Indymom

It's a great feeling! I was able to buy size 14 jeans at Old Navy the other day - WOOT!

Right after my surgery I would keep a book or magazine close by - I would take a bite, read a page, etc. I was a really fast eater too so it's been hard for me to adapt!

When I hear San Dimas I think about Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure! I think I'm showing my age with that comment though. I had Qdoba today for lunch - their children's naked chicken burrito is perfect - I get it without rice, so I get pinto Beans, grilled chicken, pico, salsa verde and a bit of sour cream. I get a side of chips and queso and just have a few chips - it's delicious and the perfect size. I can't finish all the beans but I pick out all the chicken and tomatoes. Plus it's only $4 and change and comes with a drink, too.

I missed last week with all the Super Bowl excitement around here! I don't think I'm going to hit my goal but am still happy with 10 lbs down in a month. Woot! Indymom ~ 263 SW . . . . . 188 CW . . . . . 175 GW . . . LBS to GOAL: 13 January 9 ~ 195 (-3 lbs) January 16 ~ 192 (-6 lbs) January 23 ~ 190 (-8 lbs) February 6 ~ 188 (-10 lbs)

I am 6 months out and eat between 800-1000 cals/day. I keep my protein above 75 grams, and I try to keep my carbs and fat both below 40-50 grams/day. I eat a TON of grilled chicken, I love red meat but sometimes it's too much fat and calories for my plan.

I was on omeprazole and it didn't work - my acid production was awful. They switched me to dexilant and no problems at all now!

Luckily I'm not too much of a sweets person. I ordered a few boxes of cookies - I like the Thin Mints but I can stop after one or two. They are good right out of the freezer . . . .

Make sure you're doing your walking too! I think that made the difference in my early weight loss.

I am going to definitely spend some more time checking out that blog. I love those "cupcakes" with the wonton wrappers. There was one that was about 150 cals and 15 grams Protein - that definitely fits into my program!! THANKS! Another good site is skinnytaste.com. She does WW recipes too and with some modification you can find lots of good options for sleeve-friendly meals.

I'm close to 6 months out. Today I ate egg beaters, a couple pieces of bacon and a couple tbsp of hash browns for Breakfast (the bacon was a treat, normally I have canadian bacon in the mornings). lunch was buffalo chicken dip (LF version) and a few reduced fat tortilla chips. dinner was ham, green Beans and a small blob of mashed potatoes. I eat a ton of grilled chicken, raw veggies with reduced-fat sour cream ranch dip, reduced fat cheese, and egg beaters are my best friend for breakfast.

While we're on this topic, what happens when I am getting too small for a 14/16 in the women's section but I'm too big for a regular 14/16 in the misses section? I tried on various pairs of size 14 jeans at Goodwill and couldn't even get them over my butt!! Any suggestions for jeans that are inexpensive that are made for curvy women? I have a full rear end and generous hips.

Awesome! Now I wish I hadn't given all my fat pants away already - I didn't think to keep a pair. BOO.

Way to go!!

I like soda (regular, not diet) but it was never a trigger thing for me nor did I ever overindulge. Honestly I usually only drank soda when I had a hangover (preferably a fountain Coke from McDonalds!). Therefore, post-op it hasn't bothered me to have a few sips here or there - I'm staying away from caffeine but occasionally I'll have a few sips of my daughter's root beer or sprite. Doesn't make me want more or make me want anything else sweet. Pre-op I was a sweet tea JUNKIE. I could drink 2 of those gigantic sweet teas from McAlister's, or a half&half sweet tea from McDonalds with at least a couple refills. I made some decaf brewed tea at home and mixed with some Splenda - and realized I've lost my taste for tea almost completely. Totally weird. I love Water so that's what I drink primarily - I can't stand the artificial sweetners in Crystal Light or any of the other drink mixes.

I waited a while before putting on jeans - I think it was at least 2-3 weeks. I had a couple pairs of black maternity pants that I wore when I was pregnant - they were a 2X maternity so they fit my swollen belly perfectly and I could hike the elastic front way up over my incisions and under my bra strap! I rotated them for work for weeks because I went back to work very quickly post-op. I don't know if anyone noticed I was wearing the same pants over & over again but if they did, they were polite enough not to mention it!!

I too have found that fried foods seem to bother my sleeve, as do really fatty foods. I took my stepson to the NFL experience yesterday (we're hosting the Super Bowl here this year!) and we grabbed some lunch at one of the concession places - I had a hot dog with no bun and felt like vomiting afterwards. YUCK. I also don't eat much fast food anymore, it's like my sleeve knows that it doesn't want anything that high in fat and low in nutritional value. Thanks sleevie!! I was never a huge sweets person pre-op, and even less so post-op. A little bit of something here or there doesn't bother me, but I definitely can take it or leave it. We made chocolate chip Cookies today and I had a tiny blob of cookie dough and it made me want to puke. When the cookies were done baking, I had one bite and was fully satisfied . . . . didn't even consider another bite. It's so weird!

I did have a "last meal" before my surgery - we went to Outback and I had a big ribeye, bloomin' onion, salad, and a gigantic beer. I didn't think of it so much as eating foods I would NEVER be able to eat again, but I wanted to have something that I knew I wouldn't be able to eat for a while post-op. I knew steak, salad and beer were on my "off limits" list for at least 3-6 months so I enjoyed the heck out of them. At nearly 6 months out I am enjoying all those things again, but obviously in much smaller quantities.

Way to go on 70 lbs! I'm sure you'll be ready for some new clothes soon - in the meantime, consider yourself lucky you don't have to spend the $$ yet!! I went pretty quickly from a 24W to a 14/16W - but the problem I'm having now is that the 14/16W are getting to be too big but the misses size 14 are WAY too tight.

If you are voluntarily vomiting after eating poorly, then you definitely need to seek medical/psychological help right away. You can do major damage to your body by vomiting frequently.

You're not going to see the result from one day of exercise on the scale the next morning . . . I'm sure it's just the normal day to day fluctuation. I would keep a weekly weigh-in day and try to stay off the scale otherwise. (I'm certainly not one to talk though, I get on the scale every morning - but I don't track it except for my Monday "official" weigh-in). A day-to-day change of a pound or so can be the result of so many things, including Water retention, too much sodium the previous day, etc. Good luck with the C25K! I was doing it last year before I got sick late fall - I've decided to stick to classes at the gym until spring, because I hate running on the treadmill. I'm going to get back into it once I can walk/run on the trail again.

Yep, I agree with everyone else - it's the fluids. They had me weigh myself the first night I was in the hospital and I had gained 14 lbs!!! By the time I got home 2 days later I was back to my pre-op starting weight.

I had to have an upper GI. The stuff you have to drink is gross but otherwise it was no problem . . . I was in & out pretty quickly.

Looking terrific!

This is exactly why I am tolerating the minor hair loss I have right now. I already have to do some serious waxing and plucking on my facial hair, I am not about to take any supplements that will cause MORE.

I feel the effects of alcohol more quickly than I did before surgery, but I also sober up more quickly. Not sure why from a chemistry perspective, but that's what I have noticed. I waited until I was about 3-4 months out from surgery (my doc recommended between 3-6 months before drinking) and I do it rarely due to the empty calories. I think the liver thing has to do with your liver being strained during the weight loss process . . . if your liver is already working hard during weight loss, excessive drinking can put extra strain on it. I don't know all the particulars, though.