FluffyChix

Yes! So maybe with instructions that any recipe can be cut in half or doubled!

I do both. I use a food scale to measure by weight. I use grams or ounces usually. Grams are more accurate. There are 28.35g per ounce of food by weight. In that total weight, there is on average about 6-7g of pure protein in that weight. That is the portion that adds up to the 60-80g daily protein goal. I use either measuring cups or food rings to measure volume. Volume is KING! You should not exceed your doc's/RD's volume prescription per meal for as long as possible. But you need to weigh protein (solid) to know how much protein you are actually getting... right? So I do both. But I'm an outlier.

That is the 64,000 question. Really the answer to this MUST or should come from 1.) Your Surgeon and 2.) Your RD. Frustrating right? I personally try very hard not to chase a "FULL" feeling and let hunger be my guide. But that means I have to do a true "mindful meal" where I listen for the, "Meh, I'm no longer hungry" signal rather than the, "Meh, I'm full!" Cuz that feels differently post surgery. And you get into trouble when you chase "that full feeling." Cuz you really don't understand your "new full" yet. So I ate to the doc's and RD's guidelines for WLM. I tried very hard not to exceed. But now that I'm 22 months, I let hunger drive the bus. I don't need to feel full. But I don't want to go away hungry. And for me to have that happen: 1. I have to have no fluids with the solids. I drink broth before eating the solids in soups and stews even. I do a 15/45 with fluids and try to water load prior to a meal. 2. I still eat protein forward (lean dense). 2-3oz per meal (1/2-3/4 cup by volume) weighed on a scale into a measuring cup or measuring rings. 3. I still eat al dente or raw veggies minimally processed (low fat). (1/8-1/4 cup by volume) weighed on a scale into a measuring cup or measuring rings. 3.5 I still add the equivalent of 1 tsp of healthy fat (or 1oz of avocado or 1 tbsp nut butter or 1/2oz seeds/nuts) to the meal. 4. I exceed my serving recomm with a slider add on to most dinners: 1oz avocado + 1oz grape tomatoes. Leaves me more satisfied/unhungry at the evening meal. 5. If eating a salad or raw veggies, will eat up to 1 1/2cups of salad/raw veggies. But if I DO get a full signal, I stop and finish that meal at the next eating event. (ie mini meal)

So recipes for 4 being standard are good?

Yep. Yep. Yep!

Here was Christmas Brekky B/As. I had a small pouch day. I made radish browns (pan roasted without fat, then added EVOO spray at the end) and made my take on Tony Bourdain's soft scrambled eggs (egg + Grk yogurt + herbs) and turkey polish sausage which sounds like an oxymoron + avo/tom salad + Royal Riviera Pear with cinnamon. (and a bloody mary...shhhhh) . Ended up eating this as B1 and B2. Yes it WAS a Christmas Miracle!

Well are we talking by volume or by weight? At 4 months I was on my forever diet. My RD would have been happy if I was still at 3/4cup VOLUME of food. But I was at 1 cup of food. But still losing well and my pouch just matured quicker. So it was ok. My Forever Diet specifies 1 cup of food per meal by volume. In that meal I need to shoot for 2-3oz of protein (by weight = 1/4-1/2c protein by volume) + 1-2oz of veggies (by weight = 1/8-1/4c by volume) + a healthy fat + fruit/nuts/seeds/healthy low glycemic carb if room or more veggies. If I eat raw veggies as in salad I have space for more. Veggies are kinda slidery on me. I can eat 1 1/2 to 2 cups of salad including about 2oz of protein in it, especially if I have cucumber, rbp, onions, radish, lettuce greens cuz they have lots of water in them, plus the dressing makes them slippy. I aim for 60-80g of protein per day. I am able to hit that pretty easy. And that was happening from 3-4mo out.

Release the Kracken! via Imgflip Meme Generator

Both look delicious! I want to face plant into the lasagna...and that looks like my salad for lunch today!

Hey, when y'all look for recipes, do you look for ones with ingredients and instructions to make 4 servings on average? Or would you prefer to see recipes made as if there is only 1 or 2 portions and it's assumed it's a normal size portion which would leave leftovers for us with WLS? For instance a recipe where you cook 2 chicken breasts knowing that you will only eat 1/2 of the breast for the first meal and either your normie hubs/wife will eat the other full breast, leaving a leftover half breast for you? So in that example the recipe would be for 2 servings.

OMG. I just found the motherlode. And my people. Karen. https://imgflip.com/i/3i3rdj

Yes, but what was left? If it was my bowl, it would be empty...but you know...that's me.

Congrats on your losses! Average loss is 2-4lbs/week. So you're doing great! 3 oz by volume or 3 oz by weight? 3oz of fluids? Or 3oz of dense solids? I'm an outlier. I was right around that area at 7weeks: 2oz meat by weight and 1oz of veggie by weight. I also had no issues with food and felt like I had a big capacity. That equates to about 2/3-3/4c of food by volume. So I was a little ahead of the curve. My doc was not bothered by my meal size nor was my RD. I started at 287lbs and was at 224 morning of surgery 2/20/18. This morning I'm 129.4lbs and at Goal #3. Here's a couple of meals at 7weeks:

Please, please, PLEASE rethink this one!!!! In my honest opinion, I've yet to see anyone use them successfully without suffering what I term "lion-i-zation". Where your features distort to an animal-like muzzle look and that includes when Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox did it. Think of Meg Ryan...ugggg. Fillers are f**k!

Did ya have a big poo yet? I fear it will be RBB (Rosemary's Baby Bad). ((hugs)) #shudder

Heheheehe. This ^^^^^^ a thousand percent! I do it every morning 5am after peeing--nekkiddy. I've been known to weigh B/A a good poop. #scoreextrapoints

Yes, I take them but I've had RNY. Here's a cool article that came out on ABC: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=8114829&page=1 Taking probiotics may allow us to lose weight better following WLS.

Look in the sidebar for a thread calling out all January 2020 sleevers. You will get your "whole January class" of WLS partners that way! It's fun to get and give support to each other especially in those early days!

Well dammitall! Now I'm not able to tag at all after 2 tags! Grrr! #tempertantrum @angiebear BD is a terrible terrible thing! Keep fighting it. Cuz you are doing so well!!!! I love that you fearlessly go into it and attack it head on. And your outfit choices have all been adorable. Love them all! But I really love this last one. It really shows how much progress you've made. You have a great figure!!! @sophie7713 LOVE the sweatshirt. I asked Mr. F. if I could get one and he arched a brow, snorted and said. "Nope." LOL! Too funny. I snorted coffee when I saw it!

@Dtrain84 Happy Rebirthday!!!! You look amazing, look healthy and you and your wife are a gorgeous couple!! TY for serving! I'm so happy you are hear with us sharing your journey and your OOTDs!!! Wooot!!! @KaysMommy I adore your outfits and love the Christmas PJs!!! Love seeing you and your daughter together. I think y'all look like sisters more than you being old enough to be a mommy! @angiebear Dang! It quit highlighting. Have to start a new comment.

We are all different. I was instructed when I have a food that I added and it did that to me, I was supposed to go back 1-2 stages for a day or two until the inflammation resided. Then try to progress again with ONPLAN foods. Carrots (raw) are NOT part of the puree stage. Well-steamed carrots? Would be ok to puree, BUT when you cook carrots to that point, they have a crap ton of available sugar in them and may spike your blood sugar and since you are a bypass pt. you might have an episode of dumping with sufficient quantity. So a better choice would be butternut squash, canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), or even a bit of well-cooked sweet potato. Or even better, roasted smashed cauliflower. Glad you feel better today.

You can do this hon. Take it one meal at a time! Commit for one day only. ((hugs))

I was slow too. And calories did and do matter to me. I don't know that I believe in starvation mode until we've exhausted almost all of our fat stores. But I'm not a doc. But Dr. Jason Fung doesn't happen to believe in it either until you are very very very thin. He's a board certified nephrologist and diabetes doc.

Yeah, every doc is diff. I had heller time with peanut butter cuz of the fat in it. I was totes great with powdered peanut butter. I like Vitacost peanut butter slim cuz it didn't make me feel like I was gonna die. I didn't do a whole lot of cheese cuz my doc said it was really binding. But I skipped puree and when straight to fork tender mushies: cottage cheese, canned tuna/salmon/chicken, steamed/poached white fish, egg white puffs and soft boiled eggs. That kind of thing.

Who is Rex Bariatric in Raleigh and if you're going overseas for the surgery why do you need them? If your iron is low you have to find out why before surgery. Cuz these surgeries can be tough on iron status. So you need to be stable. If you of menstruating age that would or could explain it, but if not, then one of the most usual places for iron to escape is in the GI tract. Any doc can order a colonoscopy. How bout your PCP?