Creekimp13

Here are some products I've discovered recently that I really like:
Aldi has Keto Buns. Awesome ones. I'm not a keto person, but I love these cause of the dietary (oat) Fiber they pump them up with to make them keto. For 60 little calories....you get 8g of Protien, and a whopping 19g of Dietary fiber!!!! They've got 21g of carbs, but with the fiber, net carbs of only 2g. They're a small size, so not overwhelming for the small stomach crowd. Throw 2 ounces of Aldi chicken Breast on there with some lettuce and Tomato, and you've got an excellent little sandwich with 18g of Protien and 19g of Dietary Fiber....for only 135 calories!
Diet Orange Julius smoothy. This hits the spot when I'm having a desert craving. Here's the recipe...roughly...adjust to taste. Three one inch pieces frozen banana, two large frozen strawberries, half cup of orange juice, splash of vanilla, half a cup 30 calorie almond milk (or skim cow milk), sweetener of choice (I use splenda and monkfruit). Blend this in your smoothie maker, sit on the porch and enjoy this drink that'll make you think of the mall in the late 80's / early90's. Good stuff!
Monkfruit, but not the commercial brands, they suck. Go on Amazon and get real concentrated monkfruit drops with no added ingredients. (I like Monk Drops). For some people, Monkfruit has an aftertaste, for some it tastes incredibly close to real sugar with no aftertaste. I'm one of the lucky ones. I never had luck with Stevia because Stevia has a horrific aftertaste for me, but Monkfruit tastes terrific. If you're one of the people that gets an aftertaste from Monkfruit I apologize in advance. But I could drink the stuff straight and find it delicious.
Maple Grove Farms sugar free Maple Syrup. I hate most sugar free maple syrups. This one has Excellent taste. 20 calories in HALF A CUP. If you like protien oatmeal pancakes...you need this. I also pour this on my steal cut oats.
Homemade fried chicken! I have never made fried chicken in my life. Recently attended a healthy cooking class where we made keto fried chicken! Again, I'm not a huge keto fan, but this chicken was so good, I'd make it anyway. To start with, only the coating is fried...the chicken itself is boiled. We boiled the chicken until it was completely cooked in salty seasoned water...think bay leaves, sage, salt and pepper, thyme. Then we cooled the chicken and put cashews through the blender to make cashew flour. Wet your chicken with milk/egg wash and roll it in cashew flour with spices and about two tablespoons of flour fry mix mixed in. Coat it a couple times if you want. Then, flash fry it in 350 degree oil. You could probably do this in the air fryer, too? (I have not tried this) I actually submerged mine in oil....only for about a minute to make it nice golden brown. Yep, you've got some fat content and calories from the oil....but it's NOT greasy. The outside is crispy crunchy and the inside is moist and flavorful. A large chicken leg prepared this way only has about 150 calories, lots of protien, and hits the spot for summer picnics.
Chickpea Pasta salad. Love this. Everyone has a favorite pasta salad recipe. Mine goes sorta like this... Chickpea pasta, cherry tomatos, kalamata olives, reduced fat salami, English cukes, red onion, tiny diced swiss, diced bananna pepper....Dressing is Good Seasoning Italian dressing packet with balsamic vinegar, splenda, Water, extra light olive oil.
My beloved chocolate Fudge Yasso frozen yogurt bars. 80 calories of "you'll never want icecream again". 6g of protien, too. I'll admit it. When I hit that incredibly horrible day when I want to eat a half gallon of ice cream.....I've been known to get a box of fudge Yassos and eat them all. But here's the difference. A four pack of Yassos is 320 calories and 24g of protien. Even feeling like I'm drowning my sorrows in ice cream....it's not a completely horrible nutritional choice. A little high in sugar, but not world ending. It is my emotional tantrum junkfood of choice. And while I try NOT to do this kinda maniac disordered eating anymore....it's nice to have a plan for when my brain slips once in a blue moon. (and it's a hell of a lot better than eating a half gallon of blue moon for instance) LOL
A shot of Mio in iced tea can be superb!
Crockpot sweet carrots with spenda instead of honey. They taste terrific.
Black Beans with salt and pepper, corn on the cob, and a plate of tomato slices with fresh basil, olive oil and a slice of fresh mozerella. And watermelon, of course:)
OH! And another favorite....this one is slightly naughty. Strawberries mashed with splenda, chunks of mango, and a splash of ameretto liqueur. Eat this like strawberry shortcake, only use oat protien pancakes instead of shortcake.

Happy Summer, Folks!
If you've found some especially good diet-ey foods or products, be sure to mention them to the rest of us!

Hey all,
This is my first time posting. Its just my husband that knows about my surgery but I wanna share it with you all because today I've reached my target weight Im 7 months post op. I'm 5ft1 and weighted 15 stone before gastric bypass surgery and now today I've reached the 9 stone mark. Getting surgery was the best decision I could of ever made but the hardest thing I've ever done also. I travelled to nord bariatric clinic from Ireland to Lithuania in Dec 2020 solo. I was scared, ashamed nervous and so so miserable. I missed my kids and my husband so much for the time I was away it was scary being alone doing this but I knew I had to do this for me and for them. The first few months are a learning curve post op but honestly things get easier and you adjust. I still enjoy nice food and drink but know my limit. Having surgery has allowed me to feel like me again I feel the head demons are gone and I just feel free. Here are some before and after photos . Best of luck everyone with your journey. Its so worth it
Sent from my SM-G781B using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm 3.5 years post op.
Super glad I did it:) Wish I'd done it years ago.
I wish I'd known the true statistics of what percentage of people have outcomes they are happy with. I'm extremely happy, but I know several people who are struggling and revising and in my opinion have not gotten the help they need to address the core issues....the disordered eating that drives obesity.
This surgery will fix your guts temporarity so it's difficult to overeat. It doesn't fix your head. Eventually, you will be able to eat pretty freely again and can easily self sabotage if you don't fix your eating issues.
I do think I'll be able to stay at a healthy weight for the long term. Last year, my yearly exam was a phone exam due to Covid. This year I went in and was weighed for the first time in two years...and was within one pound of what I weighed two years ago. I'm stupid proud of that. If I gain five pounds, I see the bariatric therapist ASAP. I talk about all the events leading up to the gain and try to figure out what triggered it and how to avoid the behaviors, and replace them with different coping mechanisms. I always feel better, and in short order, am back down 5 pounds. See the therapist. It works and can be just as important as the surgery.
If you qualify for the surgery, I would absolutely recommend it.
Best wishes!

I'm so sorry you got sick. I hope it passed fast. That sounds just awful.
Horrible admission...
I clicked on this post because I thought it said "dumpling" and I was like....someone has a healthy dumpling recipe? Do tell! Yep...food addict till the end. Oye.
Please feel better.

Every so often I feel torn on these forums about my role and what I should say.
On the one hand, I'm a veteran now....and have had success with this whole undertaking that I feel pretty proud of. There are a lot of struggles and things that I can comment about with some hard earned observations and experiences. I can be all.....mentory...and have good mentor-ish things to say to newbies.
Sometimes I feel a responsibility to *provide a good example* and only say things that are in harmony with the bariatric sages...and play the proper acolyte to the Bariatric Authority.
But here's the part where I feel torn.
I also want to tell the truth. I want to be the kind of poster I really enjoyed reading when I was first looking into this crazy ride.
I want to be unvanished, raw and HONEST. Because I value that in people. I value that risk. I value those stories....because sometimes people really need those stories. Even if they're terrible advice and provide a terrible example! Sometimes just knowing someone else....occasionally has a horrible day and eats the entire pack of four Yasso bars....helps you to live your life and forgive yourself.
I want to say: Yes, I drink diet soda. I know it's probably unwise and I also know there's hype about it that's untrue....AND....I know a lot of you drink it, too. And some of you drink real soda.....and will probably rot in hell for it. LOLOLOL
Ya'll won't admit it....but I've seen ya. I've peeked in those windows and I know you do all sorts of awful stuff. You eat peanut M&Ms and drink soda and beer and buy the occasional McDonald's kid's meal and can of Pringles. At Christmas, you cheat. You eat stuff you shouldn't. You ate Halloween candy. Ok, it was just a couple of pieces...but it made you happy.
We're not perfect. We screw up. We make questionable choices. Sometimes regularly. We STILL have unhealthy food moments. We're works in progress.
Can we talk about it as adults...knowing it's a crap example...but also knowing that it's human?
We still do weird assed extreme things in realtion to food.
How many calories in two almonds and one dried cherry? I HAVE TO WRITE IT DOWN.
How many grams of protien in one pint of donated blood? How many calories do I lose when I menstruate? I had a cold and blew my nose ten times and the internet says snot is made of protien...do I have to up my protien?
I once heard a lady on one of these boards say....she had her flinstone chewable multi vitamin....for dessert after her meal. And it was delicious. 😳
Is it wrong to admit I wanted to slap her?
I'll admit it...I ate a S'more about two weeks after I had surgery. I remember it as the most exquisite thing I've ever eaten...and I nibbled that one little square of heaven all night in front of the fireplace with the Christmas lights on. Licked it, actually. Down to a stump. LOL.
And Yes, ..a part of me is still screaming at myself.....You had a freaking S'more right after your surgery???? What the actual H*ll???!!! What were you thinking? (I lived...crap, I even lost weight to goal...but I commited this food crime. Guilty.)
Sometimes I think we lose our humanity in this environment....because as some folks have noticed, there's a competative thing. Some weird ick factor of needing the best score...the tiniest dinner...the least daily calories. "I'm going to get down to my original weight of 9 pounds 3 ounces if it kills me. Could someone please eat the other half of my lentil? It's too much for me."
And then I think....crap, maybe these folks really ARE as together as they seem and I'm just nutty and disordered and still fighting through this mess everyday three years out...isn't normal...
But then I look at the number of folks who wash out...and think......nope. MOST of us are struggling and screw up. MOST of us continue to screw up and figure it out.
Would be fun to do the research to put an actual number on it....
But I'd bet at least 90% of us...have secrets they would never disclose in a forum like this about one screw up or another.
I think we need a Confession thread. Where correction is not allowed. Where worry and concern (and abject horror) are forbidden to be expressed. Where we can just let that other lost soul know....yep, I licked a S'more, too....you're not alone.
All sins can be forgiven. Tomorrow is always a new day.

Thank you so much for replying! I was especially interested in your thoughts because you have posted a lot about this subject. It's too bad not all bariatric centers provide this kind of resources.
So, if I'm understanding what you're saying, it seems like you think I should try to find another therapist -- one who has experience treating WLS patients or at least disordered eating? I actually really liked the guy who did my pre-surgery psych eval and I've been thinking about going to him. It seems like it might be awkward, but I got the sense that he knew a lot about WLS and the issues relating to it.
I had a session with my current therapist today and I wrote up a list of issues that I wanted to address, and I think that helped... But I don't want to keep wasting time and money with someone who is not going to be able to help me with what I need to work on.

Sue, I wish I knew who to call in Tennessee, but I don't. I'm sorry. My group is affiliated with a research university and they do their homework. They have a few therapists that they have vetted and recommend to follow up with surgery patients. In addition to doing counseling appointments, our therapists also provide leadership for our support group meetings. It's kinda cool to see your therapist in the framework of working with several people you know going through the process. I know mine has heard a hundred bariatric surgery horror stories, success stories, has heard people just like me struggling through the process of making lifelong peace with food.
If you're trying to find a therapist on your own, I'd suggest looking for someone with experience treating disordered eating, cross over addiction and food addiction. Find someone who can help you identify eating triggers associated with unmet needs. (they're usually linked). Those needs need to be addressed to ensure the habits don't backslide.
Looks like the University of Tennessee has a bariatric center. It might be worth calling them and seeing if they have someone vetted who they work with....who is good....maybe you could do video visits?
You are dead right that it's hard to find the RIGHT therapist for this niche. But I can't recommend it enough.
Best wishes.

I lived on carbs. Still do. The trick is avoiding overly refined carbs. Avoid processed sugar and white flour like the plague. Avoid white rice. Carbs that are huge in my diet include Oatmeal, potatoes both white and sweet, brown rice, black Beans, beans of any kind really, eat beans they're nutritionally wonderful, chickpeas, whole fruit.
I count calories, get my protien and Fiber, but I never count carbs. A lot of my protien comes from plant based sources like potatoes and beans, so limiting unrefined carbs would never work for me.
Lot of different paths up the mountain.

Sue, I wish I knew who to call in Tennessee, but I don't. I'm sorry. My group is affiliated with a research university and they do their homework. They have a few therapists that they have vetted and recommend to follow up with surgery patients. In addition to doing counseling appointments, our therapists also provide leadership for our support group meetings. It's kinda cool to see your therapist in the framework of working with several people you know going through the process. I know mine has heard a hundred bariatric surgery horror stories, success stories, has heard people just like me struggling through the process of making lifelong peace with food.
If you're trying to find a therapist on your own, I'd suggest looking for someone with experience treating disordered eating, cross over addiction and food addiction. Find someone who can help you identify eating triggers associated with unmet needs. (they're usually linked). Those needs need to be addressed to ensure the habits don't backslide.
Looks like the University of Tennessee has a bariatric center. It might be worth calling them and seeing if they have someone vetted who they work with....who is good....maybe you could do video visits?
You are dead right that it's hard to find the RIGHT therapist for this niche. But I can't recommend it enough.
Best wishes.

Sue, I wish I knew who to call in Tennessee, but I don't. I'm sorry. My group is affiliated with a research university and they do their homework. They have a few therapists that they have vetted and recommend to follow up with surgery patients. In addition to doing counseling appointments, our therapists also provide leadership for our support group meetings. It's kinda cool to see your therapist in the framework of working with several people you know going through the process. I know mine has heard a hundred bariatric surgery horror stories, success stories, has heard people just like me struggling through the process of making lifelong peace with food.
If you're trying to find a therapist on your own, I'd suggest looking for someone with experience treating disordered eating, cross over addiction and food addiction. Find someone who can help you identify eating triggers associated with unmet needs. (they're usually linked). Those needs need to be addressed to ensure the habits don't backslide.
Looks like the University of Tennessee has a bariatric center. It might be worth calling them and seeing if they have someone vetted who they work with....who is good....maybe you could do video visits?
You are dead right that it's hard to find the RIGHT therapist for this niche. But I can't recommend it enough.
Best wishes.

I have a swim shirt and I love it because I burn super easy on my shoulders and chest and it's the ultimate sun screen. Mine is like the swimtee mentioned above. I've never seen the jacket ones!
Something else I really like....is body make up. I get Sally Hansen airbrush leg makeup. I use it on my legs and my arms and shoulders. It makes me look tan without being orange, and provides a lot of coverage for scars, old stretchmarks, weird skin areas like the underside of upper arms...lol You can swim in it for about an hour without it coming off. You scrub it off at the end of the day with soap....it is not an artificial tanner product, so it won't leave you with weird dirty looking knees and ankles. The color looks tremendously natural. I love it.
I also like the "slimsuit" brand of swim suits....they have more support built in to kinda sculpt me into the best lines possible.

My doctor's office had me do a psych evaluation prior to approval for surgery. I asked the therapist that did the evaluation for recommendations of a long term therapist I could use prior to and after surgery. She was able to give me one that accepted my insurance.
Therapy will be a lot of talk about feelings and that sort of stuff, because the goal is to get at the root of why we feel the need to overeat and address that, not just the eating itself. It's all about identifying triggers and then working to modify behaviors and such to either avoid the triggers or work through them in a healthier way. As some examples from my own therapy sessions, I know I'm an emotional eater. Through some questioning the therapist helped me realize that keeping a list of tasks/errands/chores in my head could cause me to feel overwhelmed and that stress would lead me to overeat. She gave a suggestion that I keep the tasks written down on our fridge, not in my head, and that way my husband can know what I want done without me having to ask, and it doesn't fall on me. That has been working for our household, but if it didn't then I would have gone back and discussed what about it worked, and what didn't, and other ways to address it.
Part of it has been discussing exercise, and how I schedule it into my day. Or that I don't cook often, but really need to be better about that long term so I'll have "homework" to cook x times per week. My homework for my next appointment is to pick out some clothes I feel good in (I've been living in PJs or athletic clothes for months). Which sounds simple and maybe silly, but I find therapy can just give me that extra little push sometimes to set goals I wouldn't have otherwise set for myself, and reporting to the therapist adds a level of accountability that makes me more likely to stick to it.
It is a long process, and changes to behaviors and attitudes won't happen overnight. I started seeing my therapist about 4 months ago now, and I still have a lot to work on.

I can't fathom your pain. Please make sure someone knows that you might need help with fluids. Make sure others close to you understand your medical needs so they can help you remember to drink, or take you to the doctor if needed for IV. I know it's impossible right now, but you need to keep up with what's necessary for your health. Let someone help you.
I am so very sorry.

You're eating less than 500 very low carb calories a day. That, in itself, will cause a little weight loss in 6 days. But the bulk of what you've lost is likely Water. Because of your low carbs, you are stripping your liver of all the glucose stored there...so it shrinks. (Which is really nice, because there is a little more room for the surgeon to work with the liver reduced) As the glucose in the liver is used, a lot of water is expelled, too.
This "instant significant weight loss" when we mostly eliminate carbs from our diets....is why people are so delighted when they go on a Keto diet and instantly lose weight and inches around their waists. But they're not losing fat....they're just losing their emergency glucose and the water it's stored in, and just shrinking their livers.
Your loss is normal and I wouldn't worry about it. Keep following your team's instructions.

Here's a question. If you're stressing and panicking over being stuck and doing everything humanly possible to set your diet to a complex level of restriction....how will you feel when you actually DO reach your goal? You will. Then you'll be faced with how many of these restrictions you can live with long term and the resulting weight fluctuations of adjusting them. You're kinda setting yourself up for an unsustainable emotional rollercoaster, IMO.
My advice: slow and steady wins the race. Make good choices you can live with. It's not all about the number. It's about adapting to healthier eating you can live with and reinforcing those habits. Make them livable, or they'll burn you out.
Stuff that cause your weight to be wonky.... different amounts of carbs in your diet causing saved glucose in your liver. Heavy exercise depleting your glucose in your liver causing you to lose a ton of water.....then a week later the Water and glucose is replaced. A bad battery in your scale. Crappy sleep. Temperatures that make you retain water more and less. Soooo many things.
Don't be a slave to the scale. Find new good habits that work and just be patient. You've got this. You will eventually lose again if you don't freak yourself out so much that you do something crazy. LOL.
Wishing you the best.

When you say that you don't have period anymore, what do you mean? Are you truly postmenopausal? (have not had a period in over a year) Average age of true menopause is about 51 (in the US, at least). I'm 49 and I'm all over the place skipping periods, then starting up again with a vengeance. This perimenopause thing is the pits. LOL.
I absolutely get crazy hungry and crave everything right before my period is due. And my weight will often tick up 3 pounds and make me nervous. But it'll come right down after I get my period because, weirdly, when I have my period my appetite plummets.
Evolutionary biologists believe this whole phenominon of binging before menstruating might have been a defense mechanism against predators smelling blood. Menstrual apes will stick around home and roam less, eat less....and will eat a lot beforehand so they don't have to forage as much. Keeps them downwind of the cheetahs maybe? Heck if I know, but it's an interesting theory as to why we get the muchies.
Keep in mind that estrogen is stored in fat...and a big weight loss will cause elevation in estrogen. So, the weight loss itself could be causing hormonal symptoms like you're describing. You might not need HRT, but it's not a bad idea to see what your doctor recommends.
But yep...you're not the only one who is a bottomless pit right before menstruation. (or what your body percieves is going to be menstruation)
Best wishes!

3.5 years out...I can eat about a cup at a time (and sometimes less) if it's a fibrous food that doesn't slide. If it's a slider, I can eat more...comfortably. Had about a cup and a half of thinned oatmeal this morning with pecans and blueberries...no problem. Last night I was eating steak and brocolli...and gave up at 3/4 of a cup.
If you're drinking with meals you will be able to eat a lot more than if you don't....which is one of the reasons we are told not to drink with meals.

My likely response:
"The only weight I'm really looking to lose in the short term is GETTING YOU OFF MY F*CKING BACK!"
To be fair, I have on occasion been accused of being somewhat indelicate and tactless... "He's uncouth. Couth him!!!"

There’s a world of difference between supportive comments & intrusive or critical ones. I’ve never quite understood how some people think it’s ok to comment on your weight & tell you what they think you should weigh or should do. And do you find they tend to do it when there’s an audience? 🤷🏻‍♀️
The reverse was, I also was a little bemused by people who didn’t comment at all. I mean I was almost half the size I had been. But then I realised they were the ones who felt my weight was a personal thing & it wasn’t their place to comment or they saw me for who I was not what I weighed. Consequently I began to respect those people more.
After my weight settled, I noticed those ‘well meaning’ acquaintances who repeatedly told me I was too thin weren’t saying anything at all. I think it just took them time to readjust how they saw me. Hopefully this will happen for you too.
PS - love a bit of sarcastic humour: lighter than air, baby weight. 😂😂😂 That should have made them rethink their desire to comment.

I am just over 18 months post RNY surgery and am incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity for this tool, and glad I made the decision to do it. Even with everything going on in the world today, I am feelling happier and healthier than I have in a long time.
I am 5'10, just turned 43 year old women (41 at time of surgery). Highest weight was 334, day of surgery 292, today I am maintaining right around 160. So many non scale victories, but a few of my favorites:
- I have a ton more energy. I used to fall asleep on the couch after work most nights, and weekends I did errands and chores and rarely had the energy for much else. Now, I use my evenings to chores and save my weekends for hiking or other fun activities.
- My knees and ankles don't hurt. Before, just walking around the block meant pain, and my knees ached everyday (arthritis). Now, I walk between 1.5-2 miles almost every day and rarely have any pain. I can even do yoga poses like child's pose as I'm gaining flexibility back.
- I am out enjoying life more. I have always loved hike, but even when my weight wasn't as high I had a hard time as I was out of shape. Now, I hike most weekends, going 10+ miles and 2K elevation gain without a problem. Last weekend, at the top of a pretty steep hill my heart rate was still below 100! As the world reopens I feel more comfortable going to restaurant's (chairs are so much more comfortable!) and I'm sure other activities will be easier too.
- I started a new job in April, and hadn't met anyone in person. We had lunch the other day and I wasn't self conscious and worried that they'd be judging me for my weight.
- I can fit into cute and stylish clothes. I'm still figuring out what works on my new body, but I can go into little shops and they actually have things that fit! I'm generally a S top and 8-10 in bottoms.
I do have some work to do to clean up my diet. I've slipped a little in the last couple of months and need to get back to eating healthier before it starts impacting my progress. My goal is to not have to hyper focus on food and do regular meal planning with healthy foods and just eat until I am full. Hopefully, coupled with exercise that will help me maintain.
Thanks for letting me share.
Lori

I gained nearly 50 pounds on paroxetine in my 30s. It was awful.

I had my surgery Monday. Tuesday while in hospital I found out my son died in a car accident. I’m grieving so bad and reaching out to you all for prayers

I'm on day 9 and feel like I'm hungrier and in worse shape today than I've been the whole first week put together. I'm about to have my last "meal" of the day - thank goodness because I'm HANGRY. One more day down is one less day to go...

Folks, PLEASE check the education credentials of the person giving you nutrition advice.
In some states, there is absolutley zero education required to call oneself "a nutritionist" and give people dietary consultations.
Many bariatric groups will use lay-trained staff to push a particular doctor's dietary approach. Don't use these people. They are unqualified and it's dangerous.
Nutrition is complex and individual and it's a SCIENCE.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dietitian-vs-nutritionist#nutritionist
Check the laws in your state: https://theana.org/advocate
Ask to see the credentials of the people treating you at appointments.

I think sometimes it makes other people insecure about their own weight when someone near them loses.
Sort of this realization....omg, she's lost weight. Am I the fattest person in the room now? omg...she's nearly my size...and she looks really good....does she look better than me?
I think this is particularly true among younger single people, but it can also be an issue with middle aged farts and beyond.
No feeling worse...than when your friend has been feeling insecure about her weight/wrinkles/hairloss/age related woes/etc.....and her freaking husband notices you've lost weight. Ugh. "Damn, your friend looks good!"
He doesn't mean to be an asshat...but it's a knife in both of your hearts and you just feel rotten about it.