planetheather

I'm 3.5 months out and not at goal yet. Since day 1, I've been very good about getting all my Protein in (I'm lucky in that I like my protein shakes). But all week I've been fantasizing about grilled vegetables--and I mean bad enough that I was ready to go buy a new grill. Finally yesterday I went to a (semi) gourmet supermarket and bought balsamic grilled onions, red bell peppers, asparagus, squash and zucchini for dinner. I ended the day a little low on protein (about 50 grams) but that tasted SO good. I know the rules but I'm wondering if any of you do something like this and if anyone knows how big a problem this would be if I did something like this once a week (or less often). In my head I'm thinking that I didn't eat fruit or bread-based carbs so what I did wasn't so bad. And I don't really think my bell peppers are a gateway drug to a strawberry shortcake dinner (yes, my mother is famous for doing that on more than one occasion). I just wanted to confess and get feedback from the more nutrition-savvy members. How many Hail Mary's do I owe the group?

Thanks for both comments! The glaze almost certainly had some sugar added but it was very lightly applied. They also had green Beans and a different grilled veggie dish that looked coated in butter, so I avoided those. And I had never heard of InvisaWhey, so that was awesome. My Amazon account is getting quite the workout tonight!

Congratulations! I meant that I haven't moved into "maintenance mode" and I'm still in my "building new good and lifelong habits" honeymoon. I've heard so much about the problems people have 2-5 years out who didn't spend the first 6-9 months building a new skill set. I am so excited to be getting thin (again-I've done non-sustainable Herculean losses twice before) that I feel like if I ever regain it will be like Flowers for Algernon. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't sabotaging a long term process. Thanks to all of you for your responses. I realize now that making sure I get at least some (roasted/low sugar) veggies is a really good idea. My sleeve and my gut really enjoyed them too!

Thank you for the link! Getting my Cuddle Duds now. I'd much rather know that this is a problem for others and that many find it long term than spend years thinking I'm crazy and waiting to warm up! On the other hand--shivering burns calories so...

OK, I'm of two minds here. One mind is saying "Well crap. It doesn't go away??" The other one is cheering that I have company because my husband (who is beyond supportive in any other way) thinks I'm insane. He runs the fan at night and I've added a wool blanket from Iceland to my side of the bed. Bless all of you who mentioned Cuddle Duds, getting my credit card and Amazon prime account "warmed up" right now! And yes, I woke up cold before the real weight loss set in but that's often a side effect of anesthesia so I didn't think about it at the time.

Market Street deli, baby! Their balsamic grilled veggies are a staple and are awesome cold or hot. I must have had a crazed look in my eye last night because the whole family waited until I fixed my plate before they ripped into them. :-)

Cold! Oh my goodness, yes! I almost asked the same question. I know it's winter but seriously, I was in Kenya a few weeks ago and freezing at 68 degrees! No, I don't have a fever. I suspect it's a metabolism thing but I prefer to think it's the 85 pound loss of blubber. :-)

My guidelines are the same. The concern I had was that I put the veggies ahead of protein (I did have a small bite of DH's chicken) and I came out short on protein yesterday because of it. It's the first time I really didn't care--I just wanted some veggies so badly. If I had planned better, I would have had a Protein Drink mid afternoon and I would have been ok on protein intake. I was just wondering if anyone saw a potential setback issue.

Not according to my surgeon. He and my NUT were adamant that I not have any lumps or bumps for the first 3 weeks. This meant I could have yogurt but not with added (even soft) fruit unless it was pulverized-blended. No seeds or pulpy stuff. At 3 weeks I could add stuff like canned tuna and a poached egg.

Liquids only until you are approved for the next phase! Please don't risk a leak or abscess by rushing your sleeve's healing. My surgeon and NUT both made us listen to descriptions of what happened to people who didn't follow the guidelines. It was gruesome but an effective deterrent. Try some clear Soups if you are wanting something savory and when you are approved for non-clear liquids (this or next week), I can recommend the Proti Diet soups (chicken and tomato are non-lumpy and even better with Greek yogurt). If you have any doubts, call your surgeon and/or NUT to make sure you are eating the right phase of foods.

So far, I've had an easy time walking away from Desserts. I'm sure it's just because I'm still in the honeymoon period (3.5 months post op) but sweets don't really appeal right now. I had a harder time being around chips and crackers. I had made a garlic/olive/dried tomato FF cream cheese ball so I used it as a spread on my turkey. I also made a crab dip and just ate that with a spoon. However, I know I ate more than I normally would because we were there for several hours and I ate a piece of turkey every couple of hours. Proud that I managed to skip my mom's corn casserole and its ooey goodness. I won't see it again for another year and hopefully by then, I'll be in a place where I can have a spoon of it. I still haven't had any alcohol but I was never a wine/beer drinker. I was always fond of vodka/cranberry and I'm pretty sure that's a bad idea.

I'm glad you posted about this. I've been wondering about a juicer for vegetables (not fruit). I know it's dangerous in terms of accidentally getting in too many carbs and it won't help in terms of adding more Fiber. I don't like V8. I wish I did and I keep trying it every year just to see if my taste buds have grown up. But I've been fantasizing about a zucchini juice and egg white Protein shake (good heavens, pre-op me would never have thought that combo sounded good!) Do any veterans/maintainers use a juicer as part of their regime?

I had a hernia repair too and that sounds like what I experienced. And yes, it lasted at least a week and was worse when I tried to lie down. I've never had a leak though so I don't know what that feels like. Does it feel better when you walk? I found that to be the best thing.

Wow! Congrats! And I'm jealous. :-) I hope to be at my goal before May. I know what you mean about the flab and loose skin. My husband caught me prodding mine yesterday and said "Rome wasn't built in a day". I know plastic surgery is the answer for a lot of people and I never say never, but I'm really not interested in another surgery. I've had 10+ and most have been in the last 5 years. For me, I'm hitting the gym and mixing weight training with cardio. When I'm on the road and not sure about what I'll have at the hotel gym, I pack a set of resistance bands so I can try to keep up. I don't know yet how effective it's going to be in the long run. I also massage skin cream in every day. No idea how much that helps, but it does make me feel good. I did try a hot yoga class yesterday and although I did much better than I could have pre-op, I kept hearing John Pinette's voice (comedian who talked about his yoga experience). Also, it turns out I have no sense of balance, just a little flexibility and I'm not fond of exercising in an environment akin to a Houston summer (kidding, I liked the heat part but I had to get a dig into Houston). I do think that yoga will be a good addition to my regime, but I think I'm going to stick to a home DVD for right now. Good luck!

Thanks for explaining, I was scratching my head. It is pretty much all we get here as most (almost all) beef here are grass fed, as are sheep. I have always considered it (NZ beef and lamb) to be a superior product as a consequence and certainly notice the difference when I eat beef in other countries where grass fed isn't the norm. We only buy free range chicken, pork, fish and eggs though caged or barn raised or intensively farmed equivalents are available and cheaper. My family wouldn't eat anything that wasn't free range! @LouiseC I just spent 3 weeks in New Zealand and I have to agree about the quality of the beef (although, I had a hard time picking meat when there was so much superior seafood available). As hard as it is to "eat healthy" when traveling, I have to say that a huge advantage in most of my travel being outside the US is the availability of organic and non-GMO foods. And I love getting grass-fed (you're right--that's the norm and what is available outside the US). I saw that you live in Auckland and I have to give a shout out to you guys because that's where I discovered Lush and I just can't say enough good things about that place. BTW, after Auckland I had to be in Wellington and then Christchurch. Being a Texan, distances don't bother me so I drove. Aside from the fact that your speed limit is just ridiculous (which I explained to the nice officer who pulled me over), I have to say that I am in awe of the variety in your terrain. Here we say that if you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes. In NZ, you can rightfully say that if you're getting tired of this beautiful view, wait a few KM, there's another one around the corner. Now all you need is to up the speed limit to 130!

I hadn't heard the term either but it could definitely describe my relationship with food now. Clean, fresh and good quality. If I am going to have treats, and I do have treats, then they are going to be good quality! I am confused though, what's wrong with grass fed beef? I only get grass fed and have not ever been aware of issues or concerns......... I like it. My husband doesn't like the taste--he finds it too gamey. The problem is that he likes meat the way his mom cooked it (think shoe leather) and I grew up preferring rare or braised meat (moist like post ops should be eating anyway). Grass-fed is leaner and it's very easy to overcook it and get that "liver" flavor. Go figure--my daughter doesn't like farm eggs because they are too "eggy". Oh, well. I won the organic battle at least and I've been able to sneak in free range chicken without anyone noticing.

Our Fuzzy's serves their full menu all day. The pulled chicken is from the Chilequilas (my pre-op favorite thing to order).

My favorite is unflavored egg white by Jay Robb (Amazon). I mix it 50/50 with a flavored whey protein (also Jay Robb) to cut out the sweet.

I love Fuzzy's! We eat there regularly. I recommend the black Beans and/or I'll get a "taco" with 1 scrambled egg and a scoop of the pulled chicken--no cheese or tortilla. I had 1/2 of a corn tortilla for the first time Christmas day (15 weeks out). I really don't think I would have had one at 6 weeks out. I'm still not eating bread but for Christmas morning I broiled corn tortillas and made black bean tostadas for Breakfast and 1/2 of one was my treat for the holidays.

1. Drinking plenty of Water (this was the easiest for me; I gave up coffee before the surgery and I'm allergic to artificial sweeteners). 2. Daily weighing (but not getting discouraged by the stair step stalls). 3. Workouts (now at 6x a week). This may be my new addiction but my cardio health has improved so much in the last 3 months that this is my biggest NSV. 4. I didn't know the term nutritarian until Miss Mac mentioned it, but I'd say that is an accurate description of my new relationship with food. I've even put my foot down and insisted on organic produce. DH draws the line at grass-fed beef though. 5. Replacing bad habits with "me loving habits" --Lush bath products and skin creams etc.

I was a HUGE foodie (in every sense of the word). I was always ready to try new cuisines, new foods, new recipes and for the last 3 years, I've been working (and eating) my way across Europe, Asia and Africa. I was sleeved in September and spent October-Christmas in 6 different countries. My husband and I also do dinner out whenever I get home to help us reconnect. AND I've now survived Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day with family meals. So, for me, the realization about how much my relationship has changed with food and what I find comforting is "in your face" obvious. I am still amazed by it. In addition to being able to objectively look at food as "what does it bring nutritionally to the table" rather than "ooh, you're new/delicious, I must eat all of you", I'm still amazed at how easy it is for me to "waste" food. I was always a clean your plate eater and now I eat what I can or what I'm supposed to and anything extra that can't be recycled into another meal is either offered to others or thrown away--and that bothers me not at all. Now, I find comfort in my daily workouts, a bubble bath, and slatherings of skin lotion.

Fluff is right. I think I'm mentally tough but physically, I don't think I'm less susceptible to pain than anyone else. This was my 4th abdominal surgery and maybe my 10th altogether. By far this was the best abdominal surgery although it felt like the recovery was longer because of the long post op diet stages. Getting out of bed every 2 hours the first 48 hours was rough because I really wanted to sleep but every time I walked I felt better, so don't skip that part.

I will say it. If you can handle a c-section, you can handle this surgery x2.

I know this is an older forum but I just found it. Wish I had seen it earlier when I was newly post-op. My sleeve (3 months ago) was my 2nd major abdominal surgery and both times I had heightened senses of smell and taste but this time my sense of smell was almost overwhelming. My daughter could be sitting behind me in the car and I could smell her breath. I'm definitely better now but I'm still more sensitive than I was pre-op. Correspondingly, many foods taste "stronger" to me now. I'm ok with strong cheeses but salt and spicy are overwhelming sometimes. I hope this helps all the newbies who are getting ready/just had their surgeries this holiday season.

New best and most awkward comments. Best Dad: Wow, you really look fantastic! Younger sister: Stony silence (ALL day) I don't know why, but my sister's reaction tickles me. Most awkward (from daughter's boyfriend): Wow, you really did lose weight. You look different...everywhere! Luckily, I was stone-cold stupid tired by that point in the day so I just laughed it off and headed off to bed.