The New Kel

Wonderful!!! The jacket is so cute on you.

@@OKCPirate Thanks! I think I will look into the C25K program. It sounds like a great way to get into cardio shape. I love pic you posted, what a view!

Cool! Thanks for the graphic! I love what I learn here.

Mahi-Mahi isn't really in season right now but if you can find it, it is delicious. Marinade it for 30 minutes in a bath of lemon juice, lime juice, olive oil, white wine and a touch of garlic, salt and pepper. Broil or better yet grill it. It's fantastic and doesn't require sauces to be fully enjoyable!

@@theantichick Hang in there girl. I can imagine that your underlying auto-immune issues make things difficult. My daughter also has auto-immune problems. I can truly sympathize. The fast heartbeat is frustrating. It doesn't take mine long to shoot from 72-160 with moderate exercise. I feel sure that with your determination and regular workouts you'll get to your fitness cardio goal! In a year we will both be posting our success stories!!

1) my doc said minimum 60 oz even early on. 2) Yes! the gas will subside! Keep on walkin'. 3) It all gets better! Have you asked about getting anti-nausea meds? I took them for about a week post op. Really helped with getting Water in.

@@theantichick Thanks for the advice. Like you, I think there is a good possibility that what I experience is just plain old out of shape cardio. I could be guilty of trying to hard too soon to hike with my outdoor loving husband. Shorter hikes is a really good idea for now. And build up endurance. Its just so nice to be outside exercising! Also, more time on the cardio machines in my gym I think will help. I can imaging that with your workouts your resting heart rate will drop. Just by losing 50 lbs so far my resting heart rate went from average 90 to 72. Yet despite the good RHR I can tell it is out of cardio shape. Onward with my cardio gym time!

I have some trouble with meat. Many types don't feel well at all. What does work for me is very, very good quality red meat that is super tender. Also, fish that isn't cooked too dry. I love sashimi. Moist, soft meats are tolerable. chicken is hit or miss depending on the dryness. Rotisserie chicken is usually ok. Putting meat in the slow cooker for a few hours seems to work on just about any meat. Add broth and spices, etc.

Happy Birthday! Congrats on your success!! What a cute, pretty pic.

Now that I think of it, I think as a kid I could do about a half of one chin-up. But not even an inch pull-up.

Pull up is with the palms facing away and chin ups are with palms toward you. That was my goal at the beginning of this year. I had never done one in my entire life, but I am proud to say that I can do 15 chin-ups now! That's awesome!!! And thanks for the answer on pull-up vs chin-up. I think they would use different muscles then, right? @BigViffer

@ You're a bad, bad man. LOL! I nearly spit my coffee out at that pic.

I should make that a goal. I have never been able to do one...even when I was serving in the USAF! Or even as a kid in PE. Never! My arms are my weakness. I can barely throw! Good goal. Funny thing is my trainer says most of the guys who do them for Crossfit and stuff aren't doing "real" pull-ups, they're doing something called "kipping" where they throw themselves up with their hips and it's a "cheat" move. I've also never been able to do a pull-up, for the fitness tests I had to do the straight arm hang because I couldn't pull myself up even a bit. They have a machine at the gym that counter-balances percentages of your body weight with the weight stack that he says we will be able to start with down the line a bit, and start working up to it. When you say pull-ups, do you mean having your hands/arms facing out, or facing in? I think facing out is even harder, right? Anyway, I can't do either, but wow would that be a great goal!

@@LittleBill Again I am entertained and find laughter in your story! It's funny how all us WLS people find ourselves entering Gym-land and initially feeling strange. I always feel weird when I am on a cardio machine and right next to me is a 20something year old, 115 lb young lady fully tones running at about 30 MPH. Oh well, I figure that in a year or so MAYBE I can run half that fast. I have to laugh at the remarks about trainers and other people who help us being half our age. My husband and I are always remarking at how, seemingly suddenly our doctors, kids teachers, lawyers, and most of the work force looks to be young enough to be our kids. It's just weird going the the doctor and having him be half my age. I was at a retail store yesterday Christmas shopping in the mall. There is a new store call "Buckle" and I wandered in really not knowing what I was looking for. A young man, could not have been more than 22, asked to help me. He was the most polite, helpful salesperson I've ever run into. I was impressed so much by his service that I wrote an email to his boss. I am a huge sucker for manners and showing respect, regardless of age.

I should make that a goal. I have never been able to do one...even when I was serving in the USAF! Or even as a kid in PE. Never! My arms are my weakness. I can barely throw! Good goal.

@@Slick300 To prove that post sleevers can remain happy foodies, here's a pick and description of what I made tonight! Butcher’s Steak with Red Wine Reduction, Smoked Goat cheese Crema & Walnuts Granted, I could only eat about 2.5 ounces. But it was amazing and so much fun to make. For my husband I also made roasted red potatoes and herb green Beans to go with it. Plus I saved some steak for tomorrow's lunch. And last night I made Thai chicken Curry Soup. The possibilities are endless!

Dehydration or not enough calories usually causes those symptoms for me. When I feel like that I stop what I'm doing, get a couple bites of something then start a bottle of Water. I don't know about you, but for me it can sometimes be 3:pm and I realized I have have had maybe 100 calories for the day. I get busy and forgetful, causing that weakness and lightheadedness.

I forgot to add- regarding drinking. Before surgery I loved wine. I still do, but less. I will have a good quality dry wine, maybe one glass every few days in the evening. I just don't want it like before. Also, your tolerance for alcohol goes way down so you will get intoxicated from a fraction of what you were used to. I echo the sentiments so many have said here: Quality over quantity post-op.

@@Slick300, You have received some spot on, amazing advice here in these responses. I really think this topic is important, at least to me and the many other foodies who undergo WLS. I was just talking to my mom the other day, realizing that food preparation and the creating of dishes was a HUGE part of my life. I had nit even realized how much I loved the aspect of all things foodie. Post-op, I would agree with those who are saying that having the sleeve actually makes you a perfect foodie. You are forced to be selective, choosing only the best things that give you the most taste and satisfaction. We simply don't have room in our sleeved stomachs to allow food that doesn't matter (excess carbs, etc.) When you think about the great foodie stuff, at least for me, I think of high quality and creative meals. The emphasis is not on the size of the meal but the taste and the way it makes you feel. Being sleeved, we really learn to master the art of getting the Protein in, and also making it as enjoyable as possible. If you have problems now with over-indulgence as in volume (most of us did pre-sleeve), or in eating excessive junk foods, or food addictions, then you will have to come to terms with the fact that your life and behaviors will forever be altered. If you proceed with surgery, you have to know, and be happy with, the knowledge that food as far as volume will never be the same. Taste and creativity and preparing meals for others however doesn't change. I love good foods and at 2.5 months post-op I do not feel like I have lost the joy of my foodieness. Hope that helps! Good luck with your decision.

I am approaching 10 weeks post op. I discovered I was an emotional food addict about 8 weeks ago. I have been, and plan on staying true to the plan. There is no way physically I could eat the crap I used to eat even if I wanted to. 9.5 days out of 10 I feel happy and fine and satisfied without thinking of how food used to comfort me. There are a few times that my emotional tie to food still provokes sadness in me, because I no longer partake. The fall and winter season is full of triggers for me. Christmas shopping- I used to love shopping all afternoon then binging on crap. It felt fulfilling. And fun. Football Sundays- making food was at least half the fun. I mentally associate lots of cold weather activities with comfort food. I have been substituting heathy foods in place of the stuff I would love before. I'm just wondering how everyone deals with these triggers and what your triggers are. When I think of how I used to eat, I realize I was mentally comforting myself big time. The new year will bring me new things to make myself happy, and a change of mentality, that is my hope!

Premier is my go-to!

CW: 191

Fantastic!! That is a wonderful NSV.

Good job!! I did the same thing, right before I went to the hospital for surgery, so that I would come home to a clean, bariatric friendly fridge. My husband and the kids still have their stuff, but I separate it so that I have my own big section in the fridge. I have been lazy about my pantry, there is all kinds of stuff I can throw away in there. Its a big job! I went through my bedroom closet again today. Its so much fun for me to throw clothes into the "too big" pile and get rid of them. My closet is looking good! As for my freezer, unlike you I can't purge all the crap because my kids eat waffles, and other various no-nos. I just don't go into my freezer unless I need to defrost meat, lol.