February 2014 post op losers

[JanetteH 80]

Do you think insurance will help with the skin removal? I definitely want a Tummy Tuck, but not sure it will be covered. I'm also going to pursue a breast reduction and lift.

Kim

I just met with my local support group (face-to-face). Most of them are way further out than us - 2-6 years. None of them received plastic surgery on their insurance. A couple decided not to have any surgery, one got turned down by her insurance and one did extensive plastic surgery but paid for it all out-of-pocket. Not good news - but they knew of others who had successfully had at least had the skin "apron" removed on insurance. My insurance requires me to be about 2 years out (i.e. all weight lost and maintained for at least one year) before they'll even consider anything.

Erin

Returning to your lunch/breakfast problem. I often have "leftovers" for lunch (make a little extra of a favorite dinner). Other favorites are:

Shrimp salad or tuna salad wrapped in lettuce leaves or a whole-wheat tortilla

Salmon on whole wheat bread w/lettuce & mayo

Veggie-burger on a low-carb bun with lots of veggie toppings

Hummus with red peppers, cucumber,carrots and pita chips

Gem wrap or low-carb pita with cold cuts, lettuce & Tomato

Berries with yoghurt or cottage cheese

3 small turkey meatballs (I buy frozen) on a pita with marinara & parmesan cheese.

Mixed salad with low-fat dressing - topped with roast beef, chicken, cheese etc.

Half a small bagel with low-fat cream cheese, smoked salmon, cucumber & red onion.

BLT - turkey bacon on low-carb bread

"Pizza" - whole wheat pita with low-fat mozzarella - I love pesto instead of tomato sauce topped with grilled chicken and artichokes

Any one else want to share some favorites?

Edited October 27, 2014 by JanetteH

[ryn2bthin 87]

Breakfast..

String cheese..low fat with a banana

Open face egg mcmuffin..low calorie English muffin Canadian bacon and egg.. i sometimes add a slice of low fat cheese.< /p>

lunch

Low fat, low sodium crackers with tuna salad

Salad with grilled chicken

Apple slices with Peanut Butter

100 calorie chunky Soup with most of the broth drained off

I'm horrible at eating Breakfast but I'm trying to improve.

But I agree with Janette..buy the frozen turkey meatballs they are very good.. I like mine plain but I'm sure with the sauce and cheese they are even better.

Yesterday at my support group meeting a few great tips were shared..

food subsitutes..go to mayo clinic- healthy-living.

And for a Protein Shake alternative ( if you just hate the shakes) new way Liquid Protein. . Just add to your Water and you get 42 grams of Protein per serving. I have trouble getting enough protein daily so I will be trying this out.. I know where I am at we can get it at GNC stores or online.

[clairec 44]

Hi,

Wow, what a lot of excellent ideas. I am not good on breakfast, it really is a struggle so often just have grapes or banana, maybe with home made bread or toast if i can cope with it. lunch if I am home tends to be a low calorie Soup with half a slice of home made bread and some fruit. So not really adventurous at all.

I think the skin removal thing is a real problem. Someone I know is having is done on the NHS due to huge support from the bariatric surgeon, but it keeps being cancelled. Another has been told by the cardiologist that due to her heart issues she can not have that operation, but she could have a gynae operation. I am sure that there could be some clinical reasons for that, but also that it is seen as more "non essential".

Hope you are all doing well, it is so nice to see you all on here. I hope we keep up contact even though there are less urgent things to discuss than there were in the early days. This is such a supportive place to be.

Take care all of you.

Claire

[PrincessErin 64]

Wow!!! Thanks for all the great ideas. I'm going to definitely try a few.

Since we are on the subject of food, I am wondering where everyone else is on what they can and can't tolerate. I've had a very hard time with any bread unless it is toasted to a crisp. I also can't tolerate honey mustard Salad Dressing and creamy sauces like Alfredo. I can't really tolerate any Soup that is cream based. I have a hard time with chicken unless it is cooked perfectly. I can't do steak. Ground beef is a life saver if it is cooked all crumbled up like for taco meat. I can't do tortillas, either.

I will dump if I eat too much sugar. I still throw up if I eat too fast.

[kimr 37]

Wow, Erin there is so much you can't have, that is not lovely. Can you do ground turkey our ground chicken? I can do pretty much anything except high fat foods (like cream sauces) and anything sweet. Pretty much any Protein works for me if I chew it enough and I find it much easier to eat steak if it's close to rare (good quality). I haven't tried much breads, as it's just an area I stay away from. I can eat chicken no problem.

[JanetteH 80]

Erin - so sorry to hear that you're still having some real problems with food. The good news is that you've lost a ton of weight and look fabulous. I haven't had many problems - I have to chew everything really well but if I do that I can tolerate most foods. Can't handle any overcooked or dry meats - like you I prefer my steak pretty rare; chicken has to be moist etc I had a piece of dry, overcooked steak get stuck once, and chicken another time - very unpleasant, throwing up etc although they did move through (or up) eventually - I've heard of people having to go to the hospital to have food removed

I use a lot of ground beef and ground turkey too - much safer. Have you tried fish or seafood? Again I love it lightly cooked or even raw (sushi and sashimi go down really well)

I have started to buy high quality (more expensive) meats - I'm eating such a small portion so it doesn't cost any more to get a 3 oz portion of fillet mignon than the 1 lb slab of steak I used to consume Another trick is to "brine" or marinate meat before cooking. I'm not big on bread either - prefer crackers and crispbread.

Good luck with everything - the things you're avoiding (cream sauces, sugar etc) are "treats" anyway so not eating them will help with your weight loss - think positive You look great.

[PrincessErin 64]

I love fish, shrimp and crab meat and they are fine to eat.

I really have no complaints regarding the food I can't tolerate, other than wishing Protein from meat was easier to eat. I'm happy with my weight loss most definitely!

25 pounds to my ultimate goal!

[clairec 44]

Hi Erin,

There do seem to be quite a few things that you can't manage, which must be a pain at times. Like Kim and Janette I can have difficulties with chicken, pork, beef etc and sometimes fish and seafood. However the rarer the meat (sahimi, carpaccio, rare steak etc) and fish (sushi, sashimi etc) the less it is likely to cause problems. I am ok with sauces though and casseroles are more likely to work than drier meat and fish. I don't seem to dump with sweeter things, but generally I don't eat things that are too high in sugar. I did have some gelato in Italy though and that seemed ok at the time too, which was nice. Alan's homemade wholemeal bread is fine, whether as bread or toast but I don't have too much of it. I enjoy sugar free jelly with a lot of fruit which I cut into slices.

As most of you know although there is nothing that works none of the time, there is nothing that is totally safe either. So I don't think I am that typical. I treat each meal as a new event, but I can have difficult meals for a few days on the go, then I can have a few days when things are much better, or even absolutely fine.

Take care all of you.

Claire

[PrincessErin 64]

I have noticed there is nothing that will 100 percent work all the time! I agree totally.

I've also noticed that some days my pouch will seem to let me eat more than other days. There seems to be days that I am full from just a few bites, and then other days I can eat an entire serving.

It's very odd how it all works but I have allowed myself to adjust and make it work for my life.

[clairec 44]

Hi Erin,

It is strange isn't it? Glad it isn't just me. Yes the amount varies from day to day, as well how i respond to it. Just something that we need to work around as you say. I am hopeful that the new meds might help the diarrhoea but otherwise it is all manageable. Just need to sort that out.

Glad you are managing to work around it.

Claire

[Tammy wright 15]

Hello everyone, since this is our February support group I just have to say I'm feeling down in the dumps. All of you have done so well and I feel like I'm far behind. I'm such a slow looser. I wanted to have lost over 100lbs by now but I'm only at 90 lost. I try and follow the plan but sometimes it doesn't work out for me. I take care of 3 invalids in my family have a hard time finding my own time for exercise or just any my time...I only get in 1-2 miles a day if I'm lucky and that's mostly doing all I do at home and the time I can slip away outside but no real cardio involved. I guess I'm being a big cry baby today but I'm just feeling a bit sorry for myself. It'll pass and I'll keep plugging slowly along and have those days when I'm excited to shop in regular stores and check myself out in the mirror but today I just feel down...

[clairec 44]

Hi Tammy,

I am really sorry that you are feeling so down and that life is so difficult for you. 90 pounds is really really good. I have only lost about 4 pounds more than that since my surgery. So you are in line with me really. I have lost more overall but that was in the four years before that when I was doing Slimming World. I honestly think that you are pretty much in line with most of my group in the UK too. When I saw my Consultant he said that he would be concerned if I had lost any quicker than I have done. So please don't feel that you are not doing well.

How do you manage 1-2 miles a day that is amazing, with all your caring responsibilities too? You should be so proud of yourself and all that you have achieved. We all feel down sometimes Tammy, it is so good that you feel that you can tell us on here. We are here to support you. You have so much to cope with, I am sure that is really hard. Please don't feel that you are not doing well though, because you are.

Take care Tammy, and do stay in touch.

Claire

[clairec 44]

Hi Tammy,

Me again, I thought there were some photos of you and I scrolled back to find them. I found one on 27th July and you were looking fantastic... and very svelte. Maybe you were aiming for 100 pounds by now, but that is the problem with targets, they can start to rule us. Do you think that you could concentrate on some of the non scale advantages to take your mind off what the scales are reading?

Just wanted to say how great you are looking...

Take care and thinking of you.

Claire

[ryn2bthin 87]

Tammy

I am also on the slow weight loss. I have lost about 85 lbs since surgery and have not hit the 100 lbs lost as of yet. We will get there eventually. .are you losing more inches?

I also forgot to add another favorite food..

Sushi rolls but have it wrapped in a cucumber instead of the rice.

[Tammy wright 15]

Thank you Claire, I was thinking just yesterday that for the first time in 20 years I was able to fit a regular bath towel around me... Not a beach towel! So yes I have a lot of things that has changed weight wise, I bought a size 12 jeans and they fit but really a 14 and a few sixteens is what I can wear now. If only I didn't have this big middle. I told my kids that I look like a apple with stick arms and legs. I was a 22/24 before surgery and like any other clothes depending on the brand it could even be a 26/28. I am really happy with my weight loss but I guess my doctor thinks I could do more and that was discouraging a little. And he is serious about walking 6 miles a day. It's the stupidest thing he could expect under my situation. I guess I get down caring for everyone else's needs and want to be selfish and just work on me. My sister lives almost 4 hours away but will come up every other month and give me a weekend away from here. I guess I'm uptight about a lot of things and probably my 90 pound loss is the least of my complaints. I'm just grumbling to some people who care to listen. I'm blessed to have this place to go when I'm feeling like I do right now. And BTW the size 12 jeans had to be mis marked. lol but that's why I bought them... They made me feel smaller. Lol

Tammy