Canary Diamond

To quote Michael Pollan, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

I think it would be worth investigating when this commercial was made and, more importantly, who sponsored it.

Wow, that commercial is ridiculous. First of all, could the doctor look any more like he's on hash? For something he claims to be an adamant proponent of, he appears unenthused. Secondly, WHHAAAAAAAAT? LapBand is the BEST choice for most people? Least complications? Most successful weight loss? Where did he find these statistics - were they given to him by a kangaroo? (No offense to our Aussie sisters and brothers. I'm sure you have more reliable resources than kangaroos at your disposal.)

Did you mean safer than the sleeve?

I too was never given a goal weight. I never even spoke with a nutritionist or dietician, come to think of it. I chose the weight that put me at a BMI of 22 - middle of healthy range, which for me, at nearly 5'3" is 123 lbs. However, I'll be thrilled when I get into the 150s! I trust that my body will know when it's done losing weight, assuming I'm letting it do its job by exercising, avoiding fast food, soda, etc. and not packing my sleeve to capacity at every meal. Do you feel like you were meant to be smaller?

I'M SO THERE!!!

PM me

Banana-flavored Greek yogurt?

This is great! I had no idea protein powder could be used like flour/pancake mix. Definitely going to try some of these then my tummy's ready!

Thanks, Sassy! I've heard a couple different things: Liquids go through you faster and take the food with them when the exit the stomach, thus allowing you to consume more without feeling full (as you mentioned), but the other theory I heard was that they have the potential of over-expanding the stomach, stretching it out faster and enabling you to consume greater quantities earlier in your recovery than your normally would. I've had difficulty finding medical explanations supporting either theory, I'm assuming since our procedure is relatively new.

Cool - going to Wal-Mart today, will pick some up!

Is this something you got as a free sample? The only Atkins samples I can find are bars and I won't be able to have those for a few weeks.

As someone who recently spent 4 months in a residential treatment center for eating disorders, and seeing women of all sizes struggle immensely with self-esteem, I can certainly vouch for the skinny does not = happy line. I quit binge eating, I quit drinking, I quit teaching for the public school system, I started taking classes to become a nurse practitioner, I adopted the best dog in the world. I'm happy for the first time in my adult life. This is difficult for some people to believe (e.g., my mother) because I'm still obese. The weight loss will just be an added bonus. Thank you for this. 5 stars!

Wow - all good stuff! Really like your morning smoothie recipe - stealing it. I hadn't heard about the restriction being more obvious with solid foods. I'm still on liquids and sharing many of your previous fears. As for your trick with the denim capris, perhaps if you lie about something and they catch fire?

Woot woot! Here comes the skinny train... can you hear it? I was the same way the days and nights before my surgery (I too went alone to Mexico) - not nervous, just ready to get the sucker over with and get on with my life - finally! You don't feel nervous because you know this is the right decision. Thinking good thoughts for you!

Maybe this will help: a woman I work with lost 200 pounds with gastric bypass and is slowly gaining it back now - not because of her food choices, but because she drinks soda constantly, often to the exclusion of all other beverages. She just had to go in and get her license changed (from her skinny picture) because her weight has gone up so much. IT'S NOT WORTH IT!!!!

Just got my first free samples yesterday! Thanks again for posting this!

I feel the same way. First of all, I'm not comfortable with people commenting on my body in any capacity and secondly, raving compliments just make me think, "Gosh, I must have really looked awful before!"

Thank you, Ken! I just added my weight loss stats!

Thank you for doing this, Lynda! At some point could you please address why it's important to not consume liquids and solids at the same time? Keep up the great work!

I need some clarification: Are you in a hurry to get rid of the clothes because you want them gone or because you're afraid of your husband's reaction? And forget going to the Goodwill, I'm pretty sure you could open one of your own!

You are welcome!

It wasn't automatic for me. I even checked the box that asks if you want to receive emails when somebody responds when I first set up the blog. When I looked at it today, the box was unchecked. I checked it again - so we'll see what happens.

I can't seem to figure out how to follow my own blog posts. I've clicked the "Follow" button at the top of the posts, but they don't stay followed. It would make sense that as the original poster I would automatically be signed up to follow them, but this doesn't seem to be the case, as I'm having to click "Follow" for each post individually and multiple times to receive notification about activity on them. Is there something very obvious that I'm missing? Or is this a common glitch? Thank you!

Hey, maggie914, and thanks for reading! My first suggestion to you is something you already seem to be on top of - working with a counselor or therapist, esp. someone who understands the added complications your FB brings to the table (no pun intended), and CONTINUE seeing this person on a regular basis after your surgery.This is when the big stuff is going to come up - when you can't eat your feelings anymore - and you'll benefit from having someone who can help you monitor your emotions without judgment. I've been on Wellbutrin for 13 years and, after my pre-op break from all meds, starting taking it again 3 days post-op with no issues whatsoever. Of course, this doesn't speak for all anti-depressants or mood stabilizers, but mine never caused me tummy problems before surgery either. Secondly, talk to your doctor. And by that I mean your bariatric surgeon, not just your PCP. Explain your fears, anxieties, concerns, and stress-level. I'm sure this is something s/he deals with all the time and will be able to offer advice or perhaps even suggestions for meds. If you don't find the surgeon to be helpful or understanding (sometimes even the most brilliant surgeons have a crappy bedside manner), talk to his/her nurse. The nurse for the local bariatric surgeon (who did not even perform my surgery) has been extremely helpful to me. Hope this helps, and keep me posted!