Double_Me

Looks delicious, I make a very similar sauce to eat with salmon too. So good!

HW: 250+? SW: 245 CW: 141. 4'10", 31 years old. 1st pic was in 2016, I was at 250+, 2nd was last month. I'm around 145. I still have a ways to go. Haven't dropped by in a while but this place is a godsend for pre-op and post-op questions and concerns. Thanks to all here for the support.

I had 2 major fears. 1) Like many others, dying on the table. This was especially bad as I could not say goodbye or hug my loved ones due to COVID quarantine. 2) Saying goodbye to how I used to eat, permanently. I had an abusive relationship with food and I was afraid that I wasn't ready to change my relationship with eating. It was hard at first... I spent some time mourning food, right before and during my pre-op diet. But through therapy and with help from the surgery I've been able to reduce my reliance on food for comfort. My body seems to enjoy healthier, simpler meals more than complex/fatty ones, so the comfort I used to find in chicken nuggets I get from some good soup.

Glad to hear everyone is doing well! I had a big scale victory the other day- I'm now over halfway to my goal! As for NSV, I'm in the same boat as @BigSue, where my formerly 'too small' clothes are now mostly too large. I've had to buy a couple of pieces and punch a couple of holes into my pants. I can also feel my feet getting looser in my shoes. Not looking forward to replacing my footwear collection.. hopefully I can get away with wearing larger shoes if I have fuzzy socks on.

I feel you. I’m about 50 lbs down and still in the same clothing as I started with. I take pictures every 10 lbs I’ve lost, and in the first couple pictures it doesn’t look like I’ve lost that much. But as I’ve lost more weight each lb lost is a greater ratio of your current weight, and the sizes should start dropping quickly. Especially once you get into straight sizes, which seem to be much closer together than say a 3x vs 2x.

I'm in the same boat at about 9 weeks out. Fall soups would be great for puree stage, like a blended roasted butternut squash soup with some yogurt mixed in or on the side. You could probably mix in a spoonful of unflavored protein powder too once the soup cools. Maybe you could also try some yogurt with a no sugar added cranberry sauce? Cook down cranberries with a little orange zest and nutmeg, blend, sieve, and stir into yogurt or ricotta. Good luck!

Agreed with @ms.sss that it'll be hard to find denser protein than meat/seafood without supplementation. I do a lot of chili/taco style one-pot dishes to eat for dinner throughout the week. If you like beans, Alison Roman has a really fantastic (and easy!!) chickpea stew recipe that uses coconut milk and leafy greens. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019772-spiced-chickpea-stew-with-coconut-and-turmeric I tried it and think some chicken thighs would go well to bump that protein up. Id also ignore the advice about full-fat coconut milk and go for the lite, or change the ratio of chicken broth to coconut milk since this dish is really hearty!

I've been making some tasty meals but my phone is dead and I havent been able to take pictures! 😭 Come on pixel 5/iphone 12... My recent fav has been shiozake, japanese salted salmon. Cut salmon into 2 oz filets, marinate in sake for 10 mins, pat dry and coat in salt. Line a tupperware with paper towels and stick it in the fridge. Broil on a sheet pan for 5 mins, no need to flip. I do this for breakfast every morning these days, so easy and good

Echoing Tek, what was the guidance given by your surgeon/nutritionist post-op? I'm only a couple of months out so I am not out of the honeymoon period by any means and my advice may be off-base. But maybe looking at eating habits that are coming back into your life may shed some light on regain. Could be lots of snacking, ordering out, not tracking, rewarding yourself with food, etc... This journal is adorable 🤩

I hear you, I was sick of the protein shakes during liquid/puree phase too. Home made chicken stock was a lifesaver if you have the time to make it. If not, you could take a store-bought chicken stock and heat it with some knox gelatin to give it some body while you eat. You can also try out savory versions of soft food prep, I enjoyed ricotta with plain ol salt and pepper many times over my puree phase.

I had my surgery 7/27 of this year. Due to COVID-19 my practice didn't allow guests into the waiting or recovery rooms, so I don't think it will strike them as unusual at all. The nurses and surgeon were very busy getting prepped for surgery so I doubt they would care if nobody was around with or without COVID restrictions. I will echo loridee's comment- Having my cell phone on me was able to help distract my mind while in the waiting room. I didn't end up using it much post-op.

lunch today, 2.5 oz of chicken salad with diced red onion, sweet mini peppers, pickles. 10g of roasted/salted pistachios tossed on top

I'm doing well! Getting into the rhythm of getting all my protein in without relying too much on shakes or powder. Continuing to have a variety of foods. Had some people over last night, and had a bit of dessert/real sugar for the first time since surgery. Kept it all within my calorie limit, and didn't have any dumping symptoms. I don't plan on making dessert a habit, but good to know whether or not I'll get sick. My weight is pretty inconsistent as well. I stay the same weight for 3-5 days, lose weight the next few days and repeat. I do feel a difference in inches lost though!

14.6 kg is fantastic for one month! I had a 7 day stall as well a couple of weeks after surgery. Then I lost 5 lbs within a couple of days. Just keep at it and you'll be fine. Has your body continued to show changes? While my weight was stalled, I still was noticing physical changes to my body (had to swap out for a smaller belt). As for portion sizes, what did your dietitian advise? I usually eat about 60g of protein per meal with an additional 30g of a side food if I have room.

Lots of people like to make claims about how effective or ineffective surgery is with anecdotes about success or failure stories they’ve experienced in their lives. So it’s great to have some studies with concrete, long term results 😁