MarvelGirl25

Early dinner today: Hot food from the Whole Foods bar. Chose two pieces of cooked chicken thigh, a piece of meatloaf, and about two tablespoons of mashed potatoes and quinoa. Gave the meatloaf to my bf and ate half of one thigh.

Thanks! Just a food fanatic! lol

Wow that meal sounds amazing and far from being deprived! You have great control. Lots of people would have went pasta and bread crazy. Oh and those tacos... YUM! You are truly the queen of creating low cal recipes. ? I look forward to learning and seeing more from you! <3

Oh no! You were sooo close too! They call Patterson little Lima because of the large Peruvian population. Heres a pic of when I went for the first time. I was shocked by all the flags and how there was an area called Peru square lol. Hopefully you get a chance to go back. I went to a Peruvian restaurant that had over 60 dishes! At first that scared me but everything was really good and fresh. The food took forever to come out though. A good sign. I've notice the increase in Nikkei in the U.S. too, not sure whats making it so popular all of a sudden. The term Nikkei is fairly new but the fusion has been around for a very long time in Peru. There was just never a proper name for it until recent years. Peru has the largest population of Chinese people in Latin America and second largest population of Japanese (Brazil is #1 for Japanese) which created the two fusions. Kinda makes me think of the banh mi sandwich Vietnam has with the French influence. Sadly I've never even tried one yet! Its on my food bucket list lol I went to a Chifa spot in NJ pre-op. This is what it looks like so you have an idea. I ordered the wonton soup and my brother and bf ordered the lomo saltado with arroz chaufa. Instead of the traditional Chinese wonton soup that has a light broth, veggies (depending the place), and wontons, the Chifa one is heavier. Chifas version has roasted pork, duck, chicken, and beef all marinated with peppers native to Peru, veggies, and a million overstuffed wontons..... but seriously, these things are always overstuffed. I honestly thought i would never see the bottom of my bowl! You cant really see them because they have sunken down to the bowl, thats how heavy they are. The flavor is similar to the traditional Chinese but does have a little twist because the broth is made with different cuts of meat. The lomo is basically a steak stir fry with french fries, tomatoes, red onions, peppers, and cilantro. The Chaufa is fried rice with a twist in flavor. It was a great meal and made me seriously miss Peru. I feel your pain with being let down. It seems like once you find a good place, there isnt consistency. Oh and i love Ajiaco! I think its hard to find because its more of home dish, nothing too fancy. Ill be trying a drink this Thursday! Im curious to see what happens lol Whooo, sorry for hogging space, that was a mouthful!

Salad again for lunch. Used a store bought balsamic vinaigrette this time. Don’t mind my overcooked chicken. I was watching tv a little too long lol

Congrats!! You look amazing!

I hit 6 months in a couple of weeks. Ive been reading about this. Maybe try playing around with your calorie intake or do some intermediate fasting?

@Lynda486 @ms.sss I love this one! 25 cals per tbsp. Doesnt taste like a diet dressing at all.

Of course! Blend the following: 1 avocado 1/4 of a small yellow onion the juice of one lime 1 garlic clove 1/3 or 1/4 cup of cilantro salt & pepper water a drizzle of olive oil or avocado oil. (optional) FYI, You can play around with the water and oil measurements. I eyeball it and usually do more water than oil but my step mom does more oil than water when she makes it for herself. Also, if you notice yours looks different than mine its because i ran out of cilantro and made it without.

Today’s lunch is salad ? with homemade avocado dressing. I didn’t eat as much as I normally would because of the coffee I had this morning. Coffee always seems to suppress my hunger.

If I could heart this 1000 times I would. Pre-op I was told many times that this was a tool and not a permanent solution so that part was clear, BUT i was never informed about the possible change in mentality towards food. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would WANT to chose a salad or something lighter over the heavier dishes I was use to. I never thought I would WANT to log every single bite that goes into my mouth and actually LOVE tracking macros. I never thought I would ENJOY taking dishes I would make pre-op and turn them into something healthier. Before surgery I thought one of two things would happen. The first was that i wasn't going to be able to tolerate anything and I was going to be stripped away from everything I loved (i read too many horror stories). The second was that I was going to be able to tolerate everything and just eat what I loved in moderation. Neither one of these is the case. Although moderation is great, I see food much differently now. I dont want moderation with what I use to eat because as you say Fluffy, once we stop losing, those frequent moderation meals will catch up to us. For me, moderation is eating clean everyday all day and maybe having some chocolate almonds for a snack, or fulling indulging on special occasions or certain days when you feel like it. I do believe in planning ahead though by eating light on those days you know you're going to indulge. As corny as this sounds, I've truly learned that this is not a temporary diet, its a lifestyle change. Also, I don't feel like I'm on such a tight food restriction because I love my healthy meals way too much! Thank you for being such a great example and for showing newbies like myself that eating good can be enjoyable and that its all in the mind!

Hi everyone! How was your weekend? As far as eating goes mines wasn't too good. I didnt meet my protein goal on either day and I barely ate. Below are pics from Saturdays dinner. Went over my bf's moms house and she made baked chicken with veggies. I was super happy because It was finally something I could eat at her house but I threw it all up shortly after. I dont know what triggered it. Maybe it was the brussel sprouts since that was my first time trying them?

Reading about your vacation put a hugeee smile on my face! ❤️ Its so nice to hear that you were able to stay committed while enjoying in moderation. I cant imagine what it must have felt like getting on rides you were denied before because of your weight. I also admire the fact that you went running and worked out! Like what!?!??! That's incredible! Its crazy what this surgery/weight loss can do for someone. It changes your whole mentality. You wanted to stick to your usual plan even on vacation, and that's truly inspiring! Thank you for sharing this and congrats!!

Yum!! ???

We need to do some serious swapping lol

I haven’t had a good Cuban sandwich in a while ???

The flan looks delicioussssss! And you look great for 1 day post op! I was told I looked like death. Even my doctor was scared when she saw me ?

Congratulationssss!!! You look amazing! ❤️

If you ever get a chance, try it! Oh noooo... Thanks for the warning! I'm assuming me throwing up is dumping? I dont get the usual symptoms of dumping like the racing heart, sweating, or going #2. For example, when i went to my uncles and ate the flan and that purple mazamora I ended up throwing up when I got home. I think it was the sugar since I just threw up the desserts.

Lmaoo me too! And yes girl remember who you are! Know that there are always going to be things going on, maybe even more next time but if you stay focused you will get through it. My bf gets really bad anxiety and what he usually does is go for walks or plays a video game as a distraction. Maybe find something you like doing? Or treat yourself by getting pampered! Don't do your nails, go to the salon. Get a massage, do your hair, buy a something you've been wanting, etc. Self care is self love. Sometimes you cant control what goes on but i think it helps taking a step back from it all to clear the mind before dealing with the chaos. Good luck with everything and know you will always find people supporting you! ❤️❤️❤️

Looks delicious! Super colorful and vibrant! ❤️

Today’s lunch: Ground chicken and lettuce wraps. Ended up adding more avocado ? because why not

Dont beat yourself up! Those months are the hardest but just take it as a lesson learned and keep it moving. Its not going to do you any good if you dwell on it. Id try to find out what made you go backwards so that it doesnt happen again... you know, figure out the root of the problem. 420 to 296 is a great accomplishment though. Congrats! We are here for you!

Thanks! And I'm jealous! Even though I can eat it at home or from fam, I still wish there were more around me. I love trying other versions. Where I live there's only 3 spots (not counting my uncles) and two out of the 3 are not authentic. Also, its hard to find the ingredients. When we don't feel like cooking we drive 4+ hours to Patterson, NJ to eat because there are TONS of Peruvian places. There are bakeries, breakfast spots, chicken spots (this requires explaining lol), Chifa spots (Peruvian Chinese), Nikkei spots (Peruvian Japanese), etc. I feel you with the eating out. I used to eat out all the time and now Ive grown to hate it. Ill try to remember its temporary, but right now it just stinks. The other day i went to Korean BBQ with a few friends and they noticed. To make myself look normal I mostly ate pork belly. Its cut so thin I was able to trick them into thinking I was eating the average persons portion. Thats when the comments stopped. I'm thinking Ill do the same. Drink on special occasions or when I get closer to my goal weight. It seems like that what successful maintainers like yourself and others have done. Its almost my birthday so maybe Ill treat myself to a glass of wine or a mixed drink. So far I haven't heard of anyone experiencing horrible side effects so that gives me some relief too. Thanks!

Back on the meal prepping (yay!) and today’s lunch was jalapeño and bell pepper chicken burgers with an endamame salad. Finished the rest a couple hours after.