mi75

Quest bars are the BOMB!!!! i LOVE the cookies & cream and the choc chip cookie dough ones. 21 gm protein and about 180 cals. not bad. i have one everyday for an afternoon snack. makes getting my protein easy...

my kids are polar opposites. my one takes medication that deadens the palate and makes many foods taste bad, plus texture is an issue. the other is a pretty good eater. i was really surprised post op when i WANTED to cook for my family. i think being in the kitchen and being in the food make me feel somehow closer to the food experience and almost like i was included. post op i cooked for my family every day and loved it. i know not everyone is like me but it was great. these days i'm cooking things that at least my one child and hubs and i can all eat, the other child is on a specific menu that doesn't change so no big issues there either.

it is likely taking your sleeve a while to empty which is GOOD because you'll feel full longer! it will take a while for the inflammation to go down and the tissue to relax. at 5 wk post op, i can generally drink 30-45 minutes after i eat depending on what i eat. no worries, sounds like you are ok. as long as you are able to drink at some point and getting your fluids!

hey Linda thanks for the great Vitamin tip! i'm doing a Twin Lab chewable right now and it's GROSS. going to try your suggestion when these are gone! for ME, the hardest thing post op is training my eyes/brain to understand how much my stomach will REALLY hold and not overfilling my plate at mealtimes. this may sound silly, but pre op i could easily eat two FULL or three FULL plates of most meals. now i can have 3-4 tbsp of the meal entirely and i'm full. i have found myself at work lunches taking things that i can't even attempt to eat and it's sort of embarrassing to be taking so 'much'. i am taking MUCH smaller quantities than i used to, but they're still more than i can eat. i'm getting better at it, and today at a work lunch did pretty good and only had to throw out a small bit that i couldn't eat...

Like Zane's Mom, i bought a scale and it's still in the box. my nut gave me a guide and it's supposed to be about 1/3-1/2 cup each time i eat. i eat slowly and take 4-5 bites and my sleeve TELLS me when i'm full. i can now gauge the 'full' feeling when i am full but could squeeze one more bite in if i had to. i've tried that a couple times but then am terribly uncomfortable for a good 40 minutes.

i am eating Soups, scrambled eggs with shaved ham added, egg salad, chili, bean Soup with ham, grilled shrimp with a spoonful of ceasar salad, rotisserie chicken with LITERALLY a teaspoonful of macaroni salad, a few baked nachos with some ground beef, shredded low fat cheese and salsa, meatballs, sausage balls, pork loin with baked squash, 1 slice toast with deli ham and cheese, and all sorts of things. i'm 5 wks out and pretty much on regular food at this point. i have not yet tried untoasted bread, tortillas, or stringy meats (steak, roast beef). my sleeve absolutely tells me when i am one bite from full, and i know to stop. enjoying so many foods that i was once worried i wouldn't be able to ever have again. no worries so far. tolerating all the things i have tried so far!

well, here i am again, the OP of this thread...seems that i am back in a stall again...i ate a little more calories than i should have a few days ago. co-workers brought in 'snacks' and i had a few, and i think that did it. i was nicely but SLOWLY making some progress and now i'm up again. could just be the sodium from the snack-y foods and could also be the fact that i restarted the Pill...i'm frustrated. 1 lb to ONE-derland and i'm still sitting here. i'm 5 wks out yesterday. seeing the surgeon next friday i REALLY want to be in the mid 190s by then. ramping up exercise again today, going to PUSH fluids like crazy. 6am right now in my neck of the woods, going to sign off so i can get some fluids going, and off to start my day...

hard boiled eggs, no-sugar jerky, hummus

today i called my OB office to make sure i could restart my birth control pill. 5 wks post surgery, first spontaneous period started... the NP said it would be ok, and asked me to watch my blood pressure. i had hypertension for the past MANY years but was allowed to continue the pill because i took multiple blood pressure pills. now tonight i got home, sat down to relax and took my BP and it is high! i've had very VERY normal BP since surgery. i'm really hoping this is NOT a side effect, which it can be. i usually take my BP in the AM and it has been very normal, but now i'm also back to work. not overly doing it, though either...i'm super frustrated. not taking another one until i call them again in the AM tomorrow and keeping a close eye on my BP. did anybody else have hypertension related to taking the pill?

btw- if anybody knows of any great DVDs or online type classes that would be helpful, i would appreciate the info!

i LOVE to cook and am known at work, in my family, and in our social circle for certain dishes that are favorites. i have wanted to learn MORE about cooking for a long time. specifically, how to pair things, how to make more advanced things, etc...i learned to cook from my grandma and most of what i cook is just good home food, plus dips, Desserts, etc. i want to learn to REALLY cook. i have been looking around and there are virtually no cooking classes in my area but there IS an online "Top Chef University" that is classes online, video lessons, etc. I'm thinking about doing that. i think it would be a TON of fun!

i'm hoping so! i have NEVER had hypertension related to the pill. pressure seems to have normalized this evening. i'm wondering if i was just over doing it this afternoon. i will call my doc in the AM but i'm thinking they will just have me watch it for a couple days. it wasn't HUGELY high, but just higher than it's been...

hypertension, high cholesterol. insulin resistance, sleep apnea, GERD, fatty liver, polycystic ovarian disease, Barrett's esophagus. these are what i had. others that can count are : fibromyalgia, cardiomyopathy, osteoporosis, joint disease needing replacement (due to weight strain), back problems, diabetes, pre-diabetes. it is really all about what your insurance requires. your surgeon or family doctor will be a big advocate in getting you approved, based on the letter that they write to your insurance about WHY you qualify.

i think that would have been impossible. as most surgeons will tell you, when you have been a chronic overeater your stomach gets really stretched and at capacity, can be as large as a football! my stomach now post op is the size of a highlighter pen. i am FULL after 2-3 oz max. before, sadly i could eat an entire box of hamburger helper with extra rice/pasta added to it, or an entire medium pizza alone. i haven't tried pizza yet but pretty sure one slice won't fit anymore! i understand that they may be trying to help you 'retrain' your brain, but i think it would be almost like punishment! good luck

BOOOO...and we don't have diet slurpees around my area any more either. we had them for a couple years. a co-worker who used to manage a 7-11 told me that the diet slurpee mix broke down multiple machines and 7-11 decided to discontinue them due to high costs of replacing machines.,...

Hey all- I just wanted to share my new adaption recipe for sausage balls. they are a fave in my house and REALLY fast and easy. these are popular in the south and i got the recipe years ago from a southern acquaintance... 1/4 lb bulk pork sausage 1/4 lb ground turkey sausage (i didn't want to go to the store that makes turkey sausage so i just used some ground turkey meat and rosemary) 1/4 cup bisquick shredded low-fat cheddar cheese scant tbsp milk mix all ingredients until it forms a 'ball' in your bowl. form into balls by 1 tbsp measure and place on baking sheet that is lined with parchment (tried foil and they stick). bake at 375 for about 20 minutes until sizzling. YUM. easy and a much lower fat option than my old ones which were just drowning in grease. if there is any grease, drain on a paper towel. i just made them and they are super yummy. depending on the Water content of your turkey you may need to add a bit more bisquick to get them to form. i think next time i am going to use just a TINY amount of pork and try all turkey sausage and see how those go!

ooh that sounds good too! i would love to make these as absolutely low fat as i can get. that sounds decadent!

I considered myself a 'foodie' prior to surgery, i STILL consider myself a foodie post op. it's just that NOW, my enjoyment comes after one or two bites, not one or two entire plates. i fully STILL enjoy cooking, going to cooking classes, wine parties, game parties with friends, etc. my choices are usually much different than pre op. then, i would have picked a carb based option and ate, and ate, and ate. now i try to stick to a Protein based option, and i always make sure that there is one available for me. a couple of bites and i am fully happy. last night went to a huge wedding for a dear friend. had one spoonful of ceasar salad, one slice of pork loin in gravy, and one half of a small red skinned potato without the skin. good enough. i was FULLY happy, and FULL. a year ago, i would have filled my plate, ate it with my head down at the table-in embarrassment that i was eating so much- then a bit later when nobody was paying attention i would have gotten seconds. what a difference. would i do it again- in a heartbeat. no regrets. no problems, no nausea,vomiting, etc. tolerating all foods ok. learning to love food again, but in a POSITIVE relationship and not as a way to numb my emotions or fulfill my needs.

i LOVE my Quest bars. i have replaced one of my daily Protein shakes by a bar. love that i can eat it on the go. Cookies and Cream and Cookie dough are the BOMB. also love the coconut almond flavor, kinda like eating an almond joy! i keep them in the fridge, seems to add even more chewy-ness. these things are awesome! i get them at GNC or Vitamin shop. GNC has buy 2 get 1 free often. YUM

i started crackers and crisp toasts after wk 3 also. i took 4 wks off work. LOVED it. i'm 5 wks out tomorrow and down 32 lbs. feeling great. SO much energy. i got EVERY thing done at work, each day this week. no carry over which i'm used to. just kept going and going! felt awesome.

prior to surgery, at capacity my stomach, like MANY people here could fill to about the size of a football if EXtremely full. now it's the size of a highlighter pen and doesn't really stretch much at all. that right there tells you the amount of food it took to make me 'full' before surgery. now i take about 5 bites and it's done. yes, i'm sure it may work for some, but trust me, been there tried that. i tried Atkins and South beach enough to own stock in and they never worked. this works no matter what. can't really cheat, no room. can't binge, no room.

keep your eye on the prize. i worked right up until surgery and tried to just focus on everything there. i cleaned my house. went for lots of walks to make recovery easier-it did! i cleaned my car out. hauled stuff to goodwill, etc. i just tried to not focus on the surgery. i also just kept my Protein shakes going no matter what. i had no physical hunger but head hunger was the very worst the few days before surgery.

I use these multi colored ones from Wal-Mart and love them. They come in a 3 pack and seem a bit thin but are great. they tell you right on the tag 'wear one for daily use, two for light exercise, three for running'. they are hot pink, black and white. i think they are fruit of the loom or hanes brand. can't remember. i got them right before surgery and have worn them a LOT since. love them. i'm same size, they offer really great support.

egg salad, Quest bars, string cheese, meatballs, rolled turkey deli meat, greek yogurt, pork loin, ALL great! i also have roasted veg and a whole grain cracker here and there, plus some fresh fruits now-watermelon and cantaloupe. i am 5 wks out from surgery today and down 32 lbs, including pre op. I have slowed down but still feeling great. a good friend of mine had surgery at one of the biggest programs there is, and they were told that the first 30 lbs is always very fast, after that it becomes a little slower and requires a little more work...

I have fatty liver and during surgery my surgeon discovered it was way worse than he thought, likely not too far off from advancing to a fibrotic stage...i know it's not the same but I can relate to your fear and determination to do this! please remember to post the day before about your surgery to remind us all, so we can send up extra prayers for you! good luck!