TheRealMeIsHere!

Hey, 40 lbs in 4 months is awesome!! When was the last time you did that? Keep up the great work! Yes, increasing activity level will help as well as tracking, calorie free liquids and sticking with your program.

@OutsideMatchInside, yes primarily fat free protein sources and low carb veggies, such as lettuce, cukes, radishes, spinach, kale, etc.....

In the upper right, you will see your user name with a downlist arrow. When you click on that, you will see tickers.

@RickM thank you for all the info!! I will definitely be reading more about that. @_Kate_, me to, I think. I've been doing low carb, low fat, high protein but it seems I may need to add more fat to my diet. I'm hoping that will make maintenance less of a tightrope, lol

Get creative and have fun with it! FF Greek yogurt (either plain with no calorie sweetener and extract of choice or even unsweetened cocoa) or something like Dannon Light & Fit Greek, Protein pudding, FF ricotta seasoned like stuffed shells, soft cooked egg beaters, pureed FF cottage cheese, strained FF cream Soups (I would add a slice of FF cheese at times) You can get quite creative with protein powder: chocolate, PB2, ice & Water vanilla, ice, water, nutmeg & egg beaters Vanilla, a bit of SF orange Jell-o or drink mix, water & ice Here are some of mine: https://ormcbariatric.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/thank-you-to-de/.. https://ormcbariatric.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/high-protein-yummy-great-recipes/

A TT should be done to tighten muscles and remove loose skin. You will be much happier with the end result if you are at goal weight and maintaining for a period of time. You may want to check the reputation of any plastic surgeon that says he can remove fat, skin, tighten muscles and give you a waist before you are at goal. That's a lot of work to be done at once, not sure how safe that is.

Congrats on the ongoing success! Maintenance is very hard until you find the right balance for you. Glad you are getting a hold of the extra 15 before it becomes more. Instead of things like slim fast shakes and cabbage soup, why not go back to what worked in the beginning? LOW carbs, high Protein and non-starchy veggies. NO Pasta, flour, sugar,potatoes, rice, etc... I have recently discovered, that, for me, a bit of fat in my diet helps with satiety, maintenance, weight loss and consuming fewer calories in the long run. I also continue to leave a 1/2 hour before/after eating of no liquids, I use tiny plates/utensils, eat slow & stop at the 1st sign of full. I too had gained some from falling back into old habits, I am now getting back on track and feeling better!

What a wonderful, inspiring & positive journey so far!! I am so happy for you, hope things continue to go well. Best of luck!

Wonderfully said!!!

Congrats on the awesome weight loss!! At first, it is difficult to adjust to single life. There is no need to jump into dating, just yet, though. I've been single since 2007 and wouldn't have it any other way! Get to know the new you, do group activities with friends, read, start a new hobby, etc....If/when you do start dating you will be that much more prepared and confident in a relationship. OR you will find that you prefer to be single, it does have it's perks as well!

AWESOME!!!

Sorry the healing is taking so long, but at least things are moving in the right direction, even if slowly.

@@walklady in earlier posts, there are links to quite a few. Let me know which ones you try!

So glad you are on the road to recovery! What an ordeal, I'm so sorry!

I was the same way, took 18 months before I could consistently get my daily Protein. My NUT instructed me to eat ONLY protein foods and take my Vitamins. NO salad, veggies, fruits and of course no bread, potatoes, Pasta, rice, flour, sugar or starchy veggies, but those things will rarely be included in my diet anyway. Eat very slowly, chew very well and stop at the FIRST sign of full. If that doesn't help with the pain, you may want to contact the surgeon. CONGRATS on the great weight loss, though!

Glad things are going smoothly. But........OW!!! Surprised the surgeon doesn't want to see you. That last one looks bad, pus and open!

Is it possible to do a large pot for the family and a small, measured pot separately at the same time? That way you can leave out any carby additions as well as knowing how much of each ingredient you are getting.

Congrats & great job!! Each Ins. is different, mine wanted 18 months stable at goal weight. If you are comfortable at 140, maybe that can be your goal weight. Was that a goal set by your surgeon or you?

Actually a panniculectomy is different from a tummy tuck. Panniculectomy just removes the "apron" Muscles are not touched. Tummy tuck pulls the muscles taught, suturing them together

You can go the the insurance website and search for criteria for panniculectomy. I did that, took it to my pain management doctor who wrote a referral for plastics. Then the plastic surgeon took pics. I also wrote a letter regarding my weight loss, my disabilities, the co-morbidities that were resolved, the importance of exercise on maintenance and how the excess skin impedes me. They ended up covering panni as well as TT

Ooooh, I just looked it up, it would for sure NOT be allowed on the plan I was on. 50 cals 12 carbs 10 sugar........EEEKK!! I was told calorie free liquids only. That I was to EAT calories in order to stay full and satisfied longer. Plus there is no nutrition in it, so is empty calories. That's the plan I was on, there are many others that work, and yours may have different guidelines, check with your NUT.

As long as it's zero calories & low carb then, it should be fine.

Were the negative comments removed? I didn't see any

Sounds like you were well prepared and are having a smooth recovery. Hope that continues! I am surprised that your surgeon says it's ok to be fully upright. I was told to walk and sleep in a slightly bent position for proper healing. Good luck on the 7th, I'm rooting for ALL drains to come out, I know what a pain they can be, lol!

So are you still on liquids or puree? I had the same, basically, it's liquid in=liquid out. Once you get onto more solid foods, it will go away. Other possibilities you might want to discuss with your surgeon: Lactose intolerance (some people develop it after surgery) Other food sensitivities, such as soy You are not consuming fruit, fruit juice or simple carbs (such as bread, Pasta, potatoes, rice, sugar) correct? It should be ONLY lean/fat free sources of Protein, calorie free liquids, and only if you are meeting your protein goal daily (took me 18 months) Then you can add in non-starchy veggies. As long as your surgeon says there isn't an issue, it will resolve.