terry1118

Hey Pam! Lilah liking food isn't a bad thing. Dogs who like food are easy to train - they respond well to treat rewards. My Basset (passed away three years ago) loved treats so much he would run outside, lift his leg to pee, and run back for a treat. Over and over and over! He only actually peed the first time, after that he was only going through the motions. Lol

I have no idea but fish chowder sounds really good! :-)

I guess I'm not alone - misery loves company! Lol I got a full bottle of Water down and I'm starting another. The headache is easing up finally. It's puzzling to me how something you eat all the time with no trouble can suddenly make you sick. Today will be a Soup and yogurt day. I've got too much to do and those are 'safe' for me... so far. :-) Congrats on your new dog. I can't imagine life without them. We are adopting ours from the Dachshund Rescue of North America. Little Fred will be coming to us from South Carolina next week. He's our third Dachshund from that rescue. My young guy needs a buddy to play with. My other dog is elderly and frail and all she does is sleep. :-)

So beautiful! And that happy smile in every pic says it all! :-)

Way to go! Say goodbye because you'll never see the 200's again! :-)

174! I had to keep hitching up my jeans when I was cutting grass yesterday. Time to go shopping again. I think this time I'll hit the thrift shops - it's too expensive to buy jeans and have them last only 2-3 weeks. :-)

Yesterday was a great day. We're adopting another dog and had our home inspection in the morning. I made chili and had some for lunch - it went down well and was delicious. In the afternoon I spent two hours cutting the grass. It's thirsty work but I usually make up for it after dinner by drinking extra Water. I made some baked chicken for my husband and tilapia for my dinner around 7pm... and that's where the day went downhill. The tilapia always goes down easy but it didn't sit well with me last night. I started that gurgley, painful, nauseous feeling right away. I resigned myself to waiting it out. 8, 9, 10, 11 - still not feeling well. I tried to go to bed but that made it worse. I got up and read for a while and it didn't get better. I was really tired and I was headachy from not being able to drink. Around 1am I tried drinking down 3-4 oz water and it did the trick - everything, including what remained of my dinner, came back up immediately. Finally! I was exhausted and went to bed. I didn't sleep well because of the headache and we had some thunderstorms. One of my dogs is terrified of thunder and I had to get up to close windows. Now I'm sitting here trying to get rid of that headache - drinking, drinking, drinking. That uncomfortable spell was the longest I've ever had and I was actually wondering at the time if I had a stricture. But it couldn't be because lunch went down smooth, no issues.

Soon! :-)

Pretty much the same as everyone else, except my nut says I can also have diet cranberry juice. I find it too sweet - I was never a juice drinker. My hubby makes Protein shakes with frozen fruits like strawberries and blueberries. They have a smoothie-like consistency if you add crushed ice when you're blending. Also, check out "The World According to Eggface" website. She has tons of Protein shake recipes listed. I'm sure you can find something that will satisfy your smoothie craving and at the same time add protein to you diet. When I used to do Optifast I would blend an envelope of the vanilla flavor w/a can of diet orange soda and crushed ice. It was think and tasted just like a creamcicle! Blending soda in the blender seemed to eliminate all the carbonation. I'm sure it would work w/ any vanilla Protein powder.

You may still like black pants. They're classic and versatile and they hide stains (think kids, pets, grease on car door jambs). BUT instead of loose-fitting form-hiding stretch slacks I now buy ankle length slim-fit slacks for work - they look great with pretty sandals, high heals, ballet flats, and boots. I wear shirts in a variety of colors and fabric textures. I found that I love the look of tailored tops and trendy jewelry. I love to go out to different stores and try on clothes. I don't buy much, I just try them on (something that used to bring me to tears and send me to the nearest bakery to drown my sorrows in pastry). It's a great way to find your style, see what looks good on you, and determine your current size. I find it to be a great ego boost! Sometimes if I love something, I'll buy it a size or two smaller. Unlike times in the past, this time I KNOW I'll get there! :-)

I was told the same. Focus on Vitamins, protein and fluids. For the record I'm getting between 650 and 850 cals a day according to my tracker. I'm three months out. Turkey chili w/beans is good too. One cup has 17gr protein but I can only eat 1/2 cup. I never have trouble with it.

Me too! And my girls have lost weight too - my D-cup has a little room in it. Shopping today! :-)

Highest weight 233 Surgery weight 221 (5/30/13) Today's weight 177 :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

My daughters both did pet sitting in our neighborhood. Starting at age fourteen, they got to get a taste of 'independence' by staying in peoples houses (some of them VERY luxurious!), but I was only minutes and a phone call away if needed. The neighbors had piece of mind because their pets were cared for in their home, the mail was collected, plants were watered, and the house wasn't empty - it was a good crime deterrent. They were paid 25-100 per day, depending on how many dogs there were (peanuts compared to kennel costs for multiple dogs - at one point one neighbor had five dogs). A 1-2 week trip could net my girls hundreds of dollars. They're in their twenties now and still pet sit for neighbors, their friends, college professors, and co-workers (and me).

Preheat oven to 375°. Cut the squash in half length wise and scoop out all the seeds. Lay both halves face down on cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 mins. When done use a fork to separate the strands, then scoop into a bowl. You can serve it several ways. I like it w/a little butter, salt, and pepper, or w/grilled veggies, or w/pesto, or w/ground turkey, sauce, and Parmesan chz. I haven't had it since surgery. I'm nervous to try it.

You look great! :-)

Sometimes I pick up prepared food at the grocery store. There's one next door to my work that has a Soup bar, a hot food counter, and other foods available at the deli. On different days of the week they have an Italian bar or Asian bar. I can buy a 1/2 cup of chili, chowder, or broc cheese soup, a slice of quiche, one meatball or crab cake, a mini meatloaf or grilled chicken, 1/4 lb of eggplant parm or general tsao chicken, or a little egg salad, cranberry walnut chicken salad, or six bean salad. If I don't feel like cooking little meals for myself I get a little something different there. I buy such small amounts it's not cost prohibitive. :-)

I'm sorry, I can't do just one! :-) Follow your doctors instructions. Each doctor has his own instructions and it's based on his/her own experience. You chose him/her. Trust him/her and do what they say. Don't try to measure your success by another's. Everyone is different. Celebrate your own success. It's hard work and you DESERVE credit for your results.

I gained 12. A week after surgery it was gone and I was back to what I weighed day of surgery. :-) I'd read about weight gain from IV fluids here so I wasn't surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised. Lol It goes away quickly and then the REAL weight loss starts! :-)

Mine are gone. Yours will go away too! :-)