Inner Surfer Girl

This is so great. I think there are just too many holes and uncertainties in the article to make absolute pronouncements.

I read Women Who Love Too Much and Codependent No More decades ago. Thanks for the reminder. I might need to revisit those. I also thought it was interesting that there is a book casket Women Who Love Too Much but not a Men Who Don't Know How To Love! Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus is also enlightening.

Absolutely! I love the Bluebird. Have you been to Grace Cafe in Danville?

Are you on soft foods? Soft mechanical? All foods?

I don't know because I didn't weigh very frequently post op. I only weighed at doctor's appointments early out. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

Congratulations on the weight loss! Without more information it is hard to offer any advice. Have you talked to your NUT? What does he or she advise? Are you still following your program? Are you tracking your food? Are you reaching your Protein target every day? What is your protein target? Are you drinking AT LEADT 64 oz of Fluid? Are you avoiding carbonation, added sugars (especially high fructose corn syrup), starches, and fried foods? Are you taking your Vitamins and supplements as directed? Are you exercising? Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

One of my favorites is Mr. Cheese Os.

I am a year out and still eat a lot of soft foods. If you are comfortable eating soft foods and liquids you should be able to go a while without chewing tough things like chicken or steak. You will need to make sure you take small bites and eat slowly. Chewing slowly and thoroughly is not only important for making sure food is small enough it is also important so you feel satisfied. You might want to talk to your NUT about strategies for slowing down and savoring your food.

None of us lose at a constant or steady rate. We all stall and most of us experience our first stall about three weeks after surgery. Just follow your program. Focus on getting in all of your Protein and fluids and stay off the scale. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

What are you eating? What phase are you on?

My appointment went great. My surgeon wasn't there of course (I figured I wouldn't see him again unless I had complications) but I did see him a few weeks ago at a book signing and he seemed happy with my progress. The good news: of my labs come back ok I can drop most of my supplements except for the Multivitamin. The other cool thing is that I have lost enough for my BMI to actually be on the chart on the wall. I want to thank each of you for the kind words and encouragement. It means a lot to me. I couldn't do it without you.

I see a possible business opportunity: healthy food for long haul truckers.

I am within 5 pounds of scheduling my next massage. I think my one year anniversary gift to myself is going to at the very least be a mani pedi.

I've seen enough Investigation Discovery shows to know that even when everyone KNOWS someone is still no good, they still seem to be able to have no trouble finding romantic partners.

Silly me, but if I were to go into that much detail I would just say I had surgery. It seems much easier.

I am so, so sorry for your loss. Words cannot express how sorry I am yet I cannot even begin to imagine what you and your family must be going through. This is just awful. Of course you are an emotional wreck. That is so understandable. Thank you for sharing your struggles with us. If I were there in person I would put my arms around you and give you a big hug. Not that you are necessarily ready to hear advice from someone who has absolutely no idea what you are going through but I would like to throw out some suggestions. Hopefully something will be helpful, Do you belong to a church or have a faith community? If so, please see if your pastor can provide some grief counseling or refer you somewhere. Since your granddaughter is seeing a therapist (which is great) you might also want to see if you can find individual counseling and/or family counseling. As in any crisis where other people depend on you, you have got to put on your oxygen mask first. Until you get the support you need, you won't be in a position to provide support to anyone else. Although eating junk food may provide you some immediate pleasure, it will not make you stronger or bring your son back or change the situation. This is when you need to be your healthiest. Treat your body with kindness. Exercise would be a great way to help channel your emotions and express them in a healthy way. I heard a story lately about a group of grieving mother's who started a boxing club -- boxing helped them to deal with the grief, anger, etc. Again, I am so glad you reached out to us. Marshaling all of your resources is what will help you the most in my opinion. There is nothing wrong with asking for and accepting help. You and your family are in my prayers. Let me know what I can do to help.

This was on Facebook today and I thought some folks might find it helpful. This is from one of my favorite books. "The Language of Letting Go April 12th, 2016 Letting Go of Fear Picture yourself swimming floating - peacefully down a gentle stream. All you need to do is breathe, relax, and go with the flow. Suddenly, you become conscious of your situation. Frightened, overwhelmed with "what if's?" your body tenses. You begin to thrash around, frantically looking for something to grab on to. You panic so hard you start to go under. Then you remember - you're working too hard at this. You don't need to panic. All you need to do is breathe, relax, and go with the flow. You won't drown. Panic is our great enemy. We don't need to become desperate. If overwhelming problems appear in our life, we need to stop struggling. We can tread water for a bit, until our equilibrium returns. Then we can go back to floating peacefully down the gentle stream. It is our stream. It is a safe stream. Our course has been charted. All is well. Today, I will relax, breathe, and go with the flow."

Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to check it out and see if anything I need is for sale.

I am grateful that you are laughing again and that I could help a little bit!

Just follow your program. Are you tracking your food? Are you getting AT LEAST 64 oz of Fluid a day? Are you reaching your Protein target every day? What is your protein target? Are you avoiding starches, added sugars, and fried foods? Are you taking your Vitamins and supplements as directed? Are you exercising? Have you talked to your NUT about your concerns? What did he only she advise? Without more information it is hard for us to offer suggestions. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

Welcome. My psych eval consisted of a pen and paper evaluation (a pretty standard instrument used by psychologists) and a discussion with the psychologist to see if you understand what you are getting into and if you might need support or resources. Just relax and be open and honest. Like any of your appointments, evaluations, and consultations, don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand something. Best of luck and keep us posted on how it goes.

I think that there is an upper limit, but doubt very seriously that any of us right after surgery could approach that limit. For me it is better to overshoot my target than to undershoot it. My protein target is 100 grams a day.

I am fortunate because I seem to have very supportive family and friends. I also happen to not be working right now. I haven't gone public on social media but I have been pretty open with my family and friends. I try not to bring up the subject but if asked I am pretty open. I did decide early out not to share numbers with anyone (not even my family). I have not done so except in a medical context, on here (since it is anonymous), and in a couple of instances where I thought being open about the numbers would benefit someone else. There is a difference to me between lying and privacy. We are not obligated to tell everyone everything about our personal business. And, we are allowed to change our minds (like you did with first sharing with family and then deciding to keep things private). It is up to you how you tell your story. I hope you find peace with whatever you decide.

I was able to count all liquids toward my Fluid total.

I agree. In addition to Protein shakes, cottage cheese, and yogurt you could pack tuna packets, turkey, etc. If you must eat at fast food restaurants, go for lean Proteins like turkey, tuna, chicken, egg, etc. You can get turkey sandwiches or similar, without bread at Arby's, Subway, etc. Wendy's chili is a great choice. You can get chicken or eggs at McDonald's. Once you are cleared for more solid foods you will have more options.