Ginger1217

I don't cook, so I kept it simple and easy....
Huevos rancheros....scrambled egg with cottage cheese, refried Beans and green chili
Hummus
Plain Greek yogurt flavored with Protein powder, Torani syrups or pureed fruit.
Cottage cheese with Muscle Milk cake batter Protein Powder (tastes like cheesecake)
Mushed avacado with garlic salt
Added unflavored Protein Powder to every kind of broth and cream Soup I could find. pureed any with chunks.....tomato, cream if shrimp, French onion, butternut squash, broccoli cheese, split pea, bean, wonton, egg drop, chili, tortilla Soup, clam chowder, lobster bisque, etc
Pureed tuna fish with mayo and mustard
Bob's Red Mill 10 grain Cereal....savory version with unflavored Protein powder, bacon and cheese. Or sweet version with vanilla protein powder and pureed blueberries.
Mashed potatoes and mashed yams with unflavored protein powder.
And continued into pureed stage still drinking at least 2 protein shakes/day to make sure I was getting all my protein.

I like refried Beans from Taco Bell or KFC mashed potatoes ( I don't eat these often as they have no Protein
.also cook a chicken breast put it in a food processor and add 2 tbsp of light helmons and 2 tsp onion powder 1 tsp celery powder and some chicken broth . Grind it up good. It tastes wonderful. Home made chicken salad

http://www.chicoweig...ookJuly2014.pdf
Free download, Online bariatric recipe book,
I printed mine out, punch holed, and placed it in a binder
There's a great section devoted to puree recipes.

My surgery today. .. I went back to the surgical room at 6:45 and the dr was done and talking with my husband by 8:15. The surgery was about an hour, the rest was preop time. I was home (45 mins) away by 4:00. No complications, thank goodness!

pureed foods have more texture to them

boil some cauliflower in some salted Water until it is fork tender. You can use a potato masher to mash it up so it's all mush and add a wedge or two of laughing cow cheese
mashed up avocado with some lime juice and salt is also very tasty
one thing I really liked too was cottage cheese with some Tomato sauce, garlic powder, and mozzarella heated up so the cheese was melty
i would also put some dried red Beans into the slow cooker with enough Water to cover them and cook it all day until they were mush (you need to add water periodically)

It seems like the docs can define things differently (and whether it really makes much of a difference is anybody's guess.) My doc didn't discriminate between liquids, purees, mushes and soft Proteins, but just let us move between them during that first month as our tolerances dictated.
It sounds like your interpretation is reasonable, though yogurt isn't usually pourable (except for some of the yogurt drinks.) If in doubt (beyond checking with the doc or nut), you can thin things out a bit with Water or milk, or just see how the thicker consistencies go as they are acceptable on some programs and there is so much overlap between the different programs.
Don't be afraid to call the doc's office with any such questions, as if things aren't clear to you, they likely aren't clear to lots of other patients on the program, and the instructions should clarify such things, and if they don't they should be rewritten so that they do.

I'll tell pretty much anyone who flat out asks, or who I feel like telling. Other people, I just thank them for their compliments. Now, I just had my surgery last week, so my weight loss so far has been through diet and exercise. We will see what I decide in the future.

@@caressaxoxo A pound a day! It may not be exactly what you want, but hey, It's a start! I didn't think I was losing like I wanted either then TOM showed up and I realized that I was retaining Water and then weight just disappeared over night. Be patient! Use your tool, work the program- We got this. And yes, drinking more Water will help!
Had post op today! Mushy starts CHRISTMAS! YEAH. eggs and cottage chs here I come! Merry Christmas! Start Vitamins this weekend too. I am still not getting the Protein and water intake but I know it will get better. I just have to keep my head up and realize, this is LIFE- do my best!
@Ginger1217 I don't work anymore, but when I did work in an office, it was always the worst food and crap everywhere. No wonder office workers are so overweight all we did was sit and eat. Protein shakes and water, then take mushies when your advanced! Good Luck, I know it must be hard! We are here for you!
@@Amy Wolfe - I hear you on the broth! That's what I have been mixing unflavored Protein with, I can't stomach Protein drinks, too sweet! YUCK! I made some bone marrow broth last night but haven't had any yet, I should go have some. I slacking today! No protein yet. It almost makes me gag to just think about it sometimes, lol.
@@DaisyAmy - I commend you on going through all this and getting over cancer. Congrats on fighting and winning! I am so sorry you have/had to go through all of that! Life deals you a shady hand and you play it the best you can! Way to go! XOXO

The last time I trusted my body, I ballooned to 264 pounds. I've decided that my brain and my will needs to set the goal, because I obviously can't trust my body to do it correctly.

I'm going through the debate in my head too. I'm so excited to be scheduled for surgery in February and I'm damn proud I've lost almost 50 lbs on my own. Sometimes I want to talk to everyone about it and sometimes I don't want to even talk to my husband about it. I lost about 100 lbs on my own a few years back and some people, that I thought were friends, hated that I would mention my diet or work out plan or that my clothes were loose. I don't know if it was jealousy or I annoyed them or they really didn't care. So this time around I will be very careful who I give a lot of info to but I think I'll also answer truthfully when someone asks. Maybe they need it and they need to hear from someones first account. That's how I started my journey. Someone was honest with me. Do what feels right to you. If it's no ones business than leave it at that. It's your health and your kid you're working on. Best of luck to you!

i go in on the 30th and Ive told all my friends and family. Everyone has been so supportive of my decision. My mom is getting sleeved on January 4th and she's the complete opposite. Only my brother and I know about it. I guess its all comes down to personal choice. I am very open so i have no problem telling anyone.

HI! I'm new to this forum and a recent patient. Tomorrow marks my 1 week day! I'm pretty much on board with most here. The only people I told pre surgery was my husband and our 4 children. I feel that it is no ones business but mine. I work in a school with a lot of very nice people who unfortunately like to talk. That's not how I am. I am very private and don't like talking about others.
What I learned in my presurgery meetings was that a lot of people feel the same way. What they suggested was to tell anyone who asks was that you have made lifestyle changes. Think about it. We did. We are changing the way we eat, the way we exercise and the way we carry ourselves. I think that if somebody asks me point blank whether or not I've had surgery, I would have to admit it. I can't lie... But I don't believe I will be volunteering that info any time soon. What I have said to my coworkers is that I had a "procedure" done, which I did. Whatever you decide, you have to be comfortable with the decision. Best of luck!

It's a personal choice to disclose matters related to your health. I only told my husband and sister, whom I knew I would get their support from regarding my surgery. I didn't tell colleagues, my boss, extended family or friends. I know them well enough to know I wouldn't get their support so I didn't want any negative feedback regarding my decision. I also am a very private person and I didn't want to be discussing my surgery all the time, which I knew would happen if I disclosed. I am 6 weeks out today and I am very glad with my decision. People have definitely started noticing my weight loss and when they ask what I am doing to lose weight, I say I am watching what I eat and exercising more, which is true.
I don't feel ashamed or like I am lying or keeping secrets, as my health is my business.
Ultimately, you have to do what makes you most comfortable in terms of sharing your surgery with family and friends. Do what feels right to you
All the best!

I only told a few family members, but one of them was my 92 year old mother who seems to keep telling other people.
I am 11 weeks out, down 75 lbs overall and people are calling me "skinny". They ask me how I did it and I tell them that I'd given up on fad diets and entered a medical weight loss program. I figure l'm not lying per se. And if my mothers loose lips end up reaching a friend I'll be okay.
That said, we're starting social dining and I think I'm going to offend my fellow chefs when I stop eating after 4 ounces of the gourmet meal they prepared for me.
Christmas Eve meal at neighbors, stay tuned!

This is such a personal topic and you will get many different responses.
Here's my story - I only told 5 people initially…my husband, son, parents and best friend. Since surgery, two years ago, I've told my another friend, hairdresser (due to hair loss) and my financial planner (weird, I know, he asked what I was doing to lose weight and I told him - he used to be a minister, so maybe it was a guilt think LOL).
I didn't not tell people because I'm ashamed, I'm just a private person and I live in a small town. I knew if I told someone that it would be shared with many many people by the end of the day. I didn't want that. when people asked about my weight loss (including my brothers and their family), I said I changed my diet, got some things straightened out with my doctor and I'm working really hard at the gym.
You need to do what's right for you - what YOU feel comfortable with, whatever that is.

just tell your family. i wouldn't go shouting it to the world right away until you are comfortable with it. its really no one's business anyways. if they ask you how you're losing the weight you can debate telling them or not. or just tell them you changed your life and that's how you're losing the weight.
but i would share with family in case you have any health issues they need to know your history.

I told my close family, close friends and my employees and boss.
I felt that it was less than honest to try to hide the matter.
Everybody has their reasonings for handling it the way they want.
I'm just a low drama kind of guy. Coming up with cover stories and hiding the truth just wasn't something that I wanted to do. I had the surgery to improve my health and get quick relief from back pain. I don't need anything from anyone to help me with this. I'm not waiting for their approval nor does the occasional negative comment about WLS bother me in the least.
I'm gonna keep losing and feel better every single day.
The rest of that stuff is just Water off a ducks back.

I work in an office as well and took 3 weeks off and wish I had taken 4 weeks off. So, I guess my message to you is to take as much time off as you can/need and focus on recovering. I found the drive challenging and sitting at a desk and just moving around the office exhausting especially in the afternoon.
Congrats! Take care of yourself and try not to rush back into things!

I went back at 5 days post op - I have an office job as well and only worked half days for the first few days and I did just fine. Good luck!

I probably could have gone back to work if needed at 5 to 7 days post-op. But I'm taking 3 weeks off. There were times during the first week where I could only be comfortable reclining. Not sure what your office setup is like, but if you're feeling well and have access to a reclining chair or bed like in a health center/clinic in case you need it, then go for it.

The first week after surgery, I got very tired. I telecommute full time and I worked 1/2 days the week after surgery - I rested when I needed to and I walked, walked and walked some more.
It's important you take care of yourself during the recovery - you just had major surgery. Don't push it.

I am 4 days post op and I could go back now if I was taking it easy at work. Listen to your body and use caution. Good luck.

I took 3 weeks off and I'm glad I did. After hearing about the recovery time for some people, I figured I would only need a week or 2. But after 2 weeks I still tired easily and had difficulty getting in and out of a car.
Take as much time as you need and don't rush it.

I wouldn't push it. For me I was very weak and my back hurt from sitting in one position for too long