food or Soup. Planning to fix my husband some veggies and shakes as his surgery is Monday December 2. Happy early Thanksgiving everyone, Linda

Has everyone heard the suggestion to make crockpot meals to get really tender meats/meals and then freeze portions in ice cube trays? Or bake mini meatloaves in small muffin pans? This may be common knowledge but since I don't know I am posting. I am a great cook and love cooking for neighbors and friends (no more LOL). I can see myself taking boneless chicken, 1 small can mushroom soup, 1/2 cup white wine, shredded lowfat swiss cheese, a few spices, and cooking on low 6+ hours until meat is falling apart. This is a variation of a wonderful casserole I have made for years. I will just leave out the bread crumb topping. But I look forward to practicing with recipes and sharing.

Wow, what a story. I know anyone with a weight problem can appreciate your story. It seems when I turned fifty I started losing the battle I fought my entire life. And more pounds kept piling off, lose a few, gain more. No matter what we weigh when we are overweight, I personally feel we have a horrible self-image. And circumstances can be beyond our control when it comes to getting help sometimes. Sassy, you are an amazing woman and despite the obstacles I know you are on the road to a better life for yourself!!!!!! I personally am touched by your story. Prayer and God's Grace on you as you keep going day by day. That blender will be a wonderful thing for you. Not knowing what you have in your pantry it is hard to give you ideas for blending, but even if you are using the instant shakes I have read where people add a few shakes of dry sugar free instant pudding. Throw in a few ice cubes and it is a tasty shake. I am not on fruit yet, but my husband is allowed because of the diabetes. You can add a vanilla shake, and about a cup of frozen fruit and ice cubes to spice it up. I buy large bags of frozen no sugar added fruit at walmart and it goes a long way. If you can have fruit. Torani sugar free syrups are in the coffee section at the grocery store. I use these a lot adding about 2 TBSP to a shake plus ice cubes. You can also add a low sugar yogurt to your shake, but I like to save my yogurt for in between eating. I use a lot of broth, and add tiny shakes of sage, and other herbs. Lets start sharing ideas everyone for a wider range of ideas and suggestions. Linda

Hello again everyone, and to Art! Seems like we are getting this rolling. Lets try to post once or twice a day, like a real chat. If we don't, this may go by the wayside again! Art, I always wanted to do stained glass, and Sassy, I always have been a writer or some sort. Personal, nothing else. I went to the grocery store today, for the last time in a couple weeks I HOPE! Sick and tired of all the $ shelled out for expensive groceries. Art, my husband won't post, but I will be posting for him. Hope everyone has a great evening. Linda D.

Hi everyone, great reading your story Lynda, and welcome back Sassy. I would love to see everyone end their post with their name, so that we could get to know everyone by their first name. I had the surgery Monday this week, Nov. 18, and it has been fabulous! No pain, no nausea, no hunger. Today, 4 days after surgery, I spent four hours shopping and feel great. I am almost afraid this bubble will be burst and I will want to run get a cheeseburger since my husband has been on a diet forever and not eating, like a year! I almost never want to eat cabbage again, I have eaten so much this year, steamed with only salt and pepper lol. I am sticking to yogurt, shakes and lod sodium shakes right now. Sassy, I can only imagine what you have gone through being alone, and going to rehab. It would be nice if you had a local support group who could have helped you. I am going back to the beginning and try to re-read the posts to get to know everyone better. My husband is scheduled for the sleeve on December 2, and he is a bit nervous. He is considered morbidly obese, diabetic, and other issues. So we are gearing up to get through Thanksgiving and his surgery on Monday. Everyone we know has asked us to dinner Thanksgiving Day, and since my husband has decided no one except my daughter is to know about the surgery we plan to travel to a little cabin in the woods in Georgia and sip our lovely shakes. We have been dieting so long, avoiding friends, dinners and drinking, that it is second nature now. I would love to hear more from everyone. Linda D.

Not many people are posting here. I joined the group but not much activity. I am having surgery today at 2 pm so have to run, but maybe we can rejuvenate this group. I have looked around other groups and honestly dont like what I see. It would be comfortable and exciting to get to know everyone. Linda

I am set and cleared for surgery Nov 18, my husband Dec. 2. EXCITED!!!!