macadamia

Ignorance is bliss, eh... (-:

I had no idea about this, thank you. Ok, so then really, the only thing that was an "issue" was the sugars in the yogurt? I'll have to ask my nutritionist tomorrow when I see her about how she wants me to track fruits. I've been just looking at the grams of sugars, not the ingredients.

Do you do anything special for your egg bites? I'm thinking that I'll just make scrambled eggs and put what I would put in the pan with them into the raw eggs and use a hand blender to mix everything together, then pour them into the molds. How long are you cooking yours? Have you had any issues with the silicone smell or taste? (some reviews said this was an issue)

it was...

Thank you and I will! I think I may even cut back the strawberries to 50g. It was quite a bit to finish.

and now it's gone...

1) Buy a BMW motorcycle and not have to immediately have the suspension replaced with one for my weight (I've owned three BMWs and had to do it on all three). 2) If I get all the way to my goal of 200 pounds (or lighter), I'm buying a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S convertible! 3) Start camping again, and possibly motorcycle camping again. 4) Take a motorcycle tour of the Alps in Europe. 5) I would love to fall in love again; have a companion to do things with. 6) Go hiking again in Arches National Park. 7) Replace my entire wardrobe. 8) Learn to fly an airplane. 9) Go to graduate school and earn my MS and my PhD. 10) Have professional photos / headshots taken.

Congrats on your journey so far! Keep up the great work! I own an Instant Pot that I bought about two years ago. It was great at the time for making soups, chilis, and other one-pot meals. Then it broke (outside of the warranty period)... so it has been sitting on my counter since. After I started my journey, I thought to myself that I need to replace it. I was eying the small one like you bought, but I could not budget it into my finances. Then on prime day, the 6-quart model went on sale for just less than $59. I decided that it was better to get one for less money than one that held less. It should be here Friday. I also bought some of those silicone molds for making small egg dishes in the Instant Pot.

I actually found and watched this video, showing an entire procedure as well as a hiatal hernia repair. He narrates the whole thing and it was pretty interesting... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7lsUPsoUzY

If you do a google search and look at images, you will see some surgery photos. I do not think they are nasty, but some might. I've seen photos of what they have removed being held up by one of the surgical nurses. It's quite dramatic. I've not specifically searched for it, but I bet there are even entire surgical procedure videos (actual, not just animated). Sometimes they will narrate what is going on and those are the ones that are most helpful for me. I've also found that both of the bariatric surgeons that I have seen are more than willing to answer questions during the appointments. Some doctors are in and out so fast that I cannot even remember what I wanted to ask. The surgeon that will be doing my surgery (Dr. Eric Volckmann) took over 45 minutes with me and answered many questions - to the point that he has referred me to an additional surgeon to address the other abdominal issues that are lingering from my past abdominal surgeries. I did not feel that he was hurrying to get through the appointment. So, ask away when you meet with your team.

I'm sure you already know this... My doctor said my pouch will be about the same volume as a large egg after the procedure. Right now, he said, it is about the size of a nerf football. The amount of food that can fit inside a nerf football is immense, compared to an egg (duh, obviously). That being said, he also said that my brain at first will not know the difference. That is why the strict pre-op diet phase - to retrain my eating habits; to learn that I can survive on less food each time I eat. There was a huge learning curve for me when I started this. I have tried many diets in the past, but never really took them seriously. In the back of my mind, I never really thought I would succeed. This time is different - I know I will succeed! Create the plan. Learn the plan. Know the plan. Follow the plan. LIve the plan.

So cheat wisely... well said... (-:

You are most welcome! As awesome as it would be for the world to adjust to us (me), it's not going to happen. I am in charge of my journey. You'll do great and you will succeed! If I did not think so, I would have never responded.

I had to google what a malasada was LOL 😂 Well, crap... now I have to google it too since you did not say what it was...

That was my BEFORE in the army jacket. Quite the transformation! Nice job!

^^^ this! While you may get away with it, as my doctor says, it is a slippery slope. It does not take much to revert back to the old ways, especially if you are like me and use food as a coping mechanism.

I had not seen that post where someone cheated on their pre-op diet and was canceled. Wow... You say that you are already three months into your journey. That's great! Keep it up. The hold you need on your eating habits needs to come from you. You cannot hope that everyone around you will do what you need to do for you. It's your body, your weight loss. YOU must make it happen for you. It would be nice if everyone around me at work would quit bringing in donuts and muffins every day, or the cafeteria had a bariatric-friendly menu, but those things are not going to happen for me. I am accountable for my journey as well as you are for yours. If they continue to do what you are describing, do not let it be an excuse to fail. You can do this! You know this in your heart-of-hearts. You would not have started if you really did not want to do this. We're all here to listen... and if you need to, you can private message me too...

and thank you for sharing the link... BTW, where I work, the land the Idaho National Laboratory is located on is roughly 85% the size of the state of Rhode Island. Until I saw this statistic, I did not realize how large INL is and how small RI is.

I started with a surgeon in Blackfoot Idaho but she could not help me due to my previous, non-WLS abdominal surgeries, so she referred me to U of Utah.

I was joking... I have not had the chance to visit Rhode Island yet. I did live in upstate New York for about 10 months in 1986 & 1987 when I was in the Navy. I loved to ride my motorcycle to visit my friend in Brandon, VT. That winter was very snowy - I lived in Ballston Spa, NY.

If you stick with it and follow the team's orders, you should do fine. And with this forum, you have a great extended support system. I see you are from Utah. I'm having my surgery at U of Utah; my doctor is Dr. Volckmann. How about yours?

a great NSV!

I had a Fitbit that you hang on your clothing. It measures steps by impacts (counts the number of times your feet hit the ground when walking), not by GPS. I wore it on a motorcycle ride from Ammon ID (just east of Idaho Falls in eastern ID) to Boise, ID (western ID); almost 300 miles one-way. It was hanging, as always, from my undershirt in the middle. When I got to Boise, it said I had walked over 48k steps (yes, 48 thousand). It turns out that it was being set off by the vibration of the motorcycle. I never thought my BMW vibrated that much, definitely nowhere near as shaky as a Harley. That was the last time I used it. Back in March, when I first started this WLS journey with the first surgeon (I'm on #2), I knew I would need something to track my activity. I bought an Apple Watch and received it March 22, 2018. I've worn it every day since. I'm very happy with my purchase.

I think you should make a youtube video...

The biggest thing I can suggest is to be absolutely honest when answering their questions. These people are here to help you, not to pass judgment. They may not like what you are eating (my nutritionist had issues with a few things on my menu prior to starting), but if you are honest and follow what they say to do, you should be successful. I started my pre-pre-op diet on June 29th. With very few exceptions, I have followed the plan so far and have lost 17.8 pounds as of Friday, July 13, 2018. Good luck!