MrsSugarbabe

When hubby and I go out to eat, we share a meal.....saves $$ Once in awhile I will order my own entree and have enough leftovers for at least 2 more meals. I've had the Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch dressing a time or two on salads in the recent past and did not have any trouble with it. When I get something like chicken tenders, I always eat them plain.

Charlotte here....post surgery 7 months plus. My surgery was Nov. 10, 2014, discharged as scheduled. I had no qualms about having it so near the holidays because for Thanksgiving it's just hubby and I and for Christmas we have lunch with my oldest bonus daughter and her family. I don't want to scare anyone, but 6 days after surgery I was back in the hospital for pleural effusion complications and wasn't discharged until 12/6 so Thanksgiving was spent in the hospital on liquids. Fortunately, hubby was able to get a really good T-Day dinner from the cafeteria that day so we were at least together and that's all that mattered. The majority of our holidays are non-traditional anyway so this was no big deal. We did have Christmas lunch with my bonus daughter, SIL, and grandson, I just ate very little, but sure did enjoy the family time. Make the holidays about family, friends and being together and NOT about food. Hard to do, I know, but it is possible. Good luck to you all on your journey!! You won't regret it......I certainly don't!

@@Babbs - I know what you mean about the scare that (fortunately for both of us) turned out to be nothing. I have two titanium chips hanging out in my left breast; had to have a stereotactic needle biopsy about 5-6 years ago. Fortunately, what they saw on the screening mammo turned out to be a cluster of some calcifications. We have to take care of The Girls as best we can

@@amazon - The form I completed today did not ask about any weight change so it's good to know that some breast imagining centers do ask. And for those centers who don't ask, we need to speak up.

I just smile and give them a real big "Thank you!!" The comments range from "Wow! You look great!!!" "You're looking great! How much have you lost?" Today's comment was "You look great! You've lost a lot of weight." Most everyone who knows me well, knows I've had the surgery. Some folks I'll see around the hospital or in the medical office building next door only once or twice a week or month - they're the ones who are most surprised because they probably don't know I've had VSG.

Congratulations!!! You've made a very wise decision that I don't think you'll ever regret. So many posts I've read by folks here have said they wish they'd done it sooner....I'm with them. Enjoy your journey and remember to Celebrate all victories - scale and non-scale!!

I hope you will follow the guidelines set forth by your surgeon and NUT. Because my serving size is comfortable at 1/2 cup, any liquid I consume prior to or while eating takes up considerable and valuable real estate and I'd rather have the food and nutrients in me than the liquid. I can wait to take my sips of my preferred beverage.

You need to break (the) fast first thing in the morning (eat breakfast). It's been proven that people who eat breakfast do fair better in the long run with losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It's a good habit to be in. (Your tummy will learn ) Protein Protein Protein I don't eat yogurt very often, but hubby and I like the Dannon Lite & Fit Greek and the Walmart Lite & Fit Greek. Also, the 4 oz. Breakstone cottage cheese cups are the perfect size and quite filling for me. A half cup of anything is about my typical, comfortable serving size. This week I've been sampling different flavors of the Quest Protein Bars as a Meal Replacement at breakfast. They have been very filling and satisfying.

What a great post!!! Love all the responses!! There are still 3 pages for me to read, but at this point I can't think of anything to add to all the lists; I agree with all that's been said. Some of ya'll are making me laugh!! Because I see myself in what you've shared. @@MIMISAN - The weight loss definitely helps with the stress incontinence

A lot of excellent points and reminders made, Alex. Thank you!!! I continue to tell others about BP and how helpful it has been to me pre- and post-surgery. Keep up the great work!!

I'm an unjury fan....all flavors. You buy them online at Unjury.com. If you're not happy with the product, you can return it. The chicken soup is a nice change from sweet shakes although you have to watch the Water temperature otherwise the whey will clump - it doesn't change the taste, but the texture is weird in your mouth. I do add a pinch of chicken bouillon just to ramp up the flavor a bit. You can prepare the shakes a day in advance if you prefer. I've been known to drink one 2 days after making it. I create a mocha shake with 4 oz. coffee (usually leftover), 8 oz. skim milk, 1/2 serving of vanilla Protein powder and 1/2 serving of chocolate splendor; mix well, chill or serve over ice. Another favoriteis mixing a serving of vanilla with 8 oz. SF orange (or SF orange pineapple) drink. Also, another option is to add a couple of pumps of Torani SF Black Cherry syrup to a vanilla shake. Today I'm going to try a tablespoon or two of PB2 blended with a chocolate shake - have heard it's really good - kind of like a liquid Reese's cup. Also, Syntrax protein is pretty good. You can order a sample pack to try. You must call to order the variety pack - see link for phone number. It's a good deal. The Fuzzy Navel flavor is really good. Some flavors you'll like better than others. http://www.si03.com/reg_index.htm You can also order a sample pack of Chike protein powders. They're a combination of protein isolate and protein concentrate. I prefer the protein powders that are protein isolate because they have a lot fewer carbs, i.e. Unjury and Syntrax. Also, I've been experimenting with several flavors of the Quest bars: S'mores is really good, even better when heated slightly; Cookies and cream is tasty as is the chocolate brown. Several BP buddies have written about their favorites. You could probably do a search on BP for protein and find all kinds of information. Good luck on your journey!! You're off to a great start!!

I thought the attached document might be of some help to those seeking some guidance that may not have been provided to them by their medical team. Even though I am 7 months out from surgery, I still refer to this document from time to time to remind myself of some of the details. Our life after surgery does take work. Having good information on hand helps. Now that we have a new tool to help us lose our excess weight, our success is up to us. GASTRIC SLEEVE INFORMATION - modified.docx

Looking for some portable Protein snack options? Check out this article from SparkPeople for some ideas. Above all else, follow your surgeon's and NUT's recommendations. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1996

I was probably 3-4 months out before I added nuts back in although I had already been eating some Peanut Butter before then. I've been fortunate (or unfortunate...hahaha!) that none of the foods I have been eating have given me any problems so far.

All well said by everyone. I've nothing to add other than to say - @@MarceMonster - You're headed in the right direction so keep on moving forward. Remember to Celebrate any and all non-scale victories (NSVs), i.e. inches lost, a smaller size slack/jacket/shorts, lessening of shortness of breath when exercising/walking/hiking, etc.

I thought the attached document might be of some help to those seeking some guidance that may not have been provided to them by their medical team. Even though I am 7 months out from surgery, I still refer to this document from time to time to remind myself of some of the details. Our life after surgery does take work. Now that we have a new tool to help us lose our excess weight, our success is up to us. GASTRIC SLEEVE INFORMATION - modified.docx

Yes, my weightloss has slowed down considerably. The positive thing is I'm still losing inches as my clothes can attest to that. We're in this for the long haul so be patient and keep doing what you know you're supposed to be doing. More importantly, don't compare yourself or your journey with others because we are all different and so are our journeys. Be sure to Celebrate your non-scale successes along the way.

Welcome back!! Wishing you success on your reset and recommitment to your health! You're headed in the right direction by going back to doing what you did in the beginning. It's very hard to keep old, bad habits from creeping back into our lifestyle. You CAN do this!!

It might be easier just to call your insurance company directly and ask them if they cover your Protein shakes and what they require to do so. They should be able to tell you. I have not called mine at this point because I did not think it was an option, but you never know.

All the best to you tomorrow and going forward in your journey!! You've done well on your pre-op routine. You ought to do well post-surgery. Yes, BP is a great source of information and encouragement.....and the occasional "chain yank" accountability when we stray off course.

Also, Syntrax Protein is pretty good. You can order a sample pack to try. You must call to order the variety pack - see link for phone number. It's a good deal. The Fuzzy Navel flavor is really good. Some flavors you'll like better than others. http://www.si03.com/reg_index.htm You can also order a sample pack of Chike protein powders. They're a combinate of protein isolate and protein concentrate. I prefer the protein powders that are protein isolate because they have a lot fewer carbs, i.e. unjury and Syntrax.

I'm an unjury fan....all flavors. You buy them online at Unjury.com. If you're not happy with the product, you can return it. The chicken Soup is a nice change from sweet shakes although you have to watch the Water temperature otherwise the whey will clump - it doesn't change the taste, but the texture is weird in your mouth. I do add a pinch of chicken bouillon just to ramp up the flavor a bit. You can prepare the shakes a day in advance if you prefer. I've been known to drink one 2 days after making it. I create a mocha shake with 4 oz. coffee (usually leftover), 8 oz. skim milk, 1/2 serving of vanilla Protein powder and 1/2 serving of chocolate splendor; mix well, chill or serve over ice. Another favoriteis mixing a serving of vanilla with 8 oz. SF orange (or SF orange pineapple) drink. Also, another option is to add a couple of pumps of Torani SF Black Cherry syrup to a vanilla shake. Today I'm going to try a tablespoon or two of PB2 blended with a chocolate shake - have heard it's really good - kind of like a liquide Reese's cup. A word of caution - I have heard, and was told by my NUT - that pre-surgery you want to be careful about buying too many shake products because sometimes WLS patients' taste preferences change after surgery. Fortunately, I was not one of those whose taste preferences changed for anything following surgery. The only difference is that I now prefer very highly flavored solids foods.