JackieOMonroe

I'm not quite at my goal yet, but here's a little comparison. The red dress photo is from last night. I'm currently 5'8" 159 lbs, US size 10. My highest weight is 240 and I wore a US size 18. Measurements ‎B:43, W:36, H:45 March 28 ‎B:41.5, W:34.5, H:43.5 July 3 B:42, W:33, H:42 August 18 B:39, W:32, H:40 October 13 B:37.5, W:30, H:38.5 December 3 I don't have any proper before pictures because I hated (and continue to hate) the camera, but I hope you get the idea from the pictures I found.

You look great!

Wow. Just wow. It's insane how different you look in 5 short months! You look wonderful.

I'm gonna say any meat/veggie, egg/veggie combo is gonna work for you. Nothing is easier or faster to make than an egg and you can mix tons of veggies, cheese, and other things into them. Most meat can be pan seared in a little cooking spray really quickly, or baked in the oven. You could even Foreman Grill it. Wrap a piece of your favorite whitefish in a piece of tin foil (like a tent, sealed well with no holes) with a couple of circles of sliced lemon and your favorite spice and bake for 15 minutes. It'll be perfect. Do you live near a Fresh & Easy? They have really fantastic prepared meals that you can microwave. The plus is that it's fresh, not frozen and it tastes much more like home cooking than manufactured food. The downside is that because it's not frozen, it doesn't keep for as long. My husband and I shop there almost exclusively. I'm only recently learning to cook and he doesn't have time to cook, so we eat F&E meals a lot. I eat a lot of their fish (ahi, salmon, etc) instead of buying the full meals because the meals aren't practical for me anymore. They also have beef, chicken, pork, etc. that are quick to cook or microwave depending on which preparation you get. I also eat cheese (they have great cheese) and crackers, cottage cheese, yogurt, and eggs with lots of veggies mixed in. The other thing I do is make something that will last for a bit (crustless quiche or fish stew, stuff like that). That way I don't have to cook so much. I'm not sure that'll be much help, but I don't plan regular meals anymore since I can't eat them. I might have salmon for dinner with two bites of mashed potatoes or ahi tuna with the very bottom of one piece of baby bok choy.

I'm digging it. I've only encountered a couple of glitchy things, but that's to be expected at first when you make a change like this.

So glad you enjoyed it!

I'm 4.5 months out and my throat gurgles all the time after I eat. I can feel the air bubbles pushing up into my throat. What I think is happening is the kind of effect you get when you turn a full bottle of Water completely upside down. You know the way the air forces its way into the bottle while the water is pouring out? That's what I think is happening with the gurgling. I think air is being forcefully displaced while food moves down my esophagus and into my tummy. I'm totally making that up though, so I could be wrong. Here's a video of what I mean if I didn't explain it well.

I'm 4.5 months out and I still gurgle like crazy. It feels like it's happening in my throat. It happens only after I eat and it seems worse with certain foods, although I haven't pinned it down exactly. I was just thinking that I should come up with some way to track it because it's majorly embarrassing.

You absolutely can!

There's nothing like the feeling of buying your first home. Congratulations! Welcome to the home-owners club!

You can't possibly be 53. Congratulations!

These are a favorite of mine. I ate them all the time before surgery. To anyone who makes these, I can't stress enough how important it is to get the Kale completely dry. Otherwise they don't crisp up.

A good wine is whatever you think tastes good. I prefer wines that are less sweet. Reds are my favorites, but I also enjoy chardonnay and sauvignon blanc occasionally. I don't know anyone who prefers boxed wine though. It's almost always terrible.

Obviously you should follow the advice of your doctor and NUT, but when is the last time that you spoke with them about your diet? Maybe it's time for them to reevaluate. There's really no need to count calories or carbs or anything besides protein inside the first month after your surgery because you just plain can't eat enough of the other stuff if you're following the "protein first, and no drinking while you eat or 30 minutes after" rules. Once you're able to eat more, that could begin to change. The thing that I've noticed is that at first most doctors and NUTs give the same packet of information and advice to all new WLS patients who have the same type of surgery. The trouble with that is that we're all different. We heal at different rates, we lose at different rates, and while we all need the same basic elements to be healthy, the amounts will vary because our bodies are different. Please consider taking your food and exercise diary back to your NUT and getting more personalized advice based on what you're currently doing (if you haven't already done so). This is the time when you should be having the best results and even though you're not failing, you may still be able to kick things into a higher gear. WIth that said, I'm a big believer in calories in/calories out being the most important thing when it comes to weight loss, so I think no matter what you do you're going to lose the weight if you keep eating the way you are. I'm just making suggestions about what might help the weight come off a little faster. The only other thing that I can think of that may be affecting your weight loss is the shock your body is going through from a major surgery and major change in eating habits. It's only been a month and a half. September will probably be a much more consistent month.

I agree with you Kelly that not everyone can lose on low carb, but some do. I'm not a person who can do very low carb or my body gets stubborn. However, her carbs are routinely over 50 or 60 grams and lately they have ranged between 72 and 119. She gets between 700 and 1000 calories per day, her Protein is always stellar, and she gets 6-10 glasses of water per day. I really think with numbers like this, it's worth it to her to look at her carbs. Although I do agree with you about watching her sodium intake. Reducing the salt will help with water retention.

I'm so so sorry that you're having such a tough time. You're right that everyone loses differently, but I think that there is something you can do to help yourself. I went back and looked at the last week of your food diary and I noticed a pattern. You have been knocking it out of the park with your Protein (honestly, you're wonder woman!), but you went over your carb goal every single day. Many days you more than doubled it. I'm not one who believes that you have to stick to 20 carbs a day to lose weight (I don't), but your current daily goal is anything between 40 and 50 calories on any given day and you're not staying under that number. Remember, you want to shoot for meeting or exceeding your protein goal and go for staying below your carb goal. I think you should set a solid goal of 40 grams of carbohydrates per day and stay below that goal every single day. If after a week there is no change, set a new goal of 30 grams of carbs or less per day. Take a look at the high carb foods that you're eating and find lower carb substitutes for them. Once your body runs out of carbs to burn for fuel, it turns to burning fat and you lose weight. My last piece of advice would be to show your food diary to your NUT and see what they suggest. I hope this helps. Good luck!

Haha, yeah it's a good feeling.

Every day. Every time I eat something that isn't mostly Protein, I feel guilty. I worry that it's my bad eating habits coming to get me. If it seems like I can eat more one day than the day before, I worry that I've stretched out my stomach. If I feel hungry, I worry that my hunger feelings are back to stay and I'll start over-eating again. If I accidentally eat too fast or more than I should, I worry that I've started binging. It's enough to drive a person crazy. I worry about it, but in the end logic always wins out. I know that I can get all of this weight off and I can keep it off. I just have to stay mindful of my choices. Luckily, it's easier than it's ever been before.

THE LEGS IN THIS POST BELONG TO GOOGLE IMAGES, NOT ME. NO LEGS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS POST. As I was sitting here reading about all of your NSV's only seconds ago, I had one of my own. I comfortably crossed my legs not once... but twice! I wasn't even planning to do it. I was sitting like that for a moment before I realized it. For me, losing enough weight to cross my legs comfortably just once was an NSV. To accomplish a relaxed leg-tangle, without it taking effort to keep it that way, is pretty awesome for me.

That's amazing! Great work!

I second this suggestion. You can get those cartons of Soup at Henry's, Sprouts, and Whole Foods too. My regular grocery stores carry them, but not in as wide a variety. Although depending on the type of soup, the calories may not be the lowest. I've never checked on the sodium. I'm partial to Progresso and Healthy Choice canned Soups. They make a good number of low cal soups, but again I never pay attention to the sodium.

Congratulations to all of you. You'll be just fine, your recovery will be over before you know it, and it really is one of the best decisions that you could make for yourself. Don't be afraid. Be proud that you're taking charge of a really important aspect of your lives. See you all on the other side.

I just signed up! I'm gonna find you all. I'll take all the support I can get. haha

we're birthday twins!

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm thinking that it's a combination of a still healing tummy and possibly swelling overnight. I've noticed that the pain really only happens in the morning when I have my first food or drink of the day.