7 Bites_Jen

I've had the mirena since two years before my sugery - and my loss has been significantly slow as well. I wonder if there could be a link there ... Keep us posted. Thanks for the information!

People are mean and hateful and sadly the ones that are the most mean and hateful are the ones that generally dislike themselves, so they put others down to lift themselves up. I think you handled the situation beautifully. You spoke up eloquently when it was warranted and walked away before you allowed yourself to get too angry.

So far January and February have NOT been my eating friends either!! I've been eating a lot of carbs and a lot of just plain JUNK. It's been really hard to get back on track with the weather though (for me - anyone else dealing with that?). When I'm eating "clean" I love to load up on fresh veggies, salads, and grilled meats. When it's cold, however ... Yeah. Notsomuch. Has anyone past the year two mark gained a significant amount of weight (over 5lbs)? I am well into my second year and bounced between the same 15 lbs for the past year.

Sometimes life hits us a little harder than we'd like, doesn't it? Sounds like you have an amazing attitude about it, though! And I hear you on the heating bills ... This winter has been BRUTAL so far!!

Oh, honey, I am so sorry to hear this. I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers. <3HUG<3

Sounds to me like you're right on track! Our tummies do relax a little bit and we are able to consume more at a certain point. It's absolutely normal. And considering what you were probably able to eat in the past, you're still only eating a fraction of that.

Hi! Welcome! The sleeve was the very best decision I've ever made. I've heard Dr. Merrimen is awesome, too! I have family in the Shreveport area, by the way! My dad grew up there Congratulations on your decision! Keep us posted on your journey!!

I've had the sore sleeve as well! Not so much in the last year, but during the first year or so it happened. I also have bad indigestion and, like you, forget to take my medicine! I'm interested in the ginger chunks as well! Information on that would be awesome!

I do like Fage a lot - it does separate but it has a texture and flavor similar to sour cream.

And boy have I missed reading your posts! Looks like I have some back stalking to do ... LOL!!

We always called it Yuck-in-a-cup, LOL. Here's our episode on that very subject - let me know if it helps!

I have several good friends that sell Shakeology. If you can tolerate and afford it, it's a great product. It's more of a diet supplement than a Meal Replacement, honestly, though. I can't tolerate the shakes, sadly. I would think you would probably be able to drink about 1/2 at a time - but I don't know how well it keeps after that so if you do buy it it might be feasible to buy it by the bag rather than the packets - you can do a half serving at a time and make it go further.

I was on clears for 24 hours in the hospital then started full liquid once I got home. I do agree with consulting your doc before moving up, but I also think that over a month of clear liquids is very extreme ...

Yep. You slimed, girl! I can eat corn with no issues, but a lot of people can't. That being said, for ME what causes the slimes is when I eat too much. It's not WHAT I eat but HOW MUCH I eat that does it. So that's something to think about as well.

Congratulations!! Sorry I'm so late on the bandwagon and haven't been around lately - but I am SO PROUD OF YOU!!!! WAY TO GO!!!

If you want to try them for their health benefits, you can mix them into a shake or gravies, into puddings, you can also grind them and use them as a flour substitute. I wouldn't use them specifically for weight loss however - I don't know how well they would work for that with our sleeves.

Some of the more healthy options are soup (of course), any chicken or beef dish that is unbreaded (a lot of them - even beef with broccoli or cashew chicken sometimes - have breading on them of some kind), seafood dishes, shrimp dishes, if your band can tolerate it, sometimes they have the Vietnamese spring rolls with the rice paper, lettuce, shrimp and veggies. There really are some good choices - just be sure to look for stuff that isn't breaded or deep fried that you know your band will tolerate!

I agree with what everyone else has said - it's supposed to separate like that

This is such a great topic. We actually did a blog post on it: http://7bitesshow.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-biggest-loser-finale-2014-some.html One of the points we make is that we know we don't know the whole story. We don't know what her doctors or trainer thought/thinks about the situation, honestly. But I do wonder if, for her, it was about the money more than her health? Did she push herself too far simply to win?

I want you to know that I meant absolutely no disrespect whatsoever for your post. I know that it's possible, I've just never seen an actual news report about something like that happening and I'm a skeptic by nature. Being mindful about what we eat really is ESSENTIAL to our health and well being - and I think that was the whole point you were trying to make. I'm sorry if I hurt or offended you in any way - it wasn't my intention to do so!

Oh good LORD!!!! That was a backhanded complement ... Did you say something about her ears sticking out or her buck teeth or something in retaliation, LOL?

Welcome! I'm sorry to hear your husband isn't on board with your surgery. Does he have weight problems himself or is he one of those 'naturally thin' people? I ask because I've notice that a lot of people that don't have weight issues have no clue and will often say the same thing about self control. Hopefully when he sees your progress he'll come around. I was on diet after diet for close to 20 years before I finally gave in and got the sleeve last July. I am so glad I did it. Before, I had no self control and I couldn't finish what I started. The sleeve has kind of forced me to be able to do that, in a way. I, too, was TERRIFIED of failure, but here's the thing - you follow your doctors orders and eat well, and it's almost guaranteed that you'll be just fine! Good luck to you and your surgery, keep us posted!

One thing I want to point out is that it's possible to regain on ANY WLS - RnY, DS, Lap Band, Sleeve ... It's possible to "eat around" any and all of these if one REALLY wants to. So don't let your fear of that be a deterrent. Like others have said: RnY is a tried-and-true surgery. Many MANY people have done amazingly well on it. A good friend of mine from high school had it done and she's done wonderfully. If you follow your guidelines and do what you're supposed to do, chances are good that you'll do great! Good luck!

There are times people complement me and sometime I wonder if it's sincere. I totally feel this post.

You can do it!