esskay77

You said: I almost never get my fluids in on travel days because of lack of bathroom access fear. Almost wetting your pants in an airplane seat once will do that to you! I say: Gasp! That is my biggest fear!!

Oh, and as far as counting calories -- having gastric bypass has shown me that you don't need to count calories. Just count grams of protein/fat/carbs. And it is so much easier!!

I haven't seen the video so not sure of the specifics. I did google IF yesterday and there were 3 modes you could do for IF. The one I chose was skipping breakfast and then just watching what I eat for the other meals. So, this one obviously does not promote a big breakfast! lol However, I've heard that from nutritionists and doctors and many other places for years that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that you can handle a larger breakfast. But, for me, I've been trying that and it really doesn't work for me. I actually enjoyed not having breakfast today. It was my first day to try IF. I felt empowered, oddly. But I really didn't grow up eating breakfast, I've only forced myself to become a breakfast eater because of all the pressure to do so. I'll have to check out the video at some point but it does help to be cynical and to use your critical thinking skills. If they need you to buy something or pay for something, then be careful. Google IF and there is a lot of free information.

This is new to me so I am following and considering giving it a try.

It does get easier. And then it gets harder again. And then easier. And then harder! lol. Seriously. It is a wild rollercoaster. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself to relax and enjoy every moment, even the ones at the beginning where I could envision biting into a doughnut and just have my eyes roll back in my head in ecstacy. lol. It is during the beginning phases where you learn what you are made of and how important foods seems to be. You will get to a point where food will disgust you for a bit. In the end, you basically go back to where you started before the surgery. Which is good and bad both. It's good because you can eat again but bad because you can overeat again. When you get to soft foods, this recipe will really help you get through it: Baked Ricotta with Marinara This is the one that everyone RAVES about! 8 oz of ricotta cheese ½ cup grated Parmesan 1 large egg, beaten 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning Salt & pepper to taste ½ cup marinara sauce ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese Mix ricotta cheese, parmesan, beaten egg, seasonings together and place in a oven proof dish. Pour marinara on top and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake it in the oven @ 450 for about 20-25 minutes (best) or nuke it till hot and bubbly.

This is the dreaded 3rd week stall. Perfectly normal. Just keep up with the program and you will start losing again. We have all hit that same plateau. There will be others as well. Don't panic, just stay on track and you will be fine.

I have not had it but have been thinking of it. I also never reached my goal and have been regaining. Tell me about the revision. Did they just agree to do it? How did you get them to do it? And what do they do? Did your insurance cover it?

I had RNY and spicy foods have always been fine for me. I don' know about sleeve. As far as Takis, I had to look them up. I would say that if you are thinking of eating these at just 10 days post-op, you need to reassess your strategy. Definitely don't have them now but you should try to stay away from them in the long term, too. At least that is my opinion. It is basically processed junk food. It won't hurt you but you will most likely gain weight back. Breaded foods -- probably fine, though I don't really have an answer for that. I would say that if you can avoid breaded foods, the better off but I also don't think you should stress over it if you have something breaded, later. For now, you should follow the plan as closely as you can, especially in these early stages. You need to find a way to change your mindset on how you eat. But I'm also talking to myself because I did not and now I'm paying for it with regain and am struggling. Start attending support groups, meet with your NUT that sort of thing. But best of luck -- the first few weeks are really hard and you do spend a lot of time obsessing over food. That goes away for a while but will eventually come back like a beast. If you can change how you eat now you will set yourself up for success later.

Why no yogurt? But whipping cream is fine. Aren't they based on the same thing? I am having re-gain and really need help. Am thinking of trying this but not sure how to go about it. Not sure what to eat and why or what not to eat. Can you sort of outline a typical week or several days worth of menus? That would be awesome.

Right? I hate when naturally skinny people try to tell us how to eat. "Just stop eating" "Have 3 almonds" lol

So, the way we were eating before? lol. That is what I took from it. Let us know how it goes for you.I think after this weekend, I'm going to try that. Thanks

L.OL I was thinking the same thing. So, what does this mean for you? What will you eat and what will you not eat? I haven't gotten that far yet to figure that out. The eating anything in moderation isn't working for me at all.

I have considered it but haven't tried it yet. I also have more to lose. Did your NUT say WHY? I think my NUT also doesn't recommend it but I don't know why for her either. Other than she just keeps saying you can eat anything you want, just in moderation. Which makes me crazy. lol

They didn't give you a list of what you could eat/drink during each phase? Which surgery did you have?

CVS, Walgreen's, RiteAid, Target all have them.

I have also stalled and need help! I have been seeing a nutrionist but I don't know if she really gets it. She now has me so confused. But I would love to hear responses for your question and hope it will help me too.

It's tough. Sometimes I just have hard boiled eggs and coffee. Other times, I make a great microwave scrambled eggs with a bit of cheese in it--yum!! Sometimes bacon/egg/cheese on english muffin but I'm not really sure if that is the best. the crustless egg fritattas are good. And then on weekends I usually have plain greek yogurt with granola in it.

This recipe is on this site in many places. It was a gamechanger for a lot of us. You can eat it during the pureed food diet. Enjoy! ngredients 8 oz of Ricotta Cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1 large Egg, beaten 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning salt & pepper to taste 1/2 cup Marinara Sauce 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese Instructions Mix ricotta cheese, parmesan, beaten egg, seasonings together and place in a oven proof dish. Pour marinara on top and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake it in the oven @ 450 for about 20-25 minutes (best) or nuke it till hot and bubbly. I usually made it first in the oven and heated the leftovers in the microwave.

Pho is amazing Vietnamese soup. https://www.google.com/search?q=pho&client=firefox-b-1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj0uZruw8HZAhVDMqwKHTYtDnQQ_AUICygC&biw=1413&bih=746

I have had muffins and I get dumping syndrome every time. It is one of the few things that gives me dumping syndrome. It doesn't happen right away--about 2 hours later I get a little shaky, lightheaded, and nauseous. I actually feel like I'm going to pass out. I never do of course. It only last about 10-15 minutes but it is a bit weird. I wish I had never started with a muffin. Once you do, it opens yourself to having them again and again. You would do yourself a HUGE favor if you don't have any. Seriously.

So, just be careful. Most if not all surgeons/NUTs advise to not drink. Why? Because it is very common for people to replace eating issues with alcohol and the statistics are very high that many people who have had the surgery become alcoholics. Not everyone but it is a huge risk. And to start drinking alcohol that soon after surgery seems like a huge red flag to me. As someone has said, carbonated drinks of any sort, including beer, are not advised and can be really tough. I had been told no juice, no carbonated beverages - ever. Not just at the beginning. And to avoid alcohol, especially at the beginning. I do have wine now and sometimes a small glass of bourbon but the sugars in them are a lot as well. I would advise you to ask your surgeon and nutritionist what they think/recommend. That would be the best option.

I went in Boston (Brighton) at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. Dr. Pecque (not sure if I'm spelling it right but it sounds like PQ). She is fantastic. I had started with Beth Israel Deaconess and they are both good and bad. They have a huge number of people that they take at a time, almost like a class which seemed weird but I have to say they educate you through the entire process. NOTE: I wasn't sleeved, had gastric bypass but they both do both of these. Not sure outside of Boston.

I use it as a veggie dip -- celery, carrots, radishes. Sometimes peppers. Sometimes I'll also put it on a turkey burger.

As someone who is only learning to cook, I find meal planning overwhelming! I just don't know enough good foods or how to put things together in a way that works. From what I have tried or am trying, try to come up with a bunch of recipes that you know or think are aligned with the program. Print them out and put them on the counter or table. Have some printouts/recipe cards of even the easiest things. (I do post it notes for this sometimes). I think you would also need cards/notes that say "leftovers of whichever you made a big batch of. have a column for "Meal Type" and then a column for each day of the week. This way , you have a column for Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Snack. And now you move your recipe or note/card for "Hard Boiled Egg" to breakfast for Monday,. Have a card for "Hummus and Celery" or whatever it is that you want to eat. That sort of thing. If you make an entree that has 4 servings, have 4 cards for it and spread it out through the week (unless you freeze some of it). Does that make sense? No, I haven't done this yet but it popped into my head and I am certainly going to try it. This is a very visual way to put together a meal plan for the week or to see how it works and maybe move things around as you need to. I feel like there must be some way to also count grams of protein/carb/fat while doing this but I haven't figured that out yet, though each card could have it listed in the top right corner or each. Start collecting recipes that are high in protein, low in carbs or modify some that aren't but sound good. I modified Scotch Eggs for breakfast. I take a hard boiled egg, some ground turkey -- take a handful of it and make a bit of a pancake out of it and then take that and wrap it around the egg so you have what looks like a big meatball but the egg is encased inside. Then roll it around in some parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes if I remember correctly (it's been a while). Amazing breakfast!! Let me know if the "meal plan" section works. I think I'm going to try this myself.

A journal is a great idea!! Find the pattern. But also, log your food intake anyway. I just started back with a journal since I have sort of lost my way, too. The one thing that i know is that when you keep a food journal, it's like magic and you actually lose weight. But it's hard to do something so simple!!