Orchids&Dragons

@sillykitty In Texas, everything is 20 miles away, silly! Thanks for the listing of goodies, I'll check them out the next time I'm on that side of town. I'm already thinking that I could probably eat a meat ball if I covered it in enough marinara to make a soup out of it Last night my "boys" made pulled pork for dinner. I got brave and tasted a teeny piece, maybe 1/10th of an oz. It was good but I wasn't brave enough to try any more. Just not worth the misery.

Closest one is 21 miles from my house. What else is good there that would make it worth the trip?

Thanks, we appreciate that! LOL!

Congrats on getting past the surgery! FYI - nobody likes purees! If they ever find the cure for bad food cravings, somebody's gonna get rich! Good luck!

I wish I had forever-access to a nutritionist. Ours is independent of the surgeons office and doesn't take our insurance, so it's $150 a pop. You don't realize how many questions you'll have after surgery, and when issues come up.

@AshAsh1 Do you mean it implies that the person posts unclear comments? Is that why it would have a negative connotation? I admit, I haven't read the instructions for commenting.

Congrats on your surgery and glad that you're over it! I found purees difficult as well. Forcing foods to be purees that really aren't meant to be was gross. However, I did great with foods that are meant to be purees. Applesauce, smoothies, soups like butternut squash or tomato, etc. There are some really good "smooth" soups in grocery stores now. I like Pacific brand. Just last week I picked up "Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato" and "Cashew Carrot Ginger" soups. They come in 32 oz. cartons, so you get quite a few 4 oz. servings! Add some protein powder to any of those and you have a reasonable puree meal.

I do agree to check with your NUT, but since it's a holiday - I had the sleeve, but I believe liquids have the same requirements for both. All clear liquids, soups (strain out chunks), protein shakes, low-carb high-protein yogurt, skim milk Hope this helps and good luck!

I think the confused emoticon either is condescending or means someone needs help/explanation and it's really hard to distinguish between the two without a comment attached. But I am also beginning to get confused emoticons on things that are clearly stated... Maybe their intention was that it was confusing for a doctor's office to have not provided diet instructions? As you said, without a comment, it is hard to know what someone is thinking.

This sounds like a call the doc moment. Even on a holiday, they should have someone on call to speak to you.

I missed an event that I planned to attend yesterday, too. The mid-week holiday had my brain messed up. I hope your brain burp doesn't have any lasting consequences. If all they do is weigh you, I can't believe they didn't just let you come in.

Wow! Congrats on your super-success. Thanks for sharing your inspirational pics!

I should qualify my answer. I had a sleeve. It might be different if you had another procedure.

I swallowed the pill, right from the start. Didn't have an issue.

They should be fine. Just chew thoroughly.

How soft are your purees? Are they the texture of applesauce?

I just don't count caffeinated beverages toward my total. Since I'm over 100 oz. every day, I don't worry about it. You will be strongly encouraged to give up caffeine before surgery. If you can handle the switch to decaf, you've got it made. Decaf does count toward your 64 oz.

I'd call the doctor's office. You should at the very least be able to tolerate most purees by now. Are you able to get your water in?

64 oz. might be fine for the rest of the country, but it won't cut it for a Texas summer. I had a lot of dizziness, turned out my blood calcium levels were way too high.

I love this, but I'd start out with ground chicken until you see how you handle it. https://tasteofhome.com/recipes/white-bean-chicken-chili/?_mid=2385320&_rid=2385320.977035.251498&pmcode=TXC91VH189

Thanks for the heads-up, Pamela. And congrats on your long-term success! You are an inspiration!

Check out these articles to help you decide if you have real hunger or head hunger. They may help! https://bariatricpal.com/topic/416996-hunger-or-craving/?tab=comments#comment-4661702

I also find it much harder to be "good" at home. There's just not much available at work unless I go down 3 floors to the snack room which has vending machines. It is totally off limits for me. But at home, omgosh. . . smorgasbord! Tedious tasks set me off, too. They just seem so much more manageable when I've got a party going on in my mouth! That's when I make my chai lattes. They satisfy the sweet need and delish taste without going off plan.

From more than 40 years of yo-yo dieting, I know that I have to abstain from sugar entirely, at least during the weight-loss phase. It is a slippery slope covered with banana skins covered with ice for me.

Yeah, they pretty much got straight to the point! So many people post questions about hunger, I thought I'd share.