Dee_1111

hmmm..yes bread..I don't miss it anymore, I did morn it for a long time, indeed, I did..Here's the problem with bread (except Ezekiel bread). Im gastric bypass, all the breads made with process enriched flour tend to turn into a ball of dough and clog the entry way into my pouch, and I feel throw-uppy. In four years since my surgery, I have tried every bread I could get my hands on..Including the most delish Portuguese Bread, NOPE, But if I do eat bread, which is VERY rare...I eat Ezekiel bread, NO FLOUR in it, I get it in the organic freezer section. But..ho --hum, I do miss my big sour dough sandwich rolls :/

All sounds delish!..unfortunately I am in the 3% who became Lactose (which I had to look up..lol) intolerant do to WLS..so dairy (sadly) isn't an option. BUT..lol.. my fave go to snack ,ok its not GO TO..cuz I eat it all the time. Smuckers Natural creamy Peanut Butter, on banana's (ingred: Peanuts).. OR Quaker Rice cakes (caramel corn flavor) with peanut butter. I think I like peanut butter cuz, in my fat life I ate Reese's Peanut cups like nobodys business!!!..lol

Im right there with you..Im a gym rat, and I don't eat any of the white foods, sweets, red meat, or dairy..thats how bad I wanted it. I has paid off. You'll get no apologies from me...lolol..rock on girl!!!

Yayyyyyy for you. It gets better and better..I found I like walking and Katy Perry..lol..Yes life is AWESOME here in maintanence!!! ..I flew on a plane and put my arms down by my sides and still had room between me and the ARM RESTS!!!!!! little things like that!!!!!..I'd hug you in person if I could

Finally, 4 years out, and I am there..its a lovely place, and it is as close to perfect as it can get. My life around me is the same, no ones changed but me, but what HAS changed is how I look at my life now. My glasses are not longer rose-color ..I can see and feel, as clear as a bell

thank you guys! <3 (that's a heart..lol)

I take pics of my food all the time.lol..I like pretty food...ohhhh truckerchic I didn't know that,,headed to instgram now,,,thanx oh sorry... can we put pics in our posts? if so, tell me how..sorry I couldn't help :/

I love the subject of food..My food intake varies..Im visual so all the cups, 1/2 cups, 1/3 cup mean nothing to me. All that measuring and counting became overwhelming to me. It became to stressful jut to enter the kitchen. I eat from a small salad plate. I visually fill it. I have learned the HARD HARD way how to fill my plate! I go over, and discomfort and pain will follow. Now, fruits and vegetables? I can eat way more than my salad plate, why? I chew them down to a pulp. One or two bites of mash potatoes (which I no longer eat) Im full to capacity, and discomfort ensues. So I choose to eat lots of fruits and veg & chicken.

Indeed B-52!!!... Health was my #1 priority. Weight loss the perk. In a perfect world weight wouldn't be an issue. Alas, welcome to our imperfect world.

Well even the strongest of women, I consider my self one, have a lot of these traits. Its part of being human. As women, its what we do, worry, stress, feel inferior at some point on our lives, gossip (guilty). And at some stages we are disconnected, its a survival / coping mechanism, like the 'fight or flight' response. The spectrum is to large. Every person on the planet has had one or two feelings on this gigantic list. The most brilliant minds of our time, are probably every one of those things on your list and more..I think if you narrowed down the list, to what 'disconnected' actually means, then I could make a educated evaluation. Thanks

HI there..I don't know what all that pains about. As the cliché saying goes "If it persists call your Doc right away!''...and if all goes will with that...and you come through this unscaved...IT IS SOOOOOOOO WORTH IT!!!!!!...Im 4 years out..holding at 115 lbs..what???? yep so worth it.

Sweetie, Im thinking, if you have 183 lbs still to lose? Will you muster up the dedication, focus, motivation, determination and stamina it will take to get the weight off your legs to accomplish your mission? if so, no surgery needed!!! Not that you wont need that if you have WLS you will...but, WOW if you can do it without WLS...POWER ON!!!! much luck whatever you decide, its your decision alone. After that, were here for you ten fold. Let us know what you decide.

Thank you..just thoughts rolling around my head...No..lol..I don't know how..

Excellent Ladies Excellent!!!!!!

I was chatting with a woman here on this site, about how she cooks fish, and how I cook my fish. So I got to thinking (thank you sweet lady )... Because there are a lot of people on this site either considering, have already made their decision or have had WLS, most of the conversations are about before, during and right after the surgery. So we talk a lot about their 'Phase Food's and what is making them sick, very important dialog, and should be addressed ASAP. But for those of us who are passed that (thank goodness..lolol), our roles now are very different. Now is when our lives begin. We've lost the weight, we fit in airplane seats, some of us run all the 'K's (not me). Hike, take uber vacations, even wear bikini's!!!!..love that!!!!.were living life and have stop focusing on weight loss and are focused on LIVING, its what we wanted to do in the first place, socialize with confidence, get dates, get married, have children, whatever ... etc. I on the other hand have settle down more quieter. I don't white Water raft, or climb mountains, or run all the "k"s. But how I remain successful is..I've surrounded myself with women who are 8 years or more out and who are nothing but successful, and that's all they want to be. I love that attitude in these people. We are foodies, we travel, and discover foods from here and abroad. With ONE exception..SWEETS, TREATS, & DEAD food are off the table (no pun intended). We don't share that. Just good food we've discovered in our travels and at home that we can share. We're not vegetarians or extremists, but what we ARE is people who've changed our lives, stick to our WLS convictions, and LOVE TO EAT!!!!...I just discoved on utube, a cauliflower pizza crust. Im the last to know apparently??..lol..But as you get this far out, food takes on a different meaning, all the sugar cravings are replaced with a fruit bowl drizzle with pure raw honey, pizza crusts are now made with cauliflower, ect...When you love to eat AND are a WLS person, you have no other choice BUT to come up with delicious & nutritious ways to keep eating the foods you love and maintain your weight. These people have figured that out. The point of writing this is...surround yourself with like minded people. I never cook 'GOOD' food before WLS, I have a family so food was "Belly Filler" meaLS, not a 'Nutritious' meal, I didn't know better, I do now..Thanx for listening and I scour this site for recipes all the time to share with friends & people at work. so thank you soooo much for that.

AWWW..the elegant Mr.Coggin..I couldn't have said it any better Hello cb..I'm Dee..4 years out...Remember the foods you were eating while you were in 'Maintanence'?..You might want to start there. The pouch test is a different thing than what your looking for, I should think, although I suppose its an option also. When I neglect my eating (which results in weight loss not gain)but it's still frightening. I stop, slow down, gets my thoughts to line up (not always easy) and look back at my log..which I kept diligently the first 3 years. Its my sounding board. My ACCOUNTABILITY measurement. The foods I eat (and still eat) while in maintenance (which I suppose I'll be in for the rest of my life) are what I eat, and always revert back to. Unforturnately or fortunely weight loss takes focus and disciplined. I've kicked the word "willpower" out of my vocab..I have the willpower to do anything I put or set my mind to..but DISCIPLINE is a whole other ball game, for me anyhoo. Be watching your success with utter joy. Thanx for listening...much luck. Talk often. P.S. I am a (lifetime) recovery sugar addict. And that my dear is where the DISCIPLINE comes in. soooooo not easy. But "This Body Feels Better Than food Tastes"!!!!!

OMgosh!!..get better soon :/

awwww...thank you so much!!!

Right after surgery, of course, I did chewables, and Bariatric Advantage, but HUNDREDS of dollars later, and 4 years out, I get my vits at Walmart or CVS, my lipid test are perfect, so I decided to stay with Walmart & CVS,,WAYYYYYYY cheaper!!!

HI girls, Im Dee, I live in Vergas, MN and work in Detroit Lakes. Im 4 years out..Because you were talking about vitamins, I decided to chime is, is that ok?

So Im at the gym, earphones in, doing my own thing, I see the trainers office door open. So I go in there and ask her to use her scale. She's busy at her computer. "Sure go ahead"..I say 'Thanks'. It's one of those digital jobbies, so I tap it, wait for the 00.0 to show up on the little screen. I step on it. It reads: 113.6 lbs. That's NOT right. So I get off it, wait, tap it with my foot again, again 113.6..So I tap Karlie ( the trainer) on the shoulder and tell her, her scales broke. OH NO she says, so she picks it up and shakes it. So again I step on it and it reads 116.8..She tells me digital scales will sometimes keep memory of the previous stepper on'er. Ok sounds reasonable to me. Honest to goodness, she looks at me and says, " Did 113 bother you?, I thought you'd be glad"...Here's my response to that, " Are you kidding, I don't wanna be 113 lbs, that's to far down the scale for me darling"..She says " your 116.8, 3 lb different isn't that much. I preceded to tell her that in the WLS world, YES IT IS!!!..3 lb's up, 3 lb's down is a WORLD of difference, in my world...lolololol..I walked out of there feeling ok that HER BROKE scale added just a pound to my ACTUAL 115 lb scale at home, BUT 3 lbs, down..NOOOoooo..funny how this life is sooooo different from my previous life..lololol..Good times!!!

Oh sorry you did ask a question. You and I are only 5 months apart. So basically were at the same stage. Go back to the beginning where you started in MAINTANANCE. cuz that's when the "Honeymoon' phase ended. One awesome thing about this pouch is..it has the ability to make you lose weight quickly if you start behaving properly again...love thattt!!!.., Go back and follow your maintenance rules, That's why food logging is so important...I've give my self a 10 lb leeway, 10 lbs up Im still ok, but need to BACK IT UP...10 down ( happens when I going going going, busy busy busy, and not eating enough food for weeks). The 10 lbs either way gives me a instant alarm to PAY ATTENENTION DEE, your body's in distress!!!! I always jump back to my shakes & Snacks and up my exercise time in the gym or whatever, I like to walk, ALOT to the beat of my music..and I like Katy Perry!!!...lolol

Hi Im Dee, Im 4 years out, my lowest weight was 113, Im stable at 115. Welcome. Your right it takes work. And when we (for whatever reason) don't or cant work it, it catches up really fast (damnit all to heck). So So So happy your reaching out, before your OUT of control and just say THE HELL WITH IT. yay hang out, have a glass of tomato juice, pull up an ottoman..lol

Sweeettt!!!..feels great, doesn't it!!!

And it keeps getting better and better..lol..I can actually walk by a Reeses peanut better cup (the 4 pack)..I actually whisper at it and say "YOU WISH'!!!!..sweettttt!!!