NMJG

Jealousy. Post some before and after pix here and you'll get some affirmation.

I got the "Lightly seasoned" and thought they were kind of boring, so I might try the more heavily flavored ones next time. The crunch is light and they kind of disintegrate when you chew them up. That's likely why they don't bother Sleevette.

Looks to me like you are doing well. Remember, sleevers that are "more experienced in life" don't lose as fast as the young folks on here, and those with lower starting BMI's don't tend to lose as fast as those with higher BMI's, and last, women don't lose as fast as men. Your BMI at surgery was only 36. I will say that at 2 weeks I was only able to get down 500 calories max. I now keep under 800 calories at 12 weeks, which is easy to do. You are doing fine, keep it up. The only thing I would change is to try and get in at least 64 oz. of liquids. It does make a difference.

Howdy!

Yes, you must have a passport or passport card to travel to Mexico or Canada, if you expect to get back across the border, that is. As Cindy said, the law changed some years ago. http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html

I've never ordered from a kid's menu for that very reason. I usually order a side or appetizer. My kids used to order chicken and broccoli kids meal at Olive Garden, don't know if they still offer that. I usually order the chicken speidini small plate.

Thanks so much for posting pix. It's inspiring to see your progress.

First month is the worst. It gets better, really. Chin up, you'll get through it.

My birthday was a couple of weeks after my surgery. I had a massage, facial and pedicure. It was much better than cake

From what I've seen on this board, the people who don't lose or gain back frequently eat slider foods and/or drink their calories in coffee drinks and such. They may also make poor food choices in general, but you can control these things.

It gets better, really!

I also have 2 snacks a day. It's often an ounce of nuts or soynuts, greek yogurt, beef jerky, a spoon of peanut butter or low fat cheese. I try to stick to healthy snacks. I can't get in enough protein otherwise.

Mouth!?@! No wonder you are worried. Ick! Mine came out through an incision the right side of my abdomen. Man, that grosses me out just thinking about it.

An interesting article on this topic http://www.livestrong.com/article/324603-nuts-roasted-vs-raw/ Another one with a different spin http://www.livestrong.com/article/446108-is-nutrition-lost-when-nuts-are-roasted/ You could probably find an article for any side of the question!

IMHO it isn't that you won't be as successful, you just won't lose as fast. For example, I started out with BMI 36, and I average 2 lbs. a week, which from what I've seen on here is well within normal for low BMI folks. That vs. people with BMI of 40+ who can lose 30 lbs. a month or 100 lbs. in 6 months (that still blows me away).

I've been using rice bran oil lately, also a nice nutritional cooking oil with benefits and high smoke point.

I love this forum, it's my only place to talk with people who are going through this and understand. I especially love the research and articles that people post. Just my $0.02, but drinking and eating together makes me sick and the liquid comes right back up, so I think it's a good rule. Carbonation does the same thing. Caffeine I gave up just prior to surgery and I'm glad I did. It dehydrates me, and in New Mexico we already have enough trouble with that. I still have a cup of green tea a couple of times a week, but glad my dr. made me quit my 2 cups of coffee a day. I can also drink through a straw with no problems. The rest is common sense. And I do trust my dr. and nut, they are great, are in a Center of Excellence, and know a lot more about this than I do, so I pretty much follow their rules and it works. I don't need to push the envelope.

I think you are awesome and bring so much to this forum. Your hubby is lucky to have you.

At your stage Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta, soft boiled or poached eggs are all a good way to get in protein. Also check out gamergirl's recipes here, lots of pureed protein options. You will still need at least one protein shake a day, though.

80 g protein, 60 g carbs, 30 g fat and 10g fiber. At 800 calories it's 40/30/30 % I don't think healthy fats are bad, they keep your skin and hair nice and keep you full longer. I love avocado, nut butters, olives and olive oil and my new favorite, rice bran oil.

In the 70's we used to make Hippie Popcorn, sprinkled with nutritional yeast. I might try that again! Nutritional yeast has 45 calories, 6 g protein and 3 g fiber per 1/4 cup.

Interesting article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21647622 How many here have experienced dumping?

My dr said no salad until 4 mos so I haven't even tried. Fresh smooth salsa goes down great! So does guacamole (evil grin)