FluffyChix

Congrats on your evolution!

Yes. I was 287 when I started my journey. I mimicked what it would be like post surgery to lose down to 256lbs on the first day of my surgical 6mo. program. It was very hard. But do-able. But when I started the program, the doc made me go back to eating 1500cals cuz she didn't want me to mess up my metabolism and lose my post-surgical advantage. But non-surgical peeps, don't get the advantage of the metabolic reset, nor do they have a cessation of the grhelin and other appetite hormones that we get. We also seem to have a better metabolic protection from slow-down than normies...

OMG! ((hugs)) Feel better soon!

I'd like to introduce you to my leetle frien's! I've been making these tasty crunchy protein packed crackers for 20 years and over time I forget about 'em. Then I remember them. And I fall in love all over again. This is about as processed as it gets--today I'm choosing to believe in "better living through chemistry". But that's a moving target with me... The crackers are nothing more or less than 2% Deli Deluxe Cheese (either Kraft or your store brand, but it really needs to be 2% so it puffs more) cooked on parchment paper (not waxed paper) in the microwave in 15-25 second intervals. Open the door between each interval and check them for doneness. They are done with they start to brown and hold their puffed shape. They will crisp more as they cool. Nuke the whole thing for a crunchy bread-size cracker. Fold into 4 pieces for saltine size crackers. Or fold into 16 tiny squares for cheeze it sized crackers. I fill them with PB2 (Vitacost brand) reconstituted peanut butter. I just had 2 sandwiches of the tiny crackers with a teaspoon of the low fat peanut butter and I'm satisfied. Mr. F. is gonna be 2 more hours and I am starving! Lemme know what you think! These are awesome with egg salad, tuna/chicken/salmon salad or with meats or even hummus. For the entire cracker (19g raw): For 1 saltine sized cracker (4.75g raw): For 2 cheezitz size crackers (2.375g) For 1 cheezitz size cracker:

Just a thought, but unless you are a super athlete, at 5'2" you don't need 97g of protein. I'd bring fats up and protein down and if needed, then add more carbs (complex, low gi). That might reduce your volume while it increases calories? Just thinking out loud.

You can freeze premier protein drinks to make ice cream. The World According to Eggface has recipes. I just didn't do "Scooby Snacks". I didn't want to reinforce the habit that was highly responsible for getting me to the Obesity Ball in the first place. To me that's the definition of insanity. So I never "planned" for snacks. But still--I'm human. Snacks DO happen. So when they did I tried to make them protein only, less than 100cals, > or = 10g protein...and rather than call it snacking or grazing, I tried to keep them as mini meals. Six mini meals a day on a schedule and no snacking in between. My mini meals were like @AZhiker's minimeals: Hard Boiled Egg Deviled Egg Turkey Frigo Light Cheese Rollup or a Boar's Head Lacy Swiss and Turkey rollup String cheese Greek yogurt with PB2 powder in it and Walden Farm Syrup Cottage Cheese with a tbsp of applesauce (or now, berries) Protein Drink Tuna Pouches Tuna Salad (made with cottage cheese and hard boiled egg and Greek yogurt and Dijon and dill relish)--also good with canned chicken and salmon. Egg Salad (made the same way as the tuna salad without the dill relish). I tried really hard not to feed the sweet tooth or the inner carb monster with sweet treats or crunchy snacks. But I would use Kraft 2% Deli Deluxe slices and would make cheese crackers to eat the tuna salad and egg salad. Later on down the road when you can have raw veggies, radish and cucumbers are great "crackers".

Blue agave syrup is THE WORST. LOL. It's a liver bomb, and more dense high fructose content than either honey or karo syrup. But you know...it's "natural" so it must be healthy. 😕

Thanks hon! Yes, it did help!! I might screw my courage up to try a filet or even half of one! I do miss the occasional fried fish or shrimp or small piece of fried chicken or a chicken wing...etc. Once a year would probably do it for me. It's thankfully not one of my triggers (yeah, I'm talking to you pasta!) hahaha Glad you don't get ill feeling from it! It totes sucks about the carbs and 10g/meal limit on it. But yeah, I get it. For me it depends on where I get those 10g from. From a salad or veg? I'm probably ok. 10g from carrot cake would send me to the morgue. You know? Or make me wish I could go there. Remind me...do you have your gallbladder? TY!!!

People lose their regain without more surgery! It IS definitely possible!!! You can do this!!! Especially since re-surgeries don't always have as much success from a weight regain as the original virgin surgery. And weight loss they say is slower for re-surgeries. Don't know if any of that is true or not, but I've seen MANY MANY MANY vets successful lose the regain by going back to their old low carb forever diet they followed right out of surgery and getting active again and planning, weighing/measuring/reporting-logging every bite that goes in their mouth. It's quite inspiring. I wish you well and will be cheering for you. Maybe it's even possible with weight loss, the GERD will calm down.

Yikes! Yeah, it's a powerful object lesson, isn't it? Ouchy!!

YES!!!! Sooooo much this!!! ^^^^^ (Also look at "all things cauliflower" and 99% of them are packed with processed crap and high glycemic starches, flours etc that make them higher glycemic than table sugar or regular flour/white bread! LOL! Delicious? Yes. Healthy? Healthy my Aunt Fanny! Talk about downright deception and cognitive dissonance! Right? 😕

I know, right? So weird. My doc did too. I'm on 40mg/day. Good luck hon! Sorry it's giving you a tough time cutting back!!

Earl Grey, English Breakfast Tea, Turmeric Tea, herb teas (all decaff) are great and so soothing!

Also, just FYI, the gastritis is a very very common finding in EGDs on bariatric pre-op patients. I'd maybe put that at around 80% or so? Maybe higher...but it's scary to read it. Right?

WTG! Sounds like a great plan! Be sure to contact them if your symptoms get worse!!! Make em document EVERY little thing. I've never ever ever heard of anyone being made to wait 6 months for a medically necessary revision. Especially one involving active GERD that could cause Barrett's or erosion or ulceration, etc...at any time. I'd be that darn squeaky wheel they want to move along in the process!!!! ((hugs))

Mine would have been licked clean of every speck. @GreenTealael Did you have any nausea after eating the fish filet? I struggle so with high fat meals, and I'm so chicken to try to eat a piece of fried fish. I can do oven-fried or air fried...but that looks delish! What was your experience mam?

Lucyyyyyy! You got some 'splainin' to do! Sorry things are not going "right"? Whaaaaaaassssssuuuuuuppppp?

Yes. You might be having GERD. But it may also be "normal" for you for this stage. You've just had surgery. And your tum is very sensitive. Sometimes at night our tummies get clocked (gooped) up with mucus from drainage during the night. And it get's "stuck". Many have food aversion or foamies till that mucus clears. My RD told me if that happens to drink cups of warm fluid until it clears out. Try some decaf herbal tea or even just warm water since coffee is still too acidic for you. And see if that helps. If it doesn't, then that's a surgeon's phone call. Many to this day only drink coffee with a protein shake in the mornings.

Wooohoooooo!!!!!! Congrats girlie!!!! You're covered by our prayers (and those of Ricky Bobby). Don't be askeered. Be excited! ((hugs))

A cheesy SIDEBOOB taco! Bahahahahaahaha!!! I'm so proud of you! What a trouper! You're a super trouper!!!! (I'm not worthy...I'd be milkin' the system...uhn uhn, I need, I need. I want. I want...Can you peel me a grape please???? )

Only my opinion, cuz they may work for some. But I call those candy. And during my WLM, I didn't indulge in stuff like that cuz I wanted to be sure that I would get to goal or as humanly close as I could. Those are dangerous delivery systems for sugar (honey) and grains (oats) and nutbutter (which I didn't eat a whole lot of cuz I wanted to keep calories low). My view was that I had all the scooby snacks I need strapped and trapped on my ass--I had no business eating more that would have to be burned for energy before my body would tap into its own "scooby snack" on my booty. The reason I have a problem with them beyond being potential triggers for some is that our goal (especially early out) when our restriction is maximum, is to eat calorically LITE while eating nutritionally dense. So if I'm gonna spend 70 of my calorie budget on something--I'd rather it be a hard boiled egg, or a turkey rollup, or a string cheese. Cuz it's a better bang for my protein and calorie buck. And with the candy, the calories will add up VERY VERY quickly for very little protein. Especially since they are so small! It worked to my advantage within 9 months. If I were at goal? And it wasn't a trigger for me, and helped me maintain, then I would go for it for sure! There "may" be a different set of realities in maintenance from losing phase.

I talked to my nutritionist. She has no problems with me fluctuating my protein up and down. She just doesn't want me to suppress it every day. I only need about 45-53g of protein per day to sustain my body at my new weight. So to eat 50-55g or protein one day and raise on other days is perfectly fine. The protein can come from "all sources"--meaning even protein in veggies count! She wants me to focus on getting protein from many sources. Yes, complete proteins are important, but that can come from milk, yogurt, eggs as well as things like quinao/beans/lentils/soy beans (which I got the go ahead to have a serving a day from whole sources (no isolates)) or things like hemp and chia seeds and I'm now allowed a bit of flax seed too. I had a pre-albumin test recently and my pre-albumin was 24. Think 20 is low. But the doc was fine with it being at 24. Some days I get 90g of protein (feast days), but other days I'm more like 50-ish. I usually on days where I do a 20/4 or a 22/2, will do 1 shake (25-30g protein) + 1 meal with 4-5oz of cooked protein (meat/fish/seafood--something very dense protein per ounce--trying for 7g protein/ounce of source (weight). So if I can get 24-30g of protein in a meal + the shake, I'm gold! And right before eating closes for the night, I might still be able to get in 4oz of kefir + 2-3oz protein drink (love strawberries and cream flavor or peaches and cream flavor mixed with low fat kefir). TRE=Time Restricted Eating Ok, maybe @Healthy_life2 will step in and help you with this. She runs marathons! And has a huge routine down that is very specific for her work out schedule. She's awesome sauce!!! Congrats on the triathlon next month!!! Wooooot!!!! I hear ya on the urgency stuff when you cut down via TRE (time restricted eating)--especially during a race! Wow! That would be unpleasant!!

Ugh! Ok my secret is to get the unflavored generic then squeeze in some water drops to each serving. My faves are sf tang and sf Hawaiian Punch.

Yay for pushing through and enjoying end of summer and on getting this super serious condition taken care of. So glad you don't have webbing!!!! Wooot!!! Heal quickly! ((hugs))