FluffyChix

Also staying fully hydrated helps you pass things through your pouch and makes it "less sticky-ish." That was from Dr. Alvarez the bariatric surgeon. If you are at all dehydrated, it may take a couple of days to really replenish your fluid levels. To me, it makes all the diff in how I handle food and post prandial nausea. Also, if you're having issues with protein, use meat lube (low fat, low cal, low carb gravies, soupy stewpy things like your chili and for god's sake, don't overcook eggs! LOL.) Also soft cooked white flaky mild fish is usually pretty easy for most people, as can be soft scrambled eggs with yogurt or lite sour cream mixed in to make them creamy. Beans and cheese, or canned beans mashed with some yogurt or cheese go down easy. If it were me, I'd stay away from the obvious slider culprits. You're losing well now, but that habit is hard to shake and your weight loss WILL level off and you could potentially stall out. Sorry you are struggling.

Congrats! Keep a pluggin' away!

Ok, am finishing the last leg of a 40 hour IF!!! Wooot! My first, excluding prepping with clear liquids for previous surgeries/procedures. I went from 8:30pm Sunday night to 8:30pm last night for a 24hour and just chose to continue it through today. Think I will break my fast with lunch around 12:30 or 1pm for a 40hour fast. I "think" I know this answer, but just want to confirm with the IF posse, there is no special need to do a "refeed" or careful meal when I break a fast of this short of a duration, right? I just have a normal size meal? Planning on having a super greens salad with white beans, sardines or tuna, kalamata olives, pumpkin seeds, cucs, rbp, onion, spin, and red fat feta for lunch. But do I really need to just have some bone broth with a few greens and maybe some mushrooms in it? Then planning tonight to just be a regular low carb dinner with 3oz of protein. I may have a snack of almonds and apple in between there.

*snap!* Me too!!!

Welcome and congrats on your surgery!! You will do great! Read a lot and ask questions.

That so rocks!!! I love that it's "analogue" and that it is a useful tool for organizing thoughts and tasks!!!

Congrats!!

Crap! Forget about actually accomplishing any of the tasks listed...maybe I need to make Bullet Journaling my next hobby? I'm pretty sure I can kill a few hours a day this way! I bet they are pretty fun to to read back through and marvel or laugh about them!?

Yay girl!!!!! You go! Check in and post here like a lot!!!! A LOT!!! What's a bullet journal?

Crap!!!!... Third vote to call the doc office!!!!

Thanks for the article @Matt Z. I saw this study a while back and was convinced that daily weighing could stay. I think it really helps me. It can be a head-trip when the scale makes me its little bi*ch, but I just have to suck it up and get on with life. I do think it holds my feet to the accountability fire though and for that I'm very grateful! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4380831/ @Green_Tealael, this study used men and women... Methods Study Design As previously stated, we present a secondary analysis from the WEIGH study. A detailed description of the study design, intervention and report of the main outcomes has been previously published.9 Briefly, eligibility criteria included adults aged 18–60 years, body mass index (BMI) of 25–40, Internet access, and no medical conditions that might affect participation. Participants were recruited predominantly from the Chapel Hill, NC area. Following eligibility screening, informed consent was obtained and baseline measures were collected. Participants (N=91) were then randomized to a 6-month daily self-weighing intervention (n=47) or a delayed intervention control group (n=44). All participants were reassessed at 3 and 6 months. Data collection occurred from February to August 2011 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill institutional review board approved and monitored the study. Measures Demographics At baseline, a variety of demographic variables were collected to help characterize the sample including age, sex, race/ethnicity (American Indian/Alaskan Native; Asian; Black or African-American; Hispanic, Latino, Portuguese, or Cape Verdean; White; Other), and education [Grade School (6 years or less); Junior High school (7–9 years); High School (10–12 years); Vocational Training (beyond High School); Some College (less than 4 years); College/University degree; Graduate or Professional Education].

Wow. She's a powerful speaker. And I agree on many levels. I don't have a solution for those children/families in urban food deserts. Part of me would love to get on the bandwagon to volunteer and build urban oases with gardens that are food bearing and flower bearing, and have families and children participate and learn about growing their own veggies and fruits. Kinda like a Habitat for Humanity but for community food gardens. For me, I use minimal products. The few I do use are either as clean as possible or as low in carbs/sugar as possible and I keep the serving sizes very small. I stop short of demanding everything be organic since I just don't have that budget--I wish I did. I do try buy the most important stuff as organic. But even organic products are still cram packed with hidden sources of sugars. So I just get by that by limiting what products we use and how often we use them. I am not a purist. I never will be. It makes me too stressed out. The most I strive for is about mid-hedonism. I want to be just good enough...in order to avoid the cumulative effects of crap. So you know, I feel for people that eat all their food pre-prepared and pre-packaged. Cuz the cumulative effects of all the food products added crap are staggering! Just staggering and when you add that so many young children are being raised on these "cheaper" versions of craptastic loaded food...well I just shudder to think about how much more disease they will have by age 20 or earlier.

Congrats!!! You'll do great. Less worry, more excitement! I did drink by the clock/timer on my phone. You'll do it and feel surprised at how quickly you assimilate and learn the new habits!! No worries!!! Also, less is more at the hospital. I packed a brush and a toothbrush in my purse. Literally and took a pair of "disposable" cheap slippers in a plastic bag. Then threw em in the trash when I left. Cuz I didn't want C-diff or MRSA coming home on my shoes.

Ridin' the wave! Thanks for the video! I need to see about adding some sea salt... I will tell you that the first day back IF after eating everything and lots of it...is hard. *sigh* But still not as bad as the first day.

Wound suppuration. NBD. ^^^^ this a million times...Matt is so schmart!!!

Happy Birthday beautiful lady!!!!!! You are amazing and inspiring!!! Congrats on the half marathon and on a great BD celebration! Hahahaha impressive macros too! 🦄🎉🍰🎂

I just thought she was being ironic.

Yes, you have a conservative wardrobe. I did too. My whole life I dressed conservatively. Something happened during this surgery. I'm like..."losin' daylight" on the number of year I can possibly dress like a hoochey mama and not just look pathetic (despite a smokin hot figure). LOL. So now I'm rocking the tight jeans and bootilicious Kardashian look, and tight shirts and tight sweaters and I feel a Giant FU 🖕 in my future! hehe--JIC someone dares to tell me I should dress more respectfully for someone my age. LOL. You have WAYYY more years to your advantage! Start dressing hot to trot! Especially at synagogue! LOL.

Well, I immediately felt pure gratitude and haven't stopped yet. I made a mental decision when I started this journey, that despite the wild ride, I would be happy and grateful for the opportunity to transform my life and realize the biggest chance to experience health and a normal weight lifestyle. So I think that influenced my recovery to a very large degree. And I haven't stopped feeling happy and grateful--each day, I recommit to being happy and positive that day and doing constructive things to improve our lives and health. Every day. So all I have to worry about is that one day. I can do anything for 1 day. Before you know it, you look back and think...crap, I've put together 19months of this grateful transformation stuff!!! How cool is that, right? Now--that does not mean, that there weren't bewildering times when I struggled and burst into tears or sobbed, for no reason. Seriously...I'd just be sitter there working at my desk, or doing something around the house, and I would think...OMG, I just feel like crying! So I would let myself cry until I was done! And I'd feel better afterwards! My nephew who is a surgeon once told me, that the hormonal impact of gut surgery is very real. That even moving the guts around can cause a neuro hormone storm and make you experience transient depression. So for me, they gut and rearranged my guts (RNY), but even doing a VSG, they move things around and press on the guts. Plus anesthesia also can cause transient depression. The best thing I do for myself is exercise hard every day. I at the very minimum walk for 1total hour per day and I also try to get outside in the fresh air and sunlight (if available). Also hydrating with clear water helps tremendously!!! Feel better soon!!!

IKR? Tea+Spam=Trip on the Crazy Train with Ozzy ROFLMAO!!!

Girl!!!! You look amazing!!!! And yes, can def see the diff in the 20lbs and agree! Pure fat. GONE!!!! Beautiful!!! Now go get some form fitting tops and skirts girlie!!!!!

Ok, so on softs/mushies, one of the things I loved was cooking chicken until tender in foil (or picking up Roti chickie and pulling it. Then chopping it very fine) and mixing with canned green beans, and making the recipe for TG green bean casserole using the fat free cream of mushroom soup. I would make it very soupy and leave off the onions--I'd just add extra onion powder and extra granulated garlic. Dang! Now I want some of that! I also had pot roast in the freezer that had been cooked to deat, that I minced, ate with very well cooked broccoli or green beans or mashed cauli with extra brown beef gravy from a jar. LOL. Yeah...I ate gravy from the jar. Easy to do when you eat 1/4cup! LOL.

@GreenTealael (Your cracker looks like a slice of browned spam...just sayin'...at first I was like all..."whahhhhh?" and then I was like all...hmmmm...tasty...lol)

Good times!