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I was vegetarian for 3 years, and always made my own protein shakes with Orgain Organic Protein Powder. 2 scoops of Orgain Chocolate Protein Powder (150 cals, 21g protein, 5g fiber, 5g net carbs) 1Tbsp of PBFit Peanut Butter Powder (25 cals, 3g protein, 2g fiber, 2g net carbs) 2Tbsp Hemp Seeds (114 cals, 7g protein, 2g fiber, 0g net carbs) 1Tbsp ground Flax Seeds (37 cals, 1g protein, 2g fiber, 0g net carbs) 2 cups of Unsweetened Almond Milk (60 cals, 2g protein, 0g fiber, 2g net carbs) 1 medium frozen banana (105 cals, 1g protein, 3g fiber, 24g net carbs) 1 cup frozen spinach (45 cals, 6g protein, 4g fiber, 2g net carbs) Ice and water to desired consistency Macros: (536 cals, 41g protein, 18g fiber, 35g net carbs) This makes approximately 32-40 ounces depending on amount of ice and water added, so if you broke this up to 2 shakes, 268 cals, 20.5g protein, 9g fiber, 17.5g net carbs.

I know! I was a vegetarian for many years and used it then often but forgot all about it. It smells a little funky, but so does cheese... Also amazing stirred into sautéed spinach.

I dated a vegan, and had a vegetarian friend turned vegan, and all I can say is - that's some amazing willpower. I knew what a vegan was when I started dating that guy, but I had no clue how many foods contain some type of animal product - things you would never even think about until you have to. I could be one of those "vegetarians" who only eat white meat and fish. For that matter, let's leave the animals alone alltogether and just look toward our lactating women to provide the nation's milk supply. NOW where's the pukey smile... RIGHT HERE! :phone:

try going vegetarian and then u can feel good about eating healthy ... GoVeg.com // Features // Downed Cow

I hear ya. I dunno if I can follow what you are advocating because once you come back to real food (after a month or so) the temptations are enormous. I may not have the ghrelin to cause hunger, but I have the impetus to hurry up and eat so I can get to whatever. My life changed big time recently: retired, developed a fib, started working out with prsonal trainer since may. Am now 5 to 6 times bper week and just fired up the old proforma treadmill (10 yrs old and used maybe 5 times!). Yet I was tossing my Cookies before for eating turkey pastrami (low fat) and haven't been able to keep anything down all day since then. Its great to have determination and will but we're humans, too, and subject to frailities. I wish I had your confidence but at 66 I've been on almost every wl scheme and even kept off 128# loss over 5 years but still I came for vsg at 308#. And still I remember saying for each time I lost wt and bought new clothes tc: I worked too hard to get where I am. I'll never go back to that. And each time, I did. Yep, even vegetarian diets, south b*tch diet, wwatchers, fasting, Soup diet, tops, overeaters anonymous, pills, shakes, you name it. Each was a tool, too. No? I hope you retain your determination and will to succeed way past when the surgery will be a vague memory for you. I hope I do, too. I hope we all reach success and stay there. That'd be the 2012 miracle. I'm going to work with a shrink who has strategies for changing the mindset (lifestyle). I hope with that support I can achieve our shared goals. But hope is all we got!

my new favorite alternate source of protein is boiled peanuts. but, peanuts, lentils, Beans and other nuts are good sources of protein and are all a nice change in texture from what you have been eating. If you want more details on stuff like this you could search the internet for vegetarian or vegan recipes - there is a LOT you can do for protein without limiting yourself to meat sources.

Thx! I completely agree. He's not making me really. I spoke with him over the phone about it. My husband also made the same comment you did about surgeons not trained in nutrition. So we are going to discuss it with him again. He's a very nice and understanding doctor. I think he thinks that vegan and vegetarian are the same thing. I moved here, to KY 6 months ago and no one has understood the difference when I told them. There's barely any fruit and veg section in grocery stores. I guess that's the south. I know if I drink those shakes I will just be thinking of all the baby cows that died and the moms that were made to stay pregnant to produce milk. Thx again. Your post has given me courage to stand my ground.

A lot of people like Wendy's chili (I don't eat it bc I'm a vegetarian) or a side of refried beans from Taco Bell. You can also get salad with a side of black beans (Taco Bell, Chipotle). Better if you can plan ahead to avoid fast food but those are some good options.

Stir fried tofu can be an issue if the outside is very crisp. You'll do better with it if you cut it into smaller pieces. Sometimes it doesn't chew easily and can be difficult to cut up with a fork or chop sticks (usually the only flatware served with tofu dishes I have..in Asia, Vegetarian restaurants).

Ever since ive turned 50 . i cant eat like i used to i just dont want it.. For breakfast Ill eat tomatoes and banana peppers and some vegetarian bacon 2 slices and im good..before i would eat cereal bacon toast with jelly and butter drink big thing of juice..i cant even imagine eating like that again . just dont want to Sent from my LM-X220PM using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm so excited to read your posts!! I am a non-dairy vegetarian and have been worried about protein consumption post-surgery. Now I get most from beans, quinoa, rice, and veggies. I have been searching for Protein powders that fit the nutritional guidance given by my nutritionist and it's tricky. What can you share about isolates?

It is my personal belief that a higher carb diet consisting of carbs from foods like legumes, Beans, nuts, seeds, vegetables and wholegrains - in other words an ideal vegetarian diet - is MUCH healthier than a low carb diet consisting of a lot of animal products - particularly manufactured ones like cheese and deli meat or processed Protein shakes. a perfect low carb atkins style diet can be very healthy - where the Proteins are lean, low fat and lots of good fat from fish and avocados and nuts are consumed (too many carbs???) and mountains of fresh low carb vegetables are eaten to provide nutrients and fibre but in reality who eats like that banded?. Most of us could never hope to fit in the large quantities of produce an ideal diet like this requires. Truth is, most of our protein foods and animal products come packaged up with salt, trans fats, other additives that are terrible for us and cause major health problems, so to base your diet on those, and avoid healthy relatively unprocessed foods because of the carbs makes very little sense. However, nobody needs donuts and ice cream. Well, not often anyway, lol

Well I think right now I am eating 800-1000 calories a day. Right now I was just eating some cake (a craving I had to get out of my system!). I am a vegetarian sort of because I do eat fish. I dont tell myself there's anything I CANT have but there are a few things I MUST have. That way I dont feel deprived. I have a rule about getting at least 60 grams of Protein every day which since I dont eat meat I have t be careful of. I am very tight in the morning so a lot of times I have a Protein shake (Cosco Premier Protein, 160 cals and 30 gms protein). Sometimes greek yogurt but I get sick of both and just force myself since I have no appetite (I never did) in the morning. Then later when I do get hungry I might want to eat junk food and I might let myself have it (I can only eat about a 100 calorie size of potato chips for example...not nutritious but not too big of a deal). So after morning protein I may eat another five times that day...tiny meals means eating and being hungry more often but I think thats ok. So of those 5 'meals' I try to make sure two or three are protein like tuna salad or a Boca burger with cheese. I have a hard time sometimes with rice, Pasta bread but I can eat small amounts of them. I eat a lot of sushi but I really have to chew. I drink wine almost every evening because one glass seems to keep me from the after dinner TV snacking! I refuse to eat anything that had reduced calorie or fake sugar or whatever. I walk my fat dachshund maybe every other day but I dont work out or go to ga gym and I never will. I hate diets (they made me fatter) and I hate gyms (I'm naturally lazy). Ask me anything I am no model of perfection but I am very honest. I just want people to know that you can be successful without becoming a dieting gym rat...how long could I keep that up anyway???

@Onmyway301 Hi there! Yes, I’ve been working on whittling myself down about 100-150 calories every couple of days, so I can eventually sit back down between 1500-1800 calories daily. They told me to aim for 1500, but I figured I can slow go aim for it. I tried going 0 to 60 and ended up basically going on a food bender for a few days because the panic was too great. When I slowly ease back down I tend to do better. I’ve been logging my food every day for the last two weeks only skipping one day. I already have dinner calculated in today, and I still have about 350 calories I can play with (I might make an instant coffee, so that will cut it down a little bit more). My goal for today is to stick to as close to 2000 as I can, and get a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise (done, and I’d like to do more!). @qianmij Hi there! I do try to think of my kids often and what their parts play in the grand scheme of things. My kids are special needs, and are ages 2.5 and 4.5. I don’t want to leave them behind because I died of a preventable metabolic disorder. So I often do my Just Dance time with the kids around because they like to wiggle with me, and it’s so fun! I frequently remind myself that it isn’t just for me, it’s for my kids, and my husband as well. I basically need to be gentle with myself while also urging myself to cut the crap, so to speak. Haha @BigSue Food Funerals, that’s great. I told my husband I’d like to at least get one Mountain High Mudpie to share at Red Robin before this surgery happens. No way will we finish it, but still. It’s one of those things I know that I won’t be able to enjoy in moderation after the surgery because it’s HUGE. Like MASSIVE. Haha. It’s a family mission to take down this thing. But at the same time, I’m not sure I’m going to have true food funerals. I’ve read about people going on basically like a food bender before the surgery and the pre-op diet. Eating all of their favorite foods. I have a lot of favorite foods, but I believe I can likely still have most of them. Like a (vegetarian) hamburger sans bun. I’m cool with it. Or a taco, or a small burrito. I discovered a local pizza place will just throw toppings, sauce, and cheese in a bowl and bake it...and I thought hey now that’s smart. I can still get that “pizza” feel without the crust. And I can recreate it in a ramekin here at home. I love pizza, probably my favorite non-breakfast food item (I love breakfast like whoa). But I can happily give up the crust if that means living a longer and healthier life. I think just putting out my initial post on this topic helped shift me back into the right mindset, and hearing everyone’s positivity on the subject. Thank you all so much for your kindness. It really does mean a lot. I’ve been finding that part of my soul that loved to move and groove, and that’s helping a lot!

Why on earth would they tell you that? I would double check that they weren't kidding about the radiation. I mean, people who do chemo can usually be around kids after, so how much could they possibly radiate you with a chest xray? That being said, a part of me would say it would be easier to email but I also remember when I first joined how disappointed I was seeing nothing from any Jewish frum people on here so I consider this thread as a public service and will answer you here! I never heard of veggie caps so I wonder if those are Kosher. Keeping in mind that I am a vegetarian, here is what I generally eat now that I am fully in the band swing of things (without a fill yet - hopefully next week!) Breakfast - 1 Myoplex Protein Shake (14 fl oz) and a single serve Breakstone's cottage cheese lunch - We order in lunch every day at work, so either I get a scoop of egg salad, a vegetable Soup, a vegetable side dish, or some other very small portion of something that I can have. I find I can usually eat 1-2 cups of food for this meal and then I am truly full. dinner - Most of the time I end up having leftovers from Shabbos (I don't get bored easily, so I can have leftovers a few days and be happy) or a veggie burger, Protein shake, Chobani yogurt For Snacks I will have a 90 or 100 calorie pack of Fiber one brownie, pretzels, etc. There are so many to choose from! I also will snack on American or Cheddar cheese of that Smart Beat brand because they are only 25 calories a slice. I do stay away from fruit for the most part. If I have anything it is a small applesauce cup to keep it portion controlled. Since I have a feeling that I will have stuck issues with Pasta and rice (as many people do) I have just stayed away from them for the most part so I dont expect them to be a main part of my food (plus they are not the kind of calories we should have anyway!) If I want to treat myself, I do, but I don't overdo it. For Shabbos I make tofu or soy dishes in sauces (low cal bbq or tomato sauce), vegetable kugels (I make them light and make sure to portion what I eat), vegetable soup (usually it is pureed because I made a ton before the surgery in anticipation of my liquid diet so I have a ton in the freezer!), a potato or rice side dish (but I have greatly reduced the size that I make since my husband is on Atkins so he won't eat it anyway), egg salad or devilled eggs for seudat shlishit or as appetizer, and for dessert either sugar free Jello or sugar free pudding (I am always parve because I am a vegetarian so for me it is a dessert for all occasions!). I am sure there are other things but those have become my staples. I find if I surround myself with some good choices then when I have breakthrough hunger I will reach for something that is low cal, high protein and filling so that I am making a good choice no matter what!

Happy Easter! If you’re Jewish, Happy Passover! And if you do not Celebrate either of those, Happy Spring! Any day is a good day for celebration, and any day is a good day for weight loss. Read this newsletter, and you might get a better handle on both! Here is what you will find in this newsletter. Bariatric Friendly Foods for Easter and Passover Quick Tips for Spring Weight Loss Surgery Success Plan a Healthy Spring Break for Weight Loss Take a few minutes after you read the newsletter to thank yourself and your commitment to your health. Then we suggest appreciating your friends and family – after all, that is what holidays are about. Finally, we hope you will head over to the Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Bariatric Friendly Foods for Easter and Passover food is sure to be at the center if you are celebrating a holiday with friends or family. Your tasks are to avoid the bad ones, choose the good ones, and keep portions in check to stay on your diet. Easy peasy, right? Actually, it is possible if you are careful! Your Weight Loss Easter Basket You do not need to give up your Easter basket just because you are grown up, and you do not need to give it up just because you are losing weight. Try a few fun items in your basket that can help inspire you to keep losing weight. You could have chocolate Bars and Peanut Butter Protein Bars instead of regular sugar candy, coffee cake, cheesy potatoes, and sausage casserole. On the other hand, you can easily feel good on Easter Sunday with a few healthier options. Fiber. Breakfast casserole with eggs, vegetarian sausage, spinach, and low-fat cheddar cheese. Fresh fruit with cottage cheese. Monkey bread made with low-carb baking mix and a syrup based on vanilla pudding. Remember, eggs are your friend, so eat up in the name of Easter! Try: Deviled eggs made from hard-boiled egg white halves stuffed with a mixture of cooked crab or shrimp, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, and seasonings such as Dijon mustard, pepper, and diced chives. dinner Table Keep up the good work at dinner, whether you are enjoying a traditional Easter dinner or you are sitting down to a full Passover Seder. Here are a few tips to keep yourself on track. Focus on protein, whether brisket at a Seder or all-natural ham at Easter dinner. Bring or serve, and eat, something green: grilled asparagus, roasted Brussels sprouts, or steaed green Beans. Eat the Soup, not the matzo balls. Cut calories in charoset by using more fresh fruit than dried, and using low-calorie sugar substitute instead of honey if you need it sweeter. Keep dessert healthy by serving meal plan at least 6 days a week until summer starts. Getting in shape to complete a 3-mile hike with your family by June. Small steps add up to big strides so you can hit your goals. Move Towards Meeting Your Goals Once your goals are set, take steps towards meeting them. Call a surgeon if you want weight loss surgery soon. Map out your training schedule and get out the door to walk if you intend to finish your first 5k race soon. Stock up on liquid diets with flying colors. Throw away the bread and Pasta and replace them with vegetables and yogurt if your spring goal is to clean up your diet. Eat Your Greens Nothing symbolizes fresh and healthy starts than spring greens. Find them at your local farmers markets along with other seasonal produce. Try spring green salads with fennel and strawberries, roasted beets and carrots, and turnip soup with parsley. Plan a Healthy Spring Break for Weight Loss Spring break can be a disaster for health and weight loss if you let it. It is tempting to throw caution out the window during spring break after working so hard the entire winter, but lounging around by a hotel pool and going to all-you-can-eat buffets will set you back months. With some planning, you can catch a break and lose some weight this spring. Pack Properly for the Task Pack your bags properly for weight loss before you go on your trip. Bring sturdy shoes and comfortable clothes for walking so you can burn calories anywhere. You can also bring healthy Snacks such as nuts and Protein Bars that can fill you up in a pinch if you find yourself without any other options. Instant Protein oatmeal can keep you away from breakfast buffets if you just use the coffee maker in your hotel room to make hot Water. Try Healthified Recipes Cut loose, but not too much, with healthier versions of the foods you love. The BariatricPal Store has all kinds of low-carb, chicken, chocolate mousse, and chocolate peanut butter cup shakes. Whether you celebrate spring with Easter, Passover, or in another way, you can use it as an opportunity to lose more weight and get healthier. We also hope you will use it as a chance to share your new beginnings with us on the forums! ============================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: *|unsubscribe|*

I think a big part of it is my stomach is probably a lot longer than yours. We have the same circumference stomach post-op, but if mine is longer, then I can hold more. Guys do have it easier. But i still have restriction. Just finished a bowl of BariatricPal Vegetarian Chili. Added 1/2 ounce of black bean spaghetti and 1/4 cup of fat free cheese. I ate a lot, but the last quarter cup is being put in the fridge. And I probably should have stopped 2 bites ago.

I'm a vegetarian with food allergies. I always bring my own food. If I can trust the person who made it, I may partake of a bit of salad. You can always just say, "Sorry I'm on a diet".

As long as you are meeting your Protein requirements - I don't see the problem. Just be careful with what carbs you are eating. Really no reason for anyone to eat things like bread....our bodies aren't even made to process it that well. About gout.....I have suffered with it for several years. There are maintenance medications that you can take that are very effective (and cheap). I am currently taking allopurinol (300mg, 1 time per day) and I haven't had a single gout attack in almost 2 years no matter what I eat/drink. The prescription only costs 12 bucks a month even without insurance. If you can tolerate it, I strongly recommend it. I was having attacks every 2 months or so without it. Also - contrary to popular belief.....gout isn't entirely caused by your diet. Most of the time people with gout have problems ELIMINATING uric acid. It's due to your kidney not being as efficient at getting rid of the acid. Now yes, some people just get it because they eat lots of meat and drink lots of beer. Other people (like me) will get it even with an almost vegetarian diet....so sometimes you just get it and not much you can do. It's genetic....like it seems to be in your case. Look into the meds.....it will help.

Already posted this earlier on another thread. This is a meatless meal served to my wife and I by my banded daughter and her husband, also banded, they had no problems getting it down and it was very tasty too: CRUSTLESS SPINACHMUSHROOM QUICHE Sodium Per Serving 112mg Serves 6 as an entrée, 8 as a side dish This recipe was given to me by a vegetarian friend. It is so good and no one will ever know it contains tofu . . . unless you tell them! Optional - I add 2 level tablespoons of Oscar Mayer real bacon bits but it does increase the quoted fat and salt levels a bit. 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (This is also know as sweet butter) ½ sweet onion, diced 2 shallots, chopped 4 ounces mushrooms, chopped (about 1½ cups) 1 garlic clove, minced ¼ teaspoon dried basil ¼ teaspoon garlic or onion powder ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon ¼ teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 eggs, beaten, or ¾ cup egg substitute 8 ounces firm tofu ½ cup lowfat ricotta cheese 2 ounces no-salt-added Swiss cheese, shredded (about ½ cup) They used slices diced into small bits. ¼ cup lowfat milk 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and moisture squeezed out teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (ground spice may be substituted but flavor is not as intense) Preheat oven to 350oF (180oC). Coat a 9-inch quiche or pie dish with nonstick cooking spray. Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat; add onions, shallots and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes; add garlic, basil garlic powder, tarragon, thyme, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until you smell the garlic, 1 to 2 minutes; remove from heat and let cool slightly. Mix together the eggs, tofu, ricotta, Swiss cheese, milk, and spinach; add to onion mixture. Pour into prepared quiche dish and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until custard has set and top is lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve. NUTRITIONAL INFO PER 6 SERVINGS: Calories 200 Fat 12g (Saturated Fat 5g) Cholesterol 125mg Carbohydrates 9g (Fiber 2g, Sugar 5g) Protien 20g Sodium 112mg

5 months out wouldn't really count towards diet having an effect as all the research I did was 1-2 years after surgery where most excess weight had been lost. I didn't look into stats from people under 1 year out from surgery. And like I said diet does influence gender BUT there are many other factors. Vegetarians and vegans have more girls but usually aren't overweight, extra body fat contributes to your body's overall Ph. Medications and suppliments are also a huge factor. I DO NOT think diet alone will yield one gender over another, I do believe it helps, especially if you are trying to sway a certain way. I don't recommend just going on a strict diet to get a boy or girl, you need to add suppliments, frequently monitor vaginal Ph (multiple times daily), use Ph lowering techniques, and timing among other things. I did all of these things and then some, including diet. I'm not saying I had a girl from just my diet alone, please don't get that misconstrued Excuse any typos, sent from my iPhone with auto correct.

Sweet Earth makes really good vegan & vegetarian burritos. High protein as well. My fav is the Tiger Curry and the Anasazi burritos. Protein ranges from 11 - 18 grams of protein.

I do my one week post op on friday where I have to eat an egg, egg beaters, cottage cheese, or refried beans as my test...if that goes okay, I get to transition to soft mushy - I pray that it stays down - I really want something other than shakes and soups. It doesn't help that I'm limited by being a vegetarian, so even my soup choices were blah...

Ok, so...This site along with the ObesityHelp.com site (where I started this blog today) seem a bit disjointed and I don't really know how to maneuver through it. Doesn't seem intuitively setup (sorry, but true). However, I want to be a member of this community, tell my story, keep an ongoing blog and be able to make wonderful connections with you people! To start, I thought I should just start telling my story by just starting to write. This is my first blog ever. I started writing my blog at the ObesityHelp.com site and copied it here: Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery. Hi. Well I'm starting to tell 'MyJourney' (this is from the ObesityHelp.com site). I've been overweight the majority of my life. There were periods of time when I wasn't overweight, but that was rare and only when I did some wacko diet like Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Medifast, etc. (I've done them all!) The most I ever lost was 45 lbs, but those 45 lbs only stayed off for a couple months and then would creep back on and at a fast creep, in addition to more lbs. I could never maintain any weight loss. I'm 49 and started taking anti-depressant meds two years ago. I've been depressed about my body and my weight for so long I went on anti-depressant meds to help make everything seem ok and to be able to make it day by day. I've always perceived myself, in my own brain, smaller that what I really am. I have always been rather athletic and I actually love to work out. In addition, I love a plant based diet, juicing, vegetarian and vegan cuisine. I was even a raw foodist for a year. I live a fairly healthy, large woman, lifestyle. But...I have always been way too much overweight. I do not want to be overweight and 'morbidly obese.' Morbidly obese is just a horrible term and state of being. I have just not been able to stick with anything to truly change my weight and my body. I started this journey and found out about the vertical sleeve gastrectomy at the age of 49. When I turned 49 I started looking in to what new and different or even going back to the same weight loss program but just didn't want to spend the money and fail again. I just really want to be lean, fit, happy and healthy and I want to achieve this by my 50th birthday. I don't want to enter the next half of my life and continue to be a large, fat, morbidly obese woman. I want to want to see myself in photos. I've always been confident, but hate how I look, which would counter act my confidence. I never liked the large woman in any photo I saw of myself. It's like the photo I was looking at was me, but wasn't really me. I hate being the largest woman in the room, any room. I hate shopping at plus size women's clothing stores. I hate that my feet hurt, because I'm too heavy. Like I said, I've always loved working out - spinning class, yoga, kettle bell, boot camp, walking, hiking, swimming..., love it all. Being fat didn't keep me from working out and I would always tell myself..."I'd really be a cow if I didn't work out." I'd always have to adjust though. In yoga I'd have to move my stomach out of the way to do certain poses and things like that. I was looking in to the lap band procedure but was turned on and informed of the VSG procedure, when I saw a friend and former colleague's incredibly successful life change with her VSG. I asked her what she did and she gave me her story and I knew immediately it was what I needed to change my life. When I reach my goal weight, one day, I am going to so repay her for her guidance and the incredible support she has given me from my first inquiry to now and the future. So, like I said, I turned 49, this was in August of 2011, and this is when I started this incredible journey to salvation. It took seven months of all kinds of tests and poking and proding to my VSG surgery date this past week. I had my surgery on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, at Stanford Hopsital in Palo Alto, Ca. What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight? There are sooo many things that are the worst thing about being overweight and I will name some here: 1. I hate that my thighs rub together (they have all my life) and they rub the color off the jeans in that area so my jeans are thinner in the material and lighter in color that the rest of any particular pair of jeans. 2. I don't feel at all sexy being overweight. My sex life with my husband is pretty much nonexistent. And, believe me, I love sex and I find my husband absolutely delicious. Not fair to him or to me. He loves my body, but I don't and I feel way too bodywise ugly. He doesn't understand, but me being overweight is not an issue for him, but it is 100% an issue for me. 3. In my previous job, I traveled about 2-3 weeks out of each month all over the US. It was grueling travel, but I absolutely loved my job - intellectually stimulating, I loved the professional interaction and making friends across the US. I truly got to a point after traveling for 2 years, where I couldn't get on yet another uncomfortable plane. As a large woman, plane travel is freaking uncomfortable. It was embarrassing to spill over into more than one seat, even a bit. I always wished I just didn't take up so much space. I never had to ask for an extender seat belt, but was close. 4. Not being able to wipe my own ass sometimes. Hey, when there is that much body in the way, it makes it challenging to sometimes properly wipe your own ass. 5. Because you have creases, skin overlapping other skin, sometimes you have an odor. It's simple biology. 6. Always thinking about the next thing I'm going to eat and how much of it I might be able to get away with eating that item. Oh, and never really feeling full, even when I was painfully full! Crazy! 7. Not being able to reach around and scratch my own back. 8. Wanting to meet up with friends or colleagues, but being too embarrassed about my weight to do so. I've made/arranged appointments, dates, outings and have cancelled them on many occassions because I was embarrassed about being overweight. With the facebook craze, I've met up, on-line, with old friends, and have arranged to meet in person to only cancel. Crazy! ****** I could and probably will add more to this section. But, I just want to let you know...I feel all these things still. I am just 5 days from my surgery date. I've got a lot of changes ahead of me and I am so freaking excited about the future, it is just hard to explain. At this point, I'm in the healing process from surgery. I'm sore, but so so so hopeful and so looking forward to LIFE! If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before? I will have to revisit this section when it is time. The surgery was super intense. It is not easy and no one should be mislead and think it is easy peasey. It is major surgery. I started at 266 lbs, was at 256 on my day of surgery (I didn't follow a pre-surgery diet as my surgery date came up quickly after my insurance was approved, but I had started watching everything I put in my mouth and did quite a bit of green juicing.) I actually didn't think I was going to get insurance approval and started to loose hope that I would. But once approval came through I had just two weeks until the surgery date. Looking forward to writing a bunch of positive step along my way to a new lean, fit, healthy, normal weight, beautiful woman!!! Check me out soon...Soon come... ************** Again, once I figure how to move around this site, I will post photos and many other blog posts. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! Here are my particulars: Female Age: 49 Starting BMI: 43.5 Starting Weight: 266 Weight on Surgery Date: 256 VSG Surgery Date: January 17, 2012 Duration in hospital: 2 days NOTE: I am, today, on my second full day home from the hospital. The worst part of the surgery was the swallow test the day after surgery. It makes me want to puke just thinking about it. I had to fill my mouth with the most horrible tasting contrast three times an swallow it all. Well, after the second swallow, I know I was in trouble. After the third time, I puked it up. I was totally nauseous the rest of the day and threw up again. I was so afraid of keeping anything down after that. I had quite a bit of nausea in the hospital. Once I got home, I felt so much better. Started the Liquid Diet Phase. Taking meds is not a pleasurable thing for me. I had another incident yesterday when I took the liquid stool softener and threw that up. I will not be taking that ever again. I will do a little dulcolax (sp?) tab should I need it. However, I think my plumbing at this point is working fine. I've got all kinds of grumbling and rumblings going on internally. I've always been a big water drinking person, and have to keep telling myself to slow down with the water...sips and no gulping! Am I hungry? Heck no! This is a total strange thing for me...not to feel hungry! LOVE IT! Feeling very positive, albeit very sore, and just want to get the insides healed up so I can start exercising. Oh, I'm walking yes, but I want to get to some real workouts and start toning and getting strong. The first thing I'm going out and purchasing is a scale. I've never had one before and never wanted one. I do now!!

STOP!!!!! You're making me HONGRY!!!! Seriously, as a vegetarian I LOVE new ways to use eggplant and the one with peppers and rice and hummus sounds delish!