Roserie

Only if your couch is covered in asbestos - it's about to get hot in here!

Says the person that just told someone " just like the rest of ur race African American and ignorant."

Can I have a bowl? I need something to munch on and I'm all out of popcorn .

Man I can't believe this crap. Some one needs help and I don't which one needs it more.

You have to be the biggest hypocrite ever. Weren't you the one calling out a girl on being black?!

Says the person that just told someone " just like the rest of ur race African American and ignorant."

My word! I step away to make a nice healthy
Turkey, black bean chili ( if you want the recipe just ask) for my family and all hell breaks loose!
I'm sensing a few of you are a tad upset with me??

Is that necessary. Really. What ever valid point you were trying to make is now down the **** hole. And anything you say after this point is invalid. No one will take you serious.

People that commit insurance fraud make it harder for people who do it legally to get what they need.

People that commit insurance fraud make it harder for people who do it legally to get what they need.

I can!

I'm 11 months out and 3 months pregnant with my first babies ) I lost over 150 lbs and still losing. Doc said my babies are growing and he will keep checking me often for now once a month visits.

I love seeing the progress people have made after surgery. So for those comfortable enough to share them I'd love to see your before and after (and even progress) pics. I haven't had surgery yet (and wont for at least another 3mths) so I don't have any to post but I still like seeing what I have to look forward to. The pic below is me at my highest of 316lbs 2hrs after my son was born.

I love seeing the progress people have made after surgery. So for those comfortable enough to share them I'd love to see your before and after (and even progress) pics. I haven't had surgery yet (and wont for at least another 3mths) so I don't have any to post but I still like seeing what I have to look forward to. The pic below is me at my highest of 316lbs 2hrs after my son was born.

Layer the following in a crock pot/slow cooker
1-2 lb boneless chicken thigh
1-2 lb boneless chicken breast
1 packet taco seasoning
1-2 cup chopped onion
1-2 cup chopped green pepper
1-2 cup yellow corn
1 jar prepared salsa
1 touch of hot sauce
Cook on low for 8-9 hours until it shreds easily. Serve in a wrap, over rice, or on a salad. Makes quite a bit. Also freezes well.

Beef-Chipotle Chili
Ingredients:
Flour, ¼ cup (1½ oz/45 g)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Boneless beef chuck, 3 lb (1.5 kg), trimmed of excess fat and cut into chunks
Olive oil, 4–6 tablespoons (2–3 fl oz/60–90 ml)
Dried oregano, 1½ teaspoons
Garlic, 4 cloves, minced
Red onions, 2, finely chopped
Beef broth, 2 cups (16 fl oz/500 ml)
Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, 1 can (7 oz/220 g)
Serves 6 – 8
1. Brown the beef
In a resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the beef chunks and shake to coat evenly with the flour mixture; reserve the excess flour mixture. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 4 tablespoons (2 fl oz/60 ml) of the oil. Add half of the beef chunks and cook, turning as needed, until evenly browned on all sides, 10–12 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, and then transfer to the slow cooker. Repeat with the remaining beef chunks, adding the remaining 2 tablespoons oil if needed. Sprinkle the oregano over the meat.< /p>
2. Sauté the vegetables
Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and all but about ½ cup (2½ oz/75 g) of the onions and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the reserved flour mixture and sauté for about 1 minute longer. Pour in the broth and add the chipotle chiles with their sauce, breaking up the chiles coarsely with your fingers. Raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on the pan bottom. Pour over the beef.
3. Cook the chili
Cover and cook on the high-heat setting for 3–4 hours or the low-heat setting for 6–8 hours. The beef should be very tender. Spoon the chili into bowls, sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup chopped onion, and serve.

Looking for crockpot meals. I have an 8qt crockpot so anything that freezes well would be great. I'd prefer to make large batches and then freeze into some single serve for easy consumption and smaller portions for easy defrosting. Plus if they are family friendly for a small child and my fiance so I don't have to make them a different meal on those nights.

Looking for crockpot meals. I have an 8qt crockpot so anything that freezes well would be great. I'd prefer to make large batches and then freeze into some single serve for easy consumption and smaller portions for easy defrosting. Plus if they are family friendly for a small child and my fiance so I don't have to make them a different meal on those nights.

Here's the thing about having WLS and, indirectly, about quitting smoking, too. It's NOT about what you can "get away with." So all those folks saying they smoked the entire time, that it didn't impact their healing, etc are rationalizing what they did based on false assumptions. Sorry folks, you *can't* know how much faster you might have healed without smoking. Just because you didn't have any major complications does NOT mean it's ok to continue to smoke.
But lets leave the smoking issue behind for a moment. If YOU lost 100 lbs while drinking milk shakes and eating French fries, would you still recommend that to someone wanting to lose weight? Hopefully NOT! Because you would know that wasn't a healthy way to eat and even IF it worked for you, it's not going to work for a lot of other people.
I wholeheartedly agree that we shouldn't "beat anyone up" for smoking either before or after WLS. It is, after all, your choice. But wouldn't it be more supportive to encourage someone like the OP to stop vs saying "Well, I didn't, but I was fine!" Unless, of course, you're wanting to feel better about your choices...sort of a "misery loves company" attitude.
With WLS, you need to have the mindset that you'll do absolutely the BEST that you can. You're not going to be perfect, you don't changes the habits of a lifetime just because you had surgery. It takes time and work. BUT...if you have the attitude that you'll see what you can "get away with"...you'll push boundaries, see how much you can eat and how soon, etc.
So do your best to stop smoking and/or cut back as much as you can. Same with the pre-op and post-op diets and living life with WLS...don't look for excuses (well, someone else did it!) for poor choices, don't see how far you can bend the rules...instead, see how close to perfect you can get!

There are so many things I want to say to so many of the people in this thread but it really wont do a damn bit of good. I watched two grandparents die due to smoking, my mother has breathing problems due to it and I quit after being a 2 pack a day smoker for 10yrs. Does quitting suck? Yep. Is it hard? Sure is. The only people that will quit will do it because they really want to. I've begged my mom to quit (and she said she would when both my dad and I quit but she hasn't) because I'm worried she wont be there to see my son grow up. In the end she'll quit if and when she wants. I'm with all the people who say if you are getting the surgery to be healthy why would you continue to smoke. Sure, not ALL smokers die due to smoking but you do cause a whole lot of health issues you wouldn't normally have. Not to mention how much harder it makes working out. I also hate having to smell cigarette smoke when I'm walking out in public with my son, I hate that I don't have a choice if he is exposed to second hand smoke in some situations. It's one thing if you are harming yourself but people that walk anywhere near you also have to breath it in.
To the OP, I would really check with your dr to see if they are going to test you. My surgeon requires that you quit smoking for a period of time prior to the surgery and will refuse to do your surgery if you have nicotine in your system. They also test for a period of time after surgery and will deny seeing you (IDK if it affects insurance) if you start back up. From what my surgeon had said in his seminar it can cause serious problems after surgery.

And there are tools to help you quit smoking just like surgery is a tool to lose weight.

There are so many things I want to say to so many of the people in this thread but it really wont do a damn bit of good. I watched two grandparents die due to smoking, my mother has breathing problems due to it and I quit after being a 2 pack a day smoker for 10yrs. Does quitting suck? Yep. Is it hard? Sure is. The only people that will quit will do it because they really want to. I've begged my mom to quit (and she said she would when both my dad and I quit but she hasn't) because I'm worried she wont be there to see my son grow up. In the end she'll quit if and when she wants. I'm with all the people who say if you are getting the surgery to be healthy why would you continue to smoke. Sure, not ALL smokers die due to smoking but you do cause a whole lot of health issues you wouldn't normally have. Not to mention how much harder it makes working out. I also hate having to smell cigarette smoke when I'm walking out in public with my son, I hate that I don't have a choice if he is exposed to second hand smoke in some situations. It's one thing if you are harming yourself but people that walk anywhere near you also have to breath it in.
To the OP, I would really check with your dr to see if they are going to test you. My surgeon requires that you quit smoking for a period of time prior to the surgery and will refuse to do your surgery if you have nicotine in your system. They also test for a period of time after surgery and will deny seeing you (IDK if it affects insurance) if you start back up. From what my surgeon had said in his seminar it can cause serious problems after surgery.

And there are tools to help you quit smoking just like surgery is a tool to lose weight.