lauraellen80

My husband and I love Bolthouse Farms dressings--they are in the refrigerated section by the lettuce and stuff.

Just hang in there. It's normal to feel wiped out for a few weeks. And yeah, it can seem like it gets worse before it gets better... maybe because all the fun drugs and fluids they pumped you full of in the hospital have left your body, and the whole ordeal of surgery catches up to you.

Hahaha! That's a great analogy! Though I will say that it's much more pleasant to walk around thinner rather than covered in stinky walker viscera...

I'm not at goal yet, but I feel like I've been noticing that random people on the street, in stores, etc. look at me differently... in that they actually LOOK at me, instead of only vaguely acknowledging my existence. However, I do have to wonder if it's partly that I'm less closed off and more engaged in the world.

I'm not from PA originally, but I've lived here for about 7 years now! Southeastern PA, about midway between Philly and Allentown.

Thanks. It's definitely something I'm working on in therapy. And I LOVE Misty Copeland... I wish there had been ballerinas like her when I was young!

I eat a couple of prunes daily

I use Torani sugar-free syrups and like their peppermint flavor in chocolate Protein shakes. I like to make them hot-chocolate style with it.

where do you buy unflavored protein powder? I ordered mine from unjury

Like others have said, I encourage you to really try to get in your Protein, Vitamins, and Water. It's really very important for your health. Personally, I just had someone tell me the other day that I looked a lot younger now that I've lost weight. Keeping up with your nutritional & Fluid requirements can certainly help to avoid a gaunt, aged look, but it also seems like the rate of weight loss, the length of time that you were at your high weight, and your age at surgery can definitely affect this as well. I hadn't been at my high weight for more than a few years (though I'd been overweight/obese for essentially my entire adult life), and I'm 34, so I think I'm one of the lucky ones in that regard. I had back and hip problems prior to surgery--old dance injuries that made themselves known as I continued to gain weight and put more stress on my damaged joints. Since surgery, my pain has been reduced a lot, but I still have trouble, and for me, I don't think it will ever go away completely (I'm planning to see an orthopedic doc who specializes in dance medicine when I get to goal, so we'll see) but it is much easier to deal with now, 85 pounds lighter. As far as depression and other mental issues--please, please, please find a therapist who deals with body image, eating disorders, etc. I have struggled with depression since I was a teen (it runs in my family), and I was on an antidepressant prior to surgery. I see a therapist regularly and I go to a psychiatrist in the same practice every few months to evaluate my meds. It sounds like some of the things you are dealing with are stemming from your depression--lord knows I never feel like taking care of myself when my depression is left unchecked. You get into this cycle of being depressed, not taking care of yourself, feeling even worse about yourself because you look/feel crappy, etc. It's tough to get out of that cycle without help! Good luck!

Try stirring protein powder into other foods, if you are struggling with getting enough protein at this point and can't handle shakes. I stir 1/2 scoop of vanilla protein powder into 1/2 packet of low sugar oatmeal for breakfast, and the same with Greek yogurt. I've used unflavored protein powder in soup.

My thoughts exactly! I've seen a number of posts on this site that make disparaging comments about eating salads (and even vegetables in general). When I get a salad, I usually get one with grilled chicken and make sure to get a decent chunk of chicken along with a bit of lettuce, etc. on my fork with each bite.

I bought some falafel-flavor roasted chickpeas this week--they are awesome! More carbs than some might want, but a lot of fiber and a decent amount of protein.

It may be also a matter of avoiding tomato-based soups initially because of the acidity, which can irritate your healing stomach.

Well, My Fitness Pal wasn't designed for WLS patients. There is a tracking app called "Baritastic" that's intended for WLS patients. I don't know what its interface is like, but I'd guess it may have different portion size options.

I was allowed to at 6 weeks. Check with your surgeon and/or NUT, as everyone's meal plan is different.

Leftover smothered chicken (chicken breast topped with sauteed onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms, Swiss cheese, and baked) and a little garlic-parmesan quinoa.

You can adjust your entries to a fraction of a serving size. So if, for example, the serving size is listed as 1 cup, and you eat 1/4 of a cup, you can list 1/4 as your number of servings. You may need to look up conversions or do some math. So if you only have a tablespoon of a food, but the serving size is 1 cup, you have to figure out that there are 16 tablespoons in a cup, so you had 1/16 of a serving. MFP only goes down to 1/8 for fractions, but you can switch to decimal mode and enter in smaller amounts.

There are also special lower acid coffees--I used the "Puroast" brand when I was having some bladder issues.

I drink my morning cup of coffee with an ounce of a ready-to-drink Protein shake or light vanilla almond milk, and either a half packet of stevia or a dollop of one of the Torani sugar-free syrups.

I buy the Whisps all the time! I know I could make them easily (and much more cheaply!) at home... but it's easy to just pick up a bag at the store!

While you're still on full liquids, it's pretty typical to not feel "full." Once you start on solid foods, you'll be able to tell. Some people sneeze or get a running nose when they are full, some hiccup/burp, and you often just get this heaviness right at the top of the sleeve that makes you stop and go--"Oh, okay... I'm done." At this point, your sleeve is still swollen from surgery, and your nerve endings there aren't back to normal function. So don't push it, measure what you are suppose to have and stop after that. Are you on an acid reducer? Most surgeons automatically prescribe them. Stomach acid can mimic the feelings of hunger, so that might be what you're feeling.

Wow....um, is the crapping your pants thing something that develops over time? Post-surgery, I've been more likely to have the opposite problem. I had issues with IBS in the past, so the desperation to find a restroom is a familiar feeling for me, but I'm hoping that I don't have to go back to living it on a regular basis!