Baconville

The Black Hills are in South Dakota where Mount Rushmore is. LOL

CONGRATS!!! We are planning a possible trip to the Black Hills this summer. Feels so good to fully participate!

Yes! I bought several pairs of dress pants and two pair of jeans after Christmas on the clearance sales. All are way too big now. I had thought it would last until I could switch over to a more spring wardrobe, but in Minnesota spring is being very slow in coming. Have replaced the dress pants, am just wearing the jeans really big!

I have had two docs tell me that I am a shoe in for the panni with insurance covering it. Thing is, its my arms that I bother me the most. My stomach has had the skin since my high school days, I can live with that. My arms are awful, so bad that even short sleeves will be hard to wear. Sleeveless is impossible. I live in Minnesota, long sleeves work most of the year, but it still gets warm in the summer! I am really torn because on top of the cost there is the fact that it is major surgery and the recovery time is said to be much worse than the RNY. Not sure what I will do. Right now I am still focusing on losing weight and my clinic says that your weight must be stable for six months before they will consider you for a procedure, so I am telling myself I have time.

Hi, I am 9 months out. Eating out is very hard, and I feel for you having to do do all three meals out. I would suggest you look for a Protein bar that you like so that you can eat one for a meal. I like Pure Protein Bars which I find at Target. As for restaunants, I have found the half of a small cup of Wendy's chili works well, I prefer Culvers chili, but I don't know if they are in Florida. Perkins also works well. I just order one or two scrambled eggs, and request that they use egg beaters (this would probably work at many restaunants). Hopefully, you can find some low calorie Greek Yogurt at a convenience store since that makes a good meal. I have also eaten at Applebees, but not that early on. I try to eat at national chains because it makes it easier to research thier menu on line before I go to the restaunant so I know exactly how much of what I am ordering I can eat. As for Water, other than the first couple of weeks, I never needed to sip. I just drink water like I always have. Now, maybe you mean that you can't keep a sip down, then I would think that ice chips would be fine. I can down a 20 ounce glass of water in about 15 minutes if I want to (I usually drink it much slower though). Hope this helps! Enjoy sunny Florida - I'm stuck in cold Minnesota!! Carol

My doc no soda of any kind for two years! By then I don't think I will miss it anymore!

If you find a solution short of surgery, I would LOVE to hear it! I love that I have lost nearly 180 pounds. Hate what my skin looks like. Thing is, if I look past the loose skin, I can see that the muscles have definition. That's a good thing. Carol

Thindskies, I re-read your post and saw you wanted to know what I eat. A normal day is this: Breakfast Premier Protein Shake (1/2 shake) 20 ounces water Mid-morning Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yorgurt (80 calories) 1Tablespoon ground flax seed Lunch Pure Protein Bar (Chocolate Deluxe) Dinner Protein to get to about 85 grams for the day. This could be chicken, steak, pork chops, salmon, chili... 1 cup of romaine lettuce, four croutons, 2 Tablespoons light salad dressing. After Dinner Premier Protein Shake (second half) Not including the shake I drink 80 to 100 ounces of water a day. If you have questions, just let me know. Carol

Thindskies I use MyFitnessPal.com religiously. My clinic was very restrictive on their recommended plan - from what I have read here more restrictive than most. So, up until I was six moths along I was only allowed 1/2 cup of food per meal. 3 ounces of Protein and one Tablespoon of a fruit, a vegetable, or a starch. At six months I was to get 80 grams of protein a day - that has only increased to a limit of 90 grams today. My protein normally is the mid 80s each day. I looked back at MyFitnessPal.com, and about 25% to 35% of my calories are coming from carbs each day. My total calories a day are normally between 650 - 750, with 800 calories being my limit. Regarding carbs, I love them! I miss them!! I have found that drinking more Water helps with the cravings. I also have not completely denied myself when there is something I really want. I take one or two bites, no more. I don't do it every day. Hopefully you will find a way through the cravings. I have found that shear determination really can make all the difference. It is NOT EASY!! But the reward is SO worth it!

Hi! Thought I would also jump in. I had my RNY on June 25, 2013. I weighed about 291 pounds on my surgery day, I had lost nearly 40 pounds prior to surgery. I just hit my 9 month anniversary and am down just over 175 pounds total. I am reaching the goal I had made for myself before surgery. Now I am thinking I may go for another 20 - 25 pounds. Make my total loss about 200 pounds. This would put my BMI in the normal range. I will tell you that this doesn't happen by itself. I work out every day. I have a Fit Bit that lets me know how effective my workouts have been each day. I have had some small cheats, but really stick to my plan every day. I am here to say that THIS CAN BE DONE!! Good luck to all of you on this journey. I would not be here without the wisdom of the folks on this site. I will also say that how I feel today makes all the hard work to get here SO worth it! Carol

I have found that those foods that are absolute favorites and you know you shouldn't eat, I get around by having two or three bites of my husband's. Things like cookies, ice cream, and cake I have done this with. I end up not feeling deprived, yet the amount of the treat that I have had is not enough to cause problems. It has really worked for me.

CONGRATS!!! Do you think your Mom and my Dad might be up there giving each other a 'high five' about now for their daughters success? I was just thinking this morning how proud Dad would be with what I have done this year. You know they are with us!!

Neither are mine! I found one with a nice skirt. J C Penney had some that were nice and I was able to get for under $50. The only thing that will fix either my upper arms or thighs will be plastic surgery! Not sure if I want to go there...

It really is!! We went to Wisconsin Dell's. Spent two days at a water park in a swimsuit. Looked around and realized that only was I not the fattest one in the park, even with my saggy skin, I looked better that quite a few there. And it was WONDERFUL to actually participate and not just watch from the sidelines. Enjoy the spa! You deserve it!!

I was allowed for the first couple weeks post surgery. After that there is just not enough Protein in instant low surgar oatmeal. And it is very difficult to mix Protein powder into hot foods (believe me I tried!). I am sure that I could tolerate it just fine, but it would be very hard to hit my protein targets without at least 10 - 15 grams of protein for breakfast. I also miss tomatoe Soup (something I lived on those first weeks after surgery). Soups in general are difficult because they do not have enough protein and it is hard to make sure that you get enough protein when eating them. I have seen recipes for high protein stews and I have a good recipe for high protein chili, which helps. I found the ingredients for the 'oatmeal' and plan to try it tomorrow morning! I am VERY excited!! Carol

Where do you find the TVP? I have ground flax seed that is by that same company, but have never seen TVP at my store. This is very exciting! I would LOVE to try it! Thank you!!

Mel and RJ, I would really like to add some friends. Would you be ok with that? I believe I am baconville@q.com.

Crazy as it sounds, oatmeal! I loved a bowl of hot cereal in the morning for breakfast. I know the yogurt is better for me, but my husband has it every morning and several of my co-workers do as well. Just the smell makes me want some so badly. I am thinking of making a small bowl just to get the compulsion out of my head!

I was six months out before I started protein bars. I have one every day for lunch.

Glad to see you back here. You have been in my daily prayers. Sunday will be the one year anniversary of my Dad's death. I find myself dreaming about him a lot lately. Dementia had taken much of him before his actual death, but still, I miss him every day. The best thing you can do to honor your Mom is take care of yourself. Live the life she could have had if not for this awful disease, obesity. Carol

Hi Mitz, I SO completely agree! I also wake up every morning afraid that this is all a dream or that this will be the day that I begin to lose control and it all ends. But the scale keeps moving for me. I celebrated 9 months yesterday and am down 175 pounds as of this morning. I am not perfect, but I follow my plan very closely. I really feel that I am on the road to long term success. Perhaps that fear we have is a good thing. It is a reality check in a way that keeps us from going back to bad habits. Keep on smiling! We've got this!! Carol

Hi Mel, I haven't seen RJ on lately, so I thought I would get back to you about the fit bits. I love mine. I got it for my birthday from hubby on Feb 1. I am not really techy and even I was able to figure it out. I got the Fit Bit Force. Unfortunately this one has been recalled. I have not yet turned it in, but I just got an email from the company, so I will be. I will then purchase a Fit Bit Flex, which I believe is the same one RJ has. I can tell you that it has really helped me to learn that even through I was congratulating myself for getting a work out in every day it wasn't enough. Meeting the flex bit goals - even only a few days a week - has made the scale start to move again. I really liked that the Force had a window so you could actually see how many steps you were at, the Flex doesn't have this feature. But, the Flex is smaller so that will be a plus. If you have questions, feel free to ask. Carol

The answer to your question is yes. You should always measure. I am 9 months out and I still measure everything I eat. I would also caution against a casserole. You need to focus on eating protein. Most casseroles have many other ingredients in them. Most would be hard to separate the meat out. I have had lasagna, but no other casserole type foods. Right now your goal is to get the maximum amount of protein grams and spend the fewest number of calories to get them. Good luck! I can tell you it is absolutely worth it!

Hi Misty, My name is Carol and I am nearly 9 months post-op. I have lost nearly 175 pounds. I have my life back, it is a wonderful thing. I have had a very easy time both with the surgery itself and with the many changes that you must embrace following surgery. I would encourage you to use the weeks leading up to surgery to prepare yourself in as many ways as you can. Get on MyFitnessPal.com if you have not already done so, and begin tracking what you are eating. You don't need to use it to loose weight now (but I lost 40 pounds prior to surgery using this tool), but it will be invaluable tool after surgery when you will need to carefully track your Protein grams. Begin some exercise now. I found a recumbent elliptical I was able to do - my knees were so bad it made walking painful and difficult. Even if you can only get in 30 minutes a few days a week, it will help your recover from surgery so much faster. Begin making small changes to your diet now. Eliminate drinking calories and soda (even diet soda) and increase the amount of Water you drink. Try Protein shakes so you know which ones you like. Begin to make a point of getting some protein at every meal. The more work you do in these weeks leading up to surgery, the easier your experience will be following surgery. I can not put into words how amazing it is to really feel good and pain free EVERY DAY. I wish you all the best as you begin your journey. Carol

Does your doc know you are having this much pain, are this sick? I know I had an easier than normal recovery, but if you are having so much discomfort you can't sleep, you should call. I will tell you that it is the moving and the deep breathing that will turn things for you. But first, I would call your clinic to make sure nothing is physically wrong.