LisaMergs

Oh dear. Please please know this will pass! I never had regrets, but it is frustrating not eating with your family and having to stick to a bland diet. It goes fast though!!! I promise!!! And soon you will really begin to feel brand new. Are you walking? You should be! At every chance you can. When your family is eating too! In the beginning I would stick with them while I finished my meal and then leave them to the clean up/ finishing while I went for a nice walk. Clears the head, gets the metabolism going and you come home to a clean kitchen!!! Keep thinking of your why- what you were looking to attain- and focus on that!!!

Bone broth rocks! So full of nutrients. More so than regular broth. Easy to cook too!

Oh geez. And tea bags in different flavors! Warm tea was my new tummys best friend first few weeks out

You're forgetting SF Popsicles and SF puddings.

Pffft. Newbie

Oh it happens with bypass! My one and only episode involved what was thought to be apiece of food eaten hastily and not chewed properly. Enough to keep me pulverizing my food now before swallowing.

Gardening was one of my favorite things to do. Needless to say, over the last 8 years I've really let things go. Last fall, we ripped out all the bushes in front of our house. I wanted a porch, but the design of our house doesn't lend itself to one. So I had my hubby build me one! This spring, with a blank canvas, I resumed my favorite pastime! Here are a few pics of one area. Mind you, i turned the earth, weeded it all, prepped the soil, lugged compost and mulch, dug every hole and planted all new! And yes, I'm extremely proud of it and excited to watch it grow! Next year new sod!!!! (Neighbors creeping ivy is unstoppable!)

You don't know if she will let you go off to surgery without speaking to you...she may surprise you! I know this is going to sound harsh, and for that I apologize- but stop the negative self talk and pity. Now. You can not control her or anyone. The only thing you have control over is your mind, choices you make, and your attitude. Take control and start living YOUR life YOUR way! Good luck!

I'm just an inquiring mind- what ever possessed you to create a spread sheet for bougie sizes? As a bypass patient, I'm happy to know my pouch was left the size of a golf ball. Approximately. Good enough for me.

Wtg!!!

I want a friend who will go to all my appointments with me....anybody? Anybody? Buehler? Buehler?

2 weeks lol

Love love love orange mint! And holy crap! You're too young to have a grandchild!!!!

It just makes no sense to me at all why family members think they have the right to get crappy when someone is doing something to help themselves. Is your daughter overweight? Perhaps it is a form of jealousy? I don't know, but if that's what it takes for her to treat you like crap, then do it and let her deal with the fallout herself.

I love roses but stopped growing them when we moved to this house. I may take it up again in 4 years when we move to NC. I just got so darned frustrated always getting poked! Lol. And this house has too much shade to grow them well, and where there IS sun, those areas are not planting areas.

It seems like such a long dark tunnel you're in and you can't even see the light at the end of it. We've all been there! But light there is, I promise! Post op, you will find that you are capable of more than you ever imagined: you're stronger, more devoted to your cause, a new YOU. EMBRACE IT!!! Your resolve and dedication will never be greater for what you've gone through to get to be the best you ever. Those are the things that will carry you! Going to restaurants is fun! I see a challenge looking for things to eat/share with those I am with. And I get giddy when I hit upon just the right thing. Success!!! Challenge met and conquered! Finally- your restriction will be such that you won't want to eat more and you will be perfectly fine with that. One thing that is hard? Finishing faster than the others you are with. My suggestion, other than eating slowly, is start a bit later eating than they do. Kind of evens the playing field!

Yes, it happens, especially if you are on a very strict plan. Some are more strenuous than others. I only lost 10 lbs on my preop, but I literally have an almost zero metabolism as my adrenal glands were burned out from years of medications. However, post op, I'm now down 50 lbs at 9 weeks. Hello!!! Best. Decision. Ever. Good luck!!!

And now for my greatest challenge - eating at regular times and remembering to actually eat. I'm literally never hungry. While I will have a small meal with the family at dinner, I've taken to Quest bars and chips to fill the breakfast/ lunch needs. I keep several bars in my car or purse so when I remember to eat they are handy

Because, with something like a sauce, or gravy, usually there is a base to it - say from drippings. Sometimes they are very strong. Other times not. You don't know unless you taste, then season accordingly. Same with making a red sauce/gravy. ( My Italian family calls it gravy lol.). The tomatoes- whether fresh or canned- can be more or less acidic than others and they need to be addressed accordingly. I can go on and on with every single dish lol. For inquiring minds....

Valentina - I'm a huge cook. Took about 3 weeks post op to start really cooking for family and friends again and I get the tasting thing. My answer? Taste and spit. Seriously. It works!!!

That's a great post and terrific questions! I've found just the opposite- I'm finding myself reconnecting with friends I've let go as I went into hiding the larger- and more depressed because of it- I got. My weight gain came over the course of nine years, with years 3-7 being the worst. I began "hiding". This spring, after about a month after surgery, I came out of hiding. Friends were excited to see me! They missed me!!!! How happy I was, not only to pick up where we left off, but that I was finally feeling good. I was never a drinker, but most gatherings do revolve around great food. I ate before I went out, and didn't think twice. No one noticed I wasn't eating because we were too happy chatting. It is certainly liberating to be out and about. Now, almost 10 weeks out, the difference in me is very noticeable, and when I see someone I haven't in a couple of years, usually it's accompanied by a "Lisa, you look great! Are you feeling better??" I've not opened up about my surgery. But they knew I was sick. I simply reply "thank you, yes, feeling much better and I'm finally off all the steroids. ". My advice- surprise yourself with the people who were/are close to you. They will simply be happy you are feeling better, motivated, etc. and likely just accept the fact that you are THERE.

Lmao

Darn that sounds good! Now, what to use instead of a cone??

Lol. Grabbed 3 tops today in the "regular" sized section. Bought XL. - I think I could have gotten away with L. Smh. Who'd -a thunk it so fast??!!!! Lol

GNC and Vitamin Shoppe carry them. The quest website itself is easy to order from and has quick shipping. Try a bag before you buy them in bulk. They are the one quest product I don't like. However my 17 year old daughter who is allergic to potatoes loves them, go figure! Finally got my hands on the Quest chips! Omg. Thank you for mentioning them! I just finished eating mine (sea salt) with refried beans and salsa. I'm in heaven. Also tried the cheddar cheese. Good too!