Pam_2-06-2017

Right now is a time to focus on the closest circle of people in your life. That would be you, your husband and your daughter. Lots of changes are happening and will continue to happen over the next year. Your physical and emotional health are going to get exponentially better. Even over the next few months. There may be a time when you will be able to tolerate them but now is not the time. I have learned that as the weight comes off more people want to be around you. Seems sad but quite frankly we become more approachable and interesting when food is no longer our priority and our insecurity is not written all over our hunched unhealthy bodies. Everybody wants to know what I eat since I've lost so much weight. I am intentionally vague because I want to focus on relationships not my eating habits. Give it time, enjoy your family and the moments you get with your friends. I lost some friends because I no longer partake in binge lunches but I kept my true friends and I'm thankful for all two of them:-). I already noticed that I'm approached more often for conversation and enjoy every new exchange. Your very social daughter need not miss out on opportunities to socialize but it will take some effort on your part. I'm a homeschool mom so getting my son out and socializing takes more effort than a kiddo that attends school with hundreds of kids. The benefits of putting in the effort is that I socialize more too. Again, tighten your circle of concern to your husband and daughter and make your social choices for the benefit of all of you. The depression I felt was because I was navigating new territory. Once again changed my mind to the new adventure for me and my family, with my new, healthier me, I got excited about the potential. Good luck! Thinking of you today!

5/26 - 179.0 !!!!!!! I am out of the 180s. Seems like I was there forever!!!!!

Friday May 19-182.4. My birthday party. Not so good. Glad to see it back off this Monday.

I find beneficial substitutes. I always journal my food so I don't exceed 1000 calls a day and 25 carbs but include some fun substitutes. Caramel Premier Protein shake =. Coffee creamer Plain yogurt = Sour cream Homemade Almond crackers = dipping chips Avocado/tomato/lemon juice/sea salt = guacamole The more creative I get the more fun it becomes to replace my bad favorites with good. If my hunger is in my head then no substitute will replace the real thing. After having a healthy alternative and I still am not satisfied then I know it is in my head and I use distraction. I do stained glass and always have a project in the works or I'll go for a walk. I think it is important to face that head on, challenge it and win. Nutritional hunger should be satisfied after having a good snack. At first this is stinkin hard to do. It gets easier as new, good habits are formed. Good luck!

Great pics!! Congratulations!

May 12th - 181.3 I think I hit another stall. Things are moving slow. Sorry I forgot to post last Friday. Stepped up the workouts this week to try to break out of the 180s!

I'm a wine maker with a small home setup. I love wine and plan on adjusting my recipes to lower the alcohol content. I will still have to calculate caloric intake but the idea of giving up my craft makes me sad. My doc saw no reason I should. I don't drink everyday but love to open a bottle with friends on weekends occasionally. I'm 3 months out and have not had any alcohol yet. For some reason I have this uneducated time of 6 months. I am allergic to the sulfides in store bought wine so home made is my only option. I kinda feel better about drinking my home made wine because I use wild Alaska berries. One can justify just about anything;-).

I called them spasms more than stabbing. I agree that cold things made it way worse. I had lukewarm everything for about 2 weeks after surgery. They eventually went away. If any symptoms comes with fever call your doctor immediately. Lots of irritating symptoms will come and go over the next weeks. Just doing a quick search here helped me because I found that I've not experienced anything really new.

I did the whole chewable vitamin thing after surgery. After they ran out, instead of buying more I took the ones I received from my NUT. They went down fine. Now I take two omega 3s, one big multi, one collagen, two biotin and one sublingual b-12 in the am about an hour after breakfast. No problems at all. Like food I think it will depend on your personal tolerance level. Mine is apparently pretty good.

It's tough to get protein in as a non meat eater. I love miso soup made with a homemade beef broth. Miso has tofu. You can buy a firm high protein tofu but I caution against too much soy. Also, u you may have to eat more to get it. 1 cup of broccoli has 3G of protein. Maybe make a yummy beef broth broccoli soup with tofu. Don't forget eggs! Yum! Greek yogurt is higher in protein. I have used it to replace sour cream, mayo in home made salad dressing. Add some stevia and fruit with crushed almonds...omg that is super yummy. You'll have to be creative to get protein without meat. But people do it all the time. Google is my go to for recipes and ideas. We're all learning:-). Good luck

I hear ya about the clothes. I finally went to the Goodwill and got a few things to get me by until goal. They have some really good clothes and name brands even. Spent $35 and walked out with an armload of clothes that fit. Size 14!!! Can you believe it!! Boy did it make a difference. I look damn good compared to all the baggies I was wearing. Eventually I will start buying quality pieces to fill my wardrobe but the Goodwill works for now.

I don't remember being depressed but I do remember horrible feelings of regret. I was envious of other being able to eat what they wanted. It helped me to remember that nobody told me what to eat and what not to eat. I pursued WLS, I made the decision to do it, I restricted myself from eating whatever I want and I am the only one that can pull myself out of the funk I was in. When I accepted responsibility for my current situation I didn't feel slighted, or blaming of others around me. It really did help. We do this for ourselves and to make a better life for us and our families who love us. Makes restriction easier to follow. Belching! Ugh! It helps to eat slower and learn when to not take that last bite that pushes you over the edge of full. I still haven't perfected it but I am getting better. Take care

Aw...I think you look perfectly healthy. Don't give these naysayers too much power over you. Hear their words through a filter. Your filter can change. Are they jealous, insecure, concerned, stupid... soon their words will bring feelings of pity instead of hurt. And as one poster said...they can pound sand! You should be proud of your hard work.

Cruise!? I'm so jealous:-). You can do this. Keep posting and reading others' posts. It really helps me stay motivated.

It is hard. You have to want to be healthy more than you want fast food. I know you've heard that WLS is just a tool to help you lose weight. You've made a decision to alter your body for the rest of your life for better health. This is the time to use the tool your surgeon gave you and fight against cravings and head hunger. It's hard to do at your stage. He'll, its hard at my stage but it gets easier every day. Now I can turn away from junk because I want this. Yesterday I had a non-scale victory (nsv). A friend called me because she was broke down on the side of the road. I went to help her out. She gets in the car and says she was on her lunch hour and asked if I'd take her to McDonalds to get something. I took her to McDs drive thru, ordered her lunch and only had a fleeting thought about getting something but it passed quickly and I didn't get a single thing. My craving for that crap is gone! I was super thankful. There was a time I couldn't drive past fast food without stopping. Point is: fight your cravings and it will get easier to resist. Good luck!

Absolutely! You can have meats as soon as it is cleared on your plan to resume a regular diet. I enjoy chicken, ground beef, and pork makes me really happy:-) I love diced ham in my eggs in the morning. Just remember so early on that you should only try one new thing at a time as you introduce new foods so you can pinpoint the problem stuff. Example: I just tasted kimchi over fried potatoes at a restaurant and just got sick. Thankfully my tummy didn't rebel in the restaurant but on the ride home. I was sure it was the kimchi but learned a couple days later after nipping a potato off my son's plate that it was not the kimchi. Tried kimchi one more time and all was well. My son said he would have put his money on the kimchi:-o Enjoy!

At only 6 weeks out what you eat should still be timed and measured. It is way too early for you to be eating "freestyle". There is so much learning to do still. I plan to time and measure my meals forever as I am one of those "lucky ones" who has no hunger. In spite of your freestyle ways you have lost 35 pounds in only 6 weeks! That is phenomenal and you should celebrate. Sounds like you get to be one of those fast losers. I'm down 39 pounds in 3 months...and I celebrate that every, freakin' day! Congratulations and good luck.

You will be able to eat most things eventually. There will be foods you just can't tolerate. I am thankful that I just can't tolerate potatoes. They make my stomach roll. I loved potatoes in all their glorious fried, baked and mashed forms. I have given up my love for potatoes because my body says "Absolutely not!" There is no reason for me to need a potato now because they are loaded with carbs and just something I should avoid. I have not tried a full, blown steak yet. Just haven't gone there. I think eventually I will but I will definitely cut it into small pieces and chew the heck out of it before I swallow. That's what we should be doing anyway. Honestly, one of my struggles with my WLS decision was taking a body that could tolerate any and all foods and turning it into a sensitive little ninny. Well, that kinda happened but it is all worth it for the good health that I am enjoying today. Something to consider. Have a great weekend.

It comes, it goes, it comes, it goes:-) Totally normal. Surprised your Dr didn't discuss the effect WLS has on your hormones. It is key to changing your weight set point. All those hormones are a good thing right now. I'm still waiting for mine to level but since I am only 3 months out it will be a while. Take advantage of this time to lose as much weight as you can by sticking to the plan and exercising. Good luck

181.3 today. Slow and steady!!! Have a great weekend!

Congratulations!

Congratulations! Not long before you'll be a big loser like us:-)

Great job! You are ready!

Congratulations on victories!!! You do look amazing! Thank you for sharing with us your success. I just love to see these.

Every Dr is different. Understanding why you have to be on liquids helps to cope, I think. You will tolerate surgery better by purging the poisonous foods we all ate pre op. You fatty liver will heal, lipids in your blood will flush, you will lose some weight. All these things will make surgery and recovery easier for you. Hang in there. It is hard. After surgery it is also hard but in a very different way.