sillykitty

I have no off limits foods. If I tell myself I can't have something, that just means I'll want it more, self sabotaging! So I'll just make unhealthy sliders rare, and measured!

I do a protein burger animal style, just minus the thousand island. So, semi animal style, lol

Ha ha ... I probably have 5 TJ's within 20 miles! Try to go at an off peak time, when you have sometime to browse. TJ's are notorious for having undersized parking lots and getting uncomfortably crowded. My mom thought she hated TJ's for years, until she retired and could shop in peace!

Oh, I don't know if there is anything there worth driving 21 miles for. I buy, the above mentioned soup, boxed lentil soup, chicken and beef broth, ff greek yogurt, canned chicken (when I was in the soft food stage), various condiments like whole grain mustard, fish sauce, olive oil, vinegars, hot sauces, marinara sauce (good and super low cal), turkey meatballs, lunch meat, various cheeses (so good!), various "burgers", like mahi , lime chili chicken and masala, soy ginger cod, Kettle Cooked Chicken Soup (refrigerated section), produce like romaine lettuce, cucumbers, shredded cabbage, zucchini, nuts (like flavored pistachios), cheap but decent wine (for guest I like, not love, lol), spiralized carrots (frozen), frozen gyoza (when I get an asian craving), Green Goddess Salad dressing (refrigerated), chicken sausage. I'm sure tons of other stuff I can't think of right now. They are actually really good at less healthy food too, for your family. Their Mandarin Orange Chicken is better than any restaurant I've tried, for instance. In general their products are very high quality for a very good price, while having a lot of interesting and ethnic options.

I am personally very skeptical of vitamin patches. I don't believe that most vitamins and minerals can be transdermally absorbed. And those that can, does a patch even have a sufficient quantities. I appreciate the anecdotal experience given by those that believe in them, but lab results aren't "real time" because deficiencies can take years to show up, and labs don't test for everything. @moondoggie1983 Can you not swallow pills at this point, almost a month out? I couldn't tolerate chewables either, so I switched to pills at about 4 weeks.

I LOVE that soup! If you have a Trader Joe's near you, their "Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato", is just a private label of Pacific. So the same soup for less money.

I'm going to a BBQ and taking a different tact. I am going to take all the yummy bad things I've been craving. Specifically pasta salad and brownies. I can just eat a bite or two, get them out of my system and leave them behind!

That sounds amazing. I wonder if there is someplace near me that would do something like that?

So, my hair loss continues, sigh .... I put my hair up this morning, and I would estimate I've lost about 1/3 of my volume. The thinness is really noticeable around my hairline when it's up. I don't think it's too noticeable when it's down and freshly washed. I'm going to see my mom this afternoon, so I'll be able to get an honest opinion. I tried the scarf head band type things, didn't like them. I think they use models with tiny heads. On me they were narrow and didn't cover much of my head. I bought some of the chemo scarf type head covers (that's actually what they are called on Amazon). But those didn't flatter my face. So I got nothing there, besides a baseball cap I guess I've ordered Rogaine, I'll start that tonight. I should have started it at my first sign of loss, because it says it takes 3-6 months to work .... ugh. I'll probably do a weave too, if this continues. But that won't help my hairline obviously.

Ugh, I think I found a true slider food for me... ramen!

There is a huge amount of variation. I was allowed full liquids, jello, yogurt, pudding, in the first two weeks.

I would have gone stir crazy. I worked from home, so technically took no time off. I was back to business travel 3 weeks post op.

Using a drain tube is uncommon in the states. Lots of us here had very successful surgeries without any complications without a drain tube. I'm glad I didn't have one, my incisions were glued shut and dry, and healed quickly. There shouldn't be any puss, if there is that is a far bigger problem.

My Fitness Pal .... you can do it from your computer. It will do everything you need

Funny, I have the same one for years, like maybe 15? it's just a basic Black and Decker model.

The questions about stalls just absolutely kill me. Have they never been on a diet before? Is their expectation really to lose massive amounts every. single. day.? Have they not read the forum at all where every other post is about a stall? I get it, stalls are frustrating. In fact this week I managed to gain. But I can't deal with the level of panic. Why is the big picture so hard? Why focus on this? Instead of this?

Honestly, I hate asking my Dr. or his staff about things. But honestly most questions are just common sense.

It just comes down to what your needs are. I haven't run into a situation yet where I felt I needed something other than my Ninja or a stick blender.

I have kept up my protein, water, supplements, and I'm in the middle of some pretty extreme hair loss right now at 4 1/2 months. So I'm not sure what else I could have done to prevent it.

I have liked several of the soups here on Bariatric Pal. I particularly like the Beef Vegetable, Chicken w Pasta and the Vegan Lentil

I have a Ninja, and it works great. I find the Vitamix to be overpriced.

My personal opinion, we should be looking for a long term balanced diet, and not a fad diet. A diet that is 70% fats, 25% protein, and 5% carbohydrates is not sustainable. Let your WLS do it's job. You will be in ketosis naturally by having a calorie deficit.

1) Can you ever eat Normally again as far as if you want a cheese steak or cake? In small portions like at Christmas? Or a family outing? This is very individual. You will find people on here who will say absolutely not. Some subscribe to the slippery slope theory, and believe that they will not be able to stop themselves from eating unhealthy foods once they start. For me personally, I have had both of those things you mentioned. I had no negative consequence from doing so, it didn't start any downward spiral. My goal is that the vast majority of what I eat is healthy and nutritious, but I do allow for some tasty but less healthy food from time to time. 2)Do you have to chew your food to a puree for the rest of your life? I chew normally, as I always have, no issues with it 3)Is it normal to not feel restrictions on liquids? Yes, completely 4)Will I ever be able to eat a decent amount when I go out to eat with my family or be able to not take a long time to eat? You don't want to eat a "decent amount". That was the point of the surgery, that we have this tool of decreased stomach capacity. You want your restriction! 5)Is it safe living a full life on low calories? Yes, as mentioned, most people's calories do not stay all that low. But VSG has a long, well studied history, and has been proven safe.

That's a great idea. I never realized how powerful head hunger is, and how it feels identical to real hunger. I could definitely eat around my sleeve if I didn't stop myself. I totally underestimated this struggle.

Glad that helped! For plastics, I will definitely be having tummy tuck and lipo, along with a breast lift and augmentation. What I'm thinking about is also getting a medial thigh lift and a limited arm lift. It will depend on what I look like when I'm closer to goal, what my surgeon says, and how much can be done in one surgery, both safely and with good results. Glad you have an appointment this week, good luck!