M2G

Cool thank you!

Fast day...great plan but terrible execution. My girls wanted pizza for lunch (just from the freezer to oven kind) and I literally hid in the basement with the sewing maching (I'm not great at sewing but my 12 yo wanted some jeans to go from "bootcut" to "skinny" ...gotta love youtube!) so I drank a cup of broth while sewing to avoid the smell of pizza! Then we all decided to go to the movies. I caved. Who knew that Dots have like 200+ calories for 1/2 cup? Aaargh. So my "fast" day ended at 931...and like 200 of that was from Dots. Sigh. Oh and dinner at Olive Garden. I did have salad, one breadstick and a tiny chicken breast. So yeah fasting...notsomuch. Tomorrow is a new day.

Just eat it plain. Or serve with veggies. You can season it with taco seasoning (try McCormicks it doesn't have MSG like Old El Paso does) add a bit of cheese and a smidge of sour cream and you don't need tortillas at all. Or you can put BBQ sauce on it and serve a side of broccoli. No rice needed. I rarely serve bread, pasta or rice at my dinner table.

Cheri, yay for having your house back! LV - sorry abour your dog. That stuff is never easy. Our cat is 16 and counting...so far all is well but I dread... OD - yep the countdown is on, you will be soooo happy to be rid of that extra weight around your wrist! Yesterday I ended at 580 (I'm always OVER the 500 mark but it's working...) and today I was at 1244. Fast again tomorrow. For all you pizza lovers, try this: Take a chicken breast and pound it thin. Cook it in a sauce pan until golden and done. Top with pizza sauce and whatever you normally would put on a pizza. We had that for dinner tonight, it's a family favorite. I like Contadina Pizza Squeeze sauce and I just keep it in the fridge for such nights. No need to open a whole can of sauce. Pizza without the guilt.

I'm fasting today too GT. Be strong, I've had feed days like that also, but no panic allowed ok?

Here are some ways to still enjoy pancakes. I don't know if Eggface has any recipes that would work for waffles tho... http://theworldaccor...ancake-day.html Looks like "National pancake Day" is coming up next month. Do we NEED a day to Celebrate pancakes? I know they have "National" days for all sorts of junk food, trying hard to remember if I ever saw "National Broccoli Day"....hummmmm.

Congratulations on your success! You look fantastic!

Thank you Coops! I can't tell you what a big smile you gave me the time you posted that phrase! I just went over to calorie count to check and the last time I lost -9lbs it took me over 3 months! I was eating about 1200-1400 cals a day and that is how long it took me. WOW! Talk about inspiration to stick with it! :wub:

Okay...make today 3 weeks since I started and now the number is: -9lbs

Fast day today. I will post this over in our 'stats' thread (really can't remember the name so I'm just calling it that for now) but today marks 3 weeks since I began my 5:2 way of eating and I'm down -9lbs. Chuffed to beans as my lovely Brit Coops would say!

Great idea BTB. Going for a run instead of eating. Eating never makes it better so I'm not sure why we do it. Temporary fix I guess.

I'm thinking pork rinds. That is what my brain substituted for the word "scratchings"...not sure either one is a good definition tho. Coops, I love the way you talk.

That is quite the journey! I was originally thinking band, because I just didn't feel like the bypass was for me. Once I learned about the sleeve I *knew* it was what I wanted! Good luck on your journey.

By far the easiest, post-op friendly chicken recipe I have is to throw chicken breasts in a crockpot cover with chicken broth and seasonings to taste and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6. Dump most of the liquid, and then shred your chicken (just scrape a fork through it.) I use it plain, for taco meat, or put a little BBQ sauce on it. I just season it accordingly. Also a great way to make a "few" chicken breasts go a lot farther... something about cooking it broth makes it swell up and generates a lot more food than if you were to grill it or put it in a pan. Makes for great leftovers too that you can just portion out as necessary.

Heyher...BTW, that looks odd. Like what you mentioned. Eeewwww. I wonder if a sharp pretzel stick or too hot of a chile pepper would damage it? It looks flimsy, but I imagine it would have to be fairly strong.

Onesie...like pajamas that cover your whole body and zip up the middle? LOL! That BMI-biatch chart can go to he)) as far as I'm concerned. LOL! WTG Coops...meant for a 15 yo and you fit just fine!

Thought it was a typo too, until I read the article. I think there was something a while back that was similar but different. It was a balloon inserted into the stomach and then inflated to give that full feeling. I wonder what the results of that were? I agree I would also just rather have 85% of my stomach phsyically removed than do this.

I've talked to several bariatric patients and many say their surgeon DID or DID NOT even give them a goal weight. My surgeon belongs to a practice that bears the stamp of "Bariatric Surgery Center for Excellence" and along with having that stamp and those ratings, you can bet that he keeps close tabs on numbers when it comes to his patients. That being said, there is a fine line between encouraging and demanding. Your surgeon (hopefully) didn't just fall off the turnip truck and (again hopefully) realizes that everyone is extremely individual. I'm guessing that he was giving you something to "shoot" for and if you don't get there, then I agree with BTB, maybe he can figure out how to bump your loss higher. My surgeon gave me a goal. It was to have a "normal" BMI. At 9 months post-op he checked his notes and looked at charts and looked me up and down and said "nope that isn't going to work for you, let's raise that number higher." What a relief. Much later he said at a motivational speech (audience comprised of post-bariatric patients at ALL levels of post-op and all types of surgery) "I don't give a da*n what you weigh today. DID you carry forth the promise of living a better life and are you living your life the way you imagined you could when weight was a factor holding you back?" Gotta love a surgeon who says that (when you know he is also all about the numbers!) So I would not go to this appointment with a defeatist attitude. Do the best you can for you, and do not let anyone tell you that you have failed at anything.

Great account of your checkup, Jane. I have not had my labs done since my 18 month checkup. My surgeon was so happy with them he didn't even want to see my labs at my 2 year. Now I'm getting ready to have my 3 year and I'm excited for labs because I want to "know" they are ok instead of just assuming they are. I really like the comment about obesity = trauma. Not only physical but mental as well. That is so interesting and I wish more surgeons focused on this and could make recommendations/help the bariatric community with this. I think generally the normal comment is trauma = therapy. But I think there are smaller ways to heal from that trauma (of course depending on how bad it is, some absolutely NEED therapy as treatment.) But it is most definitely a "process" and I know of some bariatric patients who still struggle with the mental aspect years later. Edited to add: I was just scrolling through the list of post-op classes my surgeon offers and saw this: Moving Forward in the New Year Redefining the History of YOU! In this class you learn how to: Become conscious of unconscious thoughts leading to negative, self sabotaging behaviors Identify and diminish the power of the critic/the voice inside your head (the one that tells you how rotten you are) Deciphering bodily hunger from emotional hunger Become the “observer” of your emotions without acting on them Change the channel on YOUR emotional dial Connect with your power and create a plan to move forward I might try taking this class!

What is your normal Protein intake on a fast day? Mine seems to hover between 30-45 grams. I would like to see it more around 50 at least. What are you all at?

Want to 2nd that!

Totally agree OD! Today, I was very meticulous about logging my food and clocked in at 971 cals. I was shocked. I even ate a strawberry with a tbsp of cream cheese on it and logged it. I fasted yesterday (I think I was 530 cals) but today wasn't feeling hungry. So go figure. I'm waiting until tues to see what the scale says. If I posted today it would say I'm down -8lbs since July 16th. Hoping the scale still says that on Tues!

My sleeve: Oct. 22, 2010 - Lost -100 (but working off a 15lb regain) His sleeve: March 7, 2011 - Lost - 70 (maintains a +/-5lb window...says he would like to lose -10 more) Best thing we have ever done together!

EXACTLY MY THOUGHTS! Really well said Cheri (as usual!)

Cheri, as always thank you so much for your insightful and well-thought out response to my question. It is heartbreaking to hear a daughter (sorry I don't have boys so I can't comment on how it feels to have a son) have any sort of negative self-image. I'm truly shocked at how much of it comes from society, as opposed to home. Prior to surgery, my husband and I never talked about our weight in front of the girls. In fact their little minds had a hard time comprehending WHY we would have surgery. Cheri you sound like you have done a super job trying to undo what the stepdaughters mother has created. You are sweet to care and talk to them about it and I'm sorry that some of their negative talk has rubbed off on your daughter. My 12 year old spent elementary school as a little bit "chubbier" than most of her peers (a girl in 3rd grade told her "you need to wear a BRA!") but suddenly she hit about 11 years old and just spouted really tall. Her waist shrunk in and her curves started popping out. She actually has a beautiful figure but it's not stick thin. I definitely compliment her on way more than her looks. She is super-smart and very athletic. She has a lot of positive stuff going for her. We talk a lot about healthy eating habits, and what would be a better choice rather than the DON'T, NEVER EAT, etc. We don't buy soda or drink it, BUT I do allow my girls to order soda if we are out to eat or if they are at a friend's house. I'm smart enough to know that completely and total deprivation CAN ultimately lead to obsessing and overeating of whatever is being restricted. As I said the girls DO know about surgery and honestly I was worried when I started the 5:2 plan, but now that it's been almost 3 weeks I have noticed that really there is no need to explain or make excuses. So that has been a big relief. Thank you again Cheri. You are wonderful!