OneWritersSoul

I'm glad to hear that getting out today helped, Laura! Such a good thing! The Fage 0% that I was speaking of is a plain fat-free Greek yogurt. They sell it in a variety of sizes as well. I use mine for so many things that I always buy a large container.

I guess I'm a weird one. I had no "food funeral" because I took the supervised six month pre-surgical weight loss period very seriously. I lost 100lbs prior to being sleeved by changing my habits and listening to the nutritionist. I was terrified of falling off the wagon by the time my surgery date rolled around. Now that I'm six months post-op, 133lbs lighter since surgery I'm excessively careful about following the rules that were set forth. I make mistakes and I have had complications and deviating from the game plan would (in my opinion) only make it worse. As a former "foodie" and a total food addict this is a change that will never be easy for me. Being sleeved was considered an EXTREME measure because I was eating myself to death at almost 500lbs. Along with being sleeved I did seek professional help from a psychologist that deals with eating disorders and body dysmorphia- both things that I'll deal with for the rest of my life. Whether you track your food or you don't; whether you "cheat" on your pre-op liquid diet or you have a food funeral or you don't; ultimately the weight loss with the sleeve is going to slow down and we're all going to have decisions to make. It's a lifestyle change. It's a whole new mindset. My personal decision was to start as early as possible to get the best possible results for as long as possible. Only YOU can be responsible for your own choices and decisions.

This thread is EXACTLY why I like it here as opposed to other places even though I'm not a Veteran. You guys (and ladies!) are AWESOME!

I'm always going to be a fat girl! A Southern fat girl! Wait, allow me to amend that- a LATINA Southern fat girl! Even though I may make healthier choices and lose weight (after this dreaded month six stall is over!) I will love the taste of real butter, bacon, and authentic homemade Mexican food for the rest of my days. I will forever be a FAT GIRL!!

Thank you very much for your terrific thoughts and suggestions so far! They're very much appreciated!

I freely admit that I'm a food addict! Prior to being sleeved people would frequently remark that they didn't understand how I was so overweight because they didn't ever see me eat hardly anything. Well, duh! This is a two part no-brainer, people! One part is the fact that they all ate a whole lot more than me (not judging, just fact) and the other part was the fact that I was one of those "secret" eaters. As if no one would ever notice the fact that I'd eaten my way to almost 500lbs! Now I struggle with food, period. Keeping it down, weighing it, tracking it, enjoying it- food and I are no longer friends. Until someone suggests a restaurant with a salad bar. Then I mourn it like we had been joined at the hip. Truly, it's the only thing I miss being able to eat. See? I'm an addict. Don't take me to the farmer's market when I'm missing salad, I'll embarrass you by loudly bemoaning my choice to have this surgery and making lewd comments about what veggies make me want to do- toss a salad full of spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and so many other- OMG! See what happens?! I'm sort of making light of a very real problem. My very real problem, that my therapist sees me for every week. Surgery didn't make one eating order disappear. It just swapped it out for a whole new one and put this food addict into a holding pattern for the time being.

Some people like to use Mio. They're zero calorie drops you add to your water to flavor it. Crystal Light has something similar, I believe. As for me, I simply add lemon and cucumber slices to a pitcher of water and keep it in the refrigerator. It not only adds flavor, it's great for detoxing your entire system!

Some of you know me and some of you don't and at six months out some of you may not count me as a "Veteran" and that's okay- I'm not. I'm as green as the fresh-cut grass. And my questions are going to prove it! I'm posting here because posting in the really newbie forum isn't going to help me as much as I believe you all may be able to. My main concern is how to increase my calorie count to where my surgeon/nutritionist wants it to be when I'm just not able to eat that much. Even with a sudden increase in my appetite, I'm finding that my calories are right around 500 for the day- not the 1200 recommended by the surgeon/nutritionist. Increasing my exercise hasn't made it easier to eat, only made me more thirsty. My diet is relatively low-carb. Meaning my carbs come only from occasional fruits and the rare starchy vegetable, as I was diagnosed with Celiac's Disease and my sleeve just doesn't tolerate any bread, rice, grains, etc. So, I don't touch the stuff- when I try, disaster! (I use MFP to track my daily intake.) Exercise is primarily walking the local track, walking at the local cemetery (lots of hills), and using the elliptical. I also do a kettle bell shred on alternating days of the week. I'm far from sedentary since just prior to being sleeved and getting more active every day. I still struggle to not only meet the daily calorie requirements, but to keep food down. I've had one stricture repair, I take my PPI and my anti-nausea medicine religiously. The surgeon tells me it will just be "tight" for a little while, to keep getting my Protein and calories in. How??!! And how the heck does this metabolism thing figure into it? I've lost weight but being ill and exhausted all the time is not fun. Any suggestions that you Veteran sleevers may have as far as calories and protein go, I'd certainly appreciate it. I swear I feel as though I'm at my wit's end with this and when I see my surgeon I'd like to have something positive to report to him.

Their lobster tail(s) with fresh veggies or asparagus minus the butter that comes with the lobster is perfect! I can usually only eat one tail and that's it for me, but it's great calories and protein!

Congrats on your success, Terry! You've worked hard to earn that spot on the "goalies bench"! And what a terrific way to celebrate your success- hope you enjoy!

I'm also at the six month mark (10/25/12 sleeve date) and notice that I've suddenly become hungry PERIOD! I've not actually experienced hunger unless it was (excuse me, Gentlemen) my TOM. Not so much lately. Cottage cheese has been my go-to food, but it doesn't seem to last very long if you're active and on-the-go. So, I'm definitely appreciative of the ideas also. Sweet stuff still doesn't set well with me since surgery, so unless it's fruit, I can't really tolerate it. The same goes for anything with gluten, any grains, breads, etc. I -DO- love my salads (with fresh squeezed lemon as dressing!) but unfortunately, no Protein makes this a poor sustenance choice for us sleevers, I know. The smaller pouches of tuna and salmon make great snacks/meals, as do the smaller cans of chicken by Swanson. Some people add light mayo, but I add Fage 0% Greek Yogurt for extra protein as well as diced dill pickle for a chicken salad type taste w/o the carbs. Someone said they ate it with cucumber slices, but I can just now eat a 3oz can of chicken, so not sure about it. Also, reduced fat ricotta cheese w/ a little marinara and shredded mozzarella is a good snack, but I'd have to double check MFP to see what my measurements were. Thanks again, OP for starting this thread! I love seeing all these great ideas and I'm glad I'm not alone in my sudden hunger.

If you're struggling with the taste and/or consistency of protein drinks post-op like I did, I highly recommend Syntrax Nectar drinks and Sunkist Protein "shots". Both are available from Nashua Nutrition online for a discounted price and they send free samples of other protein products. The best unflavored protein powder I've found is GNC and I mix mine with Swiss Miss Diet hot cocoa (25 calories) or Trop50 orange juice (4oz juice, 8oz water) for an Orange Julius tasting treat.

You're so very gorgeous and I'm glad your husband made a move- a positive move!