Orchids&Dragons

Absolutely. Thank God for TIVO.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

How many bites per batch, please?

Look good! Recipe, please!

How I eat now: Way more protein than I used to eat, and I eat it all day, not just at dinner. Fewer veggies than I'd like, there's just not room. Lots of yogurt. I still eat a lot of soups and stews.

People who haven't gone through this really have no concept of how difficult it is or of how complicated our relationship with food is. What he heard is that "You're not hungry because of the surgery." He doesn't understand how many "homey" foods are tied into our memories and emotions, of times shared with family and friends, of celebrations and sadness. Right now, you're probably mourning not being able to share these experiences in the "normal" way. It will get better when you're healed up. You will be able to share your favorite foods again and enjoy sharing the meal and building new memories. It just takes time and you need to give yourself both time and permission to work through it. At least, this is how it was for me. Hope it gets better for you soon.

There's really no way to compare. We're all different. You may heal faster than your sister or twice as slowly. Don't focus too much on the negative aspects posted. People complain when things aren't working, but seldom come back and repost when things are going great. You can't get a good read on the average experience from reading the forums. That said, it's a good place to research if you, yourself, hit a snag. Best of luck!

On special occasions, don't deny yourself a treat (or a carb) if you'd really enjoy it. Celebrate the day without thoughts of depriving yourself. In my experience, those feelings of deprivation come back to bite you later. Your quantities will still be limited and your calories lower than they would have been by far. Happy Anniversary!

Same for me, but I've had both sleeve and bypass.

OK, I'm dragging out the recipe day, but this was dinner tonight and it was fantastic! I made it with ground turkey instead of chicken. It didn't have that great caramel color, but it tasted great. Thai Cashew Chicken https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=124549&utm_campaign=recipe-of-the-day&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sparkpeople#ratings

For some reason, I'm thinking about luxury cars this morning. Why not rent an exotic car for the trip - one way. Then rent another really nice car for the drive back?

Where did you find jicama tortillas? I'm always up for a new wrapper!

Cigna requires a Center of Excellence, as well.

Definitely. But if you hold yourself to a "perfect" standard, you're bound to fail sometimes. We all need to practice getting back on the wagon after a misstep. I know I am prone to the "I already blew it for today, so what the hell" attitude. And then one day turns into the rest of the week, rest of the month, etc. That's what I love about these forums, we understand each other. Remember, alcoholics don't "need" alcohol, but we all need to eat.

Shark's just waiting to pounce, huh?

I was on soups for about 8 months. This was one of my go-to meals. I usually at 1/2 cup servings and I used ground chicken or turkey. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/white-bean-chicken-chili/

Everybody stumbles. It's what you do after that makes the difference. You threw out the leftovers - SCORE!

Welcome!

Congrats and welcome! Glad your recovery is going smoothly!

Thanks. My sister said great, now you need to eat more! Maybe I'll dump her and adopt you!

I'm normal!!! Who knew? (I only update my ticker on Saturdays)

I did 16:8 today, yeah! And in control! 869 cal, 65.5 protein, and 132 oz. liquid so far. I'm still 10g shy of where they want me on protein, but all nutrition from real foods, no supplements!

I went to a support group meeting last night where the speaker was a surgeon from a different practice than my doctor. His topic was success after WLS. His number one strategy was for wl patients to not eat more than 800-900 calories. He wasn't talking the weight-loss phase. He was quite clear that he meant FOREVER! He said if you were a HEAVY exerciser, you could maybe increase that by 200 calories on the days you worked out. Oh, yeah, for exercise do cardio, no weights. Muscle building has nothing to do with weight loss. I couldn't make this up! And this was his guidance for both male and female patients! All I could think of was "Thank heavens he's not my doctor!"

No, 'cause you eat 2 tablespoons of fettucine, pizza, etc!

Sorry if I came off rude, texting is a rather imprecise form of communication. I didn't think you were pushing for your macros to work universally, that's what the surgeon was doing. Everyone will have to work out maintenance based on their own metabolism. I just thought it was insane that the doctor didn't seem to take that into account. And, as you mentioned, I doubt too many people tell him the truth about what they eat.