mczoo33

Well tonight's Soup was a hit, not only for me but the family who scarfed down my bowl sampling it and I had to make them all some. Was essentially what I have done before. but added some spice and kick to it and the celery really added a nice flavor Shrimp & Celery Cream of soup 4 Shrimp, 1/2 stalk chopped up celery brown in pan with olive oil spray Chili pepper or chilli pod pepper 1/2 tsp add couple tablespoons flour mixing to make rue add chicken granules 1 tsp and 1/2- 1 cup of Water let it thicken as much as possible. then add 1 cup skim milk and pepper Put in blender and puree. hurry and eat before family taste or double recipe for each person This will be one I make a lot when able have full liquids it is around 200 calories, 29 carbs, 14 protien Wow, Icandothis, allnewme, Stormwarning, its coming up and your the first to head to Dr Alverez wow its all getting so close (Also all the rest on the first week)

Futureskinnypants, remind me to buy new glasses for that new list to see with, must be this liquid diet making me do all whacky things like cant see well....note to self make a carrot broth soup for better eye sight......ok guys the happy giggle excited (little nervous) bug is taking over my keyboard and I cant control it

Wow you look stunning...way to go

Welcome and Congrats Blueons

That gives everyone hope that's about to start this journey, that's awesome you look amazing

Congratulations, how exciting for you

Thats so very exciting for you congratulations....Amazing the things like that just dissappear being able to do when the weight comes on, its great to know you can get it back with the weight falling of

Was having dinner and had so many thoughts on my journey. Here is a topic if anyone is interested. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/46381-have-you-ever-pondered-the-little-things-like-a-spoon-how-it-can-change-our-healthy-decisions/ What I made for my soup tonight I took 3 med shrimp (so added less then 35 calories, not fat and a bit more protein, I will use and make shrimp soup after the sleeve when allowed )and used my olive oil spray (so amazed you can fry almost anything or get that taste using this with out the calories) and cooked the with a teaspoon of minced garlic (I like it garlicky) When that had got a good color, I then added a cup of water with a teaspoon of chicken bullion,so it was mostly a shrimp broth still. Added about a 1/4 a small baby zucchini (could use celery or yellow squarsh, carrot) so was about 1/8 of cup. boiled that. Can use chives, rosemary, creole seasoning, butter buds, salty and pepper to flavor. Just remember not to get carried away with your salty things as the chicken broth already has so much sodium. Then added cornstarch, mixed in 1 cup skim milk to thicken. I really prefer flour and like 3-4 tab isn't bad instead of cornstarch but it still adds more empty calories, (look at me thinking of empty calories, so very funny) I have tried wheat flour but it doesn't thicken well. I am gonna experiment with some better flours or thickening agents to have better flavor then cornstarch or white flour with cabs and calories Poured in blended and purred. Now you can take them Shrimp out, how ever all this was still way less then fat free cream of soup.

Have you ever pondered on that little things that can change so much in your life over time? Well I was having my Soup tonight, I have always used a Tablespoon for Soups, cereals etc, Why? Well my grandfather did it. Well Why did he? cause he was older and shaky and it helped him get some to his mouth unlike a teaspoon he would loose most of it before it reached his mouth. So I was thinking how so many things are like that that changes how we eat and don't even realize it. The Bigger plates that we fill heaping at times. Bigger cups. Larger Serving sizes. The fast food restaurant on most corners, so when your driving home from work and tired and still got to go home and make dinner, makes it easy to drive through and grab those fatty unhealthy choices for dinner. The kitchen appliances that that grind and chop that we some times use for more convenience,yet burn less calories then chopping or preparing by hand. The apple or potatoes peeler you pop in pop out, or make fries with and drop in a deep fat fryer that's faster then baking. The bread machine that makes all that bread we love homemade. Yet don't have to need and work at, not much calories burned there. The frying pan, with grease to fry supper fast instead of baking and heating up the house. We live in a disposable world where we can throw away our dishes and to-go bags. We have the dishwasher that helps cut our cleaning time (therefore less burning of calories). We live a world of preservatives and more fat in foods. My Grandfather had bacon, eggs,pancakes and toast with jelly every morning for Breakfast all his life, and lived on pork, beef and potatoes, and I don't know if I ever seen him eat a green salad. He had huge deserts or pie or cake or ice cream most nights for desert. He drank 2 six packs of real coke everyday. He was the skinniest man I knew at maybe 120 lbs for his 5 10 height. The difference was he was a farmer, and he may have at all that for breakfast, but he was up and had feed the chickens and pigs, feed 100 head of cows, milked 2-6 cows, changed the Water in two or three fields, all before he had that breakfast. Don't get me wrong, I am not wiling to give up many of life's pleasures in my life either, but we must put more responsible choices of talking a walk cause we have more time since that dishwasher is doing what would burn calories We let the little things like a spoon in our lives become something that can change so much. I need to move back to the regular size spoon. Pretty soon I will be told to use the baby spoon with my meals. For me, its time to think about the little things like the spoon that I have allowed to get me off my path, change it, and get back on that path for a good healthy life

Welcome Dlmeekie, see you made it over, this is a fantastic support group here...and still might pass you as i go for mine on the 14th

I believe we all get these urges and its all a learning curve, we are re learning to eat the pre-op way, when we have surgery we will nee to re learn the post op way to eat, a new adjustment like every week, learning what we can have and cant have. then 2-3 months out we will again re learn a new way to eat, its not that we have a mishap and don't do well, its that we learn from it and try to do better the next time, we don't learn to ride a bike with out a few falls, nor was Rome built with out a few mistakes , and we will have some trials and bumps along the way, we just need to get back up and try it better the next time, and not beat ourselves up over it...Its when we stop letting it bother us that we are usually failing because we are falling back in to old traps. Temptation is hard, food is all around us, its the center of everyone's life's, we just got to learn to make some good choices 99 percent of the time, and allow ourselves the right to learn from the other 1 percent

wil possibly be passing you there...i am on the 14th with Dr Alverez but due to leave on the 17th. there is a great group of August sleevers to at http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/38113-august-sleevers-where-yas-at/

will be with you saying a little prayer and giving you another hand to hold and shoulder to be there for you. stay strong

Hi sis, so very well said...so glad your back.. have miss your thoughts....Here is a few of mine to add to yours, not as well worded however.....we as women (dont mean to leave you out guys) I belive are taught not to be selfish and give of our selfs and for the most part its what we love and who we are...but its now time for us to take control so that we can be around to take care of others later. if this was our child or loved one we would do whatever for them to see to them and put every effort into them...so we need to reroute our thinking for now.We need to accept and want to make changes in our lives for with out that we become complaisant and slip into bad habits. We need to love our selfs, even if we have a slip up. we are only human We need to realize we are important and matter. We are someone's child, someones parent, someones sibling, someones love. We need to want to have a Dream and go after that Dream and make it reality

Yes its a roller coaster of emotions but it can also be played out the other way:What if you keep gaining more weight What if you end up on more medication What if you cant fit in a plane seat, tie your own shoes, walk through a store, clip your toenails, run and play with your kids, go on walks with your family The what ifs can really get to you....so put that hot sexy image in your head of a health you and dont let the what ifs get to you. Its nothing but a rainbow day and one step loser to the healthy you/us thats waiting to get out of these big shells

Great Great note and advice and such wonderful support.I have told my immediate family consisting of my kids and and there spouses, hubby of course to...actually sat them all down told them where my health was at, I have in the past tried to hide it all from them of my blood pressure and heart and so many other things, but was past that point of hiding it anymore. Wasn't sure how they was gonna accept it where my father just died 2 years ago from all most where my health is going and the doctor told me I might have 5-10 years going at the rate I am at, the good thing was my heart is not damaged. So before that happened I knew I needed to do something now. They was so supportive they all agreed they needed to make lifestyle changes to and so as a family we have been trying to change how we all eat, having a check in every two weeks how each is doing and a family fb page dedicated to changing. Other then them I have not told my Mother or sisters, nor my in-laws, I do not feel I would get support only negativity and I choose not to have the negative around me at this time. As far as schedule I actually am being very selfish and choose not to have so much in my life at this time so I could focus totally on me at once and have the time needed to eat proper and right, to not be so darn hungry I run and grab what ever I see, I do spent lots of time researching, reading, and keeping my mind so focused on the surgery and this lifestyle change. LeprecaunaMomma and everyone else in this group the energy, excitement and support you give is so wonderful exactly what the doctor ordered for me...Have a great day everyone and Smile your worth it.

wish we had a pool here the closest is 40 miles away, so thats a hard one, dont even have a decent gym, well got one a guy put in a basement that doesnt seem safe to me, I do have some equipment and gonna try to start adding something in even if it is like 10 min at a time

Seems like everyone is getting some good exercise in, I have got to start working on that next...I have pretty bad messed up back and a leg....its pretty painful to do much and I have been doing good to walk outside and around the house twice maybe amounting to 10 min, but I do need to step it up in the exercise department. what does everyone do for exercise, exspecially at the heavier weights where just moving your body is a chore?

Glad you liked it...hard to come up with so much with whats on that list

Thank you Sis, nice to have others perceptions on it. So glad your back was worrying about you and know ya had your birthday and all and glad your back we miss hearing your thoughts. Just imagine next years birthday what you will be like the same beautiful self in a smaller shell it is getting so close for you....am excited for you....Oh went to add you on MFP didnt seem what you gave us is right its not showing you on there.....on as mczoo33......

So I made a imitation pre-op diet version of egg drop soup, used my chicken broth and some liquid egg beaters dropped in when it was boiling, then use a Chinese bowl and spoon for more of the effect for it and made it through another bowl of broth. What types of things are you trying through the pre-op diet to help you?

I made a great soup the other day, took zucchini and yellow squash and sliced and used a frying pan with just the olive oil spray, and grilled them some like that, then added in fresh basil, and salt and pepper, then added in some chicken broth and used a little flour to make a thick rue like then skim milk, then added to the blended and pureed it all. was pretty good that way actually......mmm thoughts of zucchini banana bread with walnuts and chocolate chips....whoops that was the old me that could have that

I feel very good about the fact of having the surgery, ya worried to at times they will find something inside....just dont know why the whacky dreams

So I keep having dark dreams of death and dying on the table and all...anyone else going through this....I even dreamed last night that I was visited and told if I didnt stop this surgery I would die.....would like to shake this and hope its just part of this weird issue of going back and forth and some being scared etc

Wow simply amazing, you look so wonderful, gives me hope. I am scheduled on the 14th of August and I cant even imagine being down 100lbs but cant wait till that day...I bet you meant 258 in your Today figure right . Keep up the great work the reward of those sexy clothes look so worth it.