Creekimp13

FOOD DIVORCE We have an unhealthy relationship, You and I. I'm tired of the way you consume my life You are the way I experience happiness, sadness, rewards, loss, failure. You control me. I control you. I'm tired of our constant, circular fights I want to change your importance. I want to want other things more. I want to go metal detecting instead of getting ice cream I want to feel more excited about a new book than a restaurant. I want to gift my creativity, my brains, my talent to conversations, projects, art, adventures and not cooking, and dieting, and the circular mindfeckery that is you Food, you are a toxic relationship in my life. I want a divorce. I want you to leave me the hell alone. We can still share the gut, and we can raise a healthy body together. You get visitation, and we'll do our damnedest to respect each other for the sake of the body. But my mind needs to move the feck on. My life is better without your constant presence.

Awesome answer BigViffer! All of that makes a ton of sense. Thanks for responding:)

Crossing fingers for you:) Best wishes!

I'm really surprised they can schedule all of those things "all at the same appointment" If they do endoscopy in house...doing your EKG and running blood work that day, i could see happening. Sounds like you've already done the first part of the psych eval. Maybe they have a visiting therapist to finish up the day of your other procedures? Have to say, I envy your ability to have "one stop shopping" on this grocery list. LOL. Mine was really spread out! The whole thing can be a little overwhelming at first....but once you get going on your program....you're gonna get so excited:) Best wishes!

This is a side effect of surgery I haven't heard discussed...but it's definitely something that has occurred for me...so wanted to talk about it with anyone who is willing. Don't mean to be graphic here...but I don't think it's just the extra confidence and improved body image that comes with weight loss. (in truth...there's a lot that's lookin a little saggy and comical these days...so there's a mixed bag of physical confidence.....and I've always had a great sex life with my hubby) No, what I'm talking about....is actual sex drive. Biochemical physical capacity. Not just more willingness to have or pursue sex....but more sensation. A deeper more spectacular orgasm. Does that make sense? I mean...they do kinda wind down a little as you get older. Still great...but not like when you were a kid. But lately, I feel like I'm revisiting that intensity.......from when we were young and crazy horny and an orgasm felt like a full sky grand finale of fireworks instead of a medium sized rocket and a couple of roman candles sputtering away at the end. The big ones are back. Layers of Kaboom so loud you feel them and the whole sky lights up, explodes..and twinkles. Honestly not meaning to write a sensational goofy post here. This is just a curious observation, and I'd like to know if other people are experiencing this? Have your orgasms gotten extra spectacular lately?

Looking SO good, girl! What a difference! I think you're gaining muscle as well as losing fat...which might be why you've been concerned about the scale. Keep up the great work!

So glad you got checked out, Erika:) And even gladder that you're feeling better. Wishing you good healing and success:)

Am seeing some really amazing differences, girl! Keep up the great work!

Antibiotics can wipe out much of your gut microbiota....the helpful bacteria that aid in digestion. You're probably suffering the consequences of a big bug gut die-off from the antibiotics you had to use. To help reestablish good bacteria, eat lots of different things with fiber...beans, peas, apples, raspberries, whole grain, oatmeal, strawberries, etc. Good bacteria gets a boost from dietary fiber. Also eat cultured products like yogurt, kefir, miso...and pickled things like sauerkraut, pickles, olives, dressing with vinegar. All of these things will help get your gut bugs back in order...with good populations that will help your digestion.

Alternate hours. on even hours, pour 4 little one ounce cups of water. Drink one every 15 minutes. (or more if you can handle it) on odd hours, pour 4 little one ounce cups of protein drink. Drink one every 15 minutes. Sip, sip, sip. If you sleep 8 hours a day, and follow this schedule the other 16 hours each day....you will get in 32 ounces of protein drink and 32+ ounces of water a day. 64 fluid ounces per day total. If you do this...you will feel much better.

Congrats! Well done!

I like Chai tea:) Would be good using the same protocol. Great idea! That said...black tea does have caffeine, so be careful. I have decaffeinated Chia and will have to give this a try.

While I understand your frustration....even worst case scenario....6 months isn't that long when you're talking about a life changing decision. Also, using those six months to lose 30 or so pounds will make reaching goal that much easier after surgery. Lifestyle changes are hard. Working on them hard before surgery pays off. Don't mean to be insensitive....just trying to see it from another point of view. Good luck however it turns out:)

You were lied to. The three weeks stall is infamous. What can you do? Be patient. That's it.

Chapstick. Lounge pants or PJ Bottoms.....your IV will prevent you from changing your top for a bit...so just get some PJ type pants on your butt and you will feel much less breezy roaming the halls with your IV pole. Robes and stuff...don't bring them for the same reason. You'd have to thread your IV's through the arms and depending on the equipment, that's not gonna happen. Your own pillow from home. Comforting to sleep on, and smells like home. Biotene spray. You have never experienced dry mouth like this before. Your tongue will be sandpaper. Bring Biotene. I brought stuff to do my make up and hair and a comfortable outfit to go home in. Think stretchy waist:) Also... Your phone charger. Your Phone. Your approval letter from your insurance company. I brought this one a whim, and was so glad I did. They mixed my name up with another woman with the same name and were trying to bill the wrong insurance and it was getting rejected and people were panicking. LOL. The letter straightened it all out.

I gurgle, too. My husband teases me about it. I don't think anyone else notices:)

Could you please describe what an enhanced recovery program is?

Take a look at the Mayo Clinic Diet. It's based on the Mediterranean diet....which is the diet eaten by the people who have the best longevity in the world...lowest heart disease and cancer rates, too. I have never felt better in my life or enjoyed my diet more....than when I started eating the Mayo Clinic Diet. (have been on it since June of last year) My nutritionist is fully supportive of my continuing this diet. I have no problem hitting my 60+ g of protein goal, and I keep my calories between 1000-1200 a day. Some nutritionists will really push keto after bariatric surgery....but my office serves a population of people from all over the world...many vegans, some following very different cultural eating habits...so they're more open to different paths up the mountain so to speak:) Best wishes to you on your journey.

It sucks and I'm sorry. People will give you a lot of advice on diet and exercise.....and they're both important...but chances are very good that even when you're doing everything by the book...you'll hit stalls like this. Our bodies lose weight rapidly and they put on the brakes. It sucks. The good news is that with patience and consistency...you will lose the weight. Just need to dig in, keep your nose down, and work your program. I know it's discouraging and irritating. It gets better!

Looks delicious, Fluff:)

Erika...please take your temperature. If it's up, call your doctor. Please remember to get your fluids in. A bad headache can be a sign of dehydration. The cough worries me, too. If it's persistent, please phone your doc or get seen today. Please take care of your health. That is the number one priority right now.

Yay! Great work!

Personally...I eat a lot of fruits, beans and squash. I don't eat much fat. What fat I eat is usually olive oil, avocado or nuts. My meats are crazy lean. I don't think it's going to be a huge deal to transition fast or slow...but you know your body best. If you run into discomfort or digestive issues, go more gradually. I do whole grain bread in limited quantities, protein pasta, brown rice and potatoes. Lots of veggies. Fish, chicken, Mycoprotien, yogurt, kefir, etc. To each, their own. You have to figure out what's right for you. Discussing it with your nutritionist is a good plan, too.

If a near death issue is still haunting you...talk to a therapist. Post traumatic stress is real and it can mess with you. I nearly died in a tornado. Only time I've ever experienced the strong copper taste in my mouth from adrenaline...it was pretty crazy. I was in a van, driving down a country road on my way home. It was raining...but it rains a lot here...thought nothing of it. Pretty dark and sinister looking...but again...common here. Hail hit very suddenly and just as suddenly there was zero visibility as the air filled up with leaves and insanely strong winds. Pulled the van off the road and watched little windows of visibility out the window in all that opaque green wind. Huge tree bending over one second....then a Broken pencil stub left, the entire tree carried away. Flying crap from God knows where. The van was pushed all over the road. I was fairly sure it was going to roll, and it did get up on two feet...but it didn't roll. Wind let up and it banged down and woke the baby. If it had rolled, it would have rolled into a deep swamp...which would have been problematic. Everyone asked...what did you do? What were you thinking? Honestly? I sat there with my seat belt on and hoped for the best. You're supposed to get out of vehicles and find a ditch. Yeah...right. No way to find a ditch with no visibility. Happened so fast, no way to get the baby out. The debris outside was incredibly dangerous. power lines were falling. I remember thinking..."Huh. This is a surprise. What a weird way to die." And then it was over. BOOM. Sun came out. I drove the van over a downed power line...(not smart...did it before I realized it was there) and made the first tracks through a road covered in golfball sized iceballs with a broken windshield. Had to drive around many down trees. Home was just a few miles away and I decided the thing to do was to take the baby home and see if our house was still there. House was fine, save some missing shingles and siding. Power was predictably out. The garden was weird. I'd just planted the whole garden in little foot tall plants....and they were all missing. Ripped out and gone. Some rootballs were left, some were blown away with the plants and the entire garden had a million little craters from the ice balls. BBQ grill was in the pool. Dog was hiding in the basement. Smart dog. I expected nightmares and stress about it...but I mostly just felt shocked and happy to be alive. I did have some post traumatic stress from some other events....but the tornado just made me feel grateful and stunned.

Thin cream soup with the chunks strained out. Thinned oatmeal and cream of wheat.