Forsythia

If the zombie apocalypse were to happen tomorrow, I would be hosed. Absolutely hosed. I do not stockpile anything. My husband stockpiles chocolate. And pop tarts. And sardines. Ick. But I am not a Protein hoarder. I like to go to the store weekly and buy what I need when I need it.

I don't dump at all and can eat complete and utter garbage if I so chose. So food choice is all on me. There is going to be a point in time where you are going to test your sleeve and see what is okay and what makes you want to barf. You are going to eventually eat faster and eat more. But you have to reign that back in and keep in mind that the sleeve is not a substitute for will power. You have to keep it in mind to eat slowly. To make better choices. The sleeve can only do so much. It's one additional tool in your arsenal.

I love to cook. And to bake. And I love to watch cooking shows. Real Simple has some of the best recipes. Just because I can only eat 6oz of what I've made doesn't mean I don't like good food! LOL!

Yes, what Susan said. You are going to stall. And then you are going to lose some weight. You might even gain a lb or two. Then you'll lose a couple more lbs. And a couple more. Then you'll stall (or plateau if you prefer?). The weight loss road is one with lots of dips, potholes twists and turns. It's not the new super highway that fast tracks your weight loss. It's bumpy and certainly not straight!

Buy a coat. My old winter coat is a size 24/26. It is way big. So I bought a new coat. I had to. I looked ridic in the old one. I had that Lands' End coat for multiple seasons. The thing is that I doubt the new one will last me more than one winter because I am still actively losing. I bought the 1x, but could have gone with the XL on the size chart. The 1x is a bit looser than I thought it would be! Coats are on sale right now. Places like Macy's have coupons you can layer on top of the sale price. I got my coat from London Fog's website for $109. http://www.londonfog.com/women/outerwear/view-all-outerwear/flynn-quilted-long-down-coat-faux-fur-trimmed-detachable-hood.html

I was diabetic before my sleeve. But my diabetes is completely gone. I also had high blood pressure. Gone. Snoring? Gone. You have to make the decision that is best for you. I knew the lapband was not a consideration at all for the amount of weight I need to lose. And the complication rate post op was just not something I was comfortable with (also, the surgeons at my hospital really do not like doing them anymore because of that) So for me the only two surgeries I was considering were sleeve and bypass. In the end I did not want the plumbing reroute that the RNY entailed. If you look at weight loss sleeve and RNY have similar end rates, but RNYers tend to lose faster initially. I've lost 96 lbs since my surgery in May.

I take one pre-natal rather than two regular Vitamins. Your Life by nature's bounty pre-natal. I also take a Vitamin D, B-12 (every other day because my levels are actually a bit high) and B-1. the B-1 is stinky and gross for something so small. The B-12 and D are Sundown Naturals. and the B-1 is Nature Made. I get my vitamins at the grocery store and/or Walgreen's.

I don't think sexy underwear is ever stupid. Right now all I have are boring panties. No use spending a lot of cash on the sexy underpants when you are in the active loss phase.

Skinny caramel iced coffee (decaf if you prefer) any size. Coffee has no calories. Skinny caramel gives you flavor with no calories or fat. You can ask them to add some creamer, but they add a lot. You have to ask them to go very light, or you can add your own at the condiment table. a TSP of creamer is 35 calories.

You might try a liquid one. I think all the chewable ones are kind of gross. At least if you can drink it you can suck it down and then swish your mouth out with Water afterward. Chewables get stuck in the grooves of your teeth and just linger. http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/search/controller?N=0&Ntk=SiteSearch&Ntt=liquid+multivitamin&Nty=1&D=liquid+multivitamin&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Dx=mode+matchall&cm_sp=typeahead-_-2|liquid-_-kw|liquid+Multivitamin

I never had to crush pills. I was taking regular pills as soon as I got home. There are also liquid Vitamins and sublingual vitamins you can take instead of having to deal with crushing your pills. You might look at a Vitamin store or online.

I gain 5 lbs every month because of my period. It's not you, it's your hormones. It will come off. Really lay off the salt and drink even more Water. If you are swollen a diurex helps in a pinch.

Ah the endoscopy. The doctor who did mine was so jovial. I think he really likes scoping people. I remember being told to turn onto my side then waking up in the recovery room humming. I don't remember what song I was humming but I was humming. Then they gave me cookies and a ginger ale! Tee hee! You are in the home stretch now, girl!

I can't even with 500 calories! Really, I'd be gnawing my own hand off at the wrist. Today I had 80 minutes of cardio. Hard cardio. Burned about 600 calories between the treadmill at an incline and the bike. If I only had 500 calories, my body would be sooooooo crabby. And with the weather here in Chicago and the transit issues on the brown line this morning, I'm already crabby. LOL.. But again, you've got to experiment. Try having varying it - eat more on workout days, eat more conservatively on idle days. Keep an eye on your carb intake. some people are sensitive to them and can eat more calories and lose as long as they are avoiding breads and pastas and rice and the like.

Ha ha you have the same sleep face! You look good. Congrats on your two years maintaining!!

Sweet. But one thing... CHANGE THIS!! Weight Lost: 73 <----- Current Weight: 176 Goal Weight: 125 BMI: 33.3

I had to be physically broken of my sugar addiction. I was CRABBY for a good week. I still want sweets, but that is in my head. And for the most part I can satiate it with yogurt or fruit or a lighter version of something I used to eat. But every once in awhile, the old me comes out and demands I eat chocolate. So I have a little chocolate. But only a little. Not all the chocolates evar. LOL. Some people dump from sweets. I do not. The game is always mental with me. Ultimately it is up to me at almost 7 months out to say no to the sugary stuff.

In the mornings, post bathroom. Ideally post poop, but that doesn't always happen. Ha!

@@yescobar Are you logging your food on myfitnesspal.com or their phone app or some other program? MFP is really helpful to see if you are getting in the required amount of Protein, Water, and if you are limiting carbs and getting enough Fiber and whatnot. If you are not, consider getting an account so that you can see if you are getting enough protein every day. The phone app allows you to scan barcodes if you eat something premade like a frozen dinner or a container of yogurt. In regard to your protein powder, if you mix it with soy milk or cows milk, you will get extra protein on top of whatever the unjury has. So, for example, I use Body Fortress. A scoop of it has 30 grams of protein, and an 8 oz glass of milk to make it with, you will have 38 grams in one fell swoop. Also, as an exerciser, you might want to consider your calorie intake. I try to get in close to 1200 - especially on days when I exercise. If you are only eating 500 or 600 calories you will probably need to up your caloric intake to revamp the weight loss. The body gets stingy when you are not eating enough.

I'm a daily weigher, but I only count it when I lose. LOL.

liquid is as slidery as a slider can be. It's not going to make you feel full or satiated. For the first two weeks post op, I was not hungry at all. After that hunger came back for me. But by then I was on soft solids. Once you get on purees or soft solids you will really feel the restriction. One piece of deli ham will be enough. Or you'll eat like, three spoonfuls of chili and be stuffed.

I get plenty of Protein, but I suck with Fiber, so for a snack I'll usually have an apple or something like that. If I am lacking in protein, I will have a couple ozs of deli lunch meat or some cheese. I'll also slip a Quest bar in my backpack for after my workouts. And yes, slim jims or beef Jerky are totally allowed.

Is it just a slog to get the liquids in or is there some other issue (Like if you drink too fast it comes back up)? I'm guilty of just not being a big drinker. Never have been. It's a constant battle. I have a 25 oz Water bottle which I try to drink one full bottle of before lunch. Then a second one before I leave work by 5pm. So that is 50 oz. Then I can suck down two glasses of water at home. Also, I'm bad with plain water. I have to add crystal light or sugar free weilers to it or I won't drink it. So if you are drinking plain water, try adding a flavor. If you are drinking flavored water, try plain. food wise, maybe try to avoid Soups, they can be sliders for a lot of people. If you do go for a Soup, opt for a chunkier one with meat and veggies. Chili, chicken and chunky veggies - not a creamy soup.

@storytotell What about pork? Lamb? Yesterday I had chicken thigh, which is not my usual cut for chicken. I wrapped it in prosciutto ham and added a garlic butter mixture along with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Then I baked for 30 minutes. So maybe dig deep for different recipes?

Are you getting in enough Water? When I feel hungry, often times I am actually thirsty. The thirst mechanism is weak and mistaken for hunger a lot. Also, are you on an acid blocker? Acid reflux can be a side effect of the sleeve. Reflux can be mistaken for hunger. Try an OTC acid blocker to see if that helps. I don't think that the issue is actually hunger unless you are only eating like 500 or 600 calories. If you are getting in your minimum Protein guidelines and not eating too many carby sliders, the issue is probably one of those two I mentioned above causing the problem.