SerendipityHappens

That is AWESOME that you are taking this journey together.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!! OMG, THIS. IS. SO. REAL!!!!!!!!!

Also tastes divine with crab meat instead of beef and soy sauce instead of worcestershire sauce and those teeny tiny little salad shrimps mixed in. I buy the fake crab and mince it up really small and basically just use the cheese to hold it together. SO YUMMY

Blondie. These are newer doctors- been doing bariatrics exclusively for about 2 years. Both were undergoing 18 months of post doctoral training in bariatrics under dr Corvala in 2010 and cabrera did some brief post doctoral training in bariatric surgeries in Fresno... They ARE younger doctors, but they are not just general surgeons who decided to make a quick buck in bariatrics.

I'm in Harrisburg... midtown.

I work at a convenience store 50 hours a week which is definitely not a sedentary job but I've begun to sneak some extra walking around. Today I logged over 7 thousand steps from briskly walking up and down the aisles in between helping customers. I also do 10 body squats at the top of each hour while at work which adds up too. and I'm walking a half mile to and from work. Beyond that I'm not doing any vigorous exercise.
Today I went 200 calories OVER my 800 limit I got stuck at work for three extra hours and wound up eating some nuts...yikes.. but that's only the second time in the whole month I've been over so for me that's pretty good... and thank GOD, I've managed to stay out of the junk food.

I use vitacost.< /p>

A fried egg versus a poached egg... fried egg only has 20 additional calories. eggs don't really absorb oil unless it's from an omelet or scrambled eggs. If you absolutely adore a fried egg there is no reason not to have one occasionally, but only when your tummy is ready for it. People see a lot of grease in a pan to fry an egg and get all freaked out.. The VAST majority of the grease stays in the pan... and if you transfer your egg to a paper towel after cooking you lose even more of the fat. Personally having a fried egg isn't even worth the 20 calories... but to someone who loves them it may be.

Spend a lot of time helping out in the kitchen. When it's eating time, say you've eaten too much already while working in the kitchen.
Also you can try a half-truth... Tell them that you're on a strict medically supervised diet that only lets you drink shakes and you REALLY need to stick with it for health reasons. When they argue with you that it's not healthy and try to get you to cheat... just tell them about how your doctor said it was urgent for you to lose weight due to your fatty liver and high blood pressure or whatever and that you take what he tells you seriously because you need to look after your health.... then get all weepy and say "you don't want me to DIE do you?"

I used to pack for my 5 year old nephew... Here are some of his favorites. lightly steamed veggies (cold) and hummus for dipping, Spinach and lentil Soup in a thermos to keep it hot, cut up fruit (for some reason way more appealing than a whole piece of fruit) with "fruit dip" made of yogurt, cream cheese and jell-o powder, a small container of that fake crab meat stuff (he requested this ALL THE TIME), mini pita stuffed with tunafish and apple slices, left over mac and cheese (not super healthy but we did use brown Pasta and real cheese!) Pita chips with salsa or hummus for dipping, raisins, Cut-shapes sandwiches. just make a regular sandwich and cut out the shapes from it with a metal cookie cutter, Cheese, turkey pepperoni and crackers... I could go on and on and on, but these things are what came to mind as stuff he really liked a lot....
Also, back when I used to pack for teenagers, popular things were: left over chicken legs, any kind of soup (kept hot in a good thermos bowl) homemade granola bars, cut up fruit with fruit dip(yeah I even cut it up for teens).. Taco kit put the meat in a small good quality thermos bowl, and pack the fixins and shell separately... also fajita kit and burrito kit were popular.

My Home tab
Goals
Change goals
Select custom option

I'm going alone in March. There will be lots of other sleevers there at Mi and also in the Marriott many will be alone. When you get your surgery date, post on here and there's sure to be others going at the same time as you.

Cabrera/Valenzuela, MBC, March 13th.
Arrive at marriott March 12 and I check out March 16th. I'm paying for an extra day at the hotel since I have a long flight home and I remember how miserable I was after gallbladder surgery, I figured an extra day might be nice.

That's a great idea. I didn't even think of staying in SanDiego! I had a really hard time finding a flight for the right times (and at the right price) too. I'm flying in and out of Boston. I finally checked with Jet blue and discovered that they had EXACTLY the flights I needed and at good prices... and non-stop, so I don't have to worry about layovers.

I would start with your insurance and see what they will cover and if you have a ppo you will have to go to see who is on their list. I had to go to A center of excellence in bariatric surgery. My insurance didn't require a referral but some do so you may have to start with your family doctor.

OMG SEVEN WEEKS FROM TODAY??

What about low carb turkey meatballs with delicious marinara sauce and low fat mozzarella cheese? Got the italian flavor with cheezy-tomatoey goodness with a good amount of Protein without the carbs.
Also, you can make pizza on a low carb pita bread. You're not really "cooking" more just assembling and toasting in a toaster oven or under a broiler. I love these http://www.josephsbakery.com/SubPages/StaticPages/ProductDetails.aspx?ID=8483be23-39fb-492a-82c2-3d045680ff03 They just never filled me up since I have a great big stomach. I'm looking forward to being sleeved and trying these and having one "pizza" on a mini pita bread actually be filling.... rather than gorging on an entire medium pizza from Domino's.

My surgery isn't for 12 more weeks but I'm on an 800 calorie a day diet right now and I lost 20 pounds super fast and then gained two back and am now completely stalled. Frustrating isn't the word for it. My stall has been going on for more than a week!!!! I just keep going knowing that this time I'm going to have more determination to lose the weight than my body has to KEEP it! I expect that by the time the New Year rolls around, I'll be back dropping weight again. Keep it up. No worries!

I also won't miss doing the "fat lady shirt stretch"... ya know putting your arms inside your shirt and stretching it out so it's not sticking to your belly....
I won't miss doing step aerobics WITHOUT the step.
I won't miss having to stop and rest after two flights of stairs.
I won't miss being a human dam in the bathtub.

Some border towns are quite dangerous... TJ? not so much.. Plus, we're getting escorted over the border, staying at the Marriott and being escorted to and from the hospital and then back over the border to the airport... Sounds safer than wandering around NYC alone!

Also tastes divine with crab meat instead of beef and soy sauce instead of worcestershire sauce and those teeny tiny little salad shrimps mixed in. I buy the fake crab and mince it up really small and basically just use the cheese to hold it together. SO YUMMY

386 the day of surgery 10-5-12 today 339
Sent from my iPhone using VST

My surgery isn't for 12 more weeks but I'm on an 800 calorie a day diet right now and I lost 20 pounds super fast and then gained two back and am now completely stalled. Frustrating isn't the word for it. My stall has been going on for more than a week!!!! I just keep going knowing that this time I'm going to have more determination to lose the weight than my body has to KEEP it! I expect that by the time the New Year rolls around, I'll be back dropping weight again. Keep it up. No worries!

Jay Robb. I chose them because they're sweetened with stevia. I will have artificial sweeteners here and there, but I didn't want to be having them twice a day, every day. My nutritionist has said I can also have half of a fruit or a whole cup of berries a day if I want it and can fit it into 800 calories so sometimes I'll mix the chocolate Protein powder with skim milk and a cup of frozen blueberries.. OMG,. YUM... But I don't do that every day cuz staying under 800 calories is HARD when you have a normal size stomach! Also I sometimes add a bit of instant coffee to the chocolate and some ginger powder to the strawberry flavors and it makes it quite nice. The powder calls for 12 ounces of milk, juice or Water for mixing, but I use 8 ounces of milk plus ice or frozen blueberries and it is good that way.
I should point out that Jay Robb are Protein supplements and NOT Meal Replacements and they are not fortified with any Vitamins. I am eating a small dinner each evening consisting of a lean protein and some veggies with an emphasis on leafy greens. I can also have two eggs, one ounce of nuts and half a fruit daily at my discretion as long as I can fit it into my calories. I'm also taking supplements (b complex, prenatal multi, Calcium, with d3).

Well the first 5 or 6 days I did shakes only. Now I do two shakes and then a piece of lean meat and a salad and an ounce of nuts for dinner... oh yes and I can have half a fruit. This is all under 800 calories. After day 4, I went into Ketosis and was not as hungry. I experience a bit of hunger here and there, but nothing terrible.This is definitely easier than 1200-1500 calorie diets I've done in the past. I haven't cheated once since I started. I've been tempted plenty.. I came very close to eating a slim jim today at work (i work in a convenience store surrounded by deliciousness!!!) but I resisted. I HAVE to do this. I HAVE to get 40 pounds off of me before surgery.