Orchids&Dragons

I stayed home one week, then a week of 1/2 days. I probably could have gone back sooner, but I was still pretty sore. Plus, I went home with a central line and I really didn't want to go back to work until I could shower.

Until you get past liquids and purees, the cravings are pretty wicked. Once you get to soft foods, there is often some sort of "option" that helps with the cravings. For me, just to be able to have a couple of whole-wheat crackers was an absolute delight! (I'm a crunchy/salty lover.) Just keep focused on the prize and push through. You'll be amazed at how fast you change.

Not crazy! Give yourself permission to celebrate your success!

My instructions were to be drinking all the time EXCEPT: 30 minutes before, during (approx. 30 min), and 30 minutes after meals or snacks. I've seen other posts where the rule was 20-20-20.

Wow, that's fantastic! Congrats!

Thank you! These will be on my short list once I'm on regular foods!

Do you make your own roasted chick peas? That sounds awesome to me!

Romantic for sure!

Thank you! I may call you as a witness!

I have never weighed less than my 6'1" husband. At our wedding, I was around my lowest weight, 150, but he was 135! (He had been 145, but got so stressed out about his divorced parents being in the same building that he lost 10# before the wedding). My 3 sons are 6'1" (about 165#) and twins 6'3" (about 230). I WANNA BE THE LIGHTEST PERSON IN MY HOUSE, DARN IT! My hubby is at about 175 now and if he loses weight when I get close, I may have to kill him!

Sounds like a good idea. Keeps them from wondering.

That is a struggle. My sister and her daughter are like that, DDs or bigger, even when they're not heavy. Clearly, I take after my father! :-) I'm a not quite C now at this weight, but when I was smaller (not small), I only got up to a "B without wrinkles" nursing twins!

Not needing a seat belt extender is HIGH on my list! I also told my hubby that when I lose 100 pounds, I want to go skydiving. I'm not sure if he'll go with me or just push me out of the plane!

Thank you for sharing your inspirational story! You look amazing!

I didn't "gain" any girls until I was well over 200#, and they're already departing! :-( I'll be back to an A+, B- in no time!

Does anyone else notice that with a blended shake or protein smoothie that they end up swallowing too much air? It seems like I need to take a Gas-X every time I mix up a shake.

Brilliant idea!

Thank you! How are you doing otherwise? Are you on solid foods?

I bought Recipes for Life After Weight-Loss Surgery by Margaret Furtado. It has recipes for all stages but I haven't tried any yet. I've bookmarked a ton of them, but need to wait until I'm on solid foods for the ones I want to try :-) I'd love to hear about other good cookbooks, too!

Sadly, I already have about 4 sizes of clothes in my closet. No need to buy for a while.

Interesting, thanks for the link!

Benadryl or Zyrtek can help

Sam's carries Premier Protein Clear which wasn't too expensive. GNC has Isopure, which was expensive and the aftertaste was dreadful.

This part is rough. You just have to power through it. But you've got that big prize waiting at the end! Good luck tomorrow, can't wait to hear your progress reports!

Here are the guidelines I received for purees, at lest they give some daily food plans for guidance. Hope this helps.