~*~ Melissa ~*~

Wow! I was so excited about my post that I never included the drink. My apologies

It is hot chocolate by Healthwise. It has 15 grams of protein for 8 ounces, HOWEVER, I make mine with milk giving me 23 grams of protein for 8 ounces. I buy it at a weight management office, along with other goodies. I am picky and only drink the regular mocha packet, but there are seven flavor s to choose from- mint, raspberry, marshmallow, and cinnamon, to name a few.

Only 80 calories (made with water-- milk is obviously more) and has only 4 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of sugar.

I highly suggest purchasing if you can find it. I pay a little over seven dollars for a box of seven- roughly a dollar and some change for a cup of goodness

Hope this info helps

Sounds like you had a very successful year- CONGRATULATIONS!

Good luck with the goals set for 2012. I think you'll do fabulous

I know every dr had different guidelines but usually bread and pasta is a big N-O until 6 months post-op. My gut tells me the bread has a lot to do with your sickness

Just my opinion. Sorry you're going through this

Thanks again, everyone.

I miss talking to you, SweetTee! I'll have to send you a message this week and catch up

Thanks

I feel GREAT! When I was at my highest weight, doing daily activities like walking, showering, etc. was extremely difficult. Additionally, I rarely slept throughout the night because I felt as though the weight carried on my chest was suffocating me. In the last week or so, I have slept every night straight through and woke up feeling refreshed. Getting my sleeve was the best decision yet.

The only problem I am having is with my incision sites, BUT I thought they looked pretty good today (knock on wood). Maybe everything is finally starting to come together. Yay

DON'T weigh yourself everyday. I did it all the time, and still do now and then, and it gets me down more than ever. Try to keep it to a minimum of two times a week if you really need to see the numbers. If you eat something high in sodium, chances are your weight the next day will increase because it's takes your body so long to get rid of the excess water. Same thing goes with exercise- you may have gained on the scale but it could easily be muscle.

You are going to do fine. We are all here for you

Congrats! Just because you didn't lose any weight doesn't mean you didn't lose inches

I cried after I took my before pictures as I didn't realize how big I really was until that point in time. You are going to do great and you will look amazing very soon. I am much healthier and am proud at how far I have come. Before I would grab food and drinks that I loved to intake, throwing it in the shopping cart. Now, I actually look at the nutritional value of things and know what's good and what isn't. Yay!

Congrats!!

My best friend knows about the surgery and that's it. He had the surgery done himself with the same doctor and has been my biggest support system. He's even my emergency contact. If I didn't have him, then I would have proceeded with telling my mom. My fear now, if I did decide to tell her, is that I would never hear the end of my poor decision as it is so close to the move date and the new job. Additionally, I am putting my life at risk by getting it done. My family doesn't know because they were not supportive with my decision when I said I wanted to apply through insurance, told me it was an easy way out, degraded me by calling me fat, lazy, etc., and told me that if my sister could lose the weight, that I could.

Maybe if they had treated me better, things would be different. I would hate for them to put me down now for doing the surgery and then 6 months later, turn around and say it was the best decision. Accept me for who I am and the decisions I make now... not later.

Thanks for the advice. My parents will be helping with the move so I do have help. I'll make sure to grab the easier stuff with wheels, so it looks like I'm actually doing something.

Thanks for all the advice, everyone! I greatly appreciate the help

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my blog and offer your opinions and expertise. You are all correct- it's about smart thinking now. Drinking as many slurpees as I have in the past is part of the problem and why I am where I am today. Therefore, I decided NOT to have a slurpee and treated myself to a Minute Maid Light Lemondae instead. Who knew 5 calories could taste SO good

Thanks for the compliments regarding the weight loss. My thoughts towards both my eating and drinking habits have changed drastically and I couldn't be any happier. And the weight loss before the pre-op diet was unplanned but very rewarding. I decided to cut back, fearing that I would go on a "food funeral" and then struggle for 14 days without food. I feel cutting back as early as I did has and will continue to help with the transition. Now it's time to add a bit more protein via shakes. Here's to hoping that I find one I like!

P.S. I love the term "food funeral". Reading all of your replies tonight is the first I have ever heard of it.

So sorry to hear! I completely understand your stress at work as all previous management at my placement was just replaced with new folks. Things are going terrible-- they refuse to talk to those of us who have been around and know key things on how to keep things running smoothly and are never around, whether it's taking vacation time or stepping out of the office to run errands. Previous management NEVER did that.

Take your stress and anger caused by your boss out on the treadmill. I have been doing so lately and have been seeing wonderful results before even beginning my liquid diet

Oh my goodness! Thank you SO much for all of the wonderful advice. I can't thank you all enough for taking time to answer my blog. I spent the evening writing and organizing everything in a notebook so I can review and have with me during the recovery process.

Thanks again. I owe you all the world and more <3

Congratulations!!!

Thanks for the helpful information, ladies!

@MinaT: SOOOO many helpful tips and suggestions... WOW! I was never big into coffee but pop/soda is a habit that needs to be broken. I usually drink up to 20 ounces per day - eek! After reading your post this morning, I decided to take my remaining cans and donate them by placing in the breakroom at work. Instead, I grabbed a crystal light lemonade packet and sipped on that throughout the afternoon. Who knew how good 5 calories and 0 grams of sugar could taste!?

@Kathy: Thanks for the advice and support! Congrats on all your hard work over the last 6 months. You're almost there!!

I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND! My procedure is scheduled for July 19th and I'm becoming more and more impatient. By next summer, you'll be strutting your stuff across Washington