BeachWithMyBabies

Again, thought this might be a good thread for meal ideas. Here is my favorite way to cook salmon (outside of poaching it in water) EVOO Salmon This is a way to bake salmon my mother taught me. It's the easiest and most delicious! What you need: Glass baking dish - big enough to fit the fillet Fillet of Salmon Olive Oil Sea Salt Pepper Put 1-2 Tbsp of Olive Oil into the dish Turn oven onto 400 degrees and place dish immediately into the oven, while cold Let oven preheat with the dish of oil While the dish is preheating, salt and pepper your salmon to taste. You can also add other spices, but I'm a salmon purest, so I usually only put sea salt on it Once the preheat alarm goes off, carefully take out the dish with the hot oil Place the seasoned salmon into the dish, skin side down Cook the salmon for 7-15 minutes, depending on it's thickness. You will want to check on it and see if it's fully cooked until it's the desired level of pink you like to eat Remove and enjoy! Make sure to take the salmon immediately out of the dish once you've determined it's cooked enough to prevent it from over cooking while it sits. Guaranteed delicious moist fish every time.

I thought it might be fun to share some recipes of things we're eating. This is a really easy chicken recipe that my husband taught me. I use Pace Picante (mild), but you could use any jarred salsa you like. Keep it low fat and sodium. Or make your own salsa! Even better! "Fiesta Chicken" What you need: Glass baking dish - preferably a casserole dish Chicken - any combination that will fit in the dish. We like 2 breasts, 2 legs and 2 thighs 1 bottle of Pace Picante Sauce, mild (I usually use 20-30 ounces) Foil Turn on the oven to 400 degrees Place the chicken into the glass dish Pour the Pace Picante over the chicken until it's swimming in it Cover the dish with foil Place in oven for 1 hour After an hour, check that the chicken is done to your liking. Enjoy!

I'm 8 months out and I can't tolerate soda. I get super burpy and uncomfortable. I've totally cut bubbles out of my diet - soda, champagne, fizz, alka-seltzer, etc. I don't like soda much anyway, so it wasn't a big sacrifice to me. I did love sparkling waters and champagne, so I miss those a great deal, but I'll take my size 10 jeans over a glass of carbonation any day!!!

You don't really want the food to slide - it will possibly build bad habits later when your stomach can hold a bit more. It also rushes the food through your stomach so it doesn't have enough time to absorb all of the nutrients or keep that full feeling longer. My doctor said no liquids 30 min before and after, my nurse told me no liquids 15 min before and 30 min after and a liberal NUT I spoke to said liquids up to 5 min before is okay, but still no liquids 30 min after. Personally, I've experimented with all of them. From my experience, no liquids 15 min before and 30 min after seems best - for fullness, meal satisfaction and social ease. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it's a habit worth building into your routine.

I'm just going to say it: I think it's a little cruel for the doctors to expect us to lose 10% of our body weight BEFORE surgery when the majority of us have tried numerous things to lose weight only to feel like we are trapped in a body that is not our own. Fortunately for me, my doctor was similar to yours and didn't require a pre-op diet - just a fast for a day or two before hand to make sure my stomach was empty. He DID want me to lose 10%, but was flexible with me due to my tight time line (I'm a teacher, so I had a narrow window). As long as I posted some loss, he was good. I'm thankful for that because I don't think I would have ever lost that 10% on my own. That's why we need this tool, right? To help us gain control and begin to build healthy lifelong habits. Don't beat yourself up for your recent gain. Also, don't be too quick to go out and do an extreme diet. Just try to eat until you feel full and try and get a variety of color and protein in your food choices. Once you have the surgery, you will have the time to take a big breather from food and really focus on your healing and your nutritional education. We all do this to get more healthy and we learn every day from our successes and mistakes. I am so thankful for my sleeve and it's helped me learn so much about myself. I'm still not where I want to be in my health, but I've certainly made major strides with my physical, mental and spiritual health because of it. Believe in yourself. Go through with the surgery. And use the time it gives you in healing to learn more about why you eat and what to eat. All the pieces will fall into place!

I chart my weight weekly and noticed trends every month around my cycle. I ALWAYS gain 2-3 pounds during ovulation (middle of the cycle) and then it all goes away right about when aunt flo visits. Like clockwork. In fact, when I'm feeling fat or my jeans feel awful, I look at the calendar and I'm ovulating. As much as it's frustrating to see a gain, there is a little comfort in knowing that that is all it is. Now that I'm slowing down, I notice Week 1 a loss of 3-5 pounds, week 2 down a tad more (but still in the 3-5 pound range), Week 3 gain 2-3 pounds, Week 4 stay at high weight, then it all starts over. But every month, I managed to be a pound or 2 down like average. Don't over think it too much. If it really bothers you, chart it. Before I figured it out, it drove me nuts!!!!

I was also on the low side before my surgery. I am 5'4" and weighed about 218 right before I went in for surgery (down from 225 when I met my surgeon). I believe m BMI was about 36. I am now in my 8th month post surgery and I'm down to 170lbs, pretty much eating anything I want, being mindful of carbohydrates (but definitely have indulged). I should also mention that I'm an avid gym rat - always have been - and I do some hardcore circuit training with intermittent cardio. I'm currently going through a stall - since November (go figure - start of the holidays), I have been going between 166 and 170 with nothing further. I've actually been documenting it on YouTube. My goal is to get to an athletic 150. I don't regret my sleeve at all and my doctor was all for it. I didn't have any co-morbitities with the exception of some pre-diabetic eyesight loss, which got me approved through insurance. 70 pounds down is pretty much my goal too - and I don't think I could have achieved it without my sleeve. The sleeve has taught me a lot about eating, nutrition and fitness. It has also made me much more self aware of my eating and my body. If your doctor and you are comfortable, I say go for it.

Very happy. I have no vitamin deficiencies and I can eat a fairly normal diet without too much dumping. For me, it was a no-brainer. I would do it all over again.

Re: Calories. It's so hard to figure out what the right calories are! Sometimes I feel like there is an excuse for everything - I'm not losing because I'm eating too much, then it flips and I'm eating too little. But it totally makes sense. I had such a hard time taking off weight before surgery that it would make sense that my body just functions with less naturally. It's such a slippery slope between eating just enough, or too much and too little. Re: Calories as Usual Main Target. This is very true. I noticed that I get awfully liberal when I'm not food journaling. And when I do journal, I notice how a little can go a long way in the "tastes" area. I have 2 kids 5 and under, so I've had to shy away from "tastes" when I'm really trying to control those calories. And who can have one cookie?!? I'd rather not have one at all! lol Re: Weight Limit. My doctor also talked about this weight limit thing, but I can't help but feel that it's a little BS myself. Calories are calories. Input and output are scientific - so it makes sense that if I'm inputing less than I burn on output, that I can still lose weight - even beyond this ceiling. I think the doctors are talking about average loss before the really hard work begins. Honestly, it's the really hard work that scares me - especially since I've been burned so many times before where my efforts reflect so little. But I think (and here is where I probably need to take my own advice) that this tool helps us get past the past challenges where we faced "failure" so many times before. I feel like my negative feelings are coming from the person that I used to be and sometimes I'm not giving my new tool a chance to show me that it's still working. I'm so used to immediate gratification, it troubles me when things take longer and I start to freak out, not because it won't work, but because I am used to expecting the worst from my body. Let's face it - if diet and exercise worked for me before surgery, I probably would not have had the surgery. Re: Support Groups. I agree. I need to find one locally. My hospital provides them, but often no one shows - including the doctor or nurse who is supposed to host it. I find this forum is a great support group, but I do agree that I need to find some human contact to hash things out with. Everyone - once again, fantastic discussions and great things to wrap my head around. Please keep commenting. Very thought provoking!

You all are great! Thank you so far for the thoughtful and encouraging responses. From what I'm reading, I'm getting the following. Please correct me if I'm wrong. 1) drop the WW journalling and go back to regular food journaling to see more of what I'm eating 2) keep up my circuit training 3 days a week, but perhaps add another 2 of some other form of exercise to mix things up 3) eat more Protein and eat it first 4) drink almost double the Water that I've been drinking 5) chill out and don't judge success by the scale, but by my measurements - and don't measure too often. Sound about right? I think all of that is really sound advice. Diva sent me the link to her Back To Basics plan, which also seems very reasonable and makes sense. If other people have more advice, keep it coming. It's very motivating!

It's been a while since I've been on and I apologize. Things had been going really well until about 2 months ago, and then my losses just sort of tapered off and stopped. It's really starting to mess with my head. I'm doubting what I eat, I'm pushing myself with exercise and then not seeing results and getting frustrated and stopping - only to start again in another week. I'm playing around the the pouch test, then eating high fat and sugar. I've been going to Weight Watchers, but have a hard time staying in points (HOW is this possible unless I stretched out my pouch, which makes me sick thinking about). I'm all over the map. I need to get control again because this limbo is really starting to feel like what it felt like before surgery when I had to move mountains to lose weight. It's pretty scary! I'm only 15-20 pounds from goal, which is the most frustrating. Now - I've done great up until this epic stall. I started at 225ish and I'm at 172 (lowest on record was 166 at WW). I just want to stop this cycle before I'm back in the 200s and all this was for naught! If any of you have gone through this, or have suggestions on how to break my stall and get control back, I'm open to it. Thanks for your support!

Me too! My surgeon recommends them before any other brand. I have had no problems keeping them down. I take Flinstones Complete with Iron.

Listen to your body and eat what your body wants - not your mind. If you're really hungry and you can eat most of that subway sandwich, then accept that. But you shouldn't be able to do that for every meal. I have a really hard time listening to my hunger. I find there are some things I HAVE to do in order to hear the cues. I have to portion out my food before hand (I try and stick to an amount that can fit in a 1 cup serving - I can always grab more if I am still hungry, which is rare, but has happened). I only put one serving on a plate in front of me and the rest is in the kitchen or bag. I also focus on eating really slow, which is HARD. It's an active effort and I try and put my fork down between every bite. And once 30 minutes is over, I stop. I don't ever eat longer than 30 minutes. I find those few tricks help me honor my hunger. By the end of the day, I aim for between 800-900 calories with about 30% from fat, 30% from carbs and 30% from protein (but within a range of 60-80 grams) . I log EVERYTHING into my Lose It App on my iPod. So far, I've been losing between 2-5 pounds a week doing that. Hope that helps!

My insurance will cover my extra-skin removal on my stomach because I have bad eczema and the skin is irritated a lot. Some of you might have this option as long as you go to your doctor when you are rashy and document it over time. Because of my skin history, it will be 100% covered! So since that will be free in about a year, I'm all over that. I just bought myself 2 new pairs of glasses which I'm REALLY excited about. A classy pair and a really funky fun crazy pair for when I'm feeling like I want attention (which I find is a lot lately). I also got my hair highlighted and lowlighted for the first time in my life, which was a special treat. When I'm at goal and my tummy has healed, I'm going to buy very expensive 7 For Mankind jeans and a few very expensive high fashion items. I'm a clothes horse, so I'm planning to start putting away for my goal wardrobe now. Might need to do that shopping in NY and make an event out of it.....

I teach high school. I buy empire waist dresses in medium or large - cotton or acrylic only. I like to buy things a little snug (but not obviously too tight) and then I find that I can fit into them for a while because as they get lose, they still look good. I only have to give them away when the arm holes are too large or they no longer fit my bust. Basically - leggings, short A-line dresses, maxi dresses, shrugs/cardigans, sweater jackets. I'm avoiding jeans and very fitted clothes - I would be spending too much money. If I really wanted a good fitting pair of jeans, I'd try and find them at thrift so you aren't paying an arm and a leg for something that will only fit you for about a month max. I get most my stuff from The Rack, Ross and TJ Max. Then as I grow out, I give them to my friends or donate them to the cancer society.

My doctor wouldn't let me go back before 4 weeks. She was pushing for 6, but I'm a teacher and that was just not possible - but I agreed to see how I felt and make a call. I'm headed back on Monday after 4 weeks. I battled with dehydration weeks 2 and 3, so I'm glad I took off 4. I have had hardly any fatigue, but I hear that is rare. It's major surgery. Respect your body. Take the most time your disability will allow - you can always go back early if you are feeling well consistently and getting in all your protein/water goals.

I don't think an indulgence every once in a while is a horrible thing - in fact, it's probably healthy and will be better to keep you on track. However, yes, I do think you ate way to much at that party. But it was a party, and like I said, if it's once in a while and you aren't uncomfortable, then make sure you enjoy it and then get back to your planned meals. I can eat a good amount of food. I get full at about a 1/2 cup of something. I try to eat REALLY slow and try not to drink anything for at least 30 minutes after. However, if I'm hungry again in 2 hours, I'll have a little something like a hard boiled egg or a little bit of cottage cheese with sugar-free fruit spread. I have tendencies to be an emotional over eater, so I'm really working on not grazing and trying to not stretch out my sleeve. I eat about 700-800 calories a day, with 40-60 grams of carbs (mostly from milk) and 20-30 grams of fat. Just don't let your splurge trick your mind into thinking that it's okay more often then not. It's a slippery slope and once we figure out what we can have or get away with, it gets harder and harder to go back to the basics.

I'm almost 1 month post op, so I'm just out the gate. I used to LOVE wine, but I've been a good girl and have had nada. I am a bridesmaid in an upcoming wedding and I REALLY want to imbue. Be honest. How have you dealt with alcohol? I don't want to go bananas and drink all night, but I'd sure like a glass of wine at the bachelorette party (this Sat) and one at the wedding (June 4). Go for it? One or the other? Avoid? Do you drink? Please put in your 2 cents.

I'm falling between 600-800, usually averaging on the higher end of that scale daily. I have a lot of muscle, so I start to go bananas if I eat too little. I'm also drinking about 7-9 cups of water a day. My carbs seem to average about 60-80 a day because I try to puree small amounts of veggies and banana/apple sauce into my meals to help keep variety in my diet. I can't do those shakes exclusively and I feel like a cave person only eating protein all day. Each day I give myself 2 tsp of peanut butter for fat or some avocado. I also mix my shakes with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of milk (hence the carbs), but I want the calcium, so it's a good trade off. No food intolerance so far, but I haven't had any sugar or bread to date. I seem to be losing about 1.5-2 pounds a week and, though I wish it was coming off more quickly, I don't feel deprived one bit. This is something I think I can stick with.

I agree with Lara. The most important thing right now is getting your nutrients and hydration up. If whole milk will do that, do it for a week and see how you are feeling. You can always slowly step it down from whole back to 1% (I hate non-fat - I call it cow spit!) Your body is making a huge adjustment already. Puree up those hot dogs with a little cheese. Try a hard boiled egg blended with some tuna/salmon/canned chicken to make a puree that's high in protein. Just make the next week focused on things that taste good to you, that you can keep down, and have a high water/fluid content. I think you'll be golden! Keep up your amazing work. Your stick-to-it attitude is inspirational. You are doing everything right for you.

I didn't even see it this way. You are right! What a great way to look at it - much more motivating than that darn scale.

Thanks ladies!! Your entries made me feel so much better. I decided to step on the scale and guess what...? I did it! I'm now at 199.1!!!! Woot! So I guess I just needed to chill out after all. And drink my fluids. I think a lot of this recent stall was fluids and now that I'm back up to 8 cups a day, I think that it's starting to move. You are all so sweet and your words were so kind. Thanks for helping me calm down and see the amazing things I've already accomplished. It's too easy to just get focused on that end number that sometimes I need some reminders to look at what's already happened. Thanks for being such lovely reminders!

I too have 2 little kids - 4 and 2. I cried for a few days at the thought that this decision could harm me or take me away from them. But I think what I was most afraid of was the uncertainty. There are worse statistics every time you step in a car or on a plane. And then I realized that there was a higher chance of me not being there for my kids' weddings or graduations because of obesity than this procedure. Much higher risk. And that helped keep me focused. I also used Einstein's quote as a mantra: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." If I backed out, then I would be trying diet and exercise again. And that just leads back to feeding my depression and thoughts of failure. And that's bad for me AND my family. So I went through it and I focus every day on getting in those nutrients and water to make sure I'm healthy and there for my kids. And you know what - I'm a much better mommy and I'm a much happier person. You know what is best for you. Just take a deep breath. You can do this if this is the path you want to take!

Thanks guys! Makes sense. I just need to have faith.

You're only 3 weeks out - take it super easy on your tummy. I agree with everyone - stick with Protein shakes and puree for now. No more super solids - they are hard for your stomach to break down which might be triggering the rejection. Also, Multivitamins with no food can also make you super nauseous. I started keeping a blog with my favorite recipes so far (only liquids and purees for me still and my surgery was the same day as yours). Here is my link: http://beachwithmybabies.blogspot.com/?zx=30715bcb23b40bf I also shop online at a store with very yummy Protein Shakes. Here is the link: http://mydietshopz.com/shopbybrand.html The shakes have aspartame, but the taste makes up for the chemical. They are the only shakes I can stomach and they taste like desert. I can't stand any of the whey shakes from the stores - all gross to me. Each has Vitamins and minerals built into the shake (made for bariatric patients) and 15 grams of protein. I mix them with 1/2 a cup of Water and 1/2 a cup of 1% milk. Try just doing 3 or 4 of those a day with some other more solid Proteins that you can tolerate. So far I'm able to get in 60-70 grams a day without too much trouble. I too am struggling with water. I'm finally up to 8 cups a day (64 oz) but I work at it ALL dang day for the past 4 days. I'm still in the hole and might have to go in for an IV of fluids today. You might want to go into the emergency room and get fluids because it sounds like you're very dehydrated. That can also add to major nausea and that not being hungry feeling. I know it might seem fussy, but seriously, you need to go in for your health. I HATE the idea of going in, but I know I could get hospitalized if I let it go to far and I refuse to let my nay-sayer friends just be smug when I have to get hospitalized - so I'm getting an IV in secret!