McButterpants

@@PdxMan has some good points (he usually does!). For me right now, at 5 months post-op, I find it's fairly easy to make good choices because I'm in tune with how I feel when I eat something. I once took a class about mindful eating and one of the things they said was to "eat like a skinny person"...there have been studies that show that skinny people often think about how they are going to feel after they eat something as opposed to the obese who don't. I can now think about how something is going to make me feel after I eat it - I won't eat it if I get a bad or gnarly reaction. pizza was a go-to meal for me pre-surgery - we would have it once or twice per week. I loved pizza. I loved Pasta. But now, I really don't think about it. Here's what happened last week...my husband wanted to go to our favorite pasta place and asked if that was OK. I really don't care much about food any more, so I was like sure, I'll just order something with chicken in it. I took a couple of bites of the bread (pre-surgery, it was multiple pieces), we shared an entree (of which I ate a few bites of chicken and a couple of bites of pasta - the pasta did NOTHING for me), then came dessert...the dreaded "D" word. The Zappolli at this place is amazing... I had 3 of the smallest pieces I could find and dipped them in raspberry sauce. It was delicious...but I knew if I had more, I wouldn't feel good, so I stopped. I left feeling perfectly normal and perfectly satisfied. I am thankful for my sleeve - it makes me think before I eat. It doesn't make decisions for me, but I have to make decisions for it's sake and I have to treat it with respect or it gets angry with me. You'll be able to eat all kinds of foods eventually - it doesn't mean you should. There is a certain amount of fear for me with my sleeve - I don't want to abuse it, I don't want to waste this opportunity I have been given. Right now, food just doesn't mean that much to me.

I am 5 months out - I get that feeling sometimes. It usually hits if I eat too much, but it doesn't hit me right away - I will start feeling it about 30 minutes after I've taken the last bites. It's uncomfortable, almost like there food is stuck.

I am 5 months out - I have had pizza, but never a whole slice. I can't tolerate that much. Here's what I do instead of doughy pizza from a pizza shop - I take a Carb Balance Tortilla shell, top with pizza sauce, pepperoni and fresh mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until done. Seriously - it's a great thin crust pizza. My husband requests this pizza often. I also make one with BBQ sauce and chicken, then top with cheese. It's a nice alternative.

Amen, my sister!

Hi there. Congrats on getting your date. There were many reasons I wanted to have surgery, but the major one was to be a better wife and mom. My son is active in many sports - he's 14 years old. I missed out on a lot and I was always so tired and cranky that I feel like he bonded more with my husband. That makes me sad. So here I am now 5 months from surgery and 65 pounds lighter - I'm a much better wife and mom than I was even a few short months ago. I am much more active and I have a better attitude and am nicer/calmer. My family life is much better. (there are other things that are great too, but, it is so worth it!) Best of luck to you!

Stalls are perfectly normal. Your body is trying to figure out what you're doing and you're still recovering from major surgery. Just continue to stick with your plan - you will leave Stallsville and head back towards Losertown in no time. My personal story - I stalled between weeks 3 and 4 for about 10 days. I was so scared. I've stalled multiple times since then (I'm almost 5 months out). I don't sweat them anymore. I know I can control what goes in my mouth and how much I move my body. My body is going to move at it's own pace...

Stalls are perfectly normal. You can search "stall" on this forum and find tons of information. My surgery was 11/14/13, so I'm almost 5 months out - I have stalled many times. My first one came between weeks 3 and 4 and I was so scared. I can understand. Just know it's perfectly normal and continue to follow your plan. Your body needs to try to figure out what you're doing AND you're still recovering from major surgery. You're going to be fine. You got this!!!!!!

McButterpants looking longingly out the window...thinking of your boyfriend, Ryan Gosling with those perfectly small ears and hopes that someday he can find earbuds that fit.

nectar Roadside Lemonade. Yummy!

I had to be caffeine free for my doc to operate...all docs are different. I went thru withdrawals and it sucked. I switched to decaf after weening myself off the hard stuff - it took two weeks to get down to decaf only. I did this prior to starting my two week pre-op diet because I didn't want to have to go thru both at the same time. Post-op, I wasn't allowed coffee until week 4 and I had to pinkie promise the doc that I wouldn't go back to my old ways of 5-6 cups of strong coffee per day. I now have 1, sometimes 2 cups of real coffee and 1 or 2 cups of decaf per day. I'm a Carmel Macchiato girl myself and had one yesterday - a small non-fat, sugar-free. It doesn't taste the same, but I did enjoy it.

Ahhh "The Easy Way Out" syndrome. Yeah, tell them they need to go on a 2 week liquid diet, followed up by removal of 80% of their stomach, recover from surgery, start working out, figuring out how to eat with 80% of their stomach all while addressing food addiction and emotional problems. Yeah, it's the easy way out... Or maybe respond with something like, "That moment when you realize you thought you had a real friend then realize they judge a decision you made to better and prolong your life...CRUSHED."

Don't be disappointed - it happens to almost everyone as Bufflehead stated above. You just had major surgery and you're eating virtually nothing. Your body is thinking, "WTF????? What did you just do to me?" It's trying to figure out what just happened and how it's going to recover. You are still recovering. Be gentle with your body - if you take care of it, it will take care of you. I have stalled numerous times in the past 4.5 months. They suck, but just stick to your plan - you'll come out on the other side of the stall just fine. Hang in there, Sweetie. You didn't get to 254 pounds overnight - don't expect it to come off overnight. You're doing great.

I'm a project...a work in progress...

@@LipstickLady I need to hear your story!!!!!!!!! Do tell and don't leave out any details.

My surgery was November, 2013, so I'm 5 months out. My hair loss started at 2 months and continues today. Some days the amount of loss I get in the shower is horrifiic (I'm not saying this to scare you, I'm being honest). Other days, it's not so bad, but still get a handful of hair. It has become noticeable on the top from my bangs to the crown - that's where most of my loss is; you can see my scalp, so it's noticeable. I knew this was going to happen and there's nothing I can do about it to stop it. I take my Vitamins every day and concentrate on getting my Protein in daily. My doctor approved Folic Acid and Biotin which I take every day. I use Nioxin shampoo a few days a week - this dries out my scalp, so I use a moisturizing shampoo as well. I also use a product called Toppik - this helps fill in those spots where you can see my scalp. I can see new growth, so while I'm losing, new stuff is coming back. It makes styling challenging. I had to go with a shorter hairstyle to try to mask the loss. My doc said, "Whatever you lose due to surgery, will grow back." One thing I can say - I'd rather be dealing with my hair loss than the 65 pounds I was carrying before I had surgery.

I limited my carbs to 20-30 per day when I was about a month out - I thought that's what I should do...I felt like crap. I had no energy. I then started playing with the numbers and found the point where I felt good - for me it's about 40-50. Once I increased my carbs, I really truly started to feel GOOD. I was smart about my carbs though - I chose to get my carbs from veggies, added a few strawberries to my shake, had some fat-free refried Beans, etc. The type of carb was important to me - low glycemic is the best for me.

Did someone mention my boyfriend, Ryan Gosling? OMG - he's hawt!!!!!!

So far, so good. I did my Turbulence Training today and got in a 3 mile walk towards my 80 mile goal. Have a great weekend, everyone! We're expecting good weather finally, so I'm planning on logging some outside miles!

Hi there. After about day 5 I started feeling human again...It will get better, I promise! You're going to do great!

What an amazing transformation. Congrats to you!

I would like to know more about the turbulence training.. My body needs more muscle. I am in, too!! My plan for this month is 1 1/2 hrs cardio, increase eliptical to 30 min and 45 min Natalius workouts both upper and lower with increased weights. @@BellaHugz, I think I'm hooked on Turbulence Training. It's fun, quick and you can feel the targeted areas. I'm doing the beginners workout this month - I can do it at home which is nice.

Hi, there. Thanks for starting the challenge this month. I'm in - recommitting to my exercise. I will do...15 days of Turbulence Training (I could barely sit, stand or walk the day after my first one) and commit to 80 miles walking/elliptical. What's everyone else doing?!?!

Good point...I went to the grocery store right before my lunch the other day and I was feeling hungry. I ended up buying some Greek Yogurt pretzels. I grabbed two and ate them - my husband grabbed the bag and put them in the back seat. He told me I should wait until we got home to eat a real meal. (Prior to surgery I would have gotten really mad at him, but now I'm thankful - he's watching out for me.)

@@Arts137 - is right on track as usual! I still have those times when I'm stressed or bored that I will find myself reaching in the bag of chips or taking a bite or two of something on the counter. That grazing habit rears it's ugly head and in my house, those foods are usually packed with carbs, which one eaten, makes me want more carbs. I'm OK if those foods are tucked neatly in the pantry - out of site out of mind, but put them on the counter and it's like they draw me to them. The shakes and Protein bars are my salvation - it curbs those munchie feelings.

I just ordered mine from Lauren's Hope.