lsereno

I think Cottage cheese may be like yogurt, Soup, and liquids and go through the valve at the bottom your tummy faster. I'm sure you couldn't eat 3/4 cup of firm protein! But if you are getting those pains, my recommendation is to cut back to 1/2 cup cottage cheese. At 3 weeks out, my day looked like this: Daily total: 74 grams of Protein, 435 calories Breakfast: 1/2 cup Fage 0 Greek Yogurt with Splenda: 12 grams protein Morning snack: Lowfat Cheese stick: 8 grams protein Lunch: 2 oz. lowfat turkey lunch meat: 10 grams protein Dinner: 2 oz shrimp: 12 grams protein Late Night Snack: 1 scoop Protein powder and 1 C. soy milk: 32 grams of protein I couldn't always eat 2 oz. of protein at a time. Sometimes I could only eat 1 oz. or 1.5 ozs. Lynda

Congrats! I'm so happy for you! What a major health/happiness victory! My feet and knees hurt so much when I was heavy that I often limped. That is long gone now. In fact, I had to learn to walk with my legs closer together as I got thinner. It feels so strange at first to not be restricted by the fat that used to gird my body and keep me from bending over, etc. Lynda

I was pooped till about month 4. I really lagged in the energy dept. and I ate correctly, got in the recommended water/protein/calories/vitamins and exercised. It does pass though. I feel great now and have for a long time. Lynda

Wakeup: Soy Latte Breakfast: 1 cup Fage 0 yogurt with a little strawberries in juice, 1/4 C. granola, and some Splenda mixed in, 1 slice whole wheat toast Lunch: 1 slice whole wheat toast, 1 light baby bel cheese melted onto toast, topped with 1 oz. 98% fat free ham. Afternoon snack: About 5 pretzels Dinner: Not sure yet!

Well I admit I'm an exercise hater, but I do it. I find as the years have gone by, I hate it less but even now, without scheduled exercise events I know I wouldn't do it. I have used a trainer for years. Having a trainer saves me from thinking about an exercise routine and I show up for exercise because if I don't she charges me any way! Before I lost weight, I met with my trainer three times per week. I also walk with a group of friends 2-3 times per week. Now that I am thinner and can keep up a little better, I take two group exercise classes per week and meet with the trainer just once per week. I am thinking of dropping the trainer and taking 3 classes per week. It will be a savings of more than $100 per month. So short answer is: My opinion is that exercise is important. If you won't go on your own, then a trainer is a good way to get started. After you get a little healthier, group exercise classes are cheaper. Lynda

I love fruit. The first fruit I added back was watermelon. Just 1/4 cup. It's very low acid and for the first couple of months I was very sensitive to anything acidic. i also enjoyed adding a couple of frozen strawberries to Protein shakes or yogurt smoothies. The next fruits I ate were applesauce and bananas. Now that I'm further out I can eat any fruit I want. Just like everything else, I don't eat the amount I used to pre-op. For example, day before yesterday I had some frozen mixed berries in my yogurt at breakfast and for an after dinner snack I ate 1/2 orange. Lynda

Congrats Bionic! So good to see you rockin your sleeve! Lynda

Pasquini, You look fabulous! I hope I have to add some calories to maintain, but since my weight loss has almost ground to a halt already, I doubt it will be an issue for me. I know Tiffy added healthy fats, like avocados and cheese to her diet. Lynda

Ooh! I hope I gain back the 3/4 inch I lost somewhere since my 20s. You look fabulous! I bet 160 or 170 will look great on you! Lynda

Thank you Suzanne. I am getting close to maintenance and it's so helpful to see others successfully navigating the waters! And at about the same BMI I want to maintain too. Lynda

You are still healing from surgery and your tummy is much more delicate now that it will be in a few months. I'm 9.5 months out and I haven't noticed any tendency to catching things easier. Hope you feel better soon! Lynda

Welcome to Onderland and good luck on the job interview next week! Lynda

I wear a small or medium in tops and a 6 or 8 in pants. I just bought a darling dress at Target for $8 in a size 10. I can tie my shoes without huffing. There is room for a small child and me in a chair that used to fit only me. My legs don' rub together when I walk. There's a ton of room in my bathtub and all of me fits under the water line. I don't hurt when I wake up. My feet don't hurt. My knees don't hurt. I enjoy my group exercise classes and I feel good afterwards. I don't have leakage issues when I laugh hard or sneeze. I am super comfy when I cross my legs. I'm off my blood pressure and cholesterol meds. I am comfy in the plane seat and the car seat. Lynda

Read Puzzles Walk outside Pack too-big clothes and try on formerly too-small clothes Play computer games Spend a lot of time at this community Get ready. Once you heal up and the weight is falling off, you will have a lot more energy so you will be doing a lot more than you used to! Lynda

At five weeks out, I liked lowfat cheeses and deli lunch meats about the best for solids. I ate greek yogurt every day for Breakfast and had a Protein Drink at night to get enough Protein in. I also liked turkey chili. In my program, we were not cleared for beef till after 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, I ate the 98% fat free beef chili. Here's a typical day of what I ate at 5 weeks: 60 grams protein, 480 calories: Breakfast: 1/2 cup fat free plain greek yogurt Lunch: 2 oz. 98% fat free ham, 1/3 cup watermelon Dinner: 1/2 cup lowfat turkey chili Late Nate: 1 cup soy milk with Protein powder I ate most meats with some kinds of sauce, such as BBQ sauce, ketchup, or gravy. Some days, I could only eat 1 oz. or 1.5 ounces of protein, even soft protein. Lynda

Kaiser Fremont uses a 40, which really worried me because it is larger than most. But at 9.5 months I am very happy with my restriction. I am full with 3 oz. of firm Protein and 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of soft vegetables with a little starch. For example, last night I had 1/2 cup of stir fry veggies with 3 oz. of chicken breast, cooked with a little stir fry sauce. I was stuffed! So surgeon technique does matter. My surgeon told me he oversews after stapling. Alex provided a link to a study done by a group of bariatric surgeons, and they felt 32-36 was the ideal size to use. It's in the Gastric Sleeve Surgery News forum. Lynda

Krista, Thanks so much for sharing your story! Happy Belated-Sleevisversary to you! You look fabulous! If you haven't already, come join us in the <30 to goal group. That last 20 is the hardest! Lynda

It may stretch some, but stretching is not what causes weight gain. You can gain weight back by drinking your calories, choosing high calorie foods, eating slider foods that you can eat a lot of, and by eating throughout the day. Eating 500 extra calories per day will pack on a pound a week. So someone could eat a healthy diet, throw in a Starbucks Venti White Hot chocolate at 520 calories every morning and viola- at the end of the year we're talking 52 lbs. Same thing with Snacks. My problem is snacking at night. I have to keep a grip on it. I love Chex Snax mix. It has 130 calories for 1/2 cup and I can eat a couple of cups over the course of the evening while I'm watching TV. I prefer to not have it in the house. I strongly recommend counseling for those who are struggling with overeating after surgery. Surgery does not cure head hunger. I would love to have those snacks at night, but I know I can't if I want to maintain the healthy weight I have worked so hard to achieve. Lynda

I have a few veggie tricks: Baby spinach: It wilts down to a small serving and goes great under any firm protein. The juices from the meat drip into it and flavor it. Also tastes good on a sandwich. You can buy loose spinach if you don't use much. I can finish off most of a small bag now so I buy it like that instead. Frozen mixed vegetables: Toss them in the pan at the end of cooking your protein, or cook them first and add pre-cooked protein and a little sauce. They are handy because you only take out what you will eat. Yesterday, I had stir fry veggies, chopped chicken breast, and a little sauce made from soy sauce, sugar free apricot preserves and Water. Yum! salad bar and deli case: You can pick and choose just a little of any vegetable they have. High price per unit, but no waste. I have searched and found the best salad bars and get yummy stuff like roasted vegetables, broccoli slaw, and teeny salads of mixed greens, cranberries, and blue cheese. Summer squash and jarred red peppers: I slice the squash with a mandoline and it cooks super fast. I chop a little jarred red pepper and add it for a flavor boost. Vegetable soups: costco had a great one but I haven't been able to find it again. V-8: I like the taste and it makes a good snack between meals. Lynda

Hi all, Globetrotter: It breaks my heart that you are struggling so. Do you have the kettle corn and the candy bars in the house? If so, dump them!! For me, berating myself is a downward spiral that makes me more likely to eat more bad things. What would you tell your best friend if they were in your shoes? Tell yourself that too! Give yourself a treat right now! Not a food related one, but one that you buy or arrange if you can't afford to buy something. Some possible treats that perk me up: scented hand or body lotion, scented candle, new lip gloss, cheezy magazine, flavored teas, cozy socks. For things that don't cost money, I meet up with friends for a walk, clean a closet, shelf, or drawer (I know most people wouldn't like this but I love to organize stuff), light a candle and watch a movie, find a new, free computer game online, take a bubble bath, call a friend. I use a scale to measure my food and I really find it helpful. Once I got used to it, it's faster than using measuring cups and spoons. For example, I put a bowl on the scale, zero it out, and then spoon in yogurt till I get to 227 grams (1 cup). No measuring cup to wash and it's so accurate! Lynda

Hi Dyezee, I can drink a full glass of Water in just a few minutes now. Right after surgery I was very vigilant to drink tiny sips all day. I used a liquid measuring cup like a pitcher and a one ounce medicine cup as my glass. I drank one ounce every 15 minutes while I was awake. At first, my sips were so tiny it took the whole 15 minutes to get the ounce down. But within a few days the swelling subsided a bit and things got easier. I have always tracked my Protein, calories, and Fluid since the operation to ensure they are within the range I want them to be. It doesn't have to be difficult. I use a white board on my refrig and update it as I fix a meal or finish a cup of water or other fluid. Lynda

Thank you! I know - so close! Can't wait to get there. I am going to declare goal as soon as I see it instead of waiting for my usual Friday weigh in. Lynda

Congrats! You are doing fabulous at just over one month out! Lynda

Congrats and welcome to Onderland! Lynda

Jasleeve: So glad to hear you are feeling better and healing well. When I read the horror stories here pre-op the one thing that cheered me up is that people got through it. I'm so sorry you had to suffer and deal with as much as you did. I am so happy that you are on your way now. Lynda