JackieOMonroe

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I've had Adblock for ages because of another site. I didn't even know there WERE ads on this site until I saw that a lot of you were complaining about it. I would definitely recommend it.

I've lost 51.2% of my excess weight over the past two months. That includes the 13lbs that I lost on my 2 week pre-op diet.

Is that a calcium citrate gummy? or calcium carbonate? I really need calcium. I can't stomach the Bariatric Advantage ones.

My favorite way to eat is is with Splenda or preserves, but here are some other things that I found for you. Peanut Butter Fluff. Take a cup of Greek Yogurt and add two tablespoons of peanut butter to it for an extraordinary treat. You'll think you're eating soft-serve peanut butter ice cream and your kids may be envious. If you're trying to cut down calories, carbs, or fat, try adding the new PB2 powder instead of peanut butter, and sweeten it with splenda or a sugar free syrup for all the taste and none of the guilt. Fruit Chiffon. Greek Yogurt makes an exceptional accompaniment to all kinds of fruit. Traditionalists may grill fruit slices and serve them with greek yogurt for desert after a light summer supper. But if you're in a hurry, try flavoring your yogurt with a sugar free lemon or strawberry syrup. You'll find it makes a refreshing way to eat Greek yogurt while watching your weight at the same time. Tzatziki. If you love Greek cuisine, or have ever enjoyed a gyro sandwich with a delicious cucumber yogurt sauce, then you've probably had tzatziki and didn't even know it. Tzatziki is a staple of Greek cuisine that is used as a topping for meat dishes or salads. You can make this savory sauce at homeusing Greek Yogurt and your own spices. Add some cucumbers, and you may never go back to sour cream. (Incidentally, Greek Yogurt can also be used plain as a sour cream substitute with all the texture, but dramatically fewer calories.) With Honey and Nuts. In Greece, a classic way to eat Greek yogurt is to pair it with honey and nuts. The texture of the yogurt swirls beautifully with honey, and the nutty crunch adds some wholesome pizzazz.(If you're trying to cut down on sugar, you can use a sugar free maple syrup and stir in some nuts for an authentic but diet-conscious treat.) smoothies. When milk is scarce or out of the question and you're looking for a smoothie with more tang, add some Greek yogurt. You'll be surprised at the richness it imparts to your frosty beverage.

LOL, I love it.

Oh man, my bites are WAY too big. Just this second I learned what happens when you eat big bites too fast. It was no fun! It wasn't knife and fork food, so I didn't pace myself at all. Now Little Sleevie Wonder HATES me.

I haven't had coffee in almost a year and you guys are making me want a cup. lol

I have to put my spoon or fork down between each bite. Nothing else works for me.

Nice!

Congratulations! Great dress and you look great in it.

Welcome Lauren! Glad to hear that your experience went so well.

Hooray!! Also, no disrespect, but your butt looks great! LOL

I made biscuits and homemade jam today and I ate half of a biscuit with some jam on top. I won't be having any more, but I still ate off of my plan. I just won't have any more carbs today. No biggie. Don't beat yourself up.

Oh man, I've had cravings! For the most part I've ignored them, but sometimes you just have to indulge and limit yourself. Wine was a craving so I had an incredibly small amount and then I was done. Yesterday I indulged in a craving that I've been having for potato rolled tacos. I ate half of one (all I could manage) and I threw the rest of the container away. The only other major craving I've had is for pizza. To help with that, I made myself a crustless low carb pizza tonight from a recipe that I found on sparkpeople.com. It absolutely hits the spot. The worst thing for me is limiting my carbs. I love potatoes and bananas and I have to be really careful or I'll go a whole day eating way more of those than protein. I was never a soda drinker though, so I don't know how to help with that.

I think cooking is becoming my new addiction. I hated cooking before, but now I find myself browsing recipes and cooking dinner for my husband. I know how to make almost nothing, so it's kind of exciting to make things that other people find tasty. I'm not even cooking anything that I can eat. I make things that I don't like, or things made with meat and I never even get to taste it to see if it's good. I just go by the smell and serve it up to whoever is at my house. I wish my new addiction was cleaning. Someone needs to clean my room, and I can't be bothered to do more than keep our bedding and half of the laundry clean. lol

*deleted out of embarrassment*

None of the doctors that I've seen since the surgery have heard of it.

Thanks Terry. We're just pretty sad right now, but I know we'll figure it out.

My husband and I decided a long time ago that for our health and happiness, we would both undergo weight loss surgery. My husband was going to go through our insurance, and I would be self-pay because my BMI was too low for insurance to cover the cost. My husband embarked on a 6 month monitored and documented eating plan with our PCP to satisfy our insurance and I researched doctors and the type of surgery that I would want. In June, I had VSG surgery with Dr. Ortiz of OCC in Mexico. A couple of weeks later, my husband completed his 6 month supervised diet and was ready to get going with our insurance company. This is where the trouble started. I've been on a leave of absence from work for 7 months due to depression and anxiety. This resulted in us being dropped from my insurance (Healthnet) on July 15th. We weren't too worried. We switched to his insurance through his place of work (BCBS). We contacted BCBS and found that he met all of the requirements and that the surgery could be covered. Except for one thing. My husband's place of work requires that he be an employee of the company for 5 years and carry the insurance with them for 5 years in order to have the surgery. We were upset, but we still figured we could make it happen. I was scheduled to go back to work on the 30th of this month, so I would attempt to re-enroll with Healthnet so that we could have our original insurance pay for the surgery. If I couldn't re-enroll, we would self-pay the same as we had done for me. Not ideal, but better than nothing. Today, 3 days before I was due to return to work, I received a letter informing me that during my leave of absence my position had been eliminated and I would not be able to return to my job. This changes everything. Not only can we not attempt to use Healthnet, but we can't afford to self-pay if I'm not going to be working. My husband is so upset and I'm completely heart-broken. I don't know what to do for him. I feel so guilty about being the one who managed to have surgery. I feel badly for losing weight, I feel terrible for complaining about my limitations due to the surgery, I feel awful about everything really. We'll work things out as far as managing our basic finances, so I'm not concerned about that. In fact, I'm relieved to not have to go back to that job. It's the reason that I had to go on leave in the first place and it caused me physical illness and pain on top of my mental anguish. I just wish that I could do something for my husband. He is the absolute best person that I know and he's done everything he needed to do in order to have this surgery. I'm sick about the fact that things aren't working out for him. Things can only get better from here, right?

It's really good to hear that you're doing so well.

By October the way that you feel now will be a vague memory. You'll have a better idea of what your sleeve likes and doesn't like by then, and it will probably like a lot of things. You'll be able to have wine and I'm sure that a sip or two of champagne during wedding toasts won't be a problem. Just take it slowly and try things a little bit at a time. I'm 6 weeks out and I'm just beginning to eat more normally. I still stick to soft foods, but that's because I like them. I've had a bite of cake and it settled just fine. Don't be discouraged. Your sleeve is just new and it completely sucks when it's new. I don't have advice to help you through this because I felt the very same way after my surgery. All I can say is try to suck it up and trust that all of these people who are happy now know what they're talking about. There is still regret for me sometimes, but it's almost 100% gone. Now I just want to concentrate on putting my proteins first, but learning how to eat normally again. Living on eggs, tuna, and cottage cheese is getting old. LOL If it makes you feel better, here's everything that I've tried and tolerated so far. I've only had a bite or two of most of that stuff, but at least I know I can eat it. yogurt cottage cheese regular cheese eggs toast fresh cherries bananas potatoes sweet potatoes cake tuna salmon wine peanut butter cream of wheat applesauce skinless apple slices beans (baked and refried) veggie broth tomato soup Gatorade G2 popsicles green beans

Congratulations!

Never fear! You caught it early and it seems like you have your game face on to keep the weight off. My suggestion to you would be to stop munching throughout the day. Plan your mealtimes and stick to the plan. Sure you're snacking on good stuff, but nuts are very high calorie, cheese adds up quickly, and berries are much higher in calories if they're dried. Other than that, it sounds like you're doing well. Good luck!

Hey jayzer, I know that making the decision to have 85% of your stomach removed isn't one that any person should take lightly. I see that you've decided to go ahead with sleeve surgery, but I can also see that you still have a lot of concerns. For your own peace of mind, you might try writing out all of the concerns and doubts that you have and that your loved ones have, then address each individual item one by one. It might help to ease your mind a little if you can organize your thoughts about what you're preparing to go through. Good luck to you.