Daisee68

No rice!! It is sticky and can get stuck. Not to mention the carbs.... Rice is something that should be off the table for a very long time....

Congrats on your good work and thank you for posting this. Boy did I need to hear it tonight! Just reminds me that this will always be my addiction regardless of reaching my "goal" weight. Doesn't stop me from binging. And just when I thought I was doing so well....

Ricotta Bake from this link is GREAT! http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html There are also some other suggestions on that page. I ate greek yogurt with 1/2 scoop of Protein powder added, sugar free pudding cup with 1/2 scoop of Protein Powder added, pimiento cheese (homemade so lighter on the mayo), hummus, avocado smashed up, Laughing Cow cheese wedges (very soft), Soups, chili, refried Beans with cheese melted on top, Taco Bell Pintos & Cheese. That is all I can think of right now. I did not do well with any pureed meats. It just looked too awful so I couldn't do it.

I would just like to say CONGRATS on the huge NSV of seatbelt fitting and you haven't even had surgery yet!! Go you!! Great job! Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

I watched food Network CONSTANTLY. It didn't necessarily tempt me but I enjoyed seeing other people cook it!

Typical pre-op work up for any surgery. FYI, mine also did a nicotine test to make sure I had none in my system....

It does sound like lactose intolerance. Can you try taking lactaid before you eat one of those foods and see if it helps?

I think your approach makes total sense. You certainly are ahead of the curve by having tackled this through counseling. I didn't have a "goal" weight but did get a little more obsessed with it as I got closer to being done with weight-loss (and honestly a fear of losing too much). You will lose pretty rapidly, so it is tough to stay off the scale but I have read of plenty of people who don't own a scale and only weigh when they are required to do so at a drs office. I would say one thing that might be difficult (or that you will need to prepare for with your counselor) is the questions from people who will most certainly ask about how much weight you have lost and how you are doing it. Just be prepared for how to handle that so that it doesn't trigger desire to jump on a scale and find out. Hope that helps! Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

@@albare1978 - 14 pounds in a month is great and 7 inches off your abdomen is incredible. Just keep doing what you are doing. @@kgilliam2009 - 1 1/2 cups of food is WAY too much - especially at only 5 weeks. Please check with your NUT and/or your printed materials as I suspect you should be more like 1/2 cup MAYBE at this stage... Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

All great suggestions here! My trick is actually smaller glasses or bottles - like 8 oz. I feel that is easy to drink fairly quickly and then refill. Somehow it doesn't seem as daunting to me to get down 8 - 8 oz portions as it does to get down 4 - 16 oz portions. Also, first thing when I wake up, I try to drink 8 oz before I even get out of bed. (Actually been slacking on this one lately but now that I mention it, I want to really push this one again. It gets me started off right.)

To be honest, I did have regrets the first few months. I was pretty sick (turned out to be a stricture) and while I felt better after they fixed that, I was fairly nauseated for 6 months. (Zofran was my friend.) The constipation is still a struggle at almost 14 months post-op. There were times (maybe still are) when I worry what it will be like when I am 80 and still trying to make sure I am getting my Protein first, but when I expressed that to my counselor she said "you likely wouldn't have made it to 80 in your prior state of health". True. Hadn't thought of it that way. Anyway, at 150 pounds down now, I am SO glad I did it and only wish I had done it sooner.

Ditto. No issues with fruits here and I tolerate the apple skins just fine. Blueberries and blackberries are my favorite and I eat them every morning. But I have also had apples, watermelon, banana, clementine, strawberries, etc. Try eating it with a Protein - cheese or Peanut Butter - if eating as a snack and not part of a meal. And if you are worried, perhaps avoid the higher sugar ones for a while (bananas and oranges and cantaloupe for example) or just make sure to eat a smaller portion of those.

Famous 3 week stall. Your body is trying to catch up. Search for 3 week stall and you will see tins if posts / advice on it. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

Ugh! How frustrating! I am so sorry! BTW, I didn't realize there were doctors that did surgery on Sundays.... Fingers crossed they get it sorted for you first thing tomorrow!

Yep sorry that is too low. Are you not able to drink Protein shakes at all? 1 Premier Protein ready made drink is 30g of protein and 160 calories. I was drinking at least 2 per day at your stage plus eating very small amounts of food. I did discover I had a stricture but not discovered until 3 months post-op but I was still getting in more than that. How many grams of protein could you possibly be getting in only 100 calories per day? Please call your doctor tomorrow.

Love BariMelts. Taking for 14 months and always had great labs. Like the taste too Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

2 to 3 months for sure. 4 weeks is nowhere near enough time to fully recover from ANY surgery. No matter what surgery I have had - 4 shoulder surgeries, hysterectomy, gastric bypass - they all take a minimum of 6 weeks to start feeling more like yourself and longer in the WLS case because your body is adjusting to SO much change - hormone fluctuation, dramatic drop in calorie intake, switch from carbs for energy to Protein for energy, just the energy it takes to flush the fat from your body, etc. Give it time. You will get there and you won't even remember this time!!

@@B1essed1 - No disagreement here. I too could not have and HAVE NOT been able to do it without WLS. I have said to my therapist that I can see why people feel it was the "easy" way out. (Of course most of those people haven't experienced to be able to have an opinion about it one way or the other.) Not only did the liquid and pureed parts get me jumpstarted, the getting sick by eating too fast or too much has certainly changed my eating habits - even at almost 14 months post-op. I am SO grateful for the surgery which allows me to (mostly) not think about food constantly and frankly for all the "tools" that came with the process (counseling and nutritionist). Even with these tools, I am confident I couldn't have done it without the surgery. And as others have pointed out, many that are able to lose that much weight through diet and exercise alone (without WLS) very often gain it back. I am so aware now of my food addiction and just like an alcoholic, I will always be "in recovery". I suppose it all depends on how people define "easy", but I would agree that this has certainly been the "easiest" and only successful way I have ever lost weight (and the ONLY time I have reached a healthy goal weight).

I was going to say same as @Bufflehead. Should be fine. Just be prepared with Protein shakes, fluids and getting out and moving around every few hours.

I too had Cigna at the time of surgery. When I called and asked if my plan covered it (luckily it did), the rep told me their plans were about 50/50 as to covering or not covering. I also had a month supervised diet.

It was my first pureed food! Love it. Still eat it occasionally adding in some turkey sausage. @@unique me - Here is a link to the original recipe - http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html

Agreed! And while we are ranting, can I hijack your post for 1 minute? .... If my mom asks me again "you haven't lost any more weight have you?", I think I am going to scream!!! I am at goal, but I cannot magically turn it off. And even though I have stabilized within a few pounds for over a month, my measurements are changing as gravity seems to be causing my skin to drift downwards. It is driving me CRAZY! I seriously want to tell her what you said - stfu! I would feel the same way if she had asked me in the past "you haven't gained any MORE weight have you". She never said THAT to me. Why does she feel the need to say it now?! Oh and hear is another one - every time I talk to one of my friends now who might slightly be overweight, they all feel the need to tell me they are dieting or "getting back on Weight Watchers" or they feel like they have to order something healthy when we are out or cannot finish all their food (or tell me rebelliously they don't care what I say, they are going to eat it all.). That's great. More power to them, but it's like they need me to know they are doing something about their weight. I honestly don't care. I do not love or hate them any more or less whether they are fat or skinny or just a lovely little extra poofy. I am NOT judging them and I have never once said anything to anyone of them about them needing to lose weight or eat healthier. Dang. Ok, sorry. Didn't mean to hijack this but I was coming on here to rant about what my mom just said for the umpteenth time and saw your post!

I have not had my plastics yet but from reading stories on RealSelf.com, I think your body goes in to overdrive a little while it is trying to heal. My PS says to eat 2000 calories a day for the first few weeks! Not sure I will be able to do that (without Protein shakes anyway) but my point is that he feels like you need to really feed your body after plastics while it is healing. Just my 2 cents....

Yes you need to lose more - or at least to most doctors - you need to be at or VERY close to goal weight. If you had surgeries sooner than that, you are at risk of having more loose skin and having to redo the procedures. I saw my plastic surgeon right at 1 year post-op and wanted to know if he thought I should lose more. (I am 5'10" and was at 180 at that visit.) He said he thought I looked fine but if I wanted to lose more, that I must do it before surgery (and even then he felt like 5 or 10 pounds more ONLY).

@@Heather I - I did buy some Julie fit pants from Loft today. They are "skinny" which are ankle pants and when I came out of the dressing room, the lady laughed. I said "what?!" She said "those are supposed to be ankle pants! They are capri length on you!" LOL! I actually liked the length of them. I am still a little self-conscious as they seem a bit tight but she assured me it wasn't, so hoping they will be ok. I tried on the Julie trousers though and it just didn't seem quite right. I am considering ordering them in Tall online and then I can return them if I don't like them.... Thanks again to all for all the great advice! I have always wanted to use a personal shopper but was intimidated. I may just try that - after plastics. For now, I have enough dresses and skirts to get me through until the winter. (Luckily "winter" is quite later here in Texas than for many of you.) Oh and I think I saw that The Limited actually does free personal shopping too. Of course their "Tall" pants are online only like most. I know once I find the style and cut I like, all will be good. Meanwhile, I will remain anxious about this job coming up. My life of leisure is ending too soon! AHHHHHH!!!!!