Spirit Fire

Agreed! I have plenty of BIC (Butt in Chair) Support Groups that I can attend, but I feel like I get more support, motivation, ideas, recipes, troubleshooting ideas, etc. from THIS support system than from the others. Also, there seem to be people who dominate the meetings or the focus is on a topic that doesn't relate to me and my issues, or, since it is a mixed group with those who have had Gastric Bypass, the conversations don't always focus on the Sleeve. This forum is PERFECT for me and I feel it meets the criteria my surgeon outlined to attend a support group at least once a month -- I attend this at least 3 times a day!

Most humiliating fat moment for me: Last September, my Counseling Division at the community college where I work, was required to do Stryker Chair training. Stryker Chairs are the ones used in an emergency to get people down stairs. We all stood there listening to the trainers and then one person, whom I thought was a kind person prior to this, looked directly at me, then the trainer and said, "If someone is . . . too heavy, do we even have to try to take them down the stairs? I mean, let's just say for example, if Deann (that's me) is injured, how am I supposed to get her on the chair?" I has mortified -- I was standing there with my Boss and co-workers and I'm sure this person expressed the thoughts that others were thinking, but to be called out like that was simply humiliating. My reaction was, "I hereby absolve you all of the responsibility of taking me down the stairs."

Just checked out the Bariatric Foodie website -- THANK YOU! Has some great recipes and I had never heard of TVP (Vegetable protein) so just ordered some. THANKS!

Congratulations! You have a wonderful and inspirational attitude!

Fatsecret.com

I was sleeved 3/21/12. I have lost 91 lbs total -- 50 lbs pre-op and 41 lbs post-op. I am losing at the same rate post as I did pre; approximately 10 lbs a month. I had a stall at weeks 3-5 but have stayed fairly steady since then. I finally feel "normal" and am excited that I will maintain this weightloss which I never was able to do before being sleeved. I have had relatively few difficulties outside of constipation. I get all my proteins, liquids and vitamins in daily and have found I have the best weightloss success when I eat a variety of foods and stagger my calorie counts (900 one day, 750 the next, 825 then 800, etc.) I have made my wardrobe "work" for me because I can't afford to buy clothes in multiple sizes, but today I discovered (big smile) that I went from a size 28 to a size 18. I kept saying outloud, "Really!? Really!? Size 18? I haven't seen this in 20 years!"

I posted this a few weeks ago, but copied it to (hopefully) respond to your question: I found that I needed to have my grocery shopping list easily available AS WELL AS keep the recipes new, exciting and flavorful. I joined the FREE online site: Allrecipes.com (They also offer a pay/subscriber membership but I haven't found the need for it). After creating my account, I added recipes to my RECIPE BOX. You can add recipes from various websites and personalize/input your own recipes. I am now able to create shopping lists easily from these programs and access them from my smartphone via the app "Chef Tap" which links to the Allrecpies.com site. I have found many recipes from these sites: Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes www.genaw.com/lowcarb/ Low Carb Luxury: Recipes www.lowcarbluxury.com/lowcarb-recipes.html Emily Bites - Weight Watchers Friendly Recipes www.emilybites.com/ The World According to Eggface theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ Low Carb Recipes lowcarb.betterrecipes.com/ Low Carb Recipes - Cooking Good food That Keeps Your Diet on ... www.low-carb.great-recipes.tv/ Bariatric Surgery Recipes www.froedtert.com/SpecialtyAreas/BariatricSurgeryProgram/Recipes/ Bariatric & Lap-band Surgery Shared Recipes recipes.sparkpeople.com/cookbooks.asp?cookbook=47556 Bariatric Eating www.bariatriceating.com/ Recipes, Cooking and Baking Forum - Weight Loss Surgery, Obesity www.obesityhelp.com/forums/recipe/ Happy Cooking!

I'm in! 7/6/12 -- SW - 209 8/7/12 -- Birthday Goal to reach Onederland 9/3/12 -- GW - 195 increase Water intake to 80+ oz day increase pace from walking to jogging

I loved carbs and fats -- breads of all kinds, pizza, pasta, french fries, etc. I rarely crave these things anymore. I'm 16-weeks post op and can eat what I want but I seem to WANT lean protein and, if there is room, veggies. However, I have also used alternatives to meet the needs if they arise -- I keep Eat-Rite Pizzas in my freezer which are high protein/low carb soy based pizzas that taste very good. I have low-carb bagels and bread in the freezer. I have a supply of bariatricchoice.com foods in my pantry such as cheesy-mac pasta, choco-lite candy bars, biscotti cookies and a few other things so that mentally I know I can capture the flavor when/if I am craving it. If out and about and I smell pizza, I think "I can have that when I get home." Most times, I don't have it when I get home, but just having that safety net has kept me on track.

Saw this Chobani Greek Yogurt Conversion Chart for use in replacing butter, mayo, oil, etc. in recipes. I plan to try it and wanted to share with y'all.

I agree . . . this is an amazing site with helpful insights from people who truly understand. I find the individual stories to be motivating and encouraging. It is refreshing to find out the "issues" I have are shared by many and often solutions are presented that truly work. Thank you adrimc26 for creating this post!

Thank you! Grateful to hear how Patrick is doing as he has become an important fixture and inspiration for many of us on VST. Sip, Sip, Sip, Walk, Walk, Walk -- all will go well on this amazing journey!

Slider foods are those that just "slide" through the sleeve, not activating the restrictive nature of our new tool. This will sabotage what we are trying to achieve as we will eat more than is good for us. Unfortunately, slider foods don't tend to be Protein shakes and lean chicken, however it is different for everyone.

I reached my July 4th Challenge weight of 209 and maintained it for 3 days. YAY!

How many carbs and calories does this drink have?

Vitamin D-3 1000 iu/250% Calcium chews sugar-free (Kirkland) Hair, Skin, Nails (Wonderlife) Centrum Silver Chewable Multivitamin/Multimineral Supplement Chewable Probiotic 150 mg Omega 3, 6, 9 gummy vitamins 163 mg (65/33/65) ( Slice of Life) Zinc, L-OptiZinc 20 mg (Wonderlife) BComplex (Vita fusion) Chewable Iron (Bariatric Advantage)

Pre-surgery my daily intake was a minimum of 64-oz of caffeine-laden black iced tea and 20-oz of non-fat latte. My greatest post-surgery concerns included: Not being able to ever drink iced tea with my meals Not being able to ever use a straw Not being able to ever get iced tea when dining out (or at drive-thrus) since restaurants and fast-food places don't typically offer decaf Not having my morning latte At three-plus months out -- In alignment with my Nut and Surgeon's instructions: I have settled into a nice routine of not drinking 30 min. before or after a meals. It has become an easy habit and I am so full from 4-5 oz. of food that I can't imagine adding liquids to the mix. I have easily learned not to order drinks with my meals at restaurants. Funny how the wait-staff keep asking, "Are you sure you don't want water?" I brew decaf iced tea at home and work (Paradise Tropical Decaf is fabulous) and have this throughout the day when easily accessible. At three-plus months out -- NOT by the book: I have no difficulty using a straw When out-and-about, I drive-thru and get caffeinated iced tea without consequences Starting at the 3-month mark, I make 8 oz low-fat decaf lattes daily HOWEVER I have had caffeinated now and then without any problems. We are all different and you just need to see what your body will tolerate. I do believe there are legitimate reasons for the "rules" but we are creating a new way of life -- this isn't just a short-term fix -- so we have to learn what works for our bodies and lifestyle.

I am in the "slow loser" category: Started process: October 18, 2011 -- 298 lbs Surgery: 3/21/2012 -- 248 lbs Today: 6/28/2012 -- 211 lbs Goal: 148 lbs Total loss: 87 lbs % loss: 58% Basically, I am averaging the same weekly weight loss before surgery as I am post-surgery. HOWEVER, I know I will reach my goal and I will maintain the healthy weight as a result of this amazing tool. I have moments of frustration that eating 800 calories a day and walking 6 miles a day isn't dropping weight like a hot potato, but then I adjust my thoughts to realize that this is a path I will be walking for the rest of my life, not a temporary fix.

This is the general guideline I was given by my NUT.</div> Phase I Clear Liquids (Weeks 1 and 2) Zero Carb Isopure Drink (Nature's Best) Per 1 bottle - Calories: 160kcal | Fat: 0.00g | Carbs: 0.00g | Protein: 40.00g Clear broth SF popsicles Water, decaf tea Phase II Full Liquids (Week 3 -- 500-600 calories) runny Protein Shakes Low-fat soups (strained / pureed) runny cream of wheat Non-fat milk Sugar free/fat free ice cream Phase III Puree (Week 4 and possibly 5 -- 600 - 700 calories) Baby food sugar free/fat free pudding pureed cooked meats with broth pureed cooked Beans low fat cottage cheese nonfat yogurt low fat mashed potatoes * pureed cooked veggies * unsweetened pureed fruit * * add Protein powder Phase IV Soft foods -- things that can be mashed with a fork (Week 5, possibly 6 -- (700-800 calories) scrambled eggs steamed or poached fish low fat cheese / string cheese skinless chopped or ground meat soft canned fruit well cooked veggies Phase V Regular Diet (Begin week 6, 7 or when ready -- 800-900 calories) 3 meals, 1-2 Snacks or 5 small meals the first few months each meal 4-6 oz (always start meal with eating protein) High Protein, Low Fat, Low Carb and avoiding simple carbs (concentrated sugar), alcohol Add one new food and record intolerance

Sorry -- posted formatting -- I will fix and repost!

<div> <div>This is the general guideline I was given by my NUT.</div> <div> </div> <div><strong>Phase I Clear Liquids</strong> (Weeks 1 and 2)</div> <div>IsoPure</div> <div>Broth</div> <div>SF popsicles</div> <div>water, decaf tea</div> <div> </div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; white-space: normal; border-collapse: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><b><font color="#8600a4">Phase II Full Liquids</font></b><span> </span>(Week 3 -- 500-600 calories)</span></div> <div>runny Protein shakes<br /> Low-fat soups (strained / pureed)<br /> runny cream of wheat<br /> Non-fat milk<br /> Sugar free/fat free ice cream</div> <div> </div> <div><font color="#328712"><b>Phase III Puree</b></font><span> </span>(Week 4 and possibly 5 -- 600 - 700 calories)</div> <div>Baby food<br /> sugar free/fat free pudding<br /> pureed cooked meats with broth<br /> pureed cooked beans<br /> low fat cottage cheese<br /> nonfat yogurt<br /> low fat mashed potatoes *<br /> pureed cooked veggies *<br /> unsweetened pureed fruit *</div> <div>* add protein powder</div> <div> </div> <div><font color="#fa7a00"><b>Phase IV Soft foods </b></font>things that can be mashed with a fork<span> </span> (Week 5, possibly 6 -- (700-800 calories)</div> <div>scrambled eggs<br /> steamed or poached fish<br /> low fat cheese / string cheese<br /> skinless chopped or ground meat<br /> soft canned fruit<br /> well cooked veggies</div> <div> </div> <div><font color="#3665ee"><b>Phase V Regular Diet</b></font><span> </span>(Begin week 6, 7 or when ready -- 800-900 calories)</div> 3 meals, 1-2 Snacks or 5 small meals the first few months<br /> each meal 4-6 oz (always start meal with eating protein)<br /> High Protein, Low Fat, Low Carb and avoiding simple carbs (concentrated sugar), alcohol<br /> Add one new food and record intolerance</div> <p> </p>

Check-in: Beginning challenge weight-219 Challenge goal- 209 Weight last week- 210 (1 lb from goal) Today's weight- 212 (3 lbs from goal) Don't know what happened? I've been walking more and monitoring everything I eat and staying with the program? Well, hopefully I will reach goal!! My next personal challenge is to reach Onederland for my 51st birthday on 8/7/12!

I found that I needed to have my grocery shopping list easily available AS WELL AS keep the recipes new, exciting and flavorful. I joined the FREE online site: Allrecipes.com (They also offer a pay/subscriber membership but I haven't found the need for it). After creating my account, I added recipes to my RECIPE BOX. You can add recipes from various websites and personalize/input your own recipes. I am now able to create shopping lists easily from these programs and access them from my smartphone via the app "Chef Tap" which links to the Allrecpies.com site. I have found many recipes from these sites: Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes www.genaw.com/lowcarb/ Low Carb Luxury: Recipes www.lowcarbluxury.com/lowcarb-recipes.html Emily Bites - Weight Watchers Friendly Recipes www.emilybites.com/ The World According to Eggface theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ Low Carb Recipes lowcarb.betterrecipes.com/ Low Carb Recipes - Cooking Good food That Keeps Your Diet on ... www.low-carb.great-recipes.tv/ Bariatric Surgery Recipes www.froedtert.com/SpecialtyAreas/BariatricSurgeryProgram/Recipes/ Bariatric & Lap-band Surgery Shared Recipes recipes.sparkpeople.com/cookbooks.asp?cookbook=47556 Bariatric Eating www.bariatriceating.com/ Recipes, Cooking and Baking Forum - Weight Loss Surgery, Obesity www.obesityhelp.com/forums/recipe/ Happy Cooking!

I agree. Having recipes and food options is important. I found that needed to have my grocery shopping list easily available AS WELL AS keep the recipes new, exciting and flavorful. I joined the FREE online site: Allrecipes.com (They also offer a pay/subscriber membership but I haven't found the need for it). After creating my account, I added recipes to my RECIPE BOX. You can add recipes from various websites and personalize/input your own recipes. I am now able to create shopping lists easily from these programs and access them from my smartphone via the app "Chef Tap" which links to the Allrecpies.com site. I have found many recipes from these sites: Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes www.genaw.com/lowcarb/ Low Carb Luxury: Recipes www.lowcarbluxury.com/lowcarb-recipes.html Emily Bites - Weight Watchers Friendly Recipes www.emilybites.com/ The World According to Eggface theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ Low Carb Recipes lowcarb.betterrecipes.com/ Low Carb Recipes - Cooking Good Food That Keeps Your Diet on ... www.low-carb.great-recipes.tv/ Bariatric Surgery Recipes www.froedtert.com/SpecialtyAreas/BariatricSurgeryProgram/Recipes/ Bariatric & Lap-band Surgery Shared Recipes recipes.sparkpeople.com/cookbooks.asp?cookbook=47556 Bariatric Eating www.bariatriceating.com/ Recipes, Cooking and Baking Forum - Weight Loss Surgery, Obesity www.obesityhelp.com/forums/recipe/

Please accept my deepest sympathy for the tremendous loss of your two brothers. Healing thoughts are with you and your family during this very difficult time.