LittleBill

Nice pooch. I love dogs. I think they are all great. Now, I have a short story for you. No, it should not feel like there is food in your esophagus. Different people have different things to say as to whether or not we can stretch our sleeves. Without addressing that controversy, I can say this - whether or not you stretch it, if you can feel food in your esophagus, you are stuffing too much in, and you are going to sabotage everything you've worked for to date. Here's the story. I love chili. I grew up eating a bowl a chili with a Peanut Butter sandwich, because that is what we had. These memories go back over 50 years. So it is pretty much hardwired into my system. For the past however many years, we have been using these Corelle bowls for Cereal, chili, Soup, anything that needs put in a bowl. I measured one just now so I have my measurements right. I can easily put 3 full cups of chili in one of these bowls. I can fit a little more in to make it full. For as long as I can remember in this house, which is 17 years now, I have been filling one of these bowls with my favorite food, making a huge peanut butter sandwich with Italian bread (because the slices are bigger, you know) and then adding a huge glass of milk (think "quart") to wash it all down. This is one of the reasons I am here - portion size. Now I am down to 3/4 cup of chili, no sandwich, and no milk. And I am content, because I have experienced the flavors and textures that go all the way back to my early childhood. I would love to add a small peanut butter sandwich, but for now, I am interested in staying away from bread. But this is part of the mindset thing I mention from time to time. I focus more on the experience itself. Eating slowly, and thinking about it really helps, compared to the bad old days when I wolfed my food down as quickly as I could. On the one hand, I know it isn't even close to what I ate before. On the other, I am working very hard to be content with a little instead of a lot. Please understand, I am not trying to lecture you. I am writing all this in hopes it will help you out a little with your own determination as to what full is and what is more than full. I started out with half a cup, and worked my way up slowly from there. I have found that I enjoy being full without being overly full if I stick to my measurements, either on the scale or by volume. I think both tools are necessary. For a while, I was only weighing stuff out. That works fine for some things, but once I was off the liquid diet, I realized I was shorting myself. So I use a measuring cup, and I am pretty strict with it. Today I wasn't, and that was the occasion of my OP. So I hope this helps you out some.

Do you use a calorie tracker? I started using My Fitness Pal just a few days after starting my pre-op program. I was amazed at how well I was able to control my diet, and without a lot of hardship. I lost 67 lbs pre-op, which I firmly believe contributed to my ease of recovery.

He's on his own diet regimen, and since he can't open the dog food bin himself, it has been pretty successful. We don't give him too many treats. His favorite activity is running around barking, and he's got almost two acres of Invisible Fence territory in which to do it. He loves chasing vehicles and people, so that helps keep him in shape.

This is very often the view if I am not sitting at the table or my desk to eat.

So long as it doesn't get to a full blown 50 cal with tracer you should survive :-) I hear from the way they come out, you don't need a tracer!

But it ain't invisible. ~ Clint Eastwood in Pink Cadillac I have seen a lot of people asking how to tell if you ate too much. Today I crossed a very fine line, and discovered it is indeed visible, or at least, palpable. I was preparing my normal 3/4 cup of food for lunch. I have learned that 3/4 cup is pretty much the ideal amount of food for my stomach, and it fills me up well. So I put just that much chili in a bowl, and stuck it in the microwave. As I was putting the vat of chili back into the refrigerator, I noticed a package of sharp cheddar cheese sitting there from the other night when we had company. "Well, that would look good on top of my chili!", I thought to myself. Not much longer than it took me to form the thought, three slices (small squares, one serving) found their way onto my now steaming, but very small bowl of chili. I proceeded to eat at my normal, slow pace, while perusing my favorite fat person forum. By the time I got close to the bottom of my bowl, I noticed that the feeling of food in my belly was reaching the bottom of my esophagus. Those three little slices put me over the top. I finished it, and it was distinctly uncomfortable. I will be sure to subtract the volume of cheese from the chili next time before sticking it all together. Either that, or Jester the dog is going to enjoy a small treat.

My surgeon did not push for any particular operation, but I chose the sleeve. It is less invasive, keeps all your plumbing in its natural order, and you do not lose your ability to take certain medications such as NSAIDs. All of these were very important to me. From a statistical point of view, bypass and sleeve will offer about the same amount of weight loss. But who cares about statistics? This is mostly a mind game, so make up your mind to be successful, and study both procedures carefully before you choose.

Each day gets a little better. Keep up with your Water and Protein and before you know it, days will go by more easily than you thought possible.

@ I think I see where your back problems started.

I could only do collards if cooked right and with good peppered vinegar.Collards, ham, and cornbread is always on the table for any family get together. You can forget to make or bring anything, just not those 3 things. And sweet tea. (Unsweet tea for me lately tho) Sent from my SM-G928V using the BariatricPal App That sounds like baked corn in our family. It is made from dried corn that is crushed, mixed with milk, eggs, and sugar, and baked to a pudding like consistency. As for tea, that is one place where the southern influence was strong. I did not even know iced tea was served unsweetened until I was in high school. But I've been on the unsweetened tea wagon since last June. I've tried stuff like stevia, but it ain't the same.

Okay, that was pretty impressive.

Look at the bright side. 1) it came back up before all those calories took up residence, and 2), it came up in the shower, so you didn't have far to go to remedy the situation.

@@Andell Well I sure can't claim the relative youth part, although my health, except for being fat, was and is excellent. Aside from the occasional ibuprofen, the only medication I am on is the stuff prescribed by my surgeon's office - Prilosec and Vitamins.

I am a firm believer in this sort of attitude. I just don't care for the rude people who think they own the place, whether they are new or not.

If it were not for the holes poked in my belly and the reduced amount I can eat, I would hardly know I've had surgery. I had no pain, no nausea, and no issues with food not sitting well, with a very few exceptions that were both rare and mild. I have been religious about following the guidelines and directions given me by the people at my program. I am sure that is a big part of it, but the rest is what most of us would call good fortune.

I have not. I am functionally illiterate when it comes to sports. There was a time many years ago where I had to do the breast stroke fully clothed, wearing a pack, and carrying a rifle. We couldn't really use our arms much then, either.

@@swimbikerun Oh, yeah, I know! My Grandpa lived to two months shy of 98. He didn't give up his walk behind mower until he was 92. Most of the geezers I have encountered so far float more than swim. And I water walk in chest deep more than swim myself. I have pretty bad arthritis in both my shoulders from (the doctor says) lots of heavy lifting on the job. Swimming aggravates that.

@@Babbs And you live in Idaho!?! That's like nine months of winter, and three months of poor skiing, right?

In a couple of weeks, Mrs. LittleBill and I will reach our 33rd anniversary. While we were dating in college, she took a self defense class where they learned to use a kubotan, a small stick that was popular in the 70s and early 80s. I had been a hand to hand combat instructor for a while, and one of my roommates was a black belt in karate. The three of us were standing around one day discussing the various things we knew about self defense. My roommate asked Mrs. LittleBill to demonstrate her abilities. She proceeded to grab my hand and just about broke my thumb off. The pain was incredible. Purely by reaction, I swung around and cuffed her in the head hard enough to bring tears to her eyes. We had a long, heartfelt conversation afterwards, about how to do things and how not. The proof of our success is that we have been together for over 33 years now.

@@Babbs Cross country skiing! I used to do it quite a bit when I was a boy. The man who taught me had tips on both ends of his skis so he could go backward. As for the crowded parking lot, my gym is in the same building as a large medical establishment. I have to park so far away I get half my day's walking accomplished just going in from my truck and back out again.

Hmmmmm....

@@KathyLynn160 Cornbread has been a huge staple in our family, but NO collards! Cornbread and beans was a big thing. Sometimes, it was the only thing - cornbread, and a big pot of beans with a single ham hock in it.

@@Aggiemae

@@sk101 9mm, eh? Mine will probably be a .45 slug by the time it decides to manifest.

@@JusttheBegininng " He pushed me against the wall, slapped me and would keep pushing me off. His strength beat me and he finally left and went with his drunk brother to his moms house." He should not be hitting you. But I have to wonder, reading your description, was it perhaps self defense? He was drunk. What about you? Has this sort of thing happened before? Please understand, I do am not trying to justify him beating you up, but it sort of looks like a couple of friends of mine from years ago. They would have fights that made cage matches look tame. Both threw punches. She threw pots and pans. But with some serious counseling, and genuine desire on both sides, they put their marriage back together and have been doing well for close to 30 years now.