southernsoul

Yeah, that's kind of been my feeling, too. I am bad about eating while doing something else. I need to just sit down & focus on the food.

Seriously! I'm looking at it right this minute & planning to hit up Panera ASAP!! I have been avoiding that place like the plague, but now I know better.

I'm 2 months out today & I can usually eat about 6 oz of food. I don't weigh my food, just eyeball it. Sometimes, though, I fix myself something & then sort of nibble at it for almost 2 hours if I get busy with something else. I wonder if it would be better to eat in less time, like start to finish in no more than 30 min or something. It messes up my water intake to spread the food over such a long period.

I take Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate Chewy Bites. I got 3 bags from Amazon...Chocolate, Caramel, and Raspberry. I mixed them all up in a cookie jar & take 2 a day. I haven't been as good about a Multivitamin yet. I've tried several brands, but I just seem to have trouble sticking to one.

That is pure awesomeness...good for you!!

It's just as rampant in rural Georgia. My mother is woman of great faith, but she is also quite open-minded, non-judgmental, inclusive, and kind. She absolutely hates hearing the extreme religious right viewpoint being characterized as "the" religious view, as if it is in any way truly reflective of the teachings of Christ. Despite our differences when it comes to faith, I admire the depth of her belief and I know how important her faith is to her. But, I cringe when I see religion used as an excuse to lessen or marginalize someone viewed as different by the very people who claim to be of such great faith. I can understand having an intellectual disagreement, but I do not understand how it can ever be justifiable to use religion to minimize the value of another person or group of people. In service to a particular religious viewpoint, I have seen one friend rejected by her family for falling in love with a man of a different race and several other friends rejected by their families for being gay. I have heard really ugly things said to these dear friends by their relatives and others, all in the name of religion. It's heartbreaking and so unnecessary, in my opinion. I also can't reconcile the racist or homophobic views with what the spiritual belief is supposed to be about.

Fiddleman, I had the same thought!

Congrats, y'all! You'll find lots of info & advice here...and most of it is even good, haha.

My doc's nurse told me to wait for 6 weeks...but she told me that at my 2 week postop appt. I said, Ummmm...y'all might really want to tell folks that BEFORE they leave the hospital & not after they've been home for 2 weeks already. Just sayin'!

Also, on the Syntrax website you can order a sample pack of flavors. It's 12 packs for $12, plus about $2 shipping. I love the vanilla bean torte & chocolate truffle, but wanted to play around with the fruit flavors before buying a big tub. I had to end up emailing them to get the sample pack, as the phone number went to voice mail, but that might have just been a hitch on that day. Here's the website: http://www.si03.com/medical/med_index.htm

Check the serving size. I think my canisters list the serving size as 1/4 of a scoop with 6g protein...which means 24g for a whole scoop. I don't know why they do it that way...seems weird to me, since I always use a whole scoop & I assume most other folks do, too.

These look great!! I just bookmarked the page...thanks for sharing.

I also appreciate getting this sub-forum dusted off. Although I was raised in the Christian faith, as an adult I don't connect with any organized religion. I wish more of today's politicians believed as passionately in the separation of church and state as our founding fathers did. As stacechase said above, live & let live, just don't push your beliefs on others. For me, success in this journey is more about having faith in myself and my own ability to make the necessary changes than faith in some god or outside being.

I think that grumpy tends to go along with a clear liquid diet, no matter what. Most of the time it includes broth or bouillon, sugar free jello, decaf tea, Gatorade, and sometimes juices. Your doc should give you a list. You might want to try a few broths ahead of time to find one you like. Better Than Bullion makes pretty good concentrates that you mix with hot water. One of the flavors they have is lobster & I liked that as a change from chicken or beef. Good luck!

Good luck on your journey. You'll find a lot of good information here, often about things you haven't even thought of yet!

I've been thinking about this, too, as mine are starting to spin around. I've seen some little plastic things that might work for awhile. I did a quick search...like this, maybe? http://www.expressionscatalog.com/itemdy00.aspx?T1=JG4053&srccode=NXCEC6&utm_source=google&utm_medium=comparison&utm_campaign=datafeed&gclid=CI676vHr9rgCFenm7AodTBgAog

Thanks for posting the info about the bed of nails mat. My husband suffers from terrible back pain. I told him about your post & he was excited to try it...so it's on the way from Amazon right now!

As I understand it, the best type of protein for us is whey isolate protein. A lot of the cheaper protein powders are whey concentrate or whey blend, which is not as good quality and not absorbed as well by our bodies. I don't know about Body Fortress, but it will say what it is in the ingredient list. I was using Six Star from Wal-Mart, but it was a blend. Now I use Syntrax Nectar in the Vanilla Bean Torte, Chocolate Truffle, & I also have some unflavored to mix into foods to boost the protein. It has 100 cals per scoop, 0 carbs, 0 fat, and 24g of whey isolate protein.

I'm just 7 weeks out, but I've gotten used to making an espresso shake every morning. It gives me a good coffee flavor with a lot of protein to start the day. I don't see myself cutting that out, at least not for the foreseeable future.

Museum-Mama, you're right about the difference between closed & secret groups. I belong to 3 other secret groups on FB & nothing shows up anywhere from them, except in my view on my newsfeed. Not the name of the group, no posts, no pictures, etc. I look forward to being a part of this one, too.

I made this today & it was delish! Sweet Potato Protein Pie 2-3 cups of cooked mashed sweet potatoes, approx 1 lb uncooked 2 whole eggs 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk 1/4 cup no sugar added natural applesauce 2 scoops vanilla whey Protein Powder 2 Tbsp Torani SF caramel syrup 16 packets of Stevia in the Raw (I only had packets, it's maybe a Tbsp or so?) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional, I just happened to have some) FF Reddi-Whip for topping Preheat oven to 350. Put all ingredients in a bowl & beat with a mixer until smooth. Spray 9" pie pan with non-stick spray & pour filling into pan. Bake for 1 hour, until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours. 8 servings, nutrition info for 1 slice with 2 Tbsp FF Reddi-Whip: 97 cals, 9g protein, 12 carbs, 2g fat

Thanks, it was great & the hubs loved it, too.

I'm doing great! Down 45.5 lbs as of this morning (inc lbs lost on preop) & I managed to exercise for 60 total minutes today. Not 60 all together, but one day that will happen.

Well, in a way, it's true, right? Your dreams & the way you want to live your life are much more important than any excuses you may have used to put off surgery or change your mind or whatever. You ARE moving toward your dream & your vision of your future, right? I know many people struggle with negativity from the folks around them, but if your in-laws find out & are negative, then try & ignore them. Your life is your business & your responsibility. Good luck!

Congrats! I also have Aetna, but my BMI was over 50, so I wasn't too worried. Worked my checklist of items, got approved in May, had surgery in June. Good luck to you!