lauraellen80
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Everything posted by lauraellen80
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Accidentally bought the Syntrax Naturals Vanilla protein instead of their Vanilla Bean Torte flavor. Ick. Do not like.
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@Stevehud, that's funny, because to me it tasted much more intense and harsh than their other vanilla flavor. It actually made me a little nauseated, and I couldn't finish the oatmeal I had it in! I bought it on Amazon, and my husband doesn't mind it, so it won't go to waste.
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A loss of 2.6 lbs over a week that included both Thanksgiving and a wedding? I'll take it!
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I make up a batch of protein Greek yogurt at the beginning of the week and have some each evening, usually with a tablespoon or two of low-sugar granola or crushed nuts.
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I Want To See Before & After Pics! (Cont'd)
lauraellen80 replied to LilMissDiva Irene's topic in Weight Loss Surgery Success Stories
The pic on the left is from my brother-in-law's wedding last December. The pic on the right is from a friend's wedding over the weekend. Not quite at goal yet, but thought the difference was enough to share! -
At bar-and-grill type places, I often order some sort of salad with grilled chicken. Cobb is good because it usually has additional Protein in the form of hardboiled egg, cheese, and bacon. I make sure that each forkful has a bite of chicken and other protein with a little bit of lettuce/greens/etc. and I dip my fork into the dressing (which I get on the side). I usually only eat about 1/4 of an entree-sized salad (I'm 5.5 months out). Depends on the salad to whether I take home the leftovers--some get soggy and gross. At Asian restaurants, I have found that chicken lettuce wraps are a good option; they are usually listed as an appetizer. I typically have enough leftover for another 2 meals. Diners and Breakfast places are easy--my go-to is a Denver omelette (ham, peppers, and onions) with cheese. I can eat about 1/3 to 1/2 of it. I either ask for them to leave off the potatoes and toast, or I give them to my husband. I might take a tiny bite of hash browns if they look really delicious.
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From the album: lauraellen80
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31yo newbie. How to break the news to everyone -- need your advice!
lauraellen80 replied to FitandFreeEmily's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
I'm 34, about to turn 35, and I completely emphasize with feeling like you're in an "in-between" stage in life. I continue to wonder when I'll feel like I'm truly a "real" grownup! A lot of people on both sides of my family struggle with their weight, and I lost an aunt almost exactly a year ago to complications from diabetes and morbid obesity, so talking about surgery to my family wasn't an issue. My mom was the one who brought up the idea to me in the first place (which, yeah, I didn't take well initially). As far as friends, though... my husband and my circle of friends mainly consist of super-healthy people who do triathlons and ultra marathons and stuff. I felt weird about telling them because, like your dad, I felt like they just wouldn't get where I was coming from. But honestly, they surprised me by being very supportive (we went to the shore with them a couple weeks after my surgery, when I had just started puréed/soft foods, and I couldn't get my incisions wet in the ocean yet, so obviously something was up). So, the people in your life may surprise you--and if not, keep reminding yourself that you are indeed a "grown-ass woman" and don't need anyone's permission to do what's best for you! Good luck! -
First Thanksgiving with the sleeve
lauraellen80 replied to sbg224's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I'm almost 5 1/2 months out. I cooked dinner for my husband's family, as usual. I promised that I wouldn't make any weird "diet" food. I had a Protein shake for Breakfast instead of my normal oatmeal since I knew I'd be eating more carbs than usual, and I had a light Babybel cheese and 1/2 oz of mixed nuts around 11:30 (we ate dinner at 2). My husband and I took our dogs for a walk while the turkey was roasting to get some exercise in before dinner. At dinner, I measured out 2 oz. of turkey breast, put some gravy on it, and had a little dab (1-1.5 TB or so) of green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, brussels sprouts with bacon, and stuffing, and a 1/4 slice of jellied cranberry sauce. I ate most of my turkey, most of the green Beans, and less of the rest. For dessert, I had a small bit off a piece of Dutch apple pie, and a tiny bit of flourless chocolate cake. Definitely much more decadent than my typical meals! My stomach responded by imitating whale mating calls for the next hour or so. Like, really loudly. Glad it was just family! I didn't feel sick or pass gas or anything... my stomach/guts were just really noisy. Now I'm having a little dish of my homemade pumpkin protein Greek yogurt with a few crushed dark chocolate and salted caramel almonds. -
Apparently, when I eat a meal with more carbs and fat than usual, my stomach now responds by imitating whale mating calls. I felt fine, but in a quiet room, it was really noticeable. Glad it was just family.
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You know you lost weight when
lauraellen80 replied to Thomas CPA's topic in Weight Loss Surgery Success Stories
Tried on dresses the other day, and couldn't find the size I needed in one of them. Asked the fitting room attendant if they had any, and she came back saying, "I'm sorry, miss, we don't have any smaller than a 6, but we may be able to order you a 4." Never thought I'd hear that!!!!! -
I agree with @shriner37. I had surgery two days before you, and I'm at 900-1000 calories per day now (per my NUT). Especially if you're working out a fair amount, you need more calories.
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Stopped at the outlet mall this evening, and I parked on the side by the Loft store instead of the side by the Lane Bryant--NSV!
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Normal to have weight gain after surgery?
lauraellen80 replied to vsgbeccab's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Also, I will say that while I saw the scale go down, for the first few weeks I still felt pretty bloated. Once the post-op swelling went down and my body started healing, it was much better. -
Normal to have weight gain after surgery?
lauraellen80 replied to vsgbeccab's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I decided to stay off the scale until my 1-week follow up appointment with my surgeon, since I was so full of IV fluids and stuff. -
I started having 2-3 baby dills with my lunch at a couple months out. Still love 'em, no problems with 'em.
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I "lied" about having surgery for the first time yesterday. I put it in quotes because it was not technically a lie. A volunteer at work, whom I hadn't seen in months, saw me and commented on my weight loss. Then she said, "You didn't have that gastric bypass, did you?" Well, from how she asked, I could tell that she had a negative opinion of surgery, so I just said, "No" (because I didn't have bypass, I had the sleeve... see how sneaky I am?). And then she said, "Oh, thank god... that surgery scares me to death!" I feel bad because I missed an opportunity to educate someone on the facts of WLS, but I have only told a couple people at work and am trying to avoid the judgemental gossip that I know would happen. It may already be happening behind my back, but I'd rather keep it quiet.
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What's everyone eating for thanksgiving?
lauraellen80 replied to sarahbethemails's topic in Regular foods (stage 4)
I'm going to be cooking dinner for my husband's family. I've already promised that I won't try to substitute weird diet versions of Thanksgiving recipes. I plan on having a small piece of turkey breast with gravy, and a bite each of green bean casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce--in that order, so I get a taste of my favorites if I get full. Not sure if I'll have a bite of dessert or not--if it's not chocolate, I don't care that much. -
Just got catcalled in the most polite way possible. Guy rolled down his window while I was standing outside Wawa and said, "I hope the rest of your day is as lovely as you are!" Thank you, random dude.
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I couldn't buy the cute sweater dress that I wanted today, because they didn't have the size I needed... SMALL! A great NSV, for sure, but I still want the dress. Guess I'm ordering online.
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I use a couple tablespoons of sugar-free Torani flavored syrup in my coffee, along with 2-3 tablespoons of light vanilla almond or soy milk, or fat-free Fairlife milk. Lately I've been into mixing 1 tb of the chocolate syrup and 1 tb of the salted caramel... not quite the same as a Starbucks salted caramel mocha, but pretty darn good!
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Eating, Drinking, and Time In Between?
lauraellen80 replied to Cape Crooner's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
My surgeon's rule is 30 min. before and 30 min. after. On the rare occasion that I've accidentally taken a sip of water before the 30 min. after a meal is up, I did feel uncomfortable, with a lot of gurgling from my sleeve. I'm 5 months out. -
What is weigh-loss goal reality, sleeve & bypass?
lauraellen80 replied to WLSResources/ClothingExch's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
My surgeon's practice considers a total of 60%-70% excess weight lost to be a "success" for VSG. They told me that they like to see half of that lost by the 6-month point. I started with about 100 pounds to lose, lost 25 in the 3.5 months prior to surgery (including the 2-week pre-op liquid diet), and I've lost about 65 more pounds in the (almost) 5 months since surgery. That works out to an average of less than 1/2 pound per day, about 3 pounds per week, or about 13 pounds per month. I agree with @@OutsideMatchInside about the guys' numbers throwing the curve. Men do tend to drop big amounts really quickly, especially early on, and just seeing the numbers can make you feel like your losses aren't enough. Just another reason not to compare with others! -
Am I on track?
lauraellen80 replied to confusedgirl18's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
You've lost over 10 lbs a month, you're doing fine. Why would you think that you're done losing at this point? You're only 3 months out. If you're in a stall, that's a totally normal thing. It'll pass, the scale will keep going down. What kind of carbs do you eat? Personally, I try to keep my carbs in the 50-60 grams per day range, and I mainly stick to oatmeal, Beans, fruits, and non-starchy veggies. I've had (non-fried) potatoes in very small amounts, and a little bit of corn in Soup. I'm 9 pounds from goal at 5 months out. I wouldn't recommend white bread, Pasta, or rice at this point, but I also am not someone who believes that all carbs are evil. -
You could try a little bit of mild taco sauce, or guacamole. I'd try the beans plain first, though, to see how they sit on their own.
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Quick intro and question about weight limit
lauraellen80 replied to TinyTink's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I had to fly due to a family emergency before I was cleared to lift over 10 lbs. Like @@Sharon1964 suggested above, I just asked a guy standing nearby at the baggage carousel if he could grab my suitcase for me because I'd just had surgery. I think his reply was something like, "I'd be happy to do it even if you hadn't just had surgery!" I had one of the smaller rolling suitcases with wheels that swivel, so it was easy for me to pull it through the airport.
Good for you on your weight loss ! 
