Robyn Owens-Miille

My husband tried so hard to not eat in front of me. He and the kids would eat in another room so I wouldn't be confronted by the smells and sights. I ended up feeling so awkward that I blew up at him. He really thought he was being helpful. He felt bad for making me feel bad. But then, he ate popcorn in the same room with me and I cried because i couldn't eat it (I was about 2 weeks post-op).
It's just one of those times in a marriage where you have to be really committed to each other. Sometimes no matter what you do it isn't right. This is an especially hard time for any couple.

"I think I'm going to have the surgery you had. It will make me quit eating all the junk food so I can lose weight too." Said the social worker at work to 2 of us (both RNs) who had VSG done.
We both corrected her and she acted SHOCKED that the surgery wasn't the "magic pill" that would make you quit eating junk.

I lost about 90 pounds in the first 6 months post-op. The goal set for the 2nd half of the year is 60 more pounds. Doc said some will do more, some will do less. It just gets harder. So far, I've been on track losing 10 pounds in the 7th month.

I didn't make my goal of 220 but I did lose 12 pounds this past month! I had majorly stalled so I'm very happy with this.
Now, I have a new workout plan and praying my knees like it better than the old one.
Goal for 4/1/13... to be under 200 (that's 10 pounds a month).

Hide the scale. Literally have someone put it up where you can't find it.
Focus on your body- how your clothes fit better, how much more physical activity you can do now that you couldn't do then, etc. Stop and notice how much better control you're getting of your food, you're drinking Water and eating required Protein.
And, as everyone said, you're in a normal pattern.

Take this time to re-address your relationship with food so that when you are healed, you don't go back to the "old way."
I enjoy a meal with my family. Most days we eat the same thing. I just focus on Protein and only nibble a bite of the starch, if there is one. We go out to eat. I had 3 Texas fries the other night (fries with cheese and bacon) and then focus on my beef fajita strips. But, I STOPPED at 3 which is NOT the way the old me would have done. The old me would have ordered my own plate and not shared with anyone AND eaten a full entree. I now share my entree with my 7 year old son or take leftovers home.
For the first time ever, I'm learning to control my food. It still wins sometimes (damn Christmas cookies). I can eat a bite or two of something that's not so healthy and then stop. I feel like a normal woman. I was always amazed seeing dessert left on a plate or a few bites of a yummy looking appetizer. Now, I can do that! There is no need to scrape the plate clean every time.
You had surgery at a super hard time of the year (it's always hard). I hope it gets easier soon and you don't regret your sleeve. I love mine. I've never lost weight with any long-term success in the past. 7 months... 110 pounds... and still losing.

Hide the scale. Literally have someone put it up where you can't find it.
Focus on your body- how your clothes fit better, how much more physical activity you can do now that you couldn't do then, etc. Stop and notice how much better control you're getting of your food, you're drinking Water and eating required Protein.
And, as everyone said, you're in a normal pattern.

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wore misses size 18 jeans yesterday and they fit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The last time I saw size 18 was HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!!!!
OMG!!!!!!!! I weigh less than my hubby for the first time EVER in our 11 year relationship.
Yes, I'm just a little excited this morning.

Drink as much Water as you can to help flush out the toxins. Really no cure except to add in carbs It's showing that your lifestyle change is working!

Breakfast: Scrambled egg and 1 3" pancake with SF Syrup
Lunch: 2 oz Brisket, 1 spoon green Beans, 1 deviled egg, 1 bite of potato salad
snack: 2 bites of brownie, 2 bites of apple pie, 1 bite of pecan pie
dinner: 1 tamale with meat chili (homemade chili) and 4 chips with a bit of queso dip.
Not my greatest day. But way different than past Christmas "feasts."

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wore misses size 18 jeans yesterday and they fit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The last time I saw size 18 was HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!!!!
OMG!!!!!!!! I weigh less than my hubby for the first time EVER in our 11 year relationship.
Yes, I'm just a little excited this morning.

Drink as much Water as you can to help flush out the toxins. Really no cure except to add in carbs It's showing that your lifestyle change is working!

Breakfast: Scrambled egg and 1 3" pancake with SF Syrup
Lunch: 2 oz Brisket, 1 spoon green Beans, 1 deviled egg, 1 bite of potato salad
snack: 2 bites of brownie, 2 bites of apple pie, 1 bite of pecan pie
dinner: 1 tamale with meat chili (homemade chili) and 4 chips with a bit of queso dip.
Not my greatest day. But way different than past Christmas "feasts."

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wore misses size 18 jeans yesterday and they fit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The last time I saw size 18 was HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!!!!
OMG!!!!!!!! I weigh less than my hubby for the first time EVER in our 11 year relationship.
Yes, I'm just a little excited this morning.

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wore misses size 18 jeans yesterday and they fit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The last time I saw size 18 was HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!!!!
OMG!!!!!!!! I weigh less than my hubby for the first time EVER in our 11 year relationship.
Yes, I'm just a little excited this morning.

My personal thought is that your nose is just returning to "normal" smelling power after years of bombarding our taste buds with crap. Processed, chemical crap that destroys our taste buds and sense of smell.

Breakfast: Scrambled egg and 1 3" pancake with SF Syrup
Lunch: 2 oz Brisket, 1 spoon green Beans, 1 deviled egg, 1 bite of potato salad
snack: 2 bites of brownie, 2 bites of apple pie, 1 bite of pecan pie
dinner: 1 tamale with meat chili (homemade chili) and 4 chips with a bit of queso dip.
Not my greatest day. But way different than past Christmas "feasts."

Breakfast: Scrambled egg and 1 3" pancake with SF Syrup
Lunch: 2 oz Brisket, 1 spoon green Beans, 1 deviled egg, 1 bite of potato salad
snack: 2 bites of brownie, 2 bites of apple pie, 1 bite of pecan pie
dinner: 1 tamale with meat chili (homemade chili) and 4 chips with a bit of queso dip.
Not my greatest day. But way different than past Christmas "feasts."

Simple carbs are addictive so avoid them like a recovering alcoholic avoids booze.
Simple carbs trigger a rush of insulin, which drops your blood sugar, your body responds by wanting more carbs to fight the drop in blood sugar. It's a vicious cycle so just stay away.
You can have complex carbs as they are slower absorbed and don't cause the massive release of insulin. Focus on these.

I'm 6 months out. My diet is to be approximately 1000 calories a day, 80 grams of Protein a day and about 60 grams of carbs. That's a lot of carbs to me but they come from the RIGHT carbs. For me that means nothing white (Pasta, rice potatoes, etc). I get my carbs from dairy produts, low starch vegetables and whole grain Pasta, bread, etc.
You know all the reasons why early on... no room for anything but Protein, low carb speeds weight loss, some carbs trigger cravings, etc. As you add carbs, focus on adding in the right carbs.

Love it!!! Congrats!!!
Buying "women's clothes" is a hard habit for me to break. I was at a resale shop recently and tried on some LB clothes in a size 18. They fit everywhere except the boobs (you could have put 4 of me in there and still had room). I never realized just how big they cut their clothes in the chest.
So... tried some misses 18 & 20 tops and they fit. OMG!!!! I was wearing a 28W-32W in tops just 6 months ago.
I guess no more LB, Avenue or Catherines for me! woohooo!!!!!

Love it!!! Congrats!!!
Buying "women's clothes" is a hard habit for me to break. I was at a resale shop recently and tried on some LB clothes in a size 18. They fit everywhere except the boobs (you could have put 4 of me in there and still had room). I never realized just how big they cut their clothes in the chest.
So... tried some misses 18 & 20 tops and they fit. OMG!!!! I was wearing a 28W-32W in tops just 6 months ago.
I guess no more LB, Avenue or Catherines for me! woohooo!!!!!

I was wanting warm comfort food tonight.
softened 1/2 an onion, chopped fine in a tablespoons of olive oil.
Add a lb bag of cauliflower florets, 4 cups of Water and 1 stock packet (the concentrated stuff)
add 1 cup of milk when soft
Add salt, pepper and some garlic
once tender, pureed until smooth with the stick blender (You could leave it chunky if you want)
I split the recipe in 1/2 at this point
pot 1:
added 1 bag of jimmy dean turkey sausage crumbles and some crushed red pepper flake
pot 2:
added about a cup of 2% cheese (mix of swiss and american), 12 oz of low sodium lean ham cubed up, 3 slices of turkey bacon (cooked and crumbled)
Both are so yummy! I can't decide which I like more. I despise cauliflower and potato Soup is something I absolutely adored previously (we didn't do Tomato Soup when you were sick, we did potato soup!). I'm very happy with this replacement!
I haven't run them through sparkpeople yet for for calories, fat, Protein, etc.

I'm 6 months out and can enjoy it. I popped a mini bag of orville redenbacher smart pop yesterday, let it cool and put it in a sandwich bag and slipped it in my purse. I enjoyed my healthier popcorn while my hubby & boys enjoyed the butter drenched bucket at the movie theater last night.
Please don't yell at me about cheating the theater; we still paid $20 for 3 drinks and a bucket of corn. I wanted a treat I could enjoy without going crazy off my diet.

stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, losing toes (or worse), kidney failure, loss of eye sight, knee replacements, hips replacements....
I'll take my gamble on loss of ghrelin over all the side effects of being super morbidly obese, having high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and diabetes.