NurseGrace

I made the best guac yesterday so I thought I would share the recipe - its nearly identical to chipotle guacamole
4 avocados
2 medium sized de-seeded jalapenos
3 medium roma tomatoes
1 medium sized purple onion
The juice of two limes
SALT, guacamole is no good without salt
half a cup or so of cilantro
this makes a large bowl, maybe 4, or 5 cups, so feel free to scale down but my husband and I both love it on everything and I am early out of my surgery so adding guacamole to foods makes it more smooth and easier to eat. Lovely on a scrambled egg. I even put it in Tomato Soup, as weird as that sounds its good.
Of course we all know there is some fat in avocados so don't eat a mountain of it.

Some of us have really ugly, judgmental people in our lives.
This topic has been sort of rehashed to death and I have explained this before but I don't mind telling it again because there may be new people trying to decide what to do and this is the thread they find first.
I had a lapband back when they were all the rage before it came out that lap band patients do no better statistically than weight watchers people. It was great at first, lost about 45 pounds and got down to about a size 14ish. Then all the struggles came. Later on I found out that I had suffered a slip, but they did not discover that for years. I lived with throwing up constantly, eating to make up for it, eating all the things WLS patients shouldn't have because they were the only things that wouldn't make me PUKE. Long story short, gained all the weight back, plus a little for good measure.
Most people didn't see the sickness, they just saw the weight creeping back. It was aweful, I was in so much pain and people are cruel. It's easy to say you don't give a flying youknowwhat when everything is going great because the weight loss is its own reward but when the stuff hits the fan, and you NEED support and people are talking about you when your not in the room.... It's not so easy anymore, and unfortunately, thats when it really matters.
I don't try to talk people out of telling people, because its a personal thing, but being a bariatric patient of 6 years.... my perspective is different. If you have nothing but smooth sailing its one thing, but if you don't and you have told everyone, hang onto your hats because you'll be in for a lesson in how people REALLY are.

The one thing that stands out in my mind that made me feel like I had had enough was one day I was assisting in the operating room and we needed to all put lead on because we were using a a series of xrays to make sure we were getting the epidural in just the right spot. The lead aprons wouldn't fit over my midsection. It was horrifying. These things are pretty big and are meant to be a sort of "one size fits all" and when that didn't fit over me I knew - this is real.
I am only 24, I dont have health problems at this point related to my weight but that was the first time it was made real for me that I am seriously putting myself at risk for excess radiation from not wearing the lead like I should, and what that might mean for me later on out. I am not an OR nurse but that was just the beginning of it for me, and I realized what a huge problem I had on my hands.

In many families, circles, and cultures it is considered very low class to share this type of personal information. It's impossible to have blanket statements like "oh this is lying" or "lying by omission or flat out calling people insecure and dishonest.
In the culture I was raised in, it's very much frowned upon, and extremely low brow to tell people you personal business. Now I'm not saying everyone who tells people are low class but what I am saying is that this entire conversation rings of silliness.
If you feel inauthentic if you do not tell every person you come across, then fine, by all means, tell them. But do not apply this logic to everyone.

This is actually a huge myth. Google starvation mode myth and spend a little bit of time reading if you have a few minutes. Very interesting. Also, the difference between the faster metabolism people and the slower (excluding extreme conditions) is like, 200 calories a day burnt.

I had very little inflammation but I had a little bit of lettuce at about 4 or 5 weeks out.

The thing is that this women wasn't 300+ pounds to begin with, she might not have had much skin anyway

It happens, it happens it happens!
recognize what promoted that in you and try to avoid it next time. There will be slip ups before surgery, there will be slip ups AFTER surgery. What matters is what you do every single day, not the occasional F up.

bahaha my first reaction was to be a little bit indignant at this responce because it felt a little less than sympathetic but you make a good point! In the beginning I was tracking my intake pretty tightly, and while yes, I still track, not as well as I used to, especially on the bad days when its probably MOST important to keep tabs.
I have trouble digesting Protein supplements and my doctor and I have sort of come to terms with the fact that I'm not going to be the 160 grams of Protein, 35 carbs type of person, most days I eat fairly vegitarian, if not vegan and that is ok, but probably does slow me down.
As for exercising I am really strugging with that. I have a membership, but I am in a depression and have not been able to make that a priority. I don't know why. My husband has been biking 35ish miles a day, I think I am going to join him for part of his ride.
Thank you for putting the facts of reality in my face, I sorta needed it, not that I didn't already know them but sometimes you need someone to tell you what is what.

Wow, its been a long time since I darkened the proverbial door of bariatric pal, for some reason I lost interest when the site changed over but I think I need to come back to you guys, because I have been feeling really comfortable, but not in a good way.
I'm about a year and a half post op, down about 90 pounds and for lack of a better word, really.... stuck? I'm probably not truly as stuck as I feel, but I've lost my steam and my weight loss as really leveled off to a halt.
Things have been great, never really been sick from my sleeve, down around what I think society considers "acceptable fat" meaning I'm around about a size 14 or 16 depending on the brand, except there are always a few that run small in my opinion (I AM LOOKING AT YOU, H&M, SCREW YOU AND YOUR SIZE 18 DENIM) I've experienced some huge emotional losses that I don't feel like getting into because its not really important here and I had a huge win in my book because I did not GAIN, so that was good.
I just need to get my focus back. I'm not 300+ pounds anymore so I think the months of losing 10, 15 pounds a month are gone. I think that this point I want to lose 30 pounds this year, and maybe 30 pounds next year and call it good. Anyone have any thoughts? tips? I feel discouraged. I cant mentally get out of 210-220 range. I bounce all over it but I can't seem to break 210. I would love to see 209 come up but that feels impossible right now to me for some reason.

bahaha my first reaction was to be a little bit indignant at this responce because it felt a little less than sympathetic but you make a good point! In the beginning I was tracking my intake pretty tightly, and while yes, I still track, not as well as I used to, especially on the bad days when its probably MOST important to keep tabs.
I have trouble digesting Protein supplements and my doctor and I have sort of come to terms with the fact that I'm not going to be the 160 grams of Protein, 35 carbs type of person, most days I eat fairly vegitarian, if not vegan and that is ok, but probably does slow me down.
As for exercising I am really strugging with that. I have a membership, but I am in a depression and have not been able to make that a priority. I don't know why. My husband has been biking 35ish miles a day, I think I am going to join him for part of his ride.
Thank you for putting the facts of reality in my face, I sorta needed it, not that I didn't already know them but sometimes you need someone to tell you what is what.

Wow, its been a long time since I darkened the proverbial door of bariatric pal, for some reason I lost interest when the site changed over but I think I need to come back to you guys, because I have been feeling really comfortable, but not in a good way.
I'm about a year and a half post op, down about 90 pounds and for lack of a better word, really.... stuck? I'm probably not truly as stuck as I feel, but I've lost my steam and my weight loss as really leveled off to a halt.
Things have been great, never really been sick from my sleeve, down around what I think society considers "acceptable fat" meaning I'm around about a size 14 or 16 depending on the brand, except there are always a few that run small in my opinion (I AM LOOKING AT YOU, H&M, SCREW YOU AND YOUR SIZE 18 DENIM) I've experienced some huge emotional losses that I don't feel like getting into because its not really important here and I had a huge win in my book because I did not GAIN, so that was good.
I just need to get my focus back. I'm not 300+ pounds anymore so I think the months of losing 10, 15 pounds a month are gone. I think that this point I want to lose 30 pounds this year, and maybe 30 pounds next year and call it good. Anyone have any thoughts? tips? I feel discouraged. I cant mentally get out of 210-220 range. I bounce all over it but I can't seem to break 210. I would love to see 209 come up but that feels impossible right now to me for some reason.

my experience was years ago, and I own that some of my problems were absolutely my own doing, but I also was not listened too and when the band needed to be removed it wasn't handled well, but lots of time as passed. TONS of people have bariatric surgery through them, do great, and have great stories so I'm not hugely invested in swaying people, but I will tell my story so people understand that ULTIMATLY its up to us as patients to get the care we need. I did NOT need to suffer for as long as I did, but I made choices that made me be not taken very seriously, like gaining weight back. I know its hard for them to believe I was throwing up daily when I was still managing to put on weight, but thats exactly what I did and it didn't help me case at all.

Troll somewhere else, this thread has been almost entirely constructive with the exception of you coming here being nasty. There are ways to say what you want to say without coming off like that to someone who is brand new.

Some of us have really ugly, judgmental people in our lives.
This topic has been sort of rehashed to death and I have explained this before but I don't mind telling it again because there may be new people trying to decide what to do and this is the thread they find first.
I had a lapband back when they were all the rage before it came out that lap band patients do no better statistically than weight watchers people. It was great at first, lost about 45 pounds and got down to about a size 14ish. Then all the struggles came. Later on I found out that I had suffered a slip, but they did not discover that for years. I lived with throwing up constantly, eating to make up for it, eating all the things WLS patients shouldn't have because they were the only things that wouldn't make me PUKE. Long story short, gained all the weight back, plus a little for good measure.
Most people didn't see the sickness, they just saw the weight creeping back. It was aweful, I was in so much pain and people are cruel. It's easy to say you don't give a flying youknowwhat when everything is going great because the weight loss is its own reward but when the stuff hits the fan, and you NEED support and people are talking about you when your not in the room.... It's not so easy anymore, and unfortunately, thats when it really matters.
I don't try to talk people out of telling people, because its a personal thing, but being a bariatric patient of 6 years.... my perspective is different. If you have nothing but smooth sailing its one thing, but if you don't and you have told everyone, hang onto your hats because you'll be in for a lesson in how people REALLY are.

I was told either was alright, I think the right Vitamin is the vitamin that you will take EVERY damn day.

over a pound a day is pretty good but I have to ask... What do you expect if you are unwilling to exercise? Are you unable? Did you get this surgery thinking it would just fall off you with no effort? I'll save my sympathies for someone actually trying.
Just a little tough love - I am not trying to be mean but I think you might need a reality check here. This mentality is disastrous.

Oh man. This is a great post. For a while I had to take a much needed break (as I'm sure you remember) because I was getting so upset with the enabling that was going on that I was being inapropriate in how I was dealing with what I was seeing.
So this is my second round of weight loss surgery, and I am getting very close to a huge goal of mine, much closer than I ever been before and its largely because I try as much as I can to be harder on myself than I have ever been. I think it's healthy to have limits, boundaries on what we find personally acceptable. For me, I had to draw some lines in the sand when people I used to binge eat with (close friends) and something miraculous happened. We fell off for about a year in part because of my issues with food, and more specifically how we were eating when we were together and a year later when we touched base and reconnected we BOTH benefited. She had lost something like 75 pounds and I was down 60 after my surgery, and we no longer have these issues.
It's a little off topic but it sort of resonates with me and the whole enabling vs NOT allowing that sort of thing.

Oh, I know. I have recently started prefacing some of my posts of this nature stating that I realize I don't have the literary skills to be as tactful as some may like. Which is so true. I bounce in and out of the forum. I feel I have something to add, so I say it. Obviously I don't take the needed time to craft a response that is going to make everyone feel warm and fuzzy after. Sometimes, like the weekends, I may try to, but for the most part, I am straight forward. Call it like it is. Some people like this, some people don't. I believe the people with a chip on their shoulder read them cynically so they think I am being cynical. If I am being a smart ass, you'll know it.

Wow! What a great thread. As one of the people who is consistently blamed for being non-supportive and stirring pots, it is so nice to see and read this thread. I vote that it be stickied.
It is hard for me to stay away from "enabling" threads because I feel my silence is just another means of enabling. Of course, it is seen otherwise and it is something I struggle with myself and my family. I am by no means perfect. I practice progress, not perfection. Awareness, honesty and willingness to change are keys for me.

This post made me cry. Not the bad way though. I am the sneaky eater. My drug of choice was oatmeal cream pies, or cheese cake. I could eat those until I got sick. I often ate them inprivate after my husband and kids would go to sleep. After the box would be gone I'd feel crappy, depressed, and ashamed. Then I got the lap band and did everything I could do right but was constantly hungry. Then it got to the point that the band stopped helping me and I would get sick and hurt eating meat and veggies foods. I turned to sliders to beable to eat, gained weight, became more ashamed. I am planning on finding a psych that deals with food addictions. It is sad and encouraging to know that I'm not the only one to deal with this.

Oh man. This is a great post. For a while I had to take a much needed break (as I'm sure you remember) because I was getting so upset with the enabling that was going on that I was being inapropriate in how I was dealing with what I was seeing.
So this is my second round of weight loss surgery, and I am getting very close to a huge goal of mine, much closer than I ever been before and its largely because I try as much as I can to be harder on myself than I have ever been. I think it's healthy to have limits, boundaries on what we find personally acceptable. For me, I had to draw some lines in the sand when people I used to binge eat with (close friends) and something miraculous happened. We fell off for about a year in part because of my issues with food, and more specifically how we were eating when we were together and a year later when we touched base and reconnected we BOTH benefited. She had lost something like 75 pounds and I was down 60 after my surgery, and we no longer have these issues.
It's a little off topic but it sort of resonates with me and the whole enabling vs NOT allowing that sort of thing.

Sometimes I just call them out and then theres so many who back the op so I just give up.

Great question. The thing is....some of those people will never accept that they've hit bottom and need to surrender themselves to a plan that has been proven to work. Some may really not need to....and some really should. They ended up at WLS before that happened thinking it would prevent them from hitting bottom. Perhaps that's their path. It wasn't mine, I hit bottom like you and had to give myself over to something stronger that was proven to work. Clearly I couldn't do it on my own.
But asking those who are not ready to do so must feel very similar to asking an atheist to believe in god. It's just not going to happen.
So my point is we all can be of help to each other, but a big factor to keep in mind has to be that we each have our own way, and it's not going to be everyone else's way.... As hard as that is for me to accept.