StephanieRR

Welcome! Lots of great info and friendly people in here. Stay positive and you will find what you are looking for. Wishing you the best of success and that God will bless your new journey.

Oh sweetie, even your before picture is beautiful!!! I can see a difference. Your little apple cheeks are gone. You enjoy your selfies!! If only I were young again, I'd be doing the same thing! LOL I notice it when I put on my make up! Congrats on your progress!! I wish you continued success!!

Be grateful you are soooo loved! LOL I know it is stressful. I'm 47 and my parents are the same way. Once they see you are ok and you know what you are doing they will be more accepting....But I must confess: We are the parents of a 20 year old daughter and she will ALWAYS be our baby girl.

I was almost 6 mo in the waiting for me as well. Talk to the nutritionist there and see if they will let you "check in" once a month. That's what they did with me. It went okay. As long as I lost something they were happy.(Even if it was only 2 pounds!) That last month is when they kicked my weight loss in gear with 5 protein shakes & 1 protein bar a day!! I don't reccommend starting with that. Do the high protein/low carb and you will be fine until they direct you to do otherwise. Also, use this time to gather as much info as you can on the procedure and post op people. I was glad to have the time so I could be mentally prepared. I think it made a world of difference for me just being in the right positive frame of mind. You will do great!!!

Congrats!! How exciting!! Thank you for sharing! BTW..My nutritionist told me it's not a race. Everyone loses weight at a different rate for all sorts of reasons, rather it be body type or medical issues. I think you have done super! I was estatic to hit the 200's and am looking forward to the day I hit Onederland!!

Are you kidding? I would be elated with 37 pounds!! I had my surgery 1/23/14. Mind you I dropped 32 pounds prior to surgery, but the first month after surgery I only lost 13 pounds!! And I did not cheat!! Not even once. I even stayed the same for a week! Everyone kept telling me Wow! Look at you! How much have you lost now?? I hated mumbling 13. My nutritionist was not happy when I asked her about comparing myself to others. So I have not been on the scale since 2/21/14 at my last appointment. I go back this Friday 3/28/14. I was super excited cause I can't wait to see how much I've dropped now. But after reading all these posts about 37-40 pounds since surgery around the same time as myself, I am nervous now. I find myself thinking, what if I only lost another 13?? That would only be 26 since surgery. However, I am going to hold my head high and not dwell on it. My loss is my loss and I feel tremendous and I have been dropping in size!! So be extremely happy with your progress! I am excited for you!!

It just seems so obvious to me that this is a site of support and helpful tips. I can't imagine why anyone would want to subject negativity to this community. I personally feel better hoping that something I may have posted or commented on may have helped encourage someone. I agree with PdxMan! People should read this first. It's a shame there's usually a bad apple in every basket. Thank you Alex for bringing such a diverse group who all share a common healthy goal together. I think it's a wonderful source of support and info!!

How exciting for you!! Thank you for sharing the encouragement!! Keep up the awesome hard work!

Just make sure you are sip, sip, sipping that water! It is hard to get all the protein in. By the time I had protein, there was no room for veggies or anything else. And true, not hungry with all the protein... Just give it some time and your body will start adjusting to the eating changes. I allow myself one snack a day that isn't protein just so I am getting my nutrients. I still haven't figured out how to get the recommended 6 mini meals in. I only have 4 a day but my nutritionist said that is fine. If I ate 6, I would spend my whole day eating!! LOL. Just do what is comfortable for you and talk to your nutritionist if you think you are not meeting your requirements. Are you drinking any protein? Alot of people get it in through shakes.

I recently made cauliflower squares and didn't use any breading. I took a small head of cauliflower, make small "slices", stalks and all. (It gets kinda crumbly on the edges but you will still have a lot.) Cooked them till they were just getting tender. Drained them, drain them really really well. ( that's important). Then I added 2 large eggs, pepper, some Lawry's Garlic Salt, and 1/2 cup of fat free shredded cheese. Mix it all together then spread the mixture in the bottom of a greased cookie sheet pan. Bake at 350 until cheese melts and eggs look thouroghly cooked. Let cool, then cut into 20 nice size squares. The recipe came out to 18 calories per square. I entered my recipe in My Fitness Pal and it broke down to 18 cal, 1 carb, 1fat, 2protein per square. You can dip in pizza sauce or be creative. I put fat free cottage cheese on mine and ate for Breakfast & Snacks for a week! LOL

Congrats!! One thing at a time and Boom! Amazing how it all adds up and happens so quickly. I was almost overwelmed when I started, but it all seems to have passed so quickly now. Sounds like you are well on your way!! Good for you!! Keep it up and I look forward to those pics one day!! Hoping to post some of my own here shortly.

Since I plan my meals the evening prior, I keep a drawer in my refrigerator stocked with 8-10 4oz cups of high Protein foods that I can grab easily for on the go if a wrench gets thrown into my plans. Cottage cheese, yogurt, tuna, chicken, etc.. I find that works best for me personally with my work schedule.

Wow!!! Dramatic difference! So proud of you!! Thank you for sharing the encouragement!!

Sounds very interesting! I have been married for 27 years, but I am always fascinated in others journeys after surgery. Thank you for sharing!!

Everyone misses real food in the beginning. Just stay positive! The fluids are only temporary. YOU are so worth it. Give it a few weeks and you will feel so much better that food becomes less of an importance as you learn to focus your attention on the people you normally ate pizza with. I had to do this with my family as well. It truly has been one of the best things i have ever done for myself. You can do this!

Thank you Recycled!! I will do just that!! I have bought myself a few new things as a treat and I do get so excited when I get into the next size down. I will get started this evening.

So sorry Nancy, but you are right..It is an old habit. An old habit that we had done for years to comfort ourselves. I am only just about 2 mos out so I have not went back to my old habits, nor do I ever hope to. However, I always did in the past, or I wouldn't have got into the shape I was in. It is human that we take comfort in old habits sometimes.,Forgive yourself and move on. Wishing you peace and happiness today. Keep holding your head high and dwell on your accomplishments, not your downfalls. You will be fine I have no doubt.

It still seems odd to me that I can let my "fat clothes" go now! I have every size in my closet from 18-28. I am currently down to a 22 and i still have not let go of my 28,26,24's!! I know I will never need them again, but it's a habit I had developed through the years. Thinking I'd better keep them "just in case"...and as usual, I always did. Maybe this weekend I will clean out my closets and start donating them. Thank you for reminding me. It is totally natural that you feel that way. But it has really hit home to me that I will never see those sizes again!...And niether will YOU!

It is so exciting when you get to meet your surgeon. YAY! You are on your way to your new journey! I wish you the best success!

Hooray for you!!! That is awesome!! Congrats on your date and a belated Happy Birthday! I wish you huge success on your new journey!

Wow!!! What a wonderful feeling that has to be!! Congrats and thank you for sharing!! It is so encouraging to hear! Keep it up!

How exciting!! Just do what they tell you and you should be fine. It's an amazing journey. I wish you great success!!

So excited for you!! Thank you for the encouring share!!! Keep it up and keep that fabulous posative attitude!!

I was a coffee freak before my pre-op diet. When I read NO caffiene, sugar, or carbonation while doing my homework for the surgery, I decided to kick the habit. I drank my last cup of coffee December 26th and started my preop diet the 27th. Kicked sugar and carbonation as well. Since then I have been told I can have it in moderation. However, my skin looks amazing! I'm not for sure which of the 3 has made the difference so I dedcided to just make it a permanant change. I feel super about it. I do occasionally allow myself a cup of decaf tea if I feel like I'm missing my coffee too much.

That is so cool!! I don't really know that i have found anyone in my area, but I am happy to just hang out in here when I can. The people are phenominal!! I love it that you are so in touch!!