scoutmom

I was so doubtful I would get an approval and had almost given up. However - my fabulous insurance coordinator was awesome and we received the call in 3 days!
Excited.......scared......nervous......happy and so grateful to finally get started!

I was so doubtful I would get an approval and had almost given up. However - my fabulous insurance coordinator was awesome and we received the call in 3 days!
Excited.......scared......nervous......happy and so grateful to finally get started!

@LisaLouBop...can't wait for number four, too!

@LisaLouBop...can't wait for number four, too!

@LisaLouBop...can't wait for number four, too!

@LisaLouBop...can't wait for number four, too!

@LisaLouBop...can't wait for number four, too!

@LisaLouBop...can't wait for number four, too!

@LisaLouBop...can't wait for number four, too!

@LisaLouBop...can't wait for number four, too!

@LisaLouBop...can't wait for number four, too!

Amazing post.....hits home for me! I loved reading this and can SO relate. I just got a date for surgery (May 23rd) and your description is exactly why I am choosing this surgery. While I am already mourning food and can't quite understand how I will win the mental battles of my relationship with food - I can't wait to feel like I am not the elephant in the room.
Thank you @@LipstickLady!

Amazing post.....hits home for me! I loved reading this and can SO relate. I just got a date for surgery (May 23rd) and your description is exactly why I am choosing this surgery. While I am already mourning food and can't quite understand how I will win the mental battles of my relationship with food - I can't wait to feel like I am not the elephant in the room.
Thank you @@LipstickLady!

Amazing post.....hits home for me! I loved reading this and can SO relate. I just got a date for surgery (May 23rd) and your description is exactly why I am choosing this surgery. While I am already mourning food and can't quite understand how I will win the mental battles of my relationship with food - I can't wait to feel like I am not the elephant in the room.
Thank you @@LipstickLady!

Amazing post.....hits home for me! I loved reading this and can SO relate. I just got a date for surgery (May 23rd) and your description is exactly why I am choosing this surgery. While I am already mourning food and can't quite understand how I will win the mental battles of my relationship with food - I can't wait to feel like I am not the elephant in the room.
Thank you @@LipstickLady!

Hey there friends, It has been a long time since I have been on this site. I feel bad for walking away but I just got really comfortable in my new lifestyle and I didn't need as much support but I forgot that others needed mine. I had my surgery September 11, 2012. I was almost 240 pounds when I had the surgery and lost down to 121 pounds but everyone especially my husband said I was too skinny (what a great problem to have) so I purposefully gained back a few pounds and now fluctuate between 128-132. Over the holidays and a 6 month long trip I gained a couple of pounds but have never gone over 136. I do weigh myself every day because I have to make sure I keep on top of every ounce. It IS possible to gain all the weight back. The sleeve is not a magic fix but it certainly is a wonderful tool! I have to be super careful with carbs, I will just admit that I am still addicted. I had stayed away so long because of my after surgery diet and thought I had kicked the habit but I still struggle with it (Just bought a few bags of single serving chips this morning) Old habits die hard or maybe they never truly die! I'm an addict. I can eat my weight in chips, crackers, Cookies etc so I have to be super careful. If you are just now beginning to eat carbs on your diet then please think extra extra careful about what you put into your mouth and introduce into your diet. You think that because you have had this surgery and because you haven't had any carbs for so long that you can handle it, but it is difficult! Still 2 1/2 years after surgery it is a constant battle to stay within my comfort zone of weight.
You also HAVE to exercise! Just do SOMETHING! Don't rely on the surgery to do it all for you. You have to tone up the areas that still jiggle....yes, over a 110 pounds later and 2 1/2 years later I still have several areas that jiggle and I don't like. I challenge you to take 30 minutes a day and just do something whether it is hard core sweaty gym exercise, or if it is just 30 minutes of walking, just DO SOMETHING!!!!!!!
Also know that the scale isn't going to move every day! And some days it will go up and you will be so discouraged. Go into the surgery (if you haven't had it yet) knowing this fact. I personally weighed myself every day and kept a journal, for some people this isn't a good idea, for me it was, I could see the progress and realize that I was just at a plateau and that eventually if I kept up doing what I was suppose to do (no cheating) that my body would do what it was supposed to do and the scale would reflect it.
I also took pics before my surgery and measurements and every month for the whole first year I took after pics and new measurements. this is a great way to encourage yourself and see your progress along the way!
I am a success story for sure. Although it is a constant concern and I am still working on it every day! I can share clothes with my daughter and I am now an inspiration to others. You can do it!
So to answer your question....weigh gained since surgery, yes but on purpose because I had lost too much, a good problem to have. I do know it is possible to gain my weight back but I am going to fight for what I want and I want to keep this weight off forever!!!

Amazing post.....hits home for me! I loved reading this and can SO relate. I just got a date for surgery (May 23rd) and your description is exactly why I am choosing this surgery. While I am already mourning food and can't quite understand how I will win the mental battles of my relationship with food - I can't wait to feel like I am not the elephant in the room.
Thank you @@LipstickLady!

I am one of those weirdos that's never mourned food.
Instead, I mourn the healthy body I should have had when my kids were toddlers, elementary aged, in middle school. I mourn the years of missed family pictures because I hated being near a camera. I mourn the irreversible damage I did to my knees from being heavy for so long.
I mourn all the times I chose not to go skiing, or to the top of the dunes, or for a hike through the mountains. I mourn all the money I wasted on food that was slowly killing me.
I am almost two years out and I can eat anything I want. I am released from the constant need and desire to eat crap. I can spend my time outside with my kids, not overheated or panting for breath after a run down the trails. I can shop in the same stores as my two teens and I get a thrill every time they borrow something from my closet. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.
I have more energy than ever before. I can do anything I want. I am no longer the fattest person in the room. It's a amazing feeling.
Hold on, chicky. You will get there!

@LisaLouBop...can't wait for number four, too!

I think it's the self-confidence that comes through -- whether for ourselves or others -- rather than the perfect body thing. I feel free from a burden of low self esteem and am enjoying the experience. It's not necessarily sexual (in fact that is uncomfortable for me) but more like magnetism.

@LisaLouBop...can't wait for number four, too!

@LisaLouBop...can't wait for number four, too!

She doesn't make me look bad. She doesn't reflect on me in any way, as a matter of fact. I dare say she reflects on no one I know who has had WLS.

She's a very extreme example of WLS patients in general.

Your weight loss surgery diet takes a lot of work. You need to measure your portions, focus on Protein, and think about every bite that goes into your mouth. There may be days when you run out of time or are sick of worrying about everything. That’s when you turn to your freezer.


Nope, you’re not about to desperately dig into a carton of Haagen-Dazs. You’re reaching for a pre-portioned meal or snack that is high enough in protein and low enough in calories to fit into your diet. A frozen meal or snack may not quite be a locally grown, organic, freshly made gourmet meal, but it sure beats the alternative if the alternative is opening a bag of chips or ordering a pizza.< /p>
If you like having frozen meals around, these are some good ones to consider. What better time than now to think about your freezer, since March is National Frozen Foods Month? These suggestions are good sources of protein and not too high in calories.
Heat and Eat
You’re on your way home from work, you’re exhausted, and you’re starving. Is it time for you to swing by the Chinese or restaurant on your street for some take-out? No, because you don’t have thousands of calories to play with. Plus, you know you have some good choices in your freezer that are just a few minutes away from being ready to eat. At least, you do if you’ve stocked up your freezer!
Read labels carefully when shopping for frozen meals. Check not only the protein and calorie content, but also the serving sizes. Some meals, especially pizzas, seem like they’re for one person, when they really have three or more servings.
Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers Smart Ones, Michelina’s Lean Gourmet, and Amy’s Kitchen have frozen meals you can work with. Keep some in your freezer at home, and, if you can, stash a few at work to have for lunch. They sure beat opting into your coworkers’ group order for Italian subs and potato chips.
Here are some frozen meals with at least 10 to 15 grams of protein and no more than 250 calories.
Lean Cuisine Steak Tips Portabello with 15 grams of protein, 150 calories, and 14 grams of carbohydrates.
Lean Cuisine Herb Roasted chicken with 16 grams of protein, 180 calories, and 5 grams of Fiber.< /em>
Lean Cuisine Roasted Turkey and Vegetables, with 16 grams of protein and 200 calories.
Lean Cuisine cheese and Tomato Snack Pizza with 10 grams of protein and 180 calories.
Lean Cuisine Pepperoni Snack Pizza with 12 grams of protein and 210 calories.
Michelina’s Lean Gourmet Salisbury Steak with 10 grams of protein and 180 calories.
Michelina’s Lean Gourmet Shrimp with Pasta and Vegetables with 11 grams of protein and 240 calories.
Michelina’s Lean Gourmet Baked Pepperoni Pizza Snacks with 11 grams of protein and 250 calories
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Quesadilla with 170 calories and 12 grams of protein.
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Spicy Szechuan Style Vegetable and Chicken with 240 calories and 11 grams of protein.
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Santa Fe with 160 calories and 19 grams of protein.
Amy’s Kitchen Light and Lean Swedish Meatballs with 260 calories and 12 grams of protein.
Amy’s Kitchen Light and Lean Quinoa and Black Beans with Butternut Squash and Chard with 240 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 11 grams of fiber.

Start Your Day Off Right
Okay, what would be the ideal Breakfast on your weight loss surgery diet? Maybe an omelet made with baby spinach and mushrooms and low-fat feta cheese? Cottage cheese protein pancakes served with freshly cut fruit? Nice, but you probably can’t make these kinds of breakfasts every day.
If you’re going to talk about being too rushed to cook healthy homemade meals, you have to mention breakfast! Most of us just don’t have time to cook a hot, high-protein breakfast. Frozen meals can do the trick in a pinch. If you’re feeling ambitious, grab a piece of fruit to eat with your breakfast and up the fiber. Here are a few good choices. You can easily turn these breakfasts into grab-n-go meals by wrapping up the sandwiches or packing the other meal options into a container.
Lean Cuisine Veggie Scramble 16 grams of protein and 180 calories.
Lean Cuisine Turkey Sausage Scramble with 18 grams of protein and 180 calories.
Weight Watchers Smart Ones English Muffin Sandwich with 210 calories and 13 grams of protein.
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Three Cheese Omelet with 13 grams of protein and 200 calories.
Jimmy Dean Delights Egg White with Spinach and Mozzarella Honey Wheat Flatbread with 11 grams of protein and 160 calories.

Meal Minus One
What else should you have in your freezer so that you’re just minutes away from a meal that fits on your weight loss surgery diet? I like to call these “Meals Minus One” because you just need to add one (or a few) ingredients to make them a meal. Here are a few ideas – but check your grocer’s freezer for other healthy varieties.
Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles, with 9 grams of protein and 70 calories per half-cup. Toss with fresh or frozen veggies and – optional – top with low-fat cheese for an easy breakfast scramble.
Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Patties with 10 grams of protein and 110 calories. Stir fry with frozen stir-fry vegetable mix and teriyaki sauce.
Van’s 8 Whole Grains Lite Waffles with 3 grams of protein and 65 calories for 2. Serve with nonfat Greek yogurt and fresh or frozen berries.
Jimmy Dean Delights Fully Cooked Applewood Smoke Sausage Links with 120 calories and 10 grams of protein, served with 1 packet of instant oatmeal.< br>
You can have a quick, high-protein breakfast with only a little bit of imagination, and even less time and effort.
A Note on Frozen Foods and Health
Are frozen meals really that healthy? Aren’t they processed? Don’t they have preservatives in them? Yes, you’re right. Many frozen meals are high in sodium. They can contain added sugars, and be higher in fat that you expect. Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Santa Fe, for example, has 800 milligrams of sodium or more than one-third of what you need in a day.
Ideally, you could cook each meal from scratch using fresh, wholesome ingredients. That’s not possible for most people. When “perfect” isn’t possible, it’s time to look at the “next best” option. And if your choice happens to be between a Jimmy Dean Delights Maple Pancakes and Turkey Sausage Griddlers with 10 grams of protein and 240 calories and, admittedly, 12 grams of sugars, versus, say, a fast food sausage biscuit with over 500 calories and a day’s worth of saturated fat, frozen doesn’t look quite so bad.
Frozen foods can bail you out those times when you just need something quick and easy. Spend some time going through the freezer section at your local supermarket so you’re not caught empty-handed when you get desperate. And this March, check the specials at the grocery store to capitalize on Frozen Foods Month.

Best thing if all you want is Protein is Isopure. It's sold at GNC. 20oz drink has 40g of protein, 0 sugar, 0 carbs and 160 calories. They have 5 or 6 different flavors..... It's like gatorade