IrishGermanRN

I did liquid vitamins for 4 weeks after surgery -- a double dose of Wellesse, which I got from Amazon. I also did liquid Iron and Calcium. After 4 weeks I switched to Trader Joe's High Potency chewable Multi-Vitamin -- I did a double dose for 6 months, then switched to a single dose. My labs have always been great.

Working of the holiday gain and bloat. Was 148 on Monday. Down to 141.5 today. I knew I could regain but I am amazed at how quickly you can pack on the lbs. For a few weeks, none of my clothes fit and my edema came back, which I hadn't experienced in over two years. Now my 6s are back on but 4s are still tight. By dropping another 3-4 pounds, the 4s will fit again. The way plus size clothes are made, I could gain 15 pounds and still wear a 2x, now just a few pounds makes such a difference. Grateful to have a sleeve that still works when I work it.

I LOVE the baked Quest bars! I put them under the broiler and then flip them.. So good!! The white chocolate raspberry is my fave

I'm pre op but I know when ever I am successful at cutting out the crap, it's because I'm journaling all my intake. I use my fitness pal, great app and I got a fit bit to keep me motivated. Good luck!

I'll be honest I've been off the site for a while but felt the need to reconnect this week so glad to see your post.
I AM sad to see that the true VET forum is gone. I always enjoyed being able to communicate with many long term vets versus this maintenance thread. To me, vet was much more than maintenance. Oh, well. I'm sure that's been hashed and rehashed.
I love that u tossed the scale. I did too but, um, not same results. Ha! Too much easy slide junk food so now back on the wagon and losing 20 lbs of regain. Done it before and will again
Like you and others, almost six years out and SLEEVE did change my life! I just turned 62. 62! How is that possible? ????
Thanks for your post and continued success!!

Cheri,
Congrats on your loss, your "skinny' frame of mind and your new survival skills. I am going on 4 yrs post op with Dr. Aceves. I remember when I first met him before my surgery, he told me "you know, I can operate on your stomach but I can't operate on your mind". I have never forgotten that conversation and of course, now when I think about how lucky I was to be one of the his patients, I remember that.
My life has been a roller coaster as well, losing my father, mother and brother over the last few years, moving long distance and starting a new life coupled with many other challenges, i have been confronted by the memory of Dr. Aceves like an angel speaking to me reminding me of what he operated on.
The interesting thing is when I was going through my most recent "roller coaster ride of life" dealing with a challenging relationship, i was doing the 5:2 diet. It was interesting to see how on my fast days, my mind had so much more clarity and strength. I continue to learn and teach myself new ways to survive when life gets "rough".
I too haven't had plastics (yet) although I lurk on RealSelf until I have money and time to do something with I have my procedure and my doctors all picked out in my head at least
I thank god for my gift (both my sleeve and for Dr. Aceves' comment).
Congrats to you and please keep us all updated on your status!

Yea! So happy to hear from you again and about your WLS success. I am now almost 3 years out- been maintaining for 2 years and agree that my sleeve works when I work it.

@@CLK good to see you again! I wondered where you went Glad that you are doing well.
I'm three years out from my sleeve, and also a (self-declared) success! My success looks much different than yours. I'm almost 20 years older, weight is a little higher, and my approach is that of tracking and monitoring. But what we have in common is the knowledge of what it takes for each of us to succeed. I am a firm believer there is no one way to do this, and our stories of success are as unique as we are. One thing is universal, though, and you said it great - that you are present. We all have to show up, every day.
Anyway, I love everything about my new life post WLS, and I'm not about to give that up! It really is a precious gift.

Thank you! I have posted some in another forum a while ago.
Don't know how you could save them, but you could copy & paste in MS Word or MS Works, then print

Yes, there is a recipe section under food and Nutrition.

Another thing I do is when making tuna, egg, seafood or chicken salads, I sub out half of the mayo for FF Greek yougurt. Makes it really creamy & decadent.
More recipes, just cry UNCLE at any point, lol!!
Fried Cauliflower 'rice':
stir fry with cooking spray
1/2 head of cauliflower or 1 bag of frozen, thawed. Chop in food processor
1/2 onion
minced garlic to taste
1 cup peas
shredded carrot
red bell pepper
1 tsp ginger
soy sauce to taste
optional: scrambled egg substitute, tofu, chicken breast, shrimp, etc...
Refrigerator Protein overnight oatmeal:
equal parts oats and Water or milk of choice (I prefer plain unsweetened almond)
1 scoop of a Protein Powder with 100 cals per scoop
Additions:
baby food fruit stage 1 only (banana, nutmeg and walnuts is delicious!!)
unsweetened applesauce
canned cherries in Water and chocolate Protein powder
chocolate protein powder and PB2
cheese Sauce:
3 servings
1 cup shredded cheddar (ff or low fat)
1/2 c ff 1/2 & 1/2
3 T flour
cook and stir flour & 1/2 & 1/2 till thick (will be VERY thick
stir in cheese
mix with cooked spaghetti squash or non starchy veggies such as cauliflower, broccoli, california mix, etc...
can even add some cooked turkey bacon, turkey hot dogs or diced lean ham
'potato' salad (I've fooled many with this at BBQ's )
1 bag frozen cauliflower-cooked and chopped
1/4 c celery
1/4 c red onion
1T chives
3/4 T unsweetened rice vinegar
1/2 T dill
1/2 T parsley
3 hard boiled eggs
1 T ranch powder
2 1/2 T FF plain Greek yogurt
1/4 light mayo
1/2 T FF 1/2 & 1/2
3/4 tsp Dijionaise
in a blender or bullet: blend mayo, yogurt, dijionaise, ranch, 1/2 & 1/2, vinegar
and 1/2 c. cauliflower
in another bowl, combine cauliflower, eggs, celery, onion, chives, dill & parsley
combine both & chill
Black Bean brownies:
15 oz can black Beans, drain & rinse
2T unsweetened cocoa
1/2 c oats (grind to powder in bullet or blender)
1/4 t salt
1/3 c Splenda
1/4 c coconut oil or vegetable oil
2t vanilla
1/2t baking powder
combine all & puree
bake at 350 in sprayed 8 x 8 pan
15-18 minutes, cool 10 minutes
Chickpea Blondies (some sugar and chocolate chips, pay attention to whether that causes cravings and hunger for you)
1 1/2 c chicpeas, drained & rinsed
3/4t baking powder
1/8t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c Splenda
2 t vanilla
1/4 ground oats or flax
1/4 c Peanut Butter
1/2 c mini chocolate chips
blend all except chips
stir in chips
bake at 350 in a sprayed 8 x 8 pan for 30 minutes
Flour-less chocolate cake: (some chocolate chips, pay attention to whether that causes cravings and hunger for you)
15 oz can black Beans
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa
1/2 c egg substitute
1 1/2 oz mini chocolate chips
1/3 c unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup pure pumpkin
1/2 c Splenda
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t vanilla
1/4 t salt
puree all till smooth, stir in chips
bake at 350 in a 9" round pan at 350 for 35-40 minutes
cool 1 hour
Protein Muffins:
1/3 c oats, ground
1/4 c water
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 banana or 1 jar stage one baby bananas or 4 oz container of unsweetened applesauce
vanilla & cinnamon to taste
milk or water as needed
blend all
bake in sprayed mini muffin pan at 350 for 6 minutes
makes 16 mini muffins
Zucchini Chips:
slice zucchini very thin with mandolin or peeler
spray cookie sheet and lay zucchini in single layer
lightly spray top & season w/ salt & pepper, and any other seasonings you desire
bake at 215-225 for 45 minutes to 2 hours till desired doneness
peanut butter cookie dough dip (some chocolate chips, pay attention to whether that causes cravings and hunger for you)
1 1/4 c chic peas or white beans drained & rinsed
2 t vanilla
1/4 c Peanut Butter
3 T Splenda
1/8 baking soda
2 T mini chocolate chips
1/8 t salt
combine all in food processor except chips till smooth
stir in chips
Cauli-tots:
These fool people, also. Tastes like tater tots from childhood!
3 c shredded cauliflower, squeeze out all moisture
1 t salt
pepper to taste
1/2 t dry mustard
1/4 c yellow cornmeal (Quaker is the best)
1 egg
4 oz shredded cheddar
1/2 c onion, minced
combine all
spray mini muffin pan
spoon in mixture, press it in well
bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes

Guilty as charged! Thanks for the Topic, and the responses. Will be getting back on the right track tomorrow. Been struggling since my first sliver of pie at Christmas dinner. I should have known better . In my case one sliver led to another, nothing huge but in the days since then, I've had several slips eating more and sooo hungry! Scared to say the least.

Nice to hear from you! I will be 4 years post revision to sleeve and am so happy with my results! I think alot of us would agree that the crap that surfaces post weight loss is sometimes the real challenge!
Congratulations on your ongoing success and getting a peaceful life back too!

It's been a long time since I needed WLS support. I've needed all sorts of OTHER support in the last nearly two years, but this hasn't been the place for me.
How's everyone been?
I miss some voices here, I won't lie. After five years and after my last year and a half of tumultuous "real world" struggles the weight loss thing seems like easy stuff compared, which probably won't sit well with some people. But remember, the weight is a symptom of the head crap and I've been working on the head crap, right? So the more you work on you the less likely you are to struggle with the weight (IMO, anyway, for what that's worth) so it all kind of falls in line after a while.
Last time I was here I'd had my youngest daughter and was struggling to lose weight, my dad had just passed away and we'd gotten surprise custody of two teenage stepdaughters while one of my stepdaughters was missing out on a drug bender, I think. Life is INSANITY over here in my lane.
In the past while life has adjusted into something else much more do-able and peaceful for sure.
But here were care about the weight, right?
I'm doing well. Definitely a success. No plastic surgery - still just don't have the time or money put back for that. But still okay. I have far exceeded what I ever thought my sleeve would do for me. I will not lie - this surgery works no matter what - if I go back to doing what I'm supposed to do it never fails me. It's ME that does the wrong things, it's ME that doesn't work the things I need to do. It's my head that doesn't get in the game, my emotions that get out of whack, my spirit that gets me down, my life that spirals out of control, my habits that take over my life, my laziness that keeps me from being physical, my lack of motivation that keeps me from wanting to change my focus or meditate or read something that will help me progress - it's ME. It's not this sleeve. It's what I do to my body and my mind and how I choose to live each day that makes the difference. This was never about my weight, it was about the whole picture. I was a completely unhealthy lump of sadness and depression and misery seven years ago, no lie.
I lost so much more than weight, and it's so much more than being skinny that's freeing, that's for darn sure.
I'm currently between 124 and 128 pounds (I'm 5'1" tall) but I didn't even know that until I went to the doctor a week ago. Because I put the scale away. Screw that scale. I don't need it. Because my pants fit. And if they get a little snug and it's not my cycle, I already know that I need to adjust something. More Water, less sodium, more exercise, less junk - I'm in tune with my body and what I'm doing every day. I refuse to be in denial about my lifestyle and my body any more. I am not passively living in this body. I am present. I am here. Because this is a GIFT. I gave myself a second chance and I'll be damned if I'm wasting it. It's not about vanity or skinny jeans or a tight stomach. It's about living my life to the fullest and feeling like I want to feel. I eat what I want and enjoy every bit of it, but I will not allow that indulgence slide out of control.
I'm in XS, S - size 4 - size FOUR, sometimes TWO. It's insanity. I can share clothes with my teenagers. I turn 35 next week. I feel young and vibrant and peaceful and happy and it's more than my size it's my everything. I've put so much away that there just no reason to hide in food and anger and sadness anymore.
Life is good.
How are the rest of you? How is life treating you on your amazing, wonderful paths? Ups, downs, twists, turns, all of it - I don't regret a minute. I really don't. I've learned so much and I've had so much joy. It's a beautiful day.
~Cheri

On day 4 of the pre op. Amazed how I'm not craving any solid foods.... Yet

congrats on getting through day 7!
I thought I could never do this prep diet. I'm working through day 3 and surprising myself.

It doesn't matter what the hospital said or what the surgeon said. They are both wrong.
Because you are not well-versed in this subject, I still say you should call the customer service number on your insurance card and tell them you want to file a formal complaint against the hospital and the surgeon. Then explain that when you were in a gown, they suddenly decided insurance wouldn't cover the surgery (even though you had authorization) and demanded payment up front.
Tell them you need their help to get the hospital and the surgeon to file claims, because you've already given them $9,000 (or whatever the total was), and you need help.
Start a notebook and write down the date, the time, and the name of the person you spoke too, and some notes about the conversation.

The reason I would attempt to file the claim myself and be reimbursed is that the MD already has your money. If they submit to insurance he gets paid AGAIN. Then you must wait for the MD to reimburse you.
Most insurance companies will reimburse you for any out of pocket costs they actually cover

On day 4 of the pre op. Amazed how I'm not craving any solid foods.... Yet

Thank you!

These are awesome recipes. How do we save these? Is there a recipe section these can be posted to? Or are they already there?

On day 4 of the pre op. Amazed how I'm not craving any solid foods.... Yet

Also a January sleeve here, 1/18 in wisconsin. Getting through the pre-op diet now!

I'm so looking forward to the slime to end when I get the sleeve.
I'm hoping for consistency. I never knew what would make me slime. It could be different every day

Another tip
Protein always first. Eat foods high in Fiber. vegetables, Beans legumes.(avoid the high fiber carbs bread etc) fruit in small amounts.
Here is my local bariatric dietitians web site. She has some great recipes
http://insidekarenskitchen.com/bariatric-friendly-recipes/
Bariatric plate to keep things in perspective