Berry78

I have Ezekial bread in the freezer. I love it, toasted after having been frozen. Still not good plain though! (Love butter on toast). I just don't have room in my diet for it yet (looking forward to having it when I reach goal!)

Ok, Newme17. Keeping my fingers crossed for you. Here's an interesting article: http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2011/06/14/vegans-can-have-a-protein-deficiency Basically it's a good reminder that we don't have to guess at things like protein status.. there are tests! We all need to be sure to get our vitamin/protein levels tested regularly, regardless of diet chosen.

Wow Fluff.. you make that stuff sound like I've been missing something! Maybe grains are TOO good?? I dunno.. so confused...

Well, I'm not really saying we shouldn't be eating grains... I can see how it comes across that way. Sorry about that. I'm just kinda thinking aloud. The study of the Blue Zones and McDougall et. al. They are all trying to find the perfect human diet. It's worth examining the different types of foods in big-picture thinking...

Lol, he really wants his pasta!!! You know, I had an epiphany over the last couple days. Bear with me, and you'll see where I'm going with this... You pick an apple off the tree, and take a bite. Is it good? Yes. Boil it. Yes, still good. You pick a stalk of celery, wipe it off and eat it. Is it good? Yes. Boil it. Yes, still good. You dig up a potato, wipe it off and take a bite. Is it good? No. Boil it. Yes, now it's good. You catch a fish or mammal and... cook it. It's good. Trust me! (lol). Beans, nuts and seeds.. all good cooked, some good raw. You pick some oats, and de-hull them and take a bite. Is it good? No. Boil it. It's edible, but not GOOD. Almost every unprocessed food is good either raw or cooked, as is.. with maybe some salt added (beans and potatoes really need salt to be "good"). Except grains. Even adding salt to the boiled oats doesn't really make them good. That's why we always seem to need to add butter or milk or sugar or fruit or sauces or meat or SOMETHING to grains. Bread is usually so highly processed, that I don't even know what it would taste like with true 100% wheat, salt, yeast, and water. Me thinks that if we just ate boiled grains with a touch of salt added, we would eat so LITTLE that it would mimic how they are SUPPOSED to be consumed. A hungry dude still probably wouldn't eat more than 1/2 cup of bare naked oatmeal. Anyway.. this type of thinking is what sets grains apart in my head. They have nutrients, but not as many as vegetables.. and they just seem to create the need to ingredient-combine to make them palatable. Agricultural societies rely on them for a significant part of their diets.. but cave peeps would have eaten exceedingly few.

I was just joking, sorry it didn't come across that way! Lol! You're all good We Marchers are all doing great! So happy to be part of this group!

That's a nifty calculator. Has me at 44, and my hubby at 65.

Perfect! That's what I want to hear! "I drink my protein shakes so I can relax and eat whole, unprocessed foods the rest of the time" is absolutely the right thing to do. I keep playing around with my options so I can also enjoy these foods... but for me, relying on fish and a bit of eggs and milk will take the place of protein shakes. My newest creation: Breakfast: 1 egg, 1 cup beans (22g prot.) Lunch: 2 cups cooked veggies (have to eat in 2 sittings) (4g) Snack: nuts and fruit (8g) Dinner: 2oz fish and small sweet potato. (16g) 50g protein! I always aim a bit over because the different types of beans and nuts don't all contain the exact same amounts. I'll try it out.. not sure if I can squeeze in that much food or not...

Now I know what people REALLY wanna hear.. no boo-hooing... my life is sooo hard.. Nope.. just the stats, please! Lol! Do keep in mind the 91lbs is for 6 months and 5 days. Those 5 days can make a difference

Well, I appreciate having things 'splained to me. Now I guess I have to watch the movie again... no promises, though. One of the funniest movies I can think of is Meet the Parents. First time, wasn't so funny. But upon repeat viewing, danged if it didn't get funnier and funnier. My hubby remains unimpressed.

My feet are still as long too.. keep running my toes to the end of my shoes...(was really lookin' forward to buying a smaller size )

Umm.. maybe you didn't add up my given quantities of protein. Oats: 10 Beans: 32 Nuts: 8 Total: 50. The minimum protein required for an average female is 46g, so this only has 4 more grams than the bare minimum... and not enough for a man (who needs 56g). Nowhere in the veg-based conversation have I stated people need 80g of protein. What I keep saying is with our limited stomach size, it's really, really hard to meet our protein needs through UNPROCESSED plant based foods. News alert: protein shakes are extremely processed. "Boca burgers" probably are too..I don't know what they are, so that's an assumption. Since we are talking about a "whole food, plant based" diet, I'm trying to show just how difficult it is to meet our nutritional needs that way. Add in a bit of animal protein or processed veggie-protein shakes, and you'll be covered. But if people want to be purists, they pretty much have to rely on beans and nuts all day (or processed bean noodles and tofu). I'm not saying it's impossible.. I'm saying it is HARD and takes planning and what I keep hearing is people saying, "don't worry, it'll take care of itself" and. it. won't.

Very nice video! Just remember, for us bariatric folk, when at themac and cheese buffet, that big bowl of lentil soup turns into a cup of soup, with no mac and cheese!. The concept of calorie density is a GREAT lesson, and it goes both ways when bariatric people are meal planning. During the weight loss phase, we have to keep calories low, nutrients high. During maintenance, we have to increase calories and keep nutrients high, and do it all in a small space. Remember, for the first year we are working with eating only about 3-4 cups of food a day. Non-bariatric folk can eat that much at a single meal. Our protein, vitamin, mineral, fiber needs are the same, but we have to meet those goals in 1/3 the space. Food for thought.. Good news is if we only eat 1400 calories, we should live 40% longer! Lol!

Everyone is doing so well! I also have trouble getting motivated to exercise. I WANT to, and It feels good to move.. I just have some sort of mental block about it. I'm actually afraid to leave the house (phone) long enough to go out and enjoy myself in the gym! It's an old anxiety, stemming from having a lot of sick people around me. Just in the last month, there has been: A total knee replacement with hospitalization and nursing home rehab for my MIL A stroke + necrotic esophagitis in my FIL.. with hospitalization and he'll be going to rehab soon, A kid almost breaking his finger in the car door.. another Dr.s visit plus x-rays A daughter that has missed 3 days of school due to nondescript illness, A husband with an extremely stressful/important inspection at work, A different daughter with a torn ligament in her ankle... probably looking at surgery All these people live with me, so everyone of their issues impacts me in some way. I'm the "manager". ---- The thing is, I'm ok.. don't feel the need to turn to food, thank goodness.. but I'm also immobilized and can't do the things that I should be doing (like mowing the lawn, painting the living room, etc. etc.). I'm either running around doing what HAS to be done, or I'm waiting by the phone for the next call.... On a good note, I've lost 91lbs! (305 down to 214).

Have you seen the GI specialist yet? How did it go?

You are doing great!!! Happy six month to you too! It's funny, I really haven't experimented too much yet. Just a couple things.. but for the most part everything has remained the same for the last 3-4 months for me! Lol! I did try fresh bread for the first time a few days ago.. it's heavy and uncomfortable. Blah... Wine tastes good, but man, it hits HARD! Stumbling after 1 glass! I think we've come close to the end of "the easy part". I suspect it's all uphill from here on out!

Exactly.. I don't get the 3 stooges either.. looks painful!!

Don't feel bad, I don't get it either...

I also prefer the delayed chat feature the message board provides. Can walk away and not miss anything...

′ 7″ 123-136 133-147 143-163 Catwoman, I kinda got the applicable part of the metlife chart up for you. At 140, you fit squarely into the middle of medium frame. Remember you have to add an inch to your height, so this is 5'7.

Ok, the plot is officially as thick and opaque as molasses.. Apparently most studies use the Metlife height/weight charts to determine "ideal body weight". Interesting reading: http://halls.md/met-life-ideal-weight/ For those that don't read the page.. basically it says that your height should be measured when you are wearing 1" heels. Weight measured wearing 3 pounds of clothing. Small/medium/large frames are subjective. But, in an effort to find my own "ideal" weight, I persevered. Take my height, add an inch. Look on the large frame side to accomodate extra skin and bone mass from being obese virtually my whole life. Then find the middle of the range, and finally, subtract 3 pounds. My ideal weight should be 153lbs. Which happens to be 6 pounds less than the top of the normal bmi range. But, remember all those studies didn't figure it that way. They just take your height and do the middle of the medium, which for me is 143lbs... assuming they don't forget the 1" heels! Arrrgggg... But if we're talking clothed weight, then my starting weight was 308, ideal weight is 143 and so after subtracting 65% from my 165lbs of excess body weight, I'm left with an expected loss down to 200lbs. .... .... Remember what I said about the dart board???

Hope you got out of bed ok. If things are ever that bad, always have someone else drive you.. friend, taxi, ambulance. [Hugs] fingers crossed for you...

Amazing, surgery bud! You ARE definitely way closer to goal than I am Hope to catch up in the next 6 months! I dunno.. walking 13 miles? Nowhere near that yet! Lol! All my surgery buddies started out 40 or 50lbs lighter than me, so I keep feeling like I'm lagging behind (even when I'm not). Sigh...

I agree with James. Things should feel the same or better than when you left the hospital. There should be a gradual, but consistent "getting better". If suddenly you are feeling worse and worse, that's a sign that there could be a problem. Call your doc now or go to the ER. Hope everything is ok!

Oh sweety, whatever it is, we're here for you, even if it isn't sleeve related. {Hugs}