PdxMan

I used to do the same thing before I got the add on device for my Kitchenaid. With that device, I don't have to core or peel the apples. I can do a case of apples start to finish in less than an hour. I just wash, quarter and boil. The device squeezes the good stuff through the strainer leaving the skins, seeds and all that core stuff behind. It is pretty awesome and if you and your family enjoy applesauce, then I recommend this device. Check out the picture on the link I gave above. Applesauce comes out one side, core/skin stuff comes out the other in a continuous operation. No stopping to blend or anything. Yeesh! I sound like a commercial. Now all of my ads are going to be for Kitchenaid stuff. I then put the sauce in quart jars and then can them the old fashioned way. I do up about 35 jars a year which is about 5 cases of apples. We eat them all winter long and give them to friends/family. I have about 4 jars left now. I have also done the pear sauce, but there is so much water content, it really separates. Not a bad thing, but you don't get the yield you think you are going to get.

I make my own applesauce every fall. I use Gravenstein or King apples, so my recipe is based on their sweetness, but there really isn't much to it. I quarter the apples and boil them until they just start to get soft ... about 5-7 minutes. Then, I have the extruder attachment on my Kitchenaid. I push them through that. In a 5 quart bowl's worth of sauce, I add one cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon. A few dashes of citric acid (preservative) and that's it. It's soooo good. While you may think, "Wow! A cup of sugar!" Remember, that is over a 5 quart quantity, so each quart is getting 1/5 of a cup. Not much sugar at all. I make about 35 quarts each fall after picking season. Pick em in the morning and have them canned by noon. The Kitchenaid attachment makes it soooo easy.

NICE!!! Share your best piece of advice one year out. What would you suggest to someone who was, let's say ... 6 months out and struggling with a stall. Congrats and thanks for being a great member of the community.

I still like that full feeling, too, but it doesn't drive me as hard as it did. The overwhelming urge to satiate that desire which was an 800 pound gorilla on my back is now a 50 pound spider monkey. But not as cute. Hey, I just noticed I'm 3 days older than you. Whoo Hoo! Coming up on our one year surgiversary.

You can just do one session with a trainer to get a routine. Yes, you can have those that stand over you and yell at you, if you'd like, but that is expensive and I know you have some smarts about you, so once you are given your routine, you can follow it yourself. San Dimas ... you're going to have a ton of them at a variety of price ranges. Make a few calls, let them know what you want and see what they charge. This way, when you are working out, you are doing so efficiently and not wasting your time and efforts.

Just be sure to read all of the fine print. I would hate to find out later that I was on the hook for all kinds of expenses because there was a clause saying that, "If you have had WLS, you are responsible for reimbursement of all expenses, blah, blah, blah." ... because you were never a realistic candidate for the stated purposes of the show. But, like others have mentioned, talk to them about it. It may be another angle they may be interested in exploring.

Great article. Thanks for the link, Dad.

I think I was one of those with a sensitive stomach early on and I had no problem with watermellon early on. Probably was my first real food to think back on it.

Lissa, I could not find the article about Stacy, but I did read the article "Good Enough." Also a great one. I am bookmarking that site. Straightforward and no BS. Gotta love it. Catracks, I guess my question for you is what are you looking to do? Loose weight or become fitter? While not mutually exclusive, there is a difference. I'm guessing Lissa's article about Stacy probably delves into that. If you are not going to be happy being 150 pounds with musculature, then you are going to want to focus on more of a cardio plan. but if you are OK with the previous, then it would be a different exercise routine. I would suggest a personal trainer to give you a plan to meet your goals. But as Lissa says, ditch the scale. If you are exercising and doing the right thing food wise, then what do the numbers on the scale mean?

This is an interesting topic as everyone is different. If you do a search on the site for the word hunger, I'm sure you can glean a ton of information already shared. For me, I had to set alarms to remind me to eat. Even at 11 months out, after not eating for 14 hours while waiting for the fasting blood draw, I was not hungry like I was pre-sleeve. I could have easily gone several more hours without eating whereas pre-sleeve, I would have been obsessed with what I was going to eat next. But I was fine and waited until my normal lunch hour to eat. I had a terrible relationship with food pre-sleeve always snacking and eating until I was beyond full. I liked the feeling of being full. Now, that sensation is totally different, so my desire to reach that feeling has pretty much disappeared.

Pretty much everybody has had constipation to varying degrees. My Dr told me to use Milk of Magnesia (MOM). Worked like a charm. I took a bit everyday to try to stay ahead of the game. No strain.

I just want to be sure I understand ... We're talking about a Hiatal Hernia here ... right? You have already been sleeved ... what was your sleeve date? They did NOT perform the correction when they did your sleeve ... correct? I did not know I had a hiatal hernia and my surgeon fixed it when he was in there doing my sleeve. It is a little bit tight on the swallow, but not really a big deal. Who did your sleeve? Do a search on this site for Hiatal Hernia and you will get lots of information.

Yup, started losing at 4/5 months out and it stopped at around 9 months. Now at 11 months (Today!, Yea!) I can say I see where it is growing back. Definately not as thin as it was, but not as thick ... yet. But I do notice it is thicker than 4 months ago, for sure.

I'm guessing I wait at a minimum 30 seconds on my first couple bites. As I progress through the meal, it gets longer as after each bite, I am fuller and I am looking to gage where I am at. It takes me longer to assess what my fullness factor is towards the end of the meal.

I put my utensil (fork, spoon, chop sticks ...) down after each bite. I chew more than I think I should and then I assess how each bite made me feel and whether I should have another.

Are you using MyFitnessPal or some other means to track everything you eat? That can help to get some perspective when you look at everything over the past week. Exercise is great, but that is only half of the equation. What are you eating and in what portions? Are you drinking with you meals? Even a sip? Protein first?

I think that is a tough question to answer. It depends upon how much extra skin you, personally, are comfortable with. I'm close to 120#, but I am going to assess at my 2 year surgiversary as to where I am at. I work out a lot hoping to tone my muscles enough where I won't need additional help, but I am guessing I will do some. I have a turkey neck and I don't know if any exercises that I am comfortable with doing to solve this area. I don't want to look like a meat-head weight lifter, so ...

Woo Hoo! Nice job. I'm sooo excited for you.

That is just ONE of my jobs here.

Butterbean, I was the same way ,.. -TOM ... Just keep walking and sipping. Wife built me an embankment of pillows in bed that I slept in for 2 weeks. MOM was the cats meow for constipation.

Wow

My Dr said the hernia correction takes just a couple minutes to do. Basically yank the stomach down and sew the diaphragm tight around the esophogus. So, as far as additional pain associated to gas, I would say there wasn't any as I'm already inflated for the sleeve. But he told me I may feel some tightness when swallowing and he was right. There was some uncomfortableness ... I wouldn't call it pain, but it was difficult for the first week to get what I would call a good swallow in. But since we're drinking liquids only, it's really not that big of a deal. I'm elated he repaired that. I didn't know I had a hiatal hernia. Since my surgery, I have had zero reflux issues which, for me is awesome. I used to eat tums, prilosec and baking soda almost daily to deal with it. Now ... nothing.

What are you snacking on? I was and still am a snacker, but what I snack on has changed. Turkey Jerkey from Trader Joes is a protein snack that keeps me satiated for awhile. Perhaps some deli meats or a protein bar? I use these and I think they are a good alternative to my pre-sleeve go-to snacks.

Well, I'm 6'1" and have a 30" inseam (short stubly legs), so, my stomach, in theory, should be longer than all y'all. I have crazy restriction 11 months out. As long as you follow the rules of not drinking with your meal and eating your Protein first, you will feel the restriction, too. Don't follow the rules ... your results will vary. It is up to you, not your sleeve. As pointed out, the size of the bougie really doesn't matter. I can see where a person with the largest size and a longer stomach might be able to eat 6 small bites of dinner where a person with the smallest size could eat 5 bites ... do you really think that 1 additional bite is going to make THAT big of a difference? If you think so, then walk 10 additional minutes each day and there you go.

Yup, count me amoung those who already posted. I have the turkey neck which I will assess at my 2 year surgiversary. I figure by then I will have lost whatever I am going to lose and my skin will have rebound as best it can.