FluffyChix

Congrats on a huge accomplishment! Don't know what to say on the Skinny Popcorn. I do know from watching, that the people who tend to maintain their original losses are very strict with themselves. But I also know, that for me personally, saying I won't ever have something again or will never be a "weensy bit bad" is not practical. It's pretty magical thinking IMHO. So I'd tend to look at your popcorn fettish like this: if you can eat your serving appropriate size and it doesn't hurt the new anatomy, cause weight gain/stall, or cause cravings to get out of control, and you can dictate the frequency of eating it--then no problemo. If on the other hand, it causes the binge monster to visit, makes you stall or gain, and you end up wanting more and more and more of it at increasingly shorter intervals--then it's a trigger food and should be avoided at this time. I'm gonna shoot for a 95/5 plan where 95% of the time I eat like a saint. The other 5% of the time, I will enjoy like a sinner. And I will have a safety window. At the high end=angelic behavior; at the low end=devil behavior.

This is a great analogy! You should really listen to @biginjapan. And I understand where you're coming from, OP, but remember, the mind is a terrible thing to lose. And the reality is, that our fat brains would say or make us do just about anything to keep us from "starving" it to death. Like a coyote caught in a trap, we will chew our own leg off to escape. Not sayin that getting right with the diet isn't important. To me, it's the diff between success and failure. We simply must create new and better relationships and choices with the food we put in our mouths. You're making great advances by learning to cook and making better food choices. (And I second the getting in more veggies and upping fiber...), but I agree with these smart vets who caution you with reality. The numbers are dismal--even after weight loss surgery. In the first seminar, my surgeon cautioned the surgery was only a tool, and that even a new anatomy still only yields about a lifetime 50% reduction in additional weight. But, the ones (the vets) who stick around and really work their program have a much better success rate. I see so many here who are maintaining the original losses. I think @jess9395 said it best with the quote from the vet who called this Weight Loss Maintenance surgery. That's what I know I'm really going to need. I am reasonably confident I could lose "almost" all my weight "this time," but keeping it off is just a whole other story. *sigh* Sadly, once you've put those fat cells on your body, the body wants to keep that number of fat cells. You can lose weight and empty the cells...the body wants to force you to refill them. You can cut and suck the fat out of your body...and the body will seek to replace the lost cells until they number the same as they were before your procedure. So from my perspective as morbidly and super morbidly obese people who already have a thriving fat cell community going strong, we must adapt a slash-n-burn approach to weight loss and weight maintenance--and for most of us, that's going to involve surgery, maybe multiple types of surgery along with lifelong dietary intervention.

Hey there, congrats on being on the other side. My surgeon said no more juice forevs. But you're in luck. Go order the Synthrax Nectar grapefruit flavored protein powder. I swear it's as close to a "morning glass" of grapefruit juice you will experience! It's really delicious--one of my favorite flavors. And the good news is, it's almost or is zero carb/zero sugars + packs a protein wallop.

Where abouts hun? Oddly enough I have some ground beef (10% fat) cooked in the fridge. I'll try to remember to go measure and weight it just for grins and giggles. Good times, huh? Update: So I measured out 1/4 cup of my cooked ground beef and it weighed 1.06 ounces. I'm gonna call that a win for the USDA.

Common Volume Measurements = Equivalents: 1 cup = 16 tbsp = 8 fl oz 3/4 cup = 12 tbsp = 6 fl oz 2/3 cup = 10 tbsp + 2 tsp = 10.66 tbsp = 5.32 fl oz 1/2 cup = 8 tbsp = 4 fl oz 1/3 cup = 5 tbsp + 1 tsp = 5.33 tbsp = 2.66 fl oz 1/4 cup = 4 tbsp = 2 fl oz 1/8 cup = 2 tbsp = 1 fl oz Common Weight Equivalents: 1 oz = 28.35g (roughly) 3 oz = 85g (roughly) 3 1/2 oz = 100g (roughly) 4 oz = 112g (roughly) 6 oz = 170g (roughly) 8 oz = 225g (roughly) 16 oz = 1 lb = 450g (roughly) 2.2 lbs = 1 kg

I registered at MyFitnessPal(dot)com to use their database and logs. It's free and after about a week or so, you kinda "populate" your own food history. Food planning and logging is so quick each day--maybe 5 minutes.

Holy cow! So glad they found it quickly and got it fixed. Heal well!!!

We heart this dish! Try adding some cooked chopped spinach and garlic to it. Or finely chopped, cooked mushrooms along with the spinach. So dang satisfying!

Dang! What a sad month: Las Vegas, Tom Petty, Ralphie May. *sigh* RIP every one.

Wow everyone! This is such a fun game. It really helps add perspective doesn't it? Can we play more rounds coming up? I think having everyone tell at what stage they are then give a glimpse of their food/cals/protein intake is really enlightening! Thank you so much for all of you taking the time to play!!! @dreamingsmall IKR?! I've just absolutely no real idea how much I will be actually be able to take in--and I anticipate it will vary from day to day according to my pouches will, LOL. My nut said that I should aim for 1/4c food per meal at 6 weeks. (We're having my 3rd visit on Tuesday, so will know a little more about the post op food schedule.) Here's a fun egg fact from the USDA and The Kitchen: 1 small egg: 1.5 ounces per egg (about 3 tbsp) 1 medium egg: 1.75 ounces per egg (about 3 1/2 tbsp) 1 large egg: 2 ounces per egg (about 4 tbsp = 1/4 cup) 1 xlarge egg: 2.25 ounces per egg (about 4 1/2 tbsp) 1 jumbo egg: 2.5 ounces per egg (about 5 tbsp) So maybe you're gonna be right and I'll only be barely able to get 1 large egg down at 6 weeks? I know I will be on liquids for 2 weeks post-op minimum, then will go through a puree stage, soft foods stage, solid food stage where I begin including cooked veggies, different proteins, nuts/seeds, raw veggies, etc. The nut thinks it's gonna take at least 6 months to a year before I can get all my protein in via food rather than protein shakes. Some of her patients use a shake for breakfast or in their coffee for the rest of their life cuz it allows them to have meals that include more veggies and fruits rather than consisting solely on protein. All of your menus sound really wholesome and delicious, btw!!!

Congrats! So great!!!

Holy crap, Batman!! Huge congrats. You look fantastic. So glad you ditched your dad!

Congrats! You look wonderful!

Congrats! You look fantastic and so happy!

Yeah, yeah, me2, I just couldn't resist the argument. Besides my brain and livah need all the help they can get! Um, little bored over here...should be working...can't summon the guff to do it on a Friday afternoon.

So actually, "Nahmy" (Normy the cheers guy as said by Cliff Claven), aside from using ketones after WLS--it's a little known fact that some of the cutting edge research being done on cancer and dietary intervention today is in the area of the application of a ketogenic diet and supplementation with external sources of ketones. Turns out it may not be "full of gump" or hocus pocus. This researcher, Dr. Dominic D'Agostino is the one of the shiznits in the keto/low carb community.

LOL, as an eater of egg whites and total eggs, lol, let me just post this one argument for the full egg: choline. here's a cool site for a number of different nutrients/nutritional info.

I hesitate to give a disappointing review of the BP products, especially since we're on their forum! I know I represent such a small percentage of the population, but I was totally psyched up to buy some of their soups and snacks/chips. I can't because I'm a hormone positive breast cancer survivor and the two rules my oncologist told me I must follow are: 1. Do not EVER eat soy. (it's a strong phytoestrogen food source) 2. Lose weight. He wrote the book on BC, so I figure I better follow his rules. Sadly, all of the soups and snacks I've found in the BP store have soy in them. There are probably exceptions, but I'm fairly bummed.

@DownsizingDonna Thank you so much. This is great!!! Do you eat about 1c of food per meal at 1 1/2 years out--or do you eat more? Your meals sound fantastic! Drooling over the pork roast. Love caraway seeds with kraut. (also love fennel on pork roast) 2 kitchens? That's dope!!!

Yeah on the protein shake, that's what I found on my 2 hypothetical days too. I had to add in 10-25g of protein powder to hit it at the 1/4cup per meal stage. How much volume do you think you're eating total per meal? Is it about a 1/2 cup to a cup you think? Or does it depend on what the food is: ie 2-3oz dense protein v. 1/2c yogurt? TYTYTYTY for playing! It truly helps!

I totally get this. That's why I'm trying to get a glimpse into individual's days. So on a good day, what are you eating at wherever you are in your journey and what are you eating and when?

Ok, I take it all back! You thoughtful sweetheart, you!!

thanks so much! I still get SO confused by this! Printing this out for the fridge now. And I went in and edited the original post so we don't confuse people like me. Cuz you know, it's a short trip for me and doesn't take long to get there!

Ok, here's another hypothetical day of eating to get my protein in without using any, or using as little protein powder, bars, drinks as possible at 6 weeks with my plan. Goal: 1/4c Food per meal/snack; 74g Protein/day B: 1 lg egg + 1/8c 2% Daisy cottage cheese + 1oz Tillamook shredded cheddar (16g P) MS: 1/8c %F greek yogurt + 1/8c 2% Daisy cottage cheese + 1oz froz blueberries + 6g slivered almonds (7g P) L: 2oz canned Sam's chicken + 1/2tbsp Vlassic dill relish + 2tbps WF amazin chipotle mayo (10g P) AS: 1/4c refried beans + 1oz Tillamook shredded cheddar + 1tbsp salsa + 1tsp sour cream (10g P) D: 3oz basa filet + 1 lemon wedge (12g P) BS: 1/4c 2% Daisy cottage cheese + 12g Vitacost peanut butter powder + 10g protein powder (21g P) Daily Totals: 717cals; 76g Protein; 33g Fat; 26g Carb; 7g Fiber; 19g Net Carbs; 8g naturally occurring sugars

Oh man, you selfish bastard! *snic* *hahahahaha* Withholding on your wife!! Keepin' your cookin' MOJO to yourself. How irresponsible! But very smart of you to plan for the clean plate club!