AshleyMarie

I kind of feel the same way as you about giving up food. I have not had my sleeve yet and am doing 6 months of supervised dieting before the surgery. I keep telling myself that, although food has always been great for me (I love to cook and dine out - it's really an experience for me rather than just nourishment), I am ready to move on to other experiences. No maybe I won't be able to eat a giant piece of birthday cake, but I will feel more comfortable in my healthy body to get out at the birthday party and mingle, dance, run around, whatever it is everyone else is doing. I'm only 24 and my weight holds me back from doing things that I really want to do because I feel like everyone is staring at how big I am. When I get hungry - or crave a certain bad food - I just tell myself how much more fun I will have after I get this surgery doing other things than eating! For you, when you struggle with getting in the right mindset, think about walking your daughter down the aisle (which is a LONG way away, but a VERY important event), seeing her at graduation, watching her go to kingergarten, middle school, and high school, being there to scare off all the boys that come around, and the possibilty of having other kids and doing those things with them as well. I know it helps me if I write it down to and post it somewhere that I'll see it. I have a list of things on my bathroom mirror and fridge to remind of what I'm doing and why. Give it a shot. It can't hurt. Good luck! Also, take it from me, as a girl who grew up overweight, you do NOT want your daughter to go through that. If you make healthy choices, she will too, and she won't have to go through the teasing that can really hurt her.

I am still in the pre-surgery observation period, and I have a while until my surgery, so I haven't tried many protein drinks. However, I did order samples of several different flavors from Nashua Nutrition. They have the Nectar ones and tons of different brands, so this might be a cost-efficient way to find a few that you can stand!