longer-life

In the interest of protecting everyone from potential harm, I just wanted to let everyone know that andersonlj is back. His new handle is IowaAndy.
Irene, on other forums, when you ban someone, you can block their IP. Is that not possible here?
He responded to my inquiry with a nasty private message from this post. I guess he didn't like that I recognized him after his rant about what a terrible site VST was and how there were much better support sites out there. Yet, he is back.
http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/30290-its-girl-scout-cookie-seasonaaarrrrgggghhh/page__p__261496#entry261496
Just be careful, y'all. I can handle his poison, but others may not.

I just (literally JUST, like two minutes ago) got 2 of the pink 20oz Blender bottles from vitacost.com for $6.93 shipped!
If you open an account with them, you will get a coupon code in your email for $10 off a $10+ purchase. The bottles were $11.94 for both, and after the coupon were just $1.94. Then add $4.99 shipping cost! I got two for less than the price of one!
I LOVE COUPONS!

I always buy cookies! And have them sent directly to the troops Works every time to keep them out of the house, but I don't feel guilty telling a little cookie monster no

Those adorable little girls are in front of Walmart again selling them devil Cookies. Stay away. I am hiding under my bed for the next two weeks !!!! :tounge_smile:

I totally understand your concern. I've called my surgeon's assistant more times then I care to admit, but everyone here is right. We make a huge commitment to this surgery and the surgeon has made a committment to us to make sure everything is okay. I was really concerned about that left sided pain and my surgeon said it was really nothing to worry about, but just to be safe, I went to the internal doc that I had to see before surgery and had him do a follow up as well to make sure everything looked good from his standpoint. Gave me much more piece of mind.

The nurse and surgeon believe all of my symptoms are related to gas. It makes sense, but I will keep paying attention on how I feel. Thanks everyone for your advice!

Thanks! I will call right now!

Thanks everyone for all the great advise you have no idea how you all helped me. I happened to have pepermint tea in house and amazingly it went down without any problems i also started the sf popsicles and they were good too. I feel so much better I think i was on the brink of dasaster and you guys saved me. My family noticed a difference in me already. I have pepped up. My daughter told me i dont look like im dying now! So far I have drank 3 cups of tea wich is crazy considering that is more thanI drank in the past two days. Good night everyone hope tomorrow will be a new day!

For me it's all in the preparation and seasoning. I now prefer my meats cooked in a sauce, rather than dipped. meats that are made in the crockpot, tagine or slow cooked on the stovetop. Beef stew, chicken Tikka Masala, meatballs cooked in Pasta sauce etc. Soft and well seasoned are the key for me. Ground beef has to have "Taco Bells" consistency. After browning it, blending it will achieve this consistency. Then it goes back in the pan to get a Tomato based or taco sauce. I learned the "blending" part of it here and it works like a charm.
The only "dry" meat I eat is DARK skinless rotisserie chicken and 1 (maximum 2 if I push it) smoked ribs from Bonos . The rest tastes too stringy and dry, as previously mentioned. Good luck. I hope you experiment and find what works for you! :smile1:

Gayle, IMO I think what you really need to do is reflect here. You have lost ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY POUNDS in TEN MONTHS!!! That's incredible. You have no reason to be sad or down on yourself at all.
Your body is resting at the moment. Just keep doing what you're doing. If you there is anything you can change up, perhaps it's your workout routine. Your body might be ready for more intense cardio, and more toning to build more muscle. Get that heart rate up higher, sweat more and for longer periods. You will start losing again. If you don't, you can come back here and tell me I'm wrong. However, I doubt you will - because it will happen.
Good luck, and remember this: the journey is what you make it. You can either take the positive road or the "other" one.

For me it's all in the preparation and seasoning. I now prefer my meats cooked in a sauce, rather than dipped. meats that are made in the crockpot, tagine or slow cooked on the stovetop. Beef stew, chicken Tikka Masala, meatballs cooked in Pasta sauce etc. Soft and well seasoned are the key for me. Ground beef has to have "Taco Bells" consistency. After browning it, blending it will achieve this consistency. Then it goes back in the pan to get a Tomato based or taco sauce. I learned the "blending" part of it here and it works like a charm.
The only "dry" meat I eat is DARK skinless rotisserie chicken and 1 (maximum 2 if I push it) smoked ribs from Bonos . The rest tastes too stringy and dry, as previously mentioned. Good luck. I hope you experiment and find what works for you! :smile1:

Ok I bit the tagine bug....
Tonight...
Beef stew meat, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, fresh ginger, onions, with a little paprika and montreal steak seasoning. The meat was sooooooooooooooooo tender! I'm in love!

I haven't received it yet. I plan on wearing a bra with it. I hope it's still looks ok. In regards to "suction", I think it's moderate, which is the most I am able to tolerate. I will update this thread when I wear it.

My tastes haven't changed much. As far as I know I can tolerate everything. What has changed is that I can say no very easily.
I have eaten a tablespoon of rice and toasted bread here and there but I don't miss it.
I am happy ordering an egg Mcmuffin with no muffin. (the girls at Mcdonalds were baffled at first and now just smile)
I ate a mini cupcake one day and easily declined a few days later when offered again. That is a miracle!!!!!

Okay hun;
You are headed for disaster - aka emergency room if you do not get help or help yourself. I am baffled at why your doctors office refused to acknowledge your need to help.
Get a shot glass. Go out and get g2 gatorade or Powerade zero (no sugar) and set your timer. Every 15 minutes you will fill this glass. During that 15 minutes you will take very small sips so small liquid barely runs down your throat, NO GULPS and continue working until it is gone. This might take 10 minutes. Repeat all day long. (feels like a full time job) Also, do room tempature, NOT COLD. Cold is hard for our new tummies to tolerate. I experienced the same thing and this was the cure. Try tepid chicken broth from something like Lipton Soup if you are gagging the sweet stuff. Or you can try peppermint Decaf tea which is a natural tummy calmer. Remember, not hot, not cold but warm.
Also, on Monday AM call your doctors office and request a PPI perscription. If doc will not perscribe one then get permission to take an over the counter like Pepcid acid reduce strips. This will help your stomach gurgles. I felt like I had an alien in there wanting to get out for the first few weeks until I read about a PPI on this site. Tummy was embarassing is was so loud.
Take care your yourself because no one else will. Hugs!!

I just saw this thread. I can totally see how after fighting obesity it must have been surprising to now have to face this sickness. I am sending you a big hug. You can do this!

Update-I made it. I ended up ordering some mashed potatoes while everyone else was eating fish and chips, cake, sandwiches, etc. But I made it. I drank my juice and at my potatoes and talked with my husband's aunt's who are great. Actually one aunt just had lap band surgery 6 weeks ago, so we had a lot to talk about and she gave me some great tips. Overall, turned out much better than I anticipated. My husband did want to stay longer but I made it 3 hours and he was willing to leave cause I was obviously getting tired and getting sore. Thanks everyone for your encouragement!

I do-- send me your address.

Yes I still do!!! Please PM me the address you want me to send too. I'll get right on it since I know you need them ASAP. Size 12's...

Can you both drive in separately so you can leave after an hour? Perhaps your sister in law and husband will understand considering you just had surgery. Also consider taking a small bottle of red Powerade zero in your purse and ask for an empty glass or a glass of Water. Dump (discreetly) or drink the water and sip your red Powerade zero. I did this and I looked darn festive during the holidays. I eventually confessed after many asked what I was drinking and we all had a good laugh!

I have the same question. (I am looking into the Flexees Fat Free Dressing tank).

I drank all day long at your stage and felt very little restriction. The Protein Shakes and homemade non clear broths satisfied me a little more than the Clear Liquids, but I would literally drink ALL DAY LONG! I just looked on my fitness pal account and on my 6th day after surgery I consumed 735 calories. (Other days 550 and others 650. ) See? You are not the only one. :smile1:

I've been hovering at 200 or 201 for a MONTH!!
Finally the scale showed 199.5 today!!!
Hang in there, it will come!!!

Did an experiment and did a hybrid of the 5 Day Pouch and Diva's Boot Camp. 2 days of liquids (shakes, Soups, sf Jello and pudding) followed by 3 days of high quality protein's she recommended and greens (treat for me, cause I love greens). Over the 5 days, I lost 6.8 pounds - all and more of my holiday gain! A week later, happy to report I'm up a tad, but still lost all my holiday gain. Pretty sure the weight I lost and gained was Water, so there you go! Success in my book! Did I mention I just put my ass in a size 8 jeans?? Thanks Diva!!!

Yaa Whoo! I was 163 on Monday down to ..............158 lbs this morning!