McButterpants

I'm 10 months out and still struggle with fruits and veggies...Pineapple can be bad for me. Cherries this summer caused me great pain! salad is something I can't do much of either - I used to love sitting down to a nice fresh salad for dinner. Can't do it any more. A salad for me is about 1/4 cup of finely chopped romaine. Maybe 1 or 2 cherry tomatoes and a couple of tablespoons of red bell pepper. This weekend I did have some pineapple - two chunks is all. I chew, chew, chew and chew some more. Any more than a couple of chunks and I would be in pain. I have a real hard time with oranges, too.

I'm 10 months post-op....I will eat some fried foods, but not a lot. I find that they don't make me feel great. I now have a rule - if I'm going to eat it, it will be of high quality and taste really good. I find that a lot foods don't fall in that category. The other day we got a pizza from one of our favorite places - it has wonderful crust that I can tolerate 2-3 bites of, then I eat only the toppings. The pizza was sub-par - not of the usual taste and quality and it came to the table cold. I didn't eat any of it - it wasn't worth it.

Here are a couple of my favorites...I use unjury only. I always mix in the Protein powder last - it seems to reduce the froth. I use a Magic Bullet to mix my shakes. 5 ice cubes, 8 ounces Water or almond milk, 1 teaspoon Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder - whiz together. Add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar free Torani peppermint syrup and a scoop of Unjury chocolate Splendor, whiz again until blended. Tastes like a Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie. 2-3 frozen strawberries, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/3 of a banana, 8 ounces of almond milk or water splash of sugar free Torani vanilla syrup. Whiz up in the Magic Bullet. Add one scoop of Unjury Vanilla and whiz again until blended. 5 ice cubes, 8 ounces water or almond milk. Whiz together. 1-2 teaspoon PB2 powder, 1 scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder. Whiz again. Sometimes I will add some Greek yogurt. You can play around with different sugar free puddings - pistaccio pudding mix with Vanilla Unjury is awesome. Lemon pudding mix is good. I usually have 4 or 5 bottles of Torani sugar free syrups at all times. You need to play around with different flavors and textures. If you want something savory - Unjury chicken Soup is pretty good.

Beef Jerky, almonds, Protein chips (Health Wise BBQ), turkey pepperoni w/ cheddar cheese. I snack on nuts - they are a whole food with healthy fat, something we all need.

Sending hugs and positive vibes your way! You're going to do great! See you on the losers' bench very soon

Couldn't agree more with @@Kindle! I really don't "ban" anything any more...I just don't like many process foods any more. Bread? Doesn't make me feel wonderful, so I don't eat it often. I might order a 6" Subway sandwich or a Jimmy Johns and take a couple of bits w/ the bread. Then I just eat the insides and I'm perfectly happy. I might have a couple of bites of pizza crust (only if it's wonderful crust - if it's marginal, I won't eat it), then I eat the toppings. Pasta, which used to be a staple in my diet, rarely touch it any more and I don't crave it like I used to. I also rarely used the reduced fat stuff - we eat so little and our bodies need good fats. I cook with olive oil, am known to used butter sometimes and will use real sour cream. I've dieted or thought about my weight since I was 17 years old and I'll be 45 this week...that's a long time to be on a diet. I've pulled that shift and am done - I know focus on living as healthy as I can today.

@TheRealMelsIsHere, it's one Mission Carb Balance Tortilla shell. Sorry! I think there are 4 or 6 net carbs.

It's perfectly normal to feel nervous and scared. I assume you researched the surgery and your doctor before yesterday and think you made a good decision. Reading one more blog or one more post about complications should not change your mind if you're confident in your decision. That's not to say you're not scared - I was. I almost backed out in admitting the morning of my surgery - I thought, "I could walk out of here and only be out $500!" Then I looked over at my husband and something changed in my mind at that moment. I CHOSE to go thru with it. That was empowering. Only you can determine whether you are ready for surgery or not. Try to figure out why you're scared/nervous/whatever and get resolution. Then stop reading negative blogs and posts!

I'm 10 months out...Here's a typical day for me. 1/2 of a Protein shake before hot yoga mid-moring, my Breakfast is usually 1 scrambled egg topped w/ cheese and a Jimmy Dean turkey sausage pattie for lunch, a tortilla shell pizza - 1 carb balance tortilla shell, spread some BBQ sauce and top with diced turkey and mozzarella cheese and peppers and onions I always have in the fridge - I usually eat about 3/4 of this dinner - 1/2 of a hamburger pattie topped w/ cheddar cheese and a couple of bites of cooked veggies or baked Beans Snacks would be some beef Jerky and almonds or a Protein Bar. I also have a couple of cups of coffee w/ milk every day. I know this early out you think your life will never get back to normal or how can you subside on such little food. At 10 months out, I feel perfectly normal. This is my new normal - I feel less and less like a weight loss surgery patient as the weeks go by. For you, in the meantime...Be patient. Know that the next few months aren't going to be easy, but they will get easier. You're going to do great!

Wowsa! Congrats to you! I reward myself...where I used to reward myself with food or a trip to Starbucks or something, I now am a workout clothing addict and reward myself with a new yoga top or compression pants. Maybe if/when I get to 100 pounds, I'll do something like a treadmill! Again, congrats on your success!

First, thanks to you and your family for his service for our country! Second - what a great compliment! That has to make you smile. The other day I was talking to my husband about my revised goal weight...I said I have 23 more pounds to go. My 14-year old son walked in and proclaimed, "24 more pounds! That's too much. You should stop now!" It made me smile.

We will be having a live chat session on Thursday, September 18th at 8:00 pm Eastern time. This will be a great opportunity to chat with others going thru the decision making process, to ask questions, offer advice or suggestions, etc. Would love to see you there! (This is the first scheduled live chat we are doing - there will be more scheduled and subjects will change. If you have a suggested topic, you can message that to me and we see what we can do about getting it scheduled.) You can discuss this announcement here.

We will be having a live chat session on Thursday, September 18th at 8:00 pm Eastern time. This will be a great opportunity to chat with others going thru the decision making process, to ask questions, offer advice or suggestions, etc. Would love to see you there! (This is the first scheduled live chat we are doing - there will be more scheduled and subjects will change. If you have a suggested topic, you can message that to me and we see what we can do about getting it scheduled.) You can discuss this announcement here.

We will be having a live chat session on Thursday, September 18th at 8:00 pm Eastern time. This will be a great opportunity to chat with others going thru the decision making process, to ask questions, offer advice or suggestions, etc. Would love to see you there! (This is the first scheduled live chat we are doing - there will be more scheduled and subjects will change. If you have a suggested topic, you can message that to me and we see what we can do about getting it scheduled.) You can discuss this announcement here.

We will be having a live chat session on Thursday, September 18th at 8:00 pm Eastern time. This will be a great opportunity to chat with others going thru the decision making process, to ask questions, offer advice or suggestions, etc. Would love to see you there! (This is the first scheduled live chat we are doing - there will be more scheduled and subjects will change. If you have a suggested topic, you can message that to me and we see what we can do about getting it scheduled.) You can discuss this announcement here.

@@finediva, At 2 months, I did the same thing adding milk to my Protein drinks. You need that protein so you don't lose lean muscle mass - lean muscle mass helps you burn calories. In my opinion, it's worth it. Right now, I mix my protein drinks (yes, at 10 months I still have at least one shake a day) with 4 ounces of vanilla almond milk and 4 ounces of milk or sometimes Water. In the mornings before hot yoga, I'll use coconut milk because it has electrolytes that I need because of the exercise. You have to find what works for you - some people will look at the carbs in coconut milk and say I shouldn't drink it because of the carbs - it works for me because of the exercise I do. Some people don't like almond milk either. You have to find your balance. I'm curious, why do you use unflavored protein mix? Were you not able to find a flavored one that worked for you?

@@Alex Brecher, Can you answer the above question?

Reminder for our live chat on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern. Set your reminders!

Reminder for our live chat on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern. Set your reminders!

Reminder for our live chat on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern. Set your reminders!

Reminder for our live chat on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern. Set your reminders!

I don't subscribe to the carbs are evil mantra...There are good carbs (low glycemic fruits and veggies) and bad carbs (sweets, processed foods, etc.) I don't shun all carbs - I need some good-quality carbs to feel good and keep my body running efficiently. Early on I started to limit my carbs to about 20-25 and I had really low energy. Once I started adding more carbs in (adding berries to my shakes, refried Beans, broccoli, cauliflower, etc), I instantly felt better. I exercise a lot - some days 2-3 hours total. You need carbs to move your body that much. A Protein bar that has some carbs is perfect before a long workout - you feel full and you get the added benefit of the quick energy from the carbs. I think you need to find your sweet spot - do what works for you!

You should always follow your doc/NUT instructions for introducing foods. I am 10 months out and I can only handle finely chopped romaine lettuce and only about 1/4 cup at a time. Raw veggies and fruit can cause me great discomfort...I ate some fresh cherries a few weeks ago and was in excruciating pain! You need to listen to your body when you reintroduce foods.

Stand down from panic...It happens to a lot of us. There are a lot of different theories about why we lose our hair...some say it's the anesthesia, some say rapid loss, malnutrition, etc. My doc says this: Hair is optional to your body. When it need to work on other things like recovering from surgery, healing itself, etc., it stops taking care of the hair. I started losing at 3 months and it continued thru 6 months. Some days it was horrifying what came out. I can remember looking at my hair covered hands in the shower thinking "Is there any left on my head?" Looking down at the floor after fixing my hair brought tears to my eyes as it appeared there was a small animal on the floor, but it was just my hair. My doc OK'd me to use Biotin and Folic Acid - this is for regrowth, not stopping the shedding. I also used a product called Toppik. Go to their website - it works exactly like the video shows. It may seem expensive, however, I am just nearing the end of my first mid-sized bottle, so you don't use much, it should last you for months and months. I'm 10 months out and I can see tiny little hairs growing all over my head. I wear it as a badge of honor!

I had my surgery 10 months ago...If I could go back and give myself advise, here's what I would say: * Be kind to yourself. This is marathon, not a sprint * Do not be a slave to the scale - in fact, don't weigh the first 2-3 weeks after surgery, then only once every one to two weeks. (this is hard because newly sleeved folks love to see that pound a day loss, then panic when they stall) * Be patient - you didn't gain the weight in 5 weeks, don't expect to lose it in 5 weeks * Work on your emotional stuff before surgery - I spent a lot of time researching the procedure and planning for life post-op, I should have been working on the reason why I got to 256 pounds. Tackling your emotion stuff during recovery is hard. I have found that I am more calm and in a zen place than I was on my surgery date. I had expectations of losing 106 pounds - I have lost about a pound in 8 or 9 weeks. That's somewhat discouraging, but I reflect back on my life a year ago and all of a sudden that number on the scale doesn't really have power over me. I'm at 73 pounds lost - I hope I get to 106 and I'm working towards that, but it no longer hangs on me like it used to.