Tracy46545

haha! Congrats!

Um....so what's the verdict? is it back or what?

hmmmm, I'll be in Portland, OR next weekend....wondering if I should allow some time for diagnostic testing?

Thanks for mentioning this. I forget items that are easily portion controlled and tend to get stuck in a rut eating the same things over and over. This is a good idea and I can think of a few ways to use Steak Ums...

You'll need to be aware of how much protein you're getting daily...but you certainly can be getting the bulk of your protein through solid foods within 4-6 months of your surgery. (At least, I do).

mint sugar free chewing gum works for me. It kills the heartburn within minutes...and no "bounce back" heartburn like happens with Rolaids or Tums. I had my sleeve on Dec 15th...I'm still taking the Nexium Mups from my surgery prescription. I dissolve it in a tablespoon of hot Water and take it in one swallow. Then I set the timer for 30 minutes and only after 30 minutes has passed do I have my hot tea, yogurt, whatever for Breakfast. Occasionally I have breakthrough heartburn throughout the day, but the chewing gum takes care of it. I found that tip when researching GERD for a college discussion posting!

Utter exhaustion is common after major surgery. However, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest don't sound normal to me. Are you trying to do too much too soon? Also, check the sugar content of what you're drinking. It almost sounds like how I feel when I have too much sugar. Insist on more doctor interaction if the symptoms continue!

I don't post much in the way of status reports or weight loss etc..but I'm happy to say that I'm finally in "virgin" territory with my weight loss. I am officially now below the lowest weight I had with the lapband and I feel so much better. That weight loss was accomplished with alot of vomiting, pbing and plain starvation, as well as exercise. Since my knee injury I have not been able to really exercise and the weight is still coming off, slower, but it's moving! I have only one size pants left in the closet to "get into" and then I'll have to start shopping again. These were dream pants I bought two years ago when I thought I'd never wear a pair of pants without the size starting in a "2" (ie, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28). I'm anxious to get the use out of them and then put them in the "too big" pile!

no issues with wiping if you don't already have issues with wiping.

they're known by several names. The website that I found the recipe referred to them as "cloud bread". Is there a point to correcting it? Tiff, I wouldn't make them on a humid day. The dryer the better. I baked the last batch for 45 minutes and then loosened them from the pan and returned them to the turned off oven until the oven was cool.

Tiff, did you try these? I still love the ones that made into Cinnamon rolls with nuts the best. They really need the walnuts or pecans for texture and the craisins for a punch of flavor. I'm going to Trader Joe's early next week while I'm in Indianapolis and get some sugar free dried cranberries...those will be nice in this. I should make more this week...sandwich options are getting low without them in the house.

I'm grateful for the "mini-dumping" symptoms that I get when I overindulge in ice cream. As long as I keep it to 1/4 cup or less, I'm fine..but if I go over that, I feel miserable. The shakes, the sudden fatigue, nausea...miserable. Like others, it only happens on ultra sweet things, like Ice cream, frosting, brown sugar. P.S. I'm down 55# since surgeryon Dec 15. I'm happy with that since I haven't been able to exercise at all due to my knee injury.

Don't worry about calorie counts. Worry about nutrition and getting enough protein. You can be malnourished when you're eating 10,000 calories a day. You can be well nourished at 500 calories a day (although it takes alot of planning and research).

I used it like crazy when I had the band. I mixed it into yogurt, Protein shakes, sauces for chicken and for baked goods. I don't think you can beat the flavor when you factor in the reduced fat. However, I still love Trader Joe's no sugar added Peanut Butter the most. I add 3 packets of splenda to the whole jar, mix well and keep in the fridge. PB2 is an excellent product. Just need to find ways to use it that you'll love.

That Yolanda is one awesome lady! glad she and the Aceves team are safe and the patients are accounted for and safe.

Also, it's very dramatic to say you're "starving" for food....and I'm not meaning to be harsh...but seriously, put this in context! Starving is what children in the Sudan are doing. You're dealing with head hunger in a house full of food! It's big girl panties time, find something to keep yourself busy so you don't think about food, drink some Water or hot tea, make a 4 oz Protein shake, eat a cheese stick, go for a walk.....above all else.. .quit obsessing!

you can't eat "crazy things" that are high carb if you don't have them in the kitchen! If you're telling yourself they are for the kids, the husband, whatever....they don't need junk carbs filling their lives either. (Easy for me to say right? I live alone.) I think the last thing to say is that it's not a race...this is a long term solution to a long term problem. The weight didn't go on in a few months, and it's not going to come off in a few months. However, you will have a measure of appetite control the rest of your life if you learn to listen to your body and not your head during this phase. Best of luck!

good tool to use ....eventually (after portion size has increased enough to be comparable).

Tiff, Because they are primarily eggs and cream cheese, they get a little sticky in a ziploc. However, that's where I store mine, I just don't zip it! I think they will freeze great and he could pull one out at a time and toss it in the toaster to defrost it and get rid of any stickiness. I'm truly loving these as a "sandwich" helper and a Breakfast pastry. I live alone and preparing a complete dinner just isn't in my game plan. However, I can fix a small healthy, high Protein, low carb sandwich and feel good. (I usually can only eat 2/3rds if I make it into a sandwich..but that's ok. The new momma dogs get the rest!). Flavor them well, otherwise they can be bland. Adding in dry spices for the savory ones really made the difference and kept them from tasting "eggy". Let me know what you try and how you like them!

Last night I split one of my cloud bread thingies that I had flavored with crushed Durkee onions, toasted it well, and then put 1/4 cup of bbq pulled chicken on it. 10 carbs total for a BBQ chicken sandwich! loving these things...so versatile

Collagen per se is not the problem. It is a viable source of Protein if you can stomach the fact that you're drinking boiled horse and cow hides. Whey protein Isolate is considered the best protein source, but some people can't tolerate it. Find what works for you, only buy samples until you find something you absolutely love and try to use high protein foods to get the majority of your protein in on a a regular basis. While still on the liquid phase...just do the best you can!

You'd be better off to do high Protein, low fat, very low carb diet with solid foods. It's probably too late to have any true effect on your liver, some studies show it takes up to six months to shrink your liver. But getting rid of the glycogen will firm it up so it's easier to handle in surgery. This is major surgery.....get serious about your pre-op diet!

Follow your doctor's dietary restrictions for when to add raw vegetables such as salad. Mine said no raw vegetables until 16 weeks after surgery. I contacted them at 10 weeks after surgery and asked..they made sure to find out if I was tolerating other foods without any problems and then gave approval to use tender lettuces and finely chopped raw vegetables with the instructions to chew very well. This is a decision for your surgeon to make!

I'm having a blast with these! I made savory ones yesterday and since each batch makes six "clouds" I made two of them into onion rolls (added 2 T broken up Durkee Fried Onions), two were italian seasoned, and two were pizza rolls with chopped pepperoni and pizza spices. Next I'm going to try sweet again...and try something along the lines of a fruit filled danish, I think if I use No Sugar added apricot preserves it will work. By the way...I split one of the "onion roll clouds" last night and had it with a 3 oz hamburger patty, a thin slice of velveeta and no sugar added bread and butter pickle slices, and some ketchup. You can't handle them roughly..but it held together enough that I felt I was having a cheeseburger!

Netrition.com also has a flat rate of 4.99 for shipping....I just order 12 glass bottles of Torani syrup.. they're losing money on me!