says_simon

For lunch, I have a little well steamed cauliflower with chickpeas. As much as I can eat, which isn't really much. For dinner, I have some of those greens and mushrooms that my partner eats for Eat to Live. I start the day with coffee to relax my esophagus so I can take my pills, and then I might have some grapes or plums, something easier than apple to eat. I realize that's not a lot of protein, unless you put soy in the coffee. But if you read the book, he says that protein has been over hyped by the various food industries. I feel great with what I eat and lose weight when I stick to it.

I just noticed the title of this post is Eat to Live. I used to follow that before I had a fill. I can't do that anymore because he asks you to have a pound of veggies at lunch and a pound of veggies for dinner. No way I could eat that much now.

I've actually been disappointed that people haven't noticed yet. My mother-in-law always says something, but she knows and I think she's just trying to make me feel better. I've lost almost fifty pounds and all my clothes are too big. I've recently made new friends, and none of them know how big I was. Like I said, it's just disappointing. I was hoping for more positive feedback.

Oh, I used to love apples! Giant Fuji and Honey Crisps!

I actually have trouble eating much watermelon. It's quite fibrous, and I don't usually think of watermelon in terms of fiber. I'm on a regular band diet, not mushies.

I love agave syrup. It mixes in so well and I can't tell it's not real table sugar.

I should say I've felt great since cutting my insulin, Metformin, and blood pressure meds in half.

I'm vegan. I don't count my calories or protein, but I feel great. I'm actually getting into macrobiotics without the meat.

My doctor says not to take gummy vitamins. I think they're lacking in available nutrients, but I'm not completely sure of his reasoning. I take chewable multi and b12.

I'm having trouble stabilizing my blood sugar lately. It's been way too low and I'm slowly reducing my meds. Metformin cut in half, Levinmir cut back by ten. Still have Victoza, too. Yesterday morning it was 50, and right after dinner, it was 60. My partner made me eat a Frosty and my morning blood sugar was 78. Still not very high, but not crazy low. I've also had stalled weight loss for a week. Hardly a plateau yet, but it does worry me. I can't exercise because my blood sugar has been so low and I'm so weak. So do you think the two are related? I always thought that blood sugar levels were a good barometer for weight loss--keep the sugar down and weight will come off. But it doesn't seem to be working now.

My blood sugar is low when I eat well, and when I eat well, I lose weight. That's how I connect the two.

I think you may need to see another surgeon if this one is so set against the lap band, since that is what you want. At the time, my surgeon was only doing lap band and was really positive about it.

I've lost nearly 45 pounds, but since the 40 pound mark, I've been having a lot of trouble with sleeping and my CPAP machine. I'm getting a severely dry mouth at night and the Water in the reservoir isn't decreasing. I think I've started to sleep with my mouth open. I didn't sleep much at all last night and I'm miserable today. My question: how much weight did you lose before you had to have your pressure decreased, and did you have dry mouth symptoms?

Thank you for sharing your experience, Grandma. My dry mouth actually gets stuck closed, and I have to gradually sip Water into my mouth to release it. But I do wake up with a headache and basically feeling miserable. I tried sleeping without it but I snored so loud my partner made me put on my mask. I think I've had my machine since 2007. Probably time for a new machine. I have come to dread bedtime.

I don't mind drinking flat soda, lol. I get diet soda from Sonic and shake it until the fiz is gone.

Your before and after photos are amazing! Thank you for posting them.

This may be off topic, but I don't know which area to ask this question. My pants are a waist size 46. For about two weeks, they have been so loose that they fall off and I don't unbotton them anymore. My belt, which had always been on the loosest hole got too big and I had to buy a new belt. The last hole on the old belt was too loose. So anyway, I just measured my waist for the first time, and it was 46. So what gives? I KNOW I've lost inches!

Another convert! Now you can read books like Diet for a New America and The Face on Your Plate, which I just finished. The next one is Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows. Vegan propaganda. There's also Skinny b***h if you can stomach the graphic violence.

Is this a crazy idea? I'm losing well with just my two dog walks a day, about 30 to 45 minutes total. I think I will wait to increase my exercise when I get to a plateau. There's an hour long walk with lots of hills that I do sometimes, and then there's this couch to 5K that I find intriguing as well. I think I will wait and add the higher intensity walk when I hit my first plateau, and then add the c25k when I hit another plateau.

I'm inspired to try this again now. I found an app for Android. I didn't do it before because I didn't know how to time it.

I'm just still shocked that I am actually losing weight. It's such a novelty. I haven't been at this weight for 20 years. I tried and tried and nothing worked. It's hard to believe that this is really working.

People!! Omidog! I just tried on my partner's size 40s, and they fit! Granted, they may be stretched out and I may be a 42, but still, how awesome! I can't buy new pants until I have some money. I think I should wait until I'm a 38 so we don't get our clothes mixed up.

I've been trying to follow a vegan diet but find I'm having trouble getting enough Protein. I've got a huge, very painful mouth sore and my doctor thinks it is from insufficient protein. And did I say painful? I think I'm going to at least include eggs, but I'm hoping to find them at a farmer's market from loose chickens. But whatever. I'm feeling really discouraged. But hey! I'm losing weight. blah. I just wanted to put this out there for other vegans. Maybe you have suggestions?

Sunkist may sound like a good idea, but it is definitely NOT vegan nor vegetarian. It contains collagen and cassienate.

I stopped feeling sorry for myself long enough to do a simple search on Amazon. There is a vegan protein concoction with very good reviews called Lifetime Plant Protein. It has 22 grams of protein and other good stuff. That, combined with my homemade chili, tabbouleh and a Kind bar, will give me a much better protein number. I should start feeling much better soon.