agreen67

If I don't stop drinking at least 20 minutes before I eat, I am still kinda full from the liquid and don't eat that much at my meal. Which, in turn, makes me hungry again faster. So I've learned to stop filling up on Water before I eat in order to get as much of my Protein in before I'm full.

Boars Head brand has an "All Natural" line of deli meats - there's uncured ham, oven roasted roast beef, roasted chicken and roasted turkey. I've had the chicken and roast beef - they taste great. http://boarshead.com/products/all-natural

Sleeved on 10/26/15, so I'm 6 months out already. Can't believe how time flies!

Had my 6 mo. check up last week:
weight 217.8 (down 55.5 pounds from surgery weight; down 62.2 from highest weight)

A1C is 5.5 (down from 5.9 pre-op)

pants size from a snug 24 to 18

tops size 2X to XL

Only regret is that I didn't do this 10 years ago~!

My surgeon and I knew about my hiatal hernia prior to my sleeve surgery, so the initial plan was her to fix it while in there. Well, once she was inside and looking around, she found a small umbilical hernia that she also repaired. She said she does a lot of hernia repairs when doing sleeve surgeries.

Are you eating enough, drinking Water, exercising, etc.? I'm also 5 months post-op and I was kind of in a stall before I went on vacation earlier this month. I gained 2 pounds away from home, but went back on my "program" when I got back. That week after, I dropped almost 5 pounds and I've lost another pound this week. I'm a slow loser to begin with, averaging 5 pounds a month the last two months anyway. Maybe if you up your calories for a few days and then go back down, it will shock something? Or increase the intensity of your exercise for a week and then go back? I've learned the last 5 months that stalls are normal and nothing to worry over. It's just your body readjusting and you are still probably losing inches.

I am 5 months post-op and this is my abbreviated meal plan:

Log my food & any exercise daily

900-1,100 calories per day

60-80g of Protein

At least 64 oz. of Water

No bread, rice or Pasta

No dried fruit or hard, raw veggies

Eat Protein first and have protein at every meal/snack

Avoid high fat foods (5g or less per serving)

Avoid high sugar foods (14g or less per serving/25g or less per day)

Avoid high sodium foods

Take my Multivitamins

Exercise 5 hours per week

Typical Breakfast is a smoothie (Protein shake, 1/2 banana, PB fit) or Fiber Cereal w/milk, lunch is 1/2 c. refried Beans with cheese & ff sour cream or a salad with grilled chicken and low-fat dressing, dinner is chicken breast or shrimp or lean beef with steamed veggies or a baked sweet potato. Snacks are string cheese or triple zero yogurt or cottage cheese or almonds. Sometimes I will make chicken salad out of canned chicken and snack on that over a few days with a couple wheat thins crackers. I've been craving cuties lately, so I've incorporated one a day this week.

My nutritionist wants me to stay away from alcohol for 1 year, but I was on vacation and I made that exception. I was also told to stay away from soda, so I didn't have any cocktails that have soda in them. I'm almost 5 months post-op and stuck to Blue Hawaiians. I did have a mimosa before breakfast one morning and the bubbles felt weird/uncomfortable in my stomach, so I stopped drinking them.

We stayed at the El Dorado Royale in Puerto Morelos. It's approximately 45 minutes south of the Cancun airport and about 30 minutes north of Playa del Carmen. It is an adult only/all inclusive resort. http://www.karismahotels.com/.../El.../El-Dorado-Royale They also have another resort next door that is for families with kids (Generations Riviera Maya).

This is our second stay there and everyone is so nice. We will definitely be going back in a few years.

My husband & I went to Mexico last week on vacation and I just wanted to share with everyone that it IS possible to have a fun vacation and not worry about food, even though we are on specific eating programs. I am 4.5 months post-op and pretty much adhered to my proper diet with a few exceptions. I took my Vitamins, ate a lot of lean/grilled Protein and tried to get my Water in. If we were off-site on an excursion, I made sure to have a Protein Bar and extra water on hand. Breakfast was usually an omelet with veggies or a yogurt & fruit and lunch/dinner was grilled or poached fish, shrimp, chicken or lean beef and veggies. We stayed at our favorite inclusive resort and I pretty much ate dessert every night, only had Pasta once (two spinach raviolis) and only ate rice once (a couple bites of sofrito & rice). I did have crusty bread at dinner most nights (usually with olive oil & balsamic) and I did drank alcohol most nights at dinner and at the swim-up bars at the pools. Before everyone gasps, I only gained two pounds. We walked a lot and went on several off-site excursions, along with swimming almost every day. I got back home Saturday night and went back on program Sunday. I weighed myself this morning and not only did I lose the two pounds I gained on vacation, but I also lost an additional pound. We took this same trip at the same resort two years ago and we both ate and drank like no tomorrow and I gained 14 pounds. I did have to say “no” to a lot of things that looked delicious and I couldn’t finish a lot of the yummy food on my plate, but it is possible to go on vacation and enjoy your meals with minimal weight gain.

This is what I have when the family is doing taco night. I get the fat free refried Beans and mix them with different things for variety. I will stir in the ground beef mixed with taco seasoning (sometimes I go meat-less), and then add a variety of toppings: cheese, low-fat sour cream, Rotel tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, etc.

Shelly's Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

4 cups Cauliflower, steamed
4 Tbs. Butter, divided use
1/4 cup Flour
1/2 tsp. Dry Mustard
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
3 cups Milk
3/4 pound Sharp Cheddar cheese (3 cups)
1/4 cup bread Crumbs (optional)

Steam cauliflower set aside. Melt 3 tablespoons butter, blend in flour & seasonings. Add milk. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in cheese; pour over steamed cauliflower and mix till combined. Top with optional crumbs mixed with remaining 1 tablespoons of butter. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

You can add cooked ground chicken, turkey or beef to this too. Throw your portion in the Mini Chopper food Processor and whiz away. You can add unflavored Protein too... mix it in milk like you would a shake so it's dissolved or you'll get clumps.

Shelly's Ricotta Bake

8 oz of Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 large Egg, beaten
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup Marinara Sauce
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Mix ricotta cheese, parmesan, beaten egg, seasonings together and place in a oven proof dish. Pour marinara on top and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake it in the oven @ 450 for about 20-25 minutes (best) or nuke it till hot and bubbly. I usually made it first in the oven and heated the leftovers in the microwave.

I'm almost 4 months out and I have this issue off and on and I'm still trying to manage it. What usually happens is that I will be constipated for several days, then I'll eat something with high Fiber and will have diarrhea for an entire day. Then I won't go for several days and it starts all over again. I eat yogurt every day and get in at least 64 oz. of Water daily. I do try to incorporate natural applesauce or drink 50/50 diluted apple juice to help things stay regular. Most weeks are okay, but I go through the constipation/diarrhea thing about 2-3 times per month. I am seeing my surgeon and nutritionist next Thursday and will be bringing this up. But like @@Daisee68 mentioned, a high Protein diet (coupled with taking high doses of iron) can constipate you.

@@OutsideMatchInside

Never heard of these, but they look very tasty! Thank you for sharing the recipe. I'm burned out with eggs, Cereal and oatmeal.

Has anyone tried this product, specifically the Power Cakes (Protein Packed Flapjack & Waffle Mix)? They have it on sale at my local costco and I was wondering how they taste. According to the nutrition label, 1/2 cup of mix has 14g of Protein. At $9 I may as well buy a box and check, but wanted to ask first. Here is their website: Breakfast.. maybe add some berries or banana to dress them up a little.

I already knew that I needed a hiatal hernia repair when I scheduled my sleeve surgery, but the surgeon also found a small umbilical hernia on the opposite side that needed a few stitches. I had already planned on taking two weeks off of work because I have an active job, but wished I took an extra week. I still had a hard time getting up out of my chair and sitting back down and just general, mild discomfort. I would recommend three weeks if you have a busy job.

I use the Celebrate chewable Vitamins and like them a lot. I take the following:

• Multi Complete & Iron+C at Breakfast
• Chewable Calcium at lunch
• Multi Complete & Biotin at dinner

My nutritionist has specific daily requirements for Vitamins. After exhaustive research, Celebrate was the better choice for me since I only have to take 4 chewables per day to reach my requirements. https://www.celebratevitamins.com/

@@msjg46

I am sorry your friend said that and I can relate. When I was going through the pre-op process over the summer, I only told several family members and close friends. One friend told me that surgery was the easy way out and that I lost 40 pounds on that "one diet" I was on several years ago, so why don't I just go back on that diet. Needless to say, we are no longer close friends. I am losing an average of 2-3 pounds per week, so it's not obvious or too drastic for anyone to notice. When asked, I tell people I eat better and I'm exercising more (which is the truth).

I've had the foaming and slime three times already. The first time I had food stuck in my esophagus and it took some time to get it down; meanwhile, I'm foaming uncontrollably. The last two times, I also had a really bad stomachache with the foam. The only thing that helped was throwing the food back up. Sorry to gross anyone out, but after I tossed it back up my stomachache instantly went away and the foam stopped.

I'm down 32 pounds - I wish it was more, but I'm steady losing at 2.5 pounds per week, which I can't complain. I feel better, I'm down a couple sizes in my clothes and, I too, have so much more energy. Going to the gym three times per week for the past month, so I feel like I'm getting stronger and faster.

I've learned to eat slower and savor every bite. I've also learned that some foods I can tolerate just fine and then the next time I eat them I don't feel so good, so I've tried to keep my meals simple.

Count me in too. I was at a diner with my husband last week for brunch and we got eggs & toast. The ladies at the table next to us got burgers, Reuben sandwiches and fries. But, yes, I was disgusted by watching them shovel all that food in their mouths and came to realization that I looked like that too at one time. And I also caught myself staring a few times at the huge plates of fries and remembering that at one time I could demolish all that food. Now I can barely get two eggs down and a couple bites of toast.

I have a problem with scrambled eggs as they sit in my stomach like a brick. I don't have trouble with egg salad or deviled eggs. Go figure.

I order mine through Celebrate Vitamins. I take a Multi-Complete 2x daily (AM & PM), an Iron + C 2x daily (AM & PM) and then a Calcet Creamy Bite (Calcium) 1x daily (mid-day). All are chewable and aren't that bad tasting. They are very reasonably priced, shipped fast and you earn points for discounts. I've ordered twice and I have a coupon for 10% off my next order. But, yes, my urine is usually bright yellow and does have a slight "chemical" smell to it no matter how much Water I drink. I attribute it to the Vitamins.< /p>

Every. Fricking, Time. I. Eat. No matter how slow or fast I eat. No matter how much I chew the food up. It's annoying, but I deal with it. Usually my family says after each meal..."Let's time her to see how long it takes this time."

Me too! It's so frustrating to try and enjoy a meal anymore!

I would have taken more time off work post-op. I took two weeks off and I think I should have taken a third, just because I was still on liquids and sipping 2 oz. every 15 minutes. Going back to work that third week was very stressful and I was not physically or mentally ready.

"it's really a personal choice, no one person can do the research for you..it's ultimately up to you."

Yes. This. Exactly.

It's tempting to believe, "If you only knew what I know then you'd make the same choice" but it's simply not true.

It comes down to this: we only make a change when the pain of staying the same is greater than the fear of making the change. Each of us reach that point in our own way, in our own time. Maybe if you share your plans it could affect how your friend looks at her own weight loss. Maybe it won't. If she's being passive about seeking out information then I doubt you would have much influence.

I LOVE THIS!!: "we only make a change when the pain of staying the same is greater than the fear of making the change. Each of us reach that point in our own way, in our own time."