BLERDgirl

I would venture it's not unusual. Any dramatic change to your body like WLS can change your monthly flow.

They still have the same amount of caffeine.

I often use plain, greek yogurt instead of mayo and you can't taste the difference. I also use it instead of sour cream. I like the taste.

I put black Beans in the nutra bullet and pureed them, Then I strained out the skins and thinned it in a pot with some veg broth. I added a spoonful of FAGE 0% greek yogurt and a tiny bit of mashed avocado. I seasoned the soup with a bit of garlic powder and cayenne powder. Mostly I just played around with what I could puree and thin to a liquid.

Buy a video, if you have cable see what's On Demand. There are always yoga or pilates workouts available. Check out youtube. Sparkspeople has a series of exercises, many that can be done in a chair. Push come to shove, just walk through your house. I have a small house and for the first few says post op I would walk back and forth from the living room to the kitchen.

Yes short term disability only kicks in after you have used up sick time. The downside of having PTO instead of sick/vacation/personal days is it then views all of it that way. Think about how your body works. I had a really easy surgical process. I could easily have gone back to work after a week off. My doctor advises his patients to take at least 2 weeks off.

It varies for each individual. Many factors come into play such as age, genetics, sex, how much weight you need to lose, etc... that there really is no definitive answer. I started back exercising at 3 weeks post op. I know work out 4 -5 days a week. However I am 51 and menopausal. I know my body and I know that I have to both watch what I eat AND work out or I don't lose. I began trying to improve my health 3 years ago and learned quite a bit about what sort of proper nutrition and exercise my body needs. For example I learned I have to eat before and after the gym for the best results.

You ever try losing 40lbs on your own? It's hella hard. I think it's a slippery slope to judge others based on how much they had to lose. There could be mitigating health factors and or co-morbities to take into consideration. Even if there aren't it's not our place to judge. In many ways I wish I had taken action when it was just a matter of 40 or 50lbs. Now I'm looking at at least a 1½ years before I can even get to the high end of a healthy weight.

The definition of Puree.

I know it's hard to believe, but once I kicked processed foods, my cravings for sweet things changed. I still enjoy sweets, but I don't crave them. When I do use sweeteners I can use the real stuff and use less. I most often use raw, local honey. I also occasionally use organic sugar, and maple syrup.

However it is entirely possible to eat both low fat and low carb without eating fake foods and artificial sweeteners. I am doing just that. I would say my weight loss is about average, neither super fast, except for my 2 week loss, but not super slow either. I avoid them because of life threatening allergies, but even if I wasn't allergic to them I doubt I would eat them.

Yeah different programs have different protocols. Mine was Full liquids>Purees>Soft Foods. I was on each stage for 2 weeks. By 6 weeks it was regular food as tolerated.

@@Karenlrn - Choose a Protein powder that uses soy isolates instead of milk or whey. Drink unsweetened almond, rice, cashew, soy, hemp or coconut milk instead. So Delicious makes a non dairy yogurt, so does Rice Dreams or Almond Breeze (I forget which one). These are the kinds of discussions to have with your nutritionist. They will offer suggestions if you make them aware.

I was allowed yogurt and soup when I was on full liquids. From my handbook: Milk & Milk Products skim milk,1%milk, or lactose free alternative light, lowfat yogurt powdered non-fat milk Non-Dairy Milk Substitutes Almond milk (unsweetened) Rice milk (unsweetened) Soy milk (unsweetened) Fruit & Vegetable juice 100% fruit juice with no sugar added, dilute w/ Water (¼ water ¼ juice) Light vegetable juice Vegetable juice Broths and Soups broth or bouillon (beef, chicken, vegetable) Cream soups made with skim or 1%milk Other liquids Sugar - free beverages (crystal lite,Sobel, Fruit20, etc...) Decaf. unsweetened tea, herbal teas Sugar substitutes, (Splenda, Equal, Truvia or Nutrasweet) Sugar free Gelatin Sugar free popsicles

I'm vegetarian so I can't help you with the chicken/fish recipes. As for exercise, I got some light handweights 2, 3, 5 lbs. and did arm reps while sitting down. You want to start light and be mindful of your incision sites. I have poor upper body strength and it's one of my goals to improve that.

I got to the point where I had to avoid cooking shows and simply turned from certain commercials. A word of caution. If you think you need it get counseling for your food addiction. Don't think you need to rely on willpower alone.

Nope to many carbs and not enough protein to be worth it for me.

You need to follow your nutritionist plan. If you need to put that on a calender then that's a good idea. Mine was relatively simple. 2 weeks full liquids, 2 weeks purees, 2 weeks soft foods then regular food as tolerated. Every program has a different protocol.

@@mduffield Agreed. I don't eat anything from a box or a package and rarely used can goods.

Yes Water is that important. Water helps you feel full, and water also helps your body digest foods better. I also agree that it important watch those macro-nutrients. What's your sodium level? Instead of watching the scale take your measurements (neck/boobs/waist/hips). Sometimes when the scale doesn't move, the body is reshaping itself.

Perfectly normal. food has been a comfort to us for so long and now we have to go cold turkey. That's a big adjustment.

I don't eat ANY diet foods. The closest I come is eating 0% greek yogurt. I also don't eat any artificial sugars or food dyes. Today I actually had butter! Not a lot and it's not something I eat daily, but yes I eat real butter. You don't have to eat those things. You just to do a little research and learn enough about carbs/proteins/fats/etc... I am vegetarian. The only dairy I get is greek yogurt and cheese if I eat an egg. I drink almond milk and other plant based Proteins. Early on I used whey Protein for my Protein shakes. You have to work it out with your nutritionist. It was one of my main concerns when I looked into WLS. I am happy to have a nutritionist who worked with me.

Either the food is disagreeing with your or you're eating too fast.

I think it was about a month before I stopped "feeling" it when I swallowed. I just filled my waster bottle in the morning and sipped whenever I wasn't drinking a protein shake or trying to eat.