Starwarsandcupcakes

@sillykitty, I just checked my local Aldi ad and both the grapes and cherry tomatoes (organic) I bought were cheaper at the stores I go them at. The peppers would’ve been cheaper but only by a penny. Every once in a while I also find great produce deals on Amazon Fresh. I wish prices weren’t so variable when it came to meat/dairy/produce across the US. On that Aldi note though, if I ever visit the UK I’m shopping at Tesco because they price match Aldi prices in their stores.

Honestly I’m the same. That or soup!

Speaking of grocery shopping- This week sales were items I usually buy a lot of so I spent $138US instead of my ideal budget of $110. I saved $144US with sales, multiple pickup order promos (4 pickup orders saved me an extra $20!), and coupons. The chef boyardee is purely for when kids need fed and I have low functioning days. Oh, the meal plan for this week (which I dated for tomorrow 🤦‍♀️) And my kids have already eaten 1/2 a container of grapes, 4 apples and a mandarin orange. 😒

Man, am I ever jealous of some of your food prices. $.25 cucumbers and $1/lb jalapeños?! Cheapest cucumbers around here are $.69 and jalapeños are $1.50/lb minimum. $.25 cucumbers would save me almost $5 a week! (We eat A LOT of cucumbers around here.) I know for me it’s more economical to shop and make meals at home. With 4 kids, 2 of them teenagers, eating out is expensive and not as nutritious most of the time. Sure, my kids still eat junk food but when an average McDonald’s kids meal is $3.50, it adds up quick.

My dad always use to tell me history quotes growing up. The one that comes to mind for this is “Failing to plan is a plan to fail.” Personally, when I don’t have structured meal plans I go off the walls and end up just eating junk or protein bars and shakes all day (more junk).

Did my weekly shopping- this time for the entire family. Came to $89US (not pictured is 2 12oz s of Gatorade zero and the 2 hidden boxes of cereal behind the first 2) after rebates. I practice buy ahead method for groceries. Also, the meal plan for the week along with tonight’s dinner (I ate it all.)

Also, hi fellow ADHDer! I drink an insane amount of coffee/caffeine daily, although, I’ve cut down recently because it was making me sleepy instead of helping me focus. Also, which kind of cup are we taking? The right or left because the left is actually about 2.5 standard cups of coffee. I drink one (or 2 if I’m working) of those a day about half filled with coffee and then the rest is a protein shake.

I second this! Ones I’ve found work great are premier protein, equate (Walmart brand), muscle milk zero (NOT the regular ones!), Atkins brand, and quest. I find the plant based ones in coffee tend to be kind of gritty and some other brands (I’m looking at you regular muscle milk!) actually clump when poured in hot coffee.

Ones I’ve tried and liked- GNC lean bars Atkins bars (but be careful with the sugar alcohols), Bariatricpal bars (specifically the mint chocolate one), Protein One bars as they’re 90-100 calories and 10g of protein (can find at grocery stores near the other protein/granola bars), nature valley protein bars (these do have 6-8g of sugar but also provide fiber (usually from nuts/peanuts) and 10g of protein for around 180-200 calories depending on variety) l. I mostly buy these for my kids but I also eat them on occasion. Ones that are meh- pure protein bars, zone bars (too much sugar and weird texture), quest bars (the crunchy ones are good though!), power crunch (they have a kind of waxy outer coating to me).

Sub and build your own salad night! My plate is the one in the bottom left it was A LOT of tortilla and that whole wrap was a whopping 660 calories! I obviously ate less than half because, tortilla.

I believe it’s an additional 4 on top of the required 6.

Dinner last night and tonight. Last night- chili cheese veggie dog sans bun (kids had theirs) and rainbow produce Tonight’s dinner- roasted chicken thigh, plain rice, and creamed spinach

Guys- Valtrex is a RX medicine in the US used to treat shingles along with chickenpox and herpes outbreaks. And shingles can happen more than once, along with chickenpox. That being said, I personally would reschedule surgery. It’s a major surgery and your body is already working hard to fight an infection. The last thing you want is to stress your body more with surgical inflammation and pain. And shingles is contagious until all pustules have scabbed over so you’d be putting others as risk during your travel and surgery.

The OSU program is great and they know their stuff. If they suggest that you do RD visits before pursuing their WLS program, then I’d follow their advice. Also, take the time to seek out therapy for any disordered eating habits you might have. The OSU team should be able to direct you towards someone.

When I had my sleeve I was struggling with fluids but when it was revised to RNY because of gerd I was able to drink shakes and broth and water and pretty much any fluid pretty easily. I remember being in the hospital the day after surgery and being able to drink 8oz of crystal light no problem while having a conversation with my surgeon at the same time. He wasn’t worried so neither was I. Fast forward to purées and soft foods and I felt full much sooner. Depending on your surgery, how much swelling and inflammation you have, things may be easier or harder at each stage. If you’re still concerned, talk with your surgeon and they’ll be able to reassure you.

This is my 3rd or 4th 2lb tub of the chocolate truffle nectar after a friend who had WLS in like 2010 recommended it as that’s what her office said to use. I definitely prefer the nectars over the matrix ones as those have weird bits in them. The nectars mix great in water by themselves and don’t have that weird protein taste to them. You can get a sampler pack of the nectars to try them but my favorites have been the chocolate truffle, the roadside lemonade (SO good as a frozen lemonade!), and the unflavored to mix into baked goods. So, yes, I like them.

If you have a Kroger or affiliate check there. I can get it on sale there for $2-$3, which when I need a vegan dessert is worth it.

I don’t drink alcohol (family history of addiction is too high for me to consider it). That being said I would be careful because alcohol can become a transfer addiction in some after WLS, especially if they’re predisposed to addictive traits (ie. binge eating or disordered eating habits). If you do decide to imbibe, do so carefully. I was never off limits as far as carbonation is concerned. My surgeon office said that it’s a personal choice and some find it very uncomfortable afterwards. However I do realize it’s different practice for different surgeons.

Ok so according to this I’ve currently lost roughly 79.44% of excesses weight. The IBW for me is 136lbs. My ABW from my highest weight is around 155lbs. At my lowest weight I was 153lbs and I’m now around 180 depending on the day. Here’s a picture of me at my lowest weight (left) and now (right) in the same size scrubs. I have a TON of excess skin (plastics said it’ll take 2 separate surgeries to get it all) but I feel happier and healthier now than I did at my lowest weight.

Chocolate almond smoothie for breakfast! Weirdly tastes like a Wendy’s frosty. A little higher in calories but you could save about 150 calories (and add 5g protein) if you switched to peanut butter powder and left out the heavy cream. Just remember you also need a cup of ice for either one. Im also including the amounts for the one with peanut butter powder (the last picture) in case you’re feeling fancy and want to make it. *Currently halfway through and I’ll have to drink the rest later as it’s oddly filling.

Kids had burgers with artisan buns (I’m just a touch jealous) but I had this salad so who’s really winning? 😂 I didn’t eat it all but saved the rest for later.

I’m gonna say this was probably a hiatal hernia based on my own personal experience. I had an intense sharp pain by my sternum that hurt so bad I called my cardiologist! He sent me to the ER. They told me it was palpitations and to see my cardiologist in the morning. I KNEW it wasn’t palpitations because those were completely different from what I was feeling. I brought it up at my next surgeon visit and he sent me for a barium swallow… and then another when I told him the first radiologist didn’t do enough imaging. The below image was the result- a hiatal hernia of almost my entire sleeve. The result from delayed care was esophagitis, constant heartburn(gerd), and hiccups from waking to sleeping. I ended up getting a revision to RNY and a second (had one with sleeve) hiatal hernia repair along with it. Hopefully yours isn’t as bad and they’ve caught it in time to make repair easier.

If it wasn’t for my cardiac clearance I’d have never known about genetic heart defects I have. I was still approved for WLS. The clearance is more of a way to manage things so there aren’t any surprises during surgery and to make it as safe as possible. I don’t think that a history of afib or the occasional PVC will keep you from having surgery, but I’m not your surgeon and it’s just my personal experience. Good luck!

I was impressed when I used that brownie mix back in June for my brother’s wedding as he asked me to make a vegan dessert for those abstaining from dairy or eggs.

Random food the last week(?) or so. All keto. The mini bagels also happen to be vegan! Cough @GreenTealael cough. Also, I didn’t get that job I interviewed for but I wasn’t willing to take a pay cut either so. Their loss.