Cheeseburgh

Watermelon and cantaloupe were the first fruits I tried and I had no problem. Disclaimer: I seem to have an iron stomach, nothing has bothered me.

It is called guanciale and it is delicious. It is pretty much the opposite of Canadian bacon! Canadian bacon is super lean smoked/cured pork tenderloin.

My insurance (Aetna) would not cover it regardless who I went to, it was an out of pocket expense. My surgeons office informed me that would happen. Maybe it is just an Illinois thing, but they told me most plans don’t cover that portion. I also have a really good Aetna plan. I think it was $300 for the evaluation.

You look fantastic!

I didn’t join the board until much later, I’m going to try and find the original thread tonight. I hope everyone is doing well. I remember thinking it was a bad time of year to get the surgery for some unknown reason, now I think it is a perfect time of year. It is so nice to be healthier this summer. I had surgery 8/13/18. I hope it’s ok if I chime in now. I didn’t start taking pictures until recently, here are my April-June comparisons. I took the first picture when I joined the gym. I’m close to my goal weight, I just haven’t decided what that is.

Please don’t narc on others if they post on a different thread, we are here to support each other. Tomorrow’s mantra is about lifting up others, we should do that everyday. I just noticed the fitness calendar stops on the 24th! I’ll just do lunges today. I did do 25 minutes of cardio at the gym this morning and now I have an appointment with my hammock.

@NurseMichael I went and observed today, halfway through I realized it is pretty much the same cardio class I attended on Friday. (Same instructor) It definitely is hard but I’m going to start going next week. I do like the idea of a shorter intense workout.

I honest to God got fat eating skinny pop. I skyrocketed to obese in about 4 months. I hopped on the scale one day, almost fainted then immediately made an appointment and had surgery 5 months later.

Popcorn, it was like an addiction before I had surgery. I swear I will never eat it again.

I didn’t eat bread for months and I don’t eat a lot of it now because like you, I love it too much. I used and still use Mission street taco (corn) tortillas before I dared to try bread. They are the small ones like you get at a taqueria. The calories and carbs are pretty close to 1 slice of bread, 66 calories and 12 carb for 2 tortillas. They serve their purpose for me and I don’t crave them so it works as a good substitute for me. ETA, congratulations on quitting smoking, I quit 20 years ago myself and never looked back.

I imagine it’s different for bypass vs. sleeve. With the sleeve we don’t have malabsorption, I’m unclear if bypass has that side effect or if that is just the duodenal switch. You are only 3 months out too, I’m pretty sure I was still relying on protein shakes at that point too.

I use My Fitness Pal too, I think that is the most common tracking app.

Has anyone tried Tabata? My gym offers it and it sounds like it’s an effective workout in a short period of time, however sounds scary and hardcore. I’m not sure if I could make it through so I’d love to hear from any survivors!

Repeat all day, I don’t like mantras.

I eat breakfast closer to lunchtime. Usually 3oz lean deli ham with one slice of toasted ancient grain bread from Trader Joe’s. Total about 175 calories lunch examples: Jimmy John unwich turkey no mayo extra turkey and an apple or grapes. 185 calories total I make tacos with 96% lean ground beef, this one keeps me sane. 4 oz of meat and 2 Old El Paso crunchy taco shells is a total of 240 calories and the carbs are pretty low. I do add a bunch of lettuce, (no cheese) tomato and peppers usually. It feels like cheating when I have this. Another great find were the Chili lime chicken burgers from Trader Joe’s, they are 150 calories. Dinner. Grilled 4 oz chicken breast or grilled chicken Italian sausage with a grilled veggie, usually average 225 calories for dinner. Or see above tacos! Shrimp are always a great choice too. I never eat tacos twice a day, I make the seasoned meat and freeze it in portions. I am farther out than you and I’m not super phobic about carbs, I just keep mine to under 70 right now. i usually have a 100 calorie snack like a mini kind bar with decaf coffee before bed. I hope that gives you an idea.

Plan my week with me as a priority. This is a good week for me to do that. My husband is out of town for business so it will be easy. I’m skipping the gym today but I’ll do planks and some crunches at home. I’ve lost a few pounds this week which surprised me. I swear I’m losing weight easier now that I’m under 142. (I probably just jinxed myself.) I’m still unsure of my goal weight though, and terrified at maintenance.

Me

I’m not into mantras either, however, I am my biggest source of motivation. I just know that and I don’t need to convince myself. Did 30 minutes of cardio today. Going out to dinner tonight to my favorite Mexican restaurant, their shredded chicken tacos are amazing and not bad for you at all. After dinner we will walk over to the park and have a leisurely stroll if it’s not raining.

The cardio class at my new gym was very hard but I survived. The same trainer that told me I was in really good shape yesterday was leading it. I’m pretty sure he wants to rescind that statement. I swear he asked me 5 times, “are you ok ma’am?” during the class. I wanted to say no, I’m old so slow down pal! but instead I just did my best. This is the first high intensity cardio class I’ve taken, they are no joke!

I am not big on self affirmation but I’ll give my unique self a whirl today. I am NOT doing burpees. I have my first cardio class at my new gym today, the trainer has a very different philosophy than my previous one. He believes in 20-30 minute strenuous workouts vs. 1 hour long workouts. I like the idea, I just hope I can keep up, he really pushed me hard yesterday while doing my assessment. Now watch there will be burpees... I was taken aback afterwards when he said, “you’re in really good shape” I felt like turning around to see who he was talking to. I have my final assessment at my original gym next Friday, I am looking forward to seeing what I accomplished. They took a ton of measurements and tests for comparison. I will be a year out in August and I am not going to relax or let my foot off the gas. I’ve worked hard to get here, it has been worth it and I am not giving it up, I haven’t felt this good in years. I hope this thread keeps going, I see too many stories of regain and I enjoy having a touchstone, the camaraderie, and a place to check in to keep me aware and engaged. I have also learned a lot from you guys. @GreenTealael I’m not ignoring your B side question, I just can’t think of one!

Declutter the physical, I’m going to attack my linen closet today and I’m not really looking forward to that. The weather has been dreary here all week so it’s good day to do something dreary. Flutter kicks are hard but I feel like they really help. I found my new gym! I’m really excited, I’m just waiting for the personal trainer to contact me. I’m glad I settled on one, I had my dates mixed up and my last day at my current one is a week from Friday. @thatch Good to see you! @GreenTealael Are you going to do this thread in July? (Pretty please?)

Thank you, I should have worded that differently. I can see the improvement in the photographs, I was surprised because It didn’t feel like I looked different. I’m so mad the gym works lol.