S(he) be(lie)ve(d)

Since I began my 6 month pre-op diet and had surgery on Sept 8, I've been eating Paleo. Basically, it is eating like a caveman or "clean eating". No processed stuff. My skin is amazing, hair has improved, energy is amazing and I feel great! Google it! This way of eating can reverse soooooo many health issues. It is amazing to see the difference between how your body reacts to clean eating vs processed foods. You won't regret it! There are so many recipes out there too.

Crossfit is a good option. Just be careful. A good friend of mine is a physical therapist and she sees a ton of Crossfit injuries coming in. With that said, I do 30 mins of cardio on my elliptical every other day. On the day that I don't do cardio, I do PIYO. It is a cross between Pilates and Yoga. It has you work against your own body weight to gain muscle mass. Love it!!!

I had my sleeve done on Sept 8th. I still take Gas-X pills every morning. Occasionally, I have to grab a Gas-X strip in the afternoon. But, it is becoming less in the afternoon finally. Yay! I just get pains from burp bubbles. Burping little burps, is common with me. I just keep hoping that it continues to decrease and I can quit taking Gas-X. Recently, I tried not taking them just to see how I did. I told my hubby that I can totally sympathize with babies and how they feel when they need to be burped. Lol!

Only 4 other people know that I have had the sleeve done and a large hiatal hernia repair. We are very private people and live in a small town. If my SIL knows, the whole town knows. Over the years, it has been a learned lesson with her. In no way am I ashamed of having the surgery done. It is the best decision and gift of life that I could have given myself! For Thanksgiving, I am going to take small amounts of what I want to eat and be done. Our family is so large, nobody really pays any attention to how much you do or don't eat. I'm not really worried about it at all. My business is my business. Simple. Like my hubby says, "I don't tell everyone every time I have to take a poop." Lol! Everyone is different with how they handle their personal lives. You just have to make the best decision for you. That is what matters most.

I used to LOVE pizza! I miss the whole taste of it together. Whenever we have a pizza night, being post-op now, I only eat the toppings and leave the crust. Last night, it just didn't even sound good at all. Thank you for posting this recipe! I am looking forward to trying it!

I burp A LOT. It has decreased considerably. Thank God! I take the capsule in the morning and then have the strips in my purse just in case I need them in the afternoon. Lately, I haven't had to use them very often at all. It helped in the beginning with gas pains from surgery as well. I used to even burp in my sleep, my hubby told me. So sexy! Ha ha!

Thank you everyone!!! Congrats on all your weight loss too!!! That is amazing!!! I think I am going to keep doing what I am doing. My goals are being met daily, so I'm not really worried about it honestly. After all, I feel the best I have felt in a very, very, very long time!

Hey! My start weight was 223lbs. Since my 6 month diet and surgery, I've 49lbs! I just have another 49 to reach my goal. At this point, I am doubting that it will take me a year to reach my goal weight. It's a lot of work, but oh so worth it!

My surgery was done as an outpatient. Everything went smoothly. We stayed at a hotel that was very accommodating for my needs. Then next morning, I went in and received I.V. fluids before we could drive back home. On the way home, my hubby made sure that we stopped every 30-45 mins for me to walk, walk, walk. Everything was perfect!

I eat a 1/4 of a pear pretty much every day. It works like a charm!

Today I had my 2 month check up! I am feeling AMAZING!!! From the time I began my 6 month supervised diet, until now, I have lost 49 lbs. I began at 223 lbs and am now 174 lbs! In my 2nd month, I lost 15 lbs! They said I lost more than I really should in one month. Honestly, I'm not complaining at all. Like I said, I feel great! They want me to increase my calories, even though it seems like I am eating all the time as it is. I'm hitting my Protein & fluids & meals. My 1st month was really rough, got really sick with a cold & had to take a step back in my eating progress. This last month has been incredibly busy for me though. My business gets crazy, wild this time of year. Then my hubby is gone for his annual hunting trips and I am a Hunting Widow taking care of 3 little girls on top of chaos. So, I'm just going to contribute it to that. Has anyone else lost 15 lbs in a month or told they lost more than usual? Just curious.

I am starting to see the old me that I knew 10 years ago and I am loving it!!! With everyone talking about not being able to see themselves as being smaller, I am seeing things the opposite way. I was thin for so long and then heavy for 10 years. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't know who that heavy person was. She was a stranger. This year, I am getting ME back!!!

I get a prescription cream from my dermatologist, since I get horrible scars that need a little help to fade away. My body produces excess collogen when it heals. Not fun. For me, it's cheaper to get a prescription, than it is to buy over the counter. When I've tried Mederma, it actually irritated my scars. I asked my hubby if scars bothered him at all. He said, "I dig chicks with scars." Love him! <3

I ate it on in my pureed time period. Just see how you react. I did good the 1st time. Then threw it up the next time. After that, I was able to eat it.

Love Premier Protein Chocolate Shakes!!! I also bought Unjury Unflavored Protein to add more protein to anything. Currently, I am drinking Muscle Milk Light and adding 20 grams of protein(Unjury Unflavored) to make a 40g of protein shake in the morning. I love the Muscle Milk Light too! I drank these prior to my surgery for a few years.

So far, I haven't faced this yet. But, I'm sure my sister-in-law will be right there with your sister in the jealousy department. I am also 5ft 4in. My highest was 223 lbs. My goal weight is 125 lbs. As of today, I am at 178. It is amazing how great you feel as you become more healthy! My SIL doesn't know that I had the sleeve done. We've kept it private for specific reasons. Only 4 people know. Whenever she acknowledges that I have lost weight, I'm sure the jealousy will fly. At this point, she hasn't even noticed. She is very opinionated and negative. Her way or the highway pretty much. It's how the whole fandamily is. It will be interesting when something is mentioned.

Maurice's online has tall pants/jeans that are really cute and affordable. My sister-in-law is 6 ft tall as well.

Ha ha! Love the offers to go clean & organize your houses! Actually, mine is needing some attention right now too. As a photographer, right now is my insanely busy time of the year with the gorgeous fall colors. Then add my hubby being gone on his hunting trips for a week plus at a time for both deer & elk seasons. So, I am basically a hunting widow during this time, taking care of 3 little girls all by myself and juggling my business at peak time. At the moment, I am doing my best just to remember to eat. It's been a little difficult, I have to admit. But, only about 3 more weeks! Then things should die back down to being more manageable.

Before I gained my weight, I used to clean or organize stuff in our house, go for a long country walk, workout on my elliptical, etc. Since we can't just binge anymore, I have taken up my old de-stressors back up again. You just have to get into the habit of doing something else, but make it something that is productive and keeps you busy.

Thank you! That completely makes sense. I haven't even eaten any noodles or doughy kinds of foods at all until today. Everyday I just focus on getting my protein and fluids in 100%. Then whatever foods I eat are healthy choices that I know won't cause me problems. I should have just stuck with the soup.

At this time, I am 2 months into having my sleeve. Well, tonight my family and I went out to dinner for my husband's birthday. He wanted Chinese food. We usually get a family meal that feeds everyone. I ate 1 slice of pork (no dip) and egg drop soup(left 1/2 of the broth) and did well with it. It was a small cup of Soup. Then the rest of the dishes came. OMG! All I could think is that it was a starch and fried mess of a dinner. I only put about 1/3 of a cup chow mien noodles with mainly veggies on my plate. I at part of it and hit my full signal. But, then 5 minutes passed, my mouth began to Water and had to dash to the bathroom to throw up. Apparently noodles don't agree with my stomach. When we arrived back home, I threw up the rest of the chow mien. Since I have been in the "Eating Normal Food" category, I have thrown up several times. Is there something that I am doing wrong or is it that my Bentley of a tummy doesn't like what I put in it? At home, I have been eating really healthy foods. But, sometimes, there are still issues. A question to all of you........When you go out to lunch or dinner, what do you order at a Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, etc. restaurant?

Don't forget to allow the 30 mins before and after you eat that you won't be able to drink.

I just order an appetizer or my hubby orders something a bit bigger. Then I just take a little from his plate. I just can't bring myself to order anything since I can only get 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup food down, depending on the texture. The kids menus, where we live, are not the healthiest really. chicken strips, nuggets, grilled cheese sandwich, fries, etc. At least our bill for the night is cut in half.

Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk......It helps move the gas out a lot quicker. I walked about 4 times a day. They were short walks down to the end of the road and back, but it helped a ton. If it is the other kind of gas pains, Gas-X in both the pill and dissolving strips are a huge relief. I literally had to hit the center of my chest to burp myself in the beginning. It eventually goes away, thank God!

Normally, I had about 2 cups of coffee a day. I gave up coffee during my 6 month medically supervised diet. Recently I tried Chike Mocha because something hot sounded good on a cold and rainy day. It has caffeine in it. Needless to say, it made me sick. It took me 3 1/2 hours before I started to feel normal again. It was awful! I am perfectly fine without it. Won't have it again!