Lisa XO

A variation of the ranch with yogurt is you can put ranch and cottage cheese in a blender, thin with milk until you like the consistency.

I would try substituting the vinegar for fresh lemon or lime juice in recipes. You might have to adjust the recipe a bit, so taste until you like it.

I'm not 100% sure but I think my son has metal allergies. He had a medical device implanted years ago that had to eventually be removed before his body would heal. It was not ever confirmed by the doctor but I think he was afraid of being sued. (they started giving him the fancy hospital suites for free after his second dehiscence. he had a total of four b4 they removed the device.) So, yes, it happens. This probably doesn't help your anxiety and I'm sorry for that. You should make it very clear to your doctor that you have these allergies, period.

I've heard it does for most people. I hope mine never comes back. lol

I dropped below my insurance requirements during pre-op and it was not an issue. Like @catwoman7 said, it is your starting weight at the onset of the program that most insurances use. If you have questions, I am sure that someone at your insurance company knows the answer (although you may have to go through 100 people and 7 hours to find that person. lol) And to answer your question, I lost 8% of my starting weight in pre-op.

I think the hardest "diet" part of this whole experience was the first several days of my preop diet (I was full liquids for 1 week and then clear fluids for 1 week). It was hard psychologically because, like you, I was thinking too much about what I was missing. My surgery was right during the holidays so I was extra in my head about "treats". There was also the emotion of "this is really happening" and it was a little scary for me. Physically, my first few preop diet days were punctuated by headache and anger (hangry). After that, I got used to it and the rest was mostly smooth sailing. My advice is to take it day by day, hour by hour, or minute by minute, if you have to. Know that it does get better and that after surgery, you most likely will not want the things you are thinking you will miss, at least for a while. Do be prepared for the weirdness of not being hungry, ever, after surgery. One of the strangest things I've ever experienced. So, take the pre-op time to establish a better eating schedule that follows your post op plan, if you can. I am still trying to get this part down 3.5 months post surgery. I know you will do well! You are here asking questions, and participating. This shows me that that you want to do well and will do what it takes!

Sounds like you are doing everything right. My husband is a thin man. He has tried to gain muscle but his body will only gain so much, which he thinks is too small. I think he is perfect. If you are in a position to get a personal trainer, that might help you be better able to reach specific goals. Otherwise, I think you are doing a good job.

I also love the international grocery store, @Starwarsandcupcakes! I could probably spend all day in there. I don't get to go very often anymore. I first started going with my granny as a young kid. Good memories.

This looks very good. How do you prepare the egg?

Glad you are doing well and feeling great! I'm jealous you kept your boobage. Mine seem to be deflating at a record pace. I'm only 3.5 months out and I think 20% of my total weight loss is hair and boobs. lol

I have to have my foods with some kind of sauce in order for them to go down well. I would try adding sauces to make things more moist. This might help some. That being said, it did take me longer than my plan dictated to move from one texture food to another, so I agree with Sigh that you could also go back a stage for another few days/week to see if that helps your progress. Edit to add: my favorite sauce is a pan gravy where I use a broth or stock to deglaze and just pour that over what I eat.

I am a little over 3 months post-op. I have lost close to 60 pounds now. I would like to lose another 20 pounds, and am on track to do that. I sometimes worry that I will lose too much but I know I'm just being ridiculous. 😂 I feel good even though I am still having issues meeting protein and fluid goals. I think I am going to go back to having protein soups for lunch to help with that. I've been trying to up my calories but having a hard time going much over 600-700 a day. I have tried all kinds of meat and veggies at this point and have only had issues with some chicken thighs one time, when I ate too much, too fast and got the foamies. All of my rings, shoes, and clothes are too big. It is expensive to lose weight. Today, I had someone not recognize me, which was wild.

You will do it! Stalls are so frustrating.

Unfortunately, after surgery, coffee now tastes like poison to me. 😢However, when I was in pre-op, I enjoyed light caramel frap. My doc allows coffee and I would have tried it after surgery. It uses sugar free syrup and low fat milk. I am sure you could switch up the milk to soy if your plan doesn't allow dairy (mine does, any kind that is sugar free). 100 calories for the tall size. If I were to attempt this after surgery, it would have been about 1/4 of my daily calories so I would have waited until maintenance since eating any amount of calories is difficult enough as it is.

Unjury sells sample packs. Their selection varies with time but they usually have some good ones. In case you are wondering, I have tried the Moonbeam Mist and it is okay, which is high praise from someone who hates protein drinks. 😎 https://unjury.com/protein/protein-powder.html

Earplugs

Today is tomorrow. Hope you are doing well! Check in when you can.

Last night I got the foamies and was absolutely miserable for many hours. My body tried to vomit a few times and couldn't. I finally threw up a bit of water this morning and feel better finally. I have only had water today. I am kind of afraid to eat, to be honest. I never want that to happen again! Any advice for helping the foamies pass faster other than throwing up?

Have you tried those different flavor tuna pouches? I get them at almost any grocery store. I like the lemon pepper the most, probably.

I am pretty much in the same boat as you. So, no help here but commiseration. I find it very difficult to break 600 calories and I am three months out. Met with my nutritionist last week and the only advice she really had was "you have to eat more protein". I don't know if anyone other than wls patients understand how hard that can be.

Did you get the skin removal surgery? Congrats on the size 16 being too big!

It is wild, isn't it, how much less painful it is for most people? I know some go through a lot of pain but most do not. I was actually pretty surprised. I don't think I really believed the people who told me the same. 😄

I've heard Orgain is good. My advice to find a place where you can purchase singles until you can figure out what you like. And don't count on liking the same things after surgery. I'm sitting on a case of shakes I think taste gross now. lol

That is huge! omg I wish we had Moe's in my town. I've only heard great things about them. I've only tried a kids meal from Chick-fil-a and it lasted me a few days. It was grilled nuggets, fruit cup, diet lemonade, and an ice cream cup that I gave to my actual kid. Hit the spot, at the time. Still learning how much I can eat.

I can't tolerate whey or any other kind of milk protein, and I discovered this in pre-op. Try switching to a different protein source like soy protein, pea protein, etc.