terry1118

Awesome! Doesn't it make you feel GREAT? :-)

I don't like chocolaty protein bars. I'm thoroughly sick of chocolate flavor shakes and bars. I do like Think Thin bites chocolate toffee something or other. It's soft but not too chocolaty and has a touch of toffee. And the bites are about half the size of a regular bar so I can eat the whole thing. I am having a hard time finding the toffee in stores so I just ordered six boxes on Amazon. ($22.98/six boxes of five each) :-)

And thanks for the kudos! I feel awesome and expect to continue doing well for some time. I am so much happier now and look forward to a healthier future! :-) It's nice to know that what I'm eating is not abnormally low. I try to eat only good quality Protein foods - I have no room for anything else. Lol

A tablespoon of Peanut Butter w/some lentil crackers - both have Protein. (Portable if you buy the little PB packages) Prepackaged squares of Cracker Barrel cheddar - 100 cals each. Chobani yogurt (small cups, 3.5 oz) Healthy choice frozen Greek yogurt - 100 cals Turkey pepperoni - love this spicy snack! Natural applesauce squeeze packs. (Very portable) Think Thin Protein Bars - small size (I can't finish a big one)

I had to go to Wallyworld after work to get a few things. I ate the cheese and turkey out of a Lunchable, then tossed the crackers into the parking lot for the seagulls. :-)

I've had plenty of episodes of food getting stuck and a couple of eating to fast w/similar painful unpleasant results. I haven't had anything w/sugar, fat, pasta, rice, white potatoes or white flour - all things I've been told to stay away from. I don't know yet if I'm a dumper. The fear that I will is enough for me to avoid the foods I've been told can cause it. (I don't need to get burned to learn to stay away from fire. Lol) Whatever works...

I don't have a weekly weight loss goal. I'll lose 5 lbs in one week and then nothing for a week or two. I'm hoping to lose another 50-60 lbs by next summer. I've lost a total of 55 lbs - 12 before surgery, 43 after.

1200 - 1550 cals, 60 -136 gr Protein. Seems very high. Today I managed 690 cals and 53 gr protein. I'm almost three months out. I still can't eat much. I have trouble with beef and poultry and tuna. I can eat 1/2 of a tilapia filet but, if I do I can't eat any veggies. Sometimes I make a meal out of steamed veggies but can't fit protein in. Greek yogurt and Protein shakes go down easiest, but I can do eat pea soup and chili (only about 1/4 to 1/3 cup). And Protein Bars if I eat slowly. My three month follow-up is next week. Is the amount I'm able to eat normal?

Okay I just entered my food and water for the day in SparkPeople. Now, to keep it up...

Thank you! I haven't even started yet! I should do it right now...

I also indulged w/limitations. I found that all the foods I indulged in were sort of a letdown - they never seemed to taste as awesome as I expected. It was disappointing. My last two weeks before surgery I went on a liquid diet, even though my surgeon didn't require it. The resulting weight loss was very satisfying in a way that eating couldn't beat. And I got a headstart on losing. :-)

DL, could I trouble you to e-mail me your list? Thanks in advance! :-) moseybaby@hotmail.com

I had lost eighty pounds four years ago with Optifast. I felt great, got rid if my fat clothes and bought a entire new wardrobe. When I stopped the program I began to gain weight again. It snowballed and after three years I was back where I had been before. And as I gained I had to buy bigger and bigger clothes. Last Christmas I topped my previous highest weight and was down to only one pair of work pants and a few shirts that fit. I couldn't button my winter coats. I refused to buy anything bigger! Going past my highest weight hit me hard. I'm normally a positive happy person but I became depressed. I was in constant pain - back, knees, and feet and was prediabetic. I knew I had to do something or my life would not be worth living. I couldn't live without joy in my life. My boss had the band and did well. I started by talking to him. He told me our insurance paid for it. I began to look at it as a more serious option. I researched and talked to people and talked to my doctors. One made my appointment for the seminar, the other congratulated me and hugged me! After the seminar it was full steam ahead! I don't regret it. And the joy has come back to my life. :-)

Pot roast. I put it in the food processor, added some water, and chopped it up. It was very tasty. I ate a little but not as much as I hoped. It went down okay, though. Two and a half hours later I felt terrible and it came back up! :-p It's not like when food gets stuck or you eat too fast. I felt fine for over two hours. Then all of a sudden I'm feeling uncomfortable, gurgling and getting nauseous. Does anyone know what causes this so long after eating? I'm mystified. I'd like to avoid it in the future...

Eating only one bite too many is absolutely the worst feeling! As is eating something too dry or too fast and having it get 'stuck'. When it happens I feel if only I could throw up I would feel better. It has to be better than 1 - 2+ hours of pain, nausea, and gurgling saliva in my throat. The other day I did throw up for the first time and it wasn't really any better. I was mildly nauseous for quite a while afterwards, I couldn't drink, and I lost the Protein I ate. I couldn't eat again when the feelings subsided because by then it was bedtime. Most of the time I can tell when I'm full. I start to get a tight, mildly painful feeling just below and between my breasts. When I feel that it means STOP RIGHT NOW! Put the fork/spoon down and walk away. :-) That last bite can mean the difference between satisfaction and misery. I really don't think the holidays will be an issue for me. It is physically impossible for me to eat anything close to the amount I used to. And there is the 'aversion' factor - suffering pain over eating too much or eating forbidden food that is not good for me anyway. I am at the point where I am totally indifferent to food. I just feed the machine. I can cook food for others (I like to cook but I LOVE to bake) and I can be around food at parties with no problem, as long as I have my planned meals and snack with me. I carry my little lunch bag with me everywhere. I keep non-perishable healthy Snacks in my car and purse. I don't want to eat what and how I used to. I loved food but it didn't love me. I was carb sensitive and sugar-addicted. It was making me sick and possibly leading me to an early death. I'm moving on to what is good for me and I feel great, physically and mentally. I don't want that misery back. For me, continued success will depend on making these changes in eating and activity a permanent lifestyle change. I hear that it will be harder someday but I think learning self-control now will help me then.

If you Google weight loss surgery and hair loss it explains the 'why' pretty clearly. Basically it states that surgery (any type), sudden weight loss, and emotional or physical stress are all causes of hair loss. The hair loss we see occurs months after the cause so doing anything about it after surgery is too late. The hair loss can last several months. Taking supplements before surgery to ensure your hair is in the best possible health might help. Afterwards, getting in all your Protein, using gentle hair products, and avoiding harsh chemical treatments may help minimize the hair loss. A new hair style can make it less noticeable. Not everyone experiences hair loss. My surgical team says it's not a common issue among their patients. I'm curious if the length of the surgery is a factor? Mine was only 1 - 1 1/2 hours long. If surgery is stressful to your body then it stands to reason that a shorter duration would be less stressful? That is my hope. I also took all my supplements and Biotin starting two months before surgery. I resumed taking biotin one month after surgery. I try to get all my protein every day - most of the time I do. My surgery was May 30 and I'm 53. I'm waiting to see what happens. I have a lot of white hair but my hair is so light the white just looks like natural hilights so I don't color it. I have perfectly straight baby-fine hair. My hairdresser says I have a lot of it but it's so fine that it doesn't look like much. I work in a bank and am hoping I don't have visible thinning. I don't want people to think I'm sick. Time will tell... If you do begin to lose hair keep in mind that it is ONLY TEMPORARY. IT WILL GROW BACK.

I'm not a smoker so I have no personal experience with the tests. I was told by my doctor that smokers need to quit before surgery. They get tested for nicotine just before surgery. A positive result will cause the doctor to cancel and push the surgery out three months. Smoker's have a high risk of deadly blood clots, which is already a serious surgical risk. They take it VERY seriously. If you're not willing to quit you can't have the surgery.

I like the think thin bars. I can't eat a whole one so I buy the mini bars - 10gr of protein and the perfect size. :-)

I kept a log all of two days. I know I should begin doing it. If I set a goal of logging food for one week (just to get started), then maybe I'll get better at keeping it. Baby steps... :-)

I don't miss my boobs ending up under my neck when I lay down. And my snoring has stopped. The only snoring my husband hears now is from the dog! :-)

Crusted salmon. Unanimously declared delicious by husband and two dogs. The dogs can't talk but they gobbled up the piece I couldn't finish and wanted more - I took that to mean it was good. I could be wrong, my Copper also eats birdseed and bugs. Lol