InfiniteButterfly

I am currently designing a full back tattoo, which I will get when I reach my final goal (and have whatever plastics may be needed...I don't want to invest that much and have it pulled out of shape) I should have plenty of time to save up for the work to be done, since I'm only three+ weeks out.

This made me giggle, not because you suffered and had to deal with all those things as I can relate. But because I could relate to playing video games until 2am and eating. I was wondering if there were any other munchies/gamers amongst the boards. Don't get me wrong in the evening I do still stay up and play video games until 2am >.> I just don't eat now! I don't even think about food when I play. Liberating! For the horde! Count me as another gamer/muncher! I still game (although not quite as much...I went back to college just before my surgery, so that cuts down on gametime.) but now I have a nice glass of ice Water sitting beside me to sip. I can't wait for Warlords of Draenor (kinda on a WoW hiatus until then, working my way through Borderlands 2 and Guild Wars 2)

I miss...nothing. Although I did have a brief pang of longing for Cheetohs when I saw them sitting in the kitchen, but it was a memory pang, and not really a craving. I had stopped drinking soda long before my surgery, so it wasn't an issue (coffee was more an issue, but I've been able to have small amounts of that with no adverse effects, so it's not something to miss) Honestly? There's not a single food or beverage that I miss enough to care about. My non-aching knees and better fitting clothes are worth more than any amount of food (I haven't lost a whole lot yet...but what I have lost has made such a difference already that there is absolutely nothing worth risking my progress over. If I'm feeling this good down 49 lbs...imagine how good I'll feel when I'm down even more )

Friday check-in: 261.0 Stalled here all week, hoping some extra exercise will kick it back into lose mode.

I've lost 24 lbs since surgery. The scales haven't budged since Monday. I think I hit my three-week stall a little early But I know I haven't stepped off the doctor's plan, and I've been getting my exercise, so I know it will pick up again. I am immensely grateful for reading about everyone's stalls on here so I knew to expect it and didn't panic as much as I may have otherwise.

I have a little coffee to help with my headaches/migraines. I stopped the regular coffee for a few weeks post-surgery (in fact, having my first cup today!) But I drank Chike coffee protein, which is caffeinated. I did get it okayed by the doctor first though (my regular GP had told me to drink a bit of caffeine daily as a migraine preventative...and I had weaned myself down to a single cup.)

It gets better, it really does.

Board games are a brilliant idea. We started watching Wil Wheaton's Tabletop, and got a bunch of ideas for board games. We have a weekly (sometimes more often) game night for the whole family just to get us all off the computers and doing something together. Our kids love it too. (Betrayal at House on the Hill and Smash-Up are their current favorites)

I can't wait to go biking with my partners and not feeling like I'm holding them back to riding at my slow pace. I can't wait to not be a plus size. I can't wait to actually want to buy new clothes instead of making due with the same few items because I hate shopping so much. I can't wait to walk with my kids and not be the one out of breath. To work in my garden and actually get things planted and weeded and not feel like I'm going to die when I'm done. I want to go to the amusement park and not sit on the bench because I'm afraid of getting stuck in the rides. I want to go to a concert and dance and not care if people look at me because I won't be the fat girl that everyone's looking at in disgust. I want to go out with my partners and not have people wonder what they see in me. I want to live instead of committing slow suicide by food.

My NUT said that quite a few people turn to baby food for convenience during this phase, just watch out for the sugars (her words). I'm not a huge fan of baby food though (I did taste it when my kids were little...I understand why they spit most of it out =P) I'm on puree stage as well, and for the most part, it's not too bad making up food to fit. eggs are one of my favorite go-to foods, and I just had refried Beans today (good grief, that can's going to last for days considering how little I can eat)

My NUT doesn't want me eating Chobani or Oikos...the sugar is too high in both of them. She suggested Yoplait 100, Dannon Fit and Light (I think that's the name). I love chobani

Go for a walk, go for a bike ride. Get a mani-pedi together (my bf absolutely loves mani-pedis...in fact, he introduced me to them) Any museums near you? That's a fun date

I'm not sure how Medicare works, My CRNP said to make sure all rashes and sores are documented, because it makes it easier for the medical necessity claim.

I cut back to two cups over the course of a day prior to surgery. Prior to that, I was easily drinking a pot a day. Post surgery? I just haven't felt like regular coffee. I do drink Chike coffee protein, which is more frappucino than coffee. It takes care of the withdrawal headaches. Coming into summer though, I always seem to cut back on coffee. I guess it was a good time of year for my surgery

My bf was against it. Mostly because of worries about surgery (he's seen how hard I've tried to lose and keep it off, and nothing worked). But he always took the position that although he was against it, it is my body and my choice.

My NUT said it would be very difficult for me to be vegetarian immediately post-surgery (I had been looking into it as an option) because I had a partial thyroidectomy a few years ago, and can't tolerate soy products of any kind. I know there are other protein substitute options out there, but since my food options are already limited, I'm not going to worry about it for the time being. Maybe once I hit maintenance and have a little more freedom of choice, I'll explore the issue again.

*sigh* And here I was hoping my daily plucking ritual would be a thing of the past. Oh well...

Just an observation, but it seems @@LipstickLady is the one who struck a nerve. It's not the first time I've seen mentioned in this thread that it's a pot calling the kettle black, because it really is.

I'm only allowed 1/4 cup of food at this stage (puree). So I whipped up some Egg Beaters with a little added shredded cheddar for a Protein boost. About halfway through, I get the little hiccup/burp that says "Done." And I heeded the voice and stopped, because when I didn't listen to it yesterday, I was in a world of hurt most of the afternoon. But there's a part of my brain that is so programmed to eating everything on my plate (starving kids in other countries, you know) It's funny to have no cravings, and rarely be hungry at all...but when I have food it's so hard to stop because of childhood programming. I had no desire to continue eating other than that part of me that was taught to always clean my plate. For this reason, I don't make my kids clean their plates.

I wear compression-top yoga pants. I started wearing them as soon as I could bear it, because the saggy lower belly was putting so much pressure on my incisions that it hurt to do anything other than sit at a recline (and I really didn't feel like sitting in bed all day) I will have to look into some of the other suggestions here. The yoga pants aren't compressing much any more... I got them at Old Navy.

While my partners are both there for me, hubby is the more supportive of the two. They both visited for limited time in the hospital (understanding that I was exhausted and needed rest more than I needed them...they were just a phone call away) Hubby walks with me and talks with me, and lets me vent. And he's my walk and cycle partner whenever he's home from work. The bf is more tough love. When I was feeling sorry for myself and how much pain I was in the second day I was home, he pushed until I got out of bed for the walk the doctor wanted. And yes, although I was in pain, that's also when I discovered the compression yoga pants and how much they helped when I walked. And I did feel better for getting up and moving (although ye gods did I hate him in that moment) But the most supportive thing they've done is keep the junk out of the house. Keep the kids fed when I can't or don't want to (I will admit, I still love cooking and being in the kitchen. For the most part, I'm not tempted to taste-test anything. And when I am, that's when they take over and I hide upstairs with my Water. And my bf, who is a HUGE food-pusher, has reined in his natural habits because he knows I can no longer "just try a bite" of what he's eating (although I did have a little taste of his hot dog sauce yesterday...but it was actually okay for puree. It's just crushed Beans and tomato sauce, and it was enough to tell me that cooked tomato sauce still hates me)

I feel worse if I force myself to eat when I don't feel hungry. And sometimes it's challenging to hit my protein goal (my CRNP was okay with that at this point though...as long as I don't eat off-plan, she said listen to my body and don't force it, it will come) So I eat when I'm hungry, and drink the rest of the time.

Where do you get this PB2? Who makes it? I bought mine off Amazon (although our local grocery store has it as well)

Some of my weight issues stem from childhood, but more stem from a positively evil, abusive ex that destroyed my self-esteem. I've written about it before, and I haven't the slightest shred of guilt. I've learned via therapy that sometimes the only way to deal with pain is to talk about it, whether with a therapist, or write about it in a blog, journal, whatever. If you are trying to put the baggage behind you, then you need to acknowledge that it's there. And don't let it have power over you (that is so much easier said than done. It's 12 years since I left the abusive ex, and only now am I starting to heal enough that I could do this surgery for myself and understand that yes, I am worth it) Learning to cope is an ongoing process, and I am extremely grateful that my insurance is paying for me to continue seeing my therapist.

Syntrax has a couple cookie flavors that might help with your craving. They have double-stuffed cookie (tastes Oreo-ish), mint cookie (tastes like a thin mint), Peanut Butter cookie...I'm not sure how many different ones they had (those were the ones I got in my mixed sample. They might help your craving. (just finished my visit from Aunt Flow...luckily I'm only 17 days out, so really, couldn't eat even if I did crave. I usually crave chocolate, and I got chocolate Calcium chewables to help alleviate any cravings in that direction.) Good luck!