jms734

Well the results are in and they are fabulous!!! Perfect cake! Thanks to the op for this recipe! Here is how I did it. 1 tbs chocolate Protein powder ( I used chike) 1 tbs self rising flour 1 packet Splenda with fiber 2 tbs skim milk I didn't have Sugar Free Chocolate so I used about 5 unsweetened chocolate chips and barely a pinch of salt. 45 seconds in the microwave! I haven't figured out nutrtional stats yet though I will let you know when I do.

Ok this is a recipe I found on MFP and I was jonesing for some cake. So why not try it? The carbs ended up being higher than I wanted, but the calories were lower than I expected. Yours will vary depending on what products you use!
chocolate molten "lava" cake/individual sized - takes about 1 min
Mix 1 TBSP of each:
cocoa powder (I used Swiss Miss hot chocolate no sugar added mix, about 1/2 of the pkg)
flour
sugar (I used Stevia in the Raw)
Add a pinch of salt (very very little) and 2 TBSP of NF milk.
Stir, stir, stir.
Spray a ramekin (or a microwave safe small dish) with non-stick spray.
Pour the batter into it.
Take a piece of sugar free hershey's chocolate (I buy them from the candy section at WalMart), split it in half and push it down in the middle. It said to cover it with the batter, but my bowls were too big, still came out fine!
Microwave for 30-45 seconds depending on your microwave's settings.
Enjoy!
MFP nutritional value for the products that I decided to use/had showed this nutritional value to be: 86 calories/1.8 g fat/1.1 mg cholesterol/169.8 mg sodium/16.6 g carbs/3.1g protein/7.2 g sugar 1.1 g Fiber.< /p>
To me, whenever I'm jonesing for cake or chocolate, THIS was worth it. My son and his friend loved it too Hope you will as well!
Wishing you success on your WLS journeys! xxx

you may want to check out the blog "The World According to Eggface". She's a long-time bariatric patient (and still very active in the bariatric community) who loves to cook - she has several recipes on her site for all post-op stages.

1 tbsp cream cheese
1/2 oz gouda
1/2 oz sharp cheddar
1/2 oz parmesan
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1.5 oz canned chicken
a splash of milk
season to taste (I used garlic salt, oregano, onion powder and paprika)
bake at 400 for 5-8 minutes

I love her blog! !!!!
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/?m=1

This is a recipe I created based on a mocha I used to love when I lived in Oregon.
1 cup frozen cherries
2 cups milk (whatever kind you like)
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup coffee to taste (I like a strong coffee flavor) or 1 tsp instant coffee granules
1 tsp amaretto coffee creamer or flavoring(more if you like it sweeter)
1 scoop Protein Powder
Blend and enjoy!

Thank you for posting about your journey. I suspect my friend had a similar procedure 30 years ago but she refuses to look at a revision. I have tons of positive thoughts for you and this next part of your life! I’m 62 and my RNY is on 10/25. I can’t wait for the next part of my life to start!

Me, too.
Again, I might be rehashing old injuries. People here seem very live and let live, now...and WOW is that nice.
A few years ago when I was starting out there was a huge judgey vibe that I'm surprised and delighted to see doesn't really exist much here now.
I fear in trying to retroactively combat it...I've created a whole new version of it. Which was not my intent....and is regretable.
If no one gives me **** about my diet soda and eating a good carb heavy diet....I will never, I promise, piss on anyone's enjoyment of children's Vitamins. (I still think that's whackadoo personally......but I'm sure that **** I do is totally whackadoo, too. To each, their own)
Peace to all paths and best wishes to all of us.

ms.sss.....if I ever call you obsessive or crazy, it will most definately be meant in a complimentary way. You're a delight.

Hi. My name is ms.sss and I am a human being.
I drink alcohol, coffee and carbonated Water almost daily. I eat deep fried foods, fatty foods, and desserts on the regular. I eat popcorn (smothered in butter and lots of salt). There were 4-5 straight days just after Christmas where my diet for the entire day(s) consisted of solely alcohol and pecan butter tarts, no joke! I smoke cigarettes and drive well above the speed limit. I smoked pot almost every weekend last summer. I have not filed my personal income taxes for the past 2 years. If I'm home, I eat lunch on the couch with laptop, and binge watch TV for hours on end. I haven't taken my vitamins/supplements in over year. I didn't brush my teeth before I went to bed last night.
Sometimes (sometimes!) I worry that people will read what I post and get the wrong idea/message...like I'm eating too little, or too much, or just unhealthily. Or that I'm wholly irresponsible or going down the path the h*ll. Or, that someone with a different temperament than mine will do as I do and get unexpected results. But we are all adults here and we each can make decisions on our own lives without putting any onus on some stranger on the internet.
In the end, I don't assume any responsibility for your actions, nor your reactions to mine. I will commiserate with you, make suggestions, share a joke, and offer up my own personal experiences. But what you do with your lives is on you*.
* Clarification: You == the collective "You", NOT the OP nor anyone else on this thread specifically.

Before I support or condemn, I must know one thing:
What genre of TV do you binge?

Prestonandme.... I feel your post completely, and it's part of what I'm talking about. This addiction DOES kill. So yeah...there's that sense that only the best advice should be uttered. Because the stakes are really really high. I get what you're saying.
But at the same time, I worry that the humanity gets lost, the comisseration and humor gets lost. Often, we laugh to survive. We share, we comisserate. And I feel like there are times when it's hard to be someone struggling in a place that caters to perfectionism. Can you follow what I'm saying? Maybe I'm saying it badly.
It's a tough balance...because I don't want my posts to be a trigger, either, you know? I don't want to promote or romanticize the addiction. I know that some folks here have felt (understandably) afraid of their relationship with food and obesity...and a regimented, highly disciplined approach is their best way to feel safe and in control.
But I also know....it's ok to be human. It's ok to share the experience with other people. We don't have to feel so ashamed of the crap we deal with. I'm not saying it's ok to blow your plan on a regular basis or succumb to the addiction and just throw up your hands.
But I think there is value in being honest about this process. Sometimes seeing a room full of perfection is soul crushing.

Every so often I feel torn on these forums about my role and what I should say.
On the one hand, I'm a veteran now....and have had success with this whole undertaking that I feel pretty proud of. There are a lot of struggles and things that I can comment about with some hard earned observations and experiences. I can be all.....mentory...and have good mentor-ish things to say to newbies.
Sometimes I feel a responsibility to *provide a good example* and only say things that are in harmony with the bariatric sages...and play the proper acolyte to the Bariatric Authority.
But here's the part where I feel torn.
I also want to tell the truth. I want to be the kind of poster I really enjoyed reading when I was first looking into this crazy ride.
I want to be unvanished, raw and HONEST. Because I value that in people. I value that risk. I value those stories....because sometimes people really need those stories. Even if they're terrible advice and provide a terrible example! Sometimes just knowing someone else....occasionally has a horrible day and eats the entire pack of four Yasso bars....helps you to live your life and forgive yourself.
I want to say: Yes, I drink diet soda. I know it's probably unwise and I also know there's hype about it that's untrue....AND....I know a lot of you drink it, too. And some of you drink real soda.....and will probably rot in hell for it. LOLOLOL
Ya'll won't admit it....but I've seen ya. I've peeked in those windows and I know you do all sorts of awful stuff. You eat peanut M&Ms and drink soda and beer and buy the occasional McDonald's kid's meal and can of Pringles. At Christmas, you cheat. You eat stuff you shouldn't. You ate Halloween candy. Ok, it was just a couple of pieces...but it made you happy.
We're not perfect. We screw up. We make questionable choices. Sometimes regularly. We STILL have unhealthy food moments. We're works in progress.
Can we talk about it as adults...knowing it's a crap example...but also knowing that it's human?
We still do weird assed extreme things in realtion to food.
How many calories in two almonds and one dried cherry? I HAVE TO WRITE IT DOWN.
How many grams of protien in one pint of donated blood? How many calories do I lose when I menstruate? I had a cold and blew my nose ten times and the internet says snot is made of protien...do I have to up my protien?
I once heard a lady on one of these boards say....she had her flinstone chewable multi vitamin....for dessert after her meal. And it was delicious. 😳
Is it wrong to admit I wanted to slap her?
I'll admit it...I ate a S'more about two weeks after I had surgery. I remember it as the most exquisite thing I've ever eaten...and I nibbled that one little square of heaven all night in front of the fireplace with the Christmas lights on. Licked it, actually. Down to a stump. LOL.
And Yes, ..a part of me is still screaming at myself.....You had a freaking S'more right after your surgery???? What the actual H*ll???!!! What were you thinking? (I lived...crap, I even lost weight to goal...but I commited this food crime. Guilty.)
Sometimes I think we lose our humanity in this environment....because as some folks have noticed, there's a competative thing. Some weird ick factor of needing the best score...the tiniest dinner...the least daily calories. "I'm going to get down to my original weight of 9 pounds 3 ounces if it kills me. Could someone please eat the other half of my lentil? It's too much for me."
And then I think....crap, maybe these folks really ARE as together as they seem and I'm just nutty and disordered and still fighting through this mess everyday three years out...isn't normal...
But then I look at the number of folks who wash out...and think......nope. MOST of us are struggling and screw up. MOST of us continue to screw up and figure it out.
Would be fun to do the research to put an actual number on it....
But I'd bet at least 90% of us...have secrets they would never disclose in a forum like this about one screw up or another.
I think we need a Confession thread. Where correction is not allowed. Where worry and concern (and abject horror) are forbidden to be expressed. Where we can just let that other lost soul know....yep, I licked a S'more, too....you're not alone.
All sins can be forgiven. Tomorrow is always a new day.

Congratulations on your sleeve. First I’m going to address the issue of Protein. In the beginning Protein is super important. It helps heal, Hair loss, muscle building, skin elasticity, etc. My full liquid diet consisted of 3 Protein Shakes a day with a list of other fluids in between my shakes. My surgery center let me know it was imperative that I got in at least 3 protein shakes a day. I went home with a 30 day supply of Bariatric Fusion protein power and Vitamins. Along with prescription for nausea and pain. So not having any protein for two week properly isn’t a good thing. They also gave me a list of approved bariatric protein shakes and powders so I can order more once I ran out of what they sent me home with.

Now to address the negative, I don’t recommend anyone go abroad or go for a cheaper version. I actually feel sad for you because we went to a place that didn’t give you the correct information to be successful in the long run. This surgery is about so much more than have someone reputable to cut into you. It’s good to have a surgery team to be there for you before and after the surgery and to let you up for success.

Everyone’s situation is different. Your starting weight was like mine in the 200s, so I didn’t have to undergo some of the things that others have. I must mention the I had RNY and not sleeve.

There are a couple of things that I see that I know my surgery center in the US would have caught. Assuming you had heart burn before your surgery, RNY would have been the way to go instead.
Also I started my surgery journey in August and I had my surgery in November in the US. During the months leading up to surgery, I was taught a new way of eating not only food choices, but also how to chew, eat slower, and take smaller bites. This made it easier for after surgery. I was also accustomed to ending this new way.
I had several tests done just to ensure I was healthy enough handle the anesthesia. During the coarse of these tests it was discovered that I had sleep apnea and an irregular heart beat. Had I gone aboard and settled for a cheaper option, I could have died one the table because the anesthesiologist not know of these issues and we hadn’t worked to correct them as much as possible before hand.
I had to work with a psychiatrist to work through my emotional eating. Now I turn to prayer or journaling instead of a bowl of ice cream and potato chips.

So I said all that to say, YES you need protein.
And to discourage anyone from taking a short cut or cheaper option. As you can see you can easily be given misinformation or left without the necessary info and tools to be successful after the surgery.

Best wishes 💛💛💛💛

Hi everyone,
Hope all is well.
I was sleeved December 5th 2017, due to GERD. I had a Gastric bypass December 7th( this past Tuesday). Everything went good. I'm sore from the incisions. I continue my walk so I don't get clots. I'm so sleepy. Just wanted to touch base with yall. It's over time to began the process.
Sent from my SM-F711U using BariatricPal mobile app

Stratusphr- I’ve heard that for most the gerd goes away. I’ve also heard the recovery is a bit more rough than with sleeve. I had open rny to begin with. While it was painful at first, it does get better as you heel. Follow your doctors instructions and do your post op diet which is usually sipping liquids at first. You can do this. It’s worth it. You can do hard things. Best of luck to you.

Hello.
I was going to be your revision buddy and I am so sorry you weren't able to have it done. I hope you are able to straighten it out and be back on track. Please look me up when you come back. Take good care.
Katrina

My date got pushed back to February 16th. I have to lose 20-30lbs by Dec 7 th to go ahead with it. I’m down 11. So nerve wracking. Hope the rest of you are well.

Ugh, I'm heartbroken. My insurance has just come back and rejected my surgery, even though I have CT scans and endoscopies proving hiatal hernia and esophageal erosion. The doctor previously told me he was 100% confident it would be covered since the surgery was medically necessary. I was already one week into my pre-op liquid diet and SO ready to feel better. Best of luck to those of you getting your surgeries soon. I'll keep you all in my thoughts.

Yes, I know you can do it! I started with lap band 8 years ago, but had problems keeping anything down and converted to the sleeve 5 years ago. I LOVED the sleeve until about a year ago when I developed really, really bad GERD. So I'm hoping 3rd time's the charm as I convert from sleeve to RNY.

@SteveT74 do you need an alto to sing with you. I have been a sneaker, a binger and a unrepentant food addict, halfway through my Dietary Purgatory, the infamous Liver-shrink Diet, it would be so easy to say F this is so over. 3 things pop up in my current-time memory:
1, I really really want this surgery, at my age there are no gaurenteed do-overs, no more chances, the easy tricks don't work, and oh I tried!
2. I remember Dr Needlman palpating my upper abdomen, got to the RIGHT subcostal area and says to himself "Un-huh". Now I am medically "smarter than the average bear" as my good Buddy Yogi Bear would say. He's feeling liver margin, didn't have to scream you have NASH, I knew! Looks up at me and says " You are going to follow my diet aren't you?" What could I say? Yes Sir, I will Sir, shall I polish your shoes Sir? I was called to rights there! Can't fool someone who has been in the Bariatrics business as long as him! Not complaining, I wanted the best-I got him.
3 I have lost nearly 13 pounds now since August 1st. Only time in my life I dropped weight faster was when I had just produced a baby. Oh I liked producing babies, but at 72 that's a LONG time ago. If I could with egg and sperm donations produce another baby would I want to? Nope, too much
pain, mess and bother for this old girl!
But if I can lose weight with a BMR like mine, equal to a tired slug who's on anti-depressive medication, at my age you youngins got nothing to quibble about. Oh it's not fun, goes against most all happiness, contrary to normal nature, but it can be done, Buttercup, yes it can.😛🌻

OP, I don't know your stats, but unless you have a thyroid condition or other serious metabolic issue (like taking high doses of insulin for type 2 diabetes), you should be able to drop 10 pounds in a month. It sounds like the problem here is that the amount you are being asked to lose is small enough that you might have blown off the diet until the last minute (sort of like cramming for an exam back in high school). I know you can lose the weight in time. Hell, I can lose 20 pounds in a month in I have to (although I also know I would gain 25 back afterwards). In the end, the surgery is just a tool and you're going to have to make some major lifestyle changes anyway if you are going to keep all weight off even after surgery. Now is a good time to start as any,
Think positively and start practicing for you post-op diet now. Try cutting your portions down. Use bread plates instead of big plates for your meals. After you're done with your meal (normal size portions on a small plate, which is at least half veggies)---wait 20 minutes before you you give yourself seconds. I am not telling you not to eat more, but think about whether you are really hungry and whether you really need to have that extra portion. Is that extra portion really going to be worth it when it comes time for your weigh in. It's all about mindful eating. If you need to snack, make sure you have healthy Snacks available--fruit and veggies without fattening dressings. Cut your food into small pieces (don't wolf it down). Put your fork down after every bite and chew each bite 15 times. It's annoying at first, but you get used to it (and you're going to need to do it anyway post-op). Also, the key to losing weight is drinking lots of Water over the course of a day (at least 64oz) [that's always a hard one for me, but if you just sip on a water bottle a every few minutes you can do it).
I am not on my high horse or anything---I admit to being a food addict, binge eater and sneak eater. So, no judgments from me, but if you want this surgery that badly, you will commit 100% to losing 10 pounds in 4 weeks and you will make it happen!!

This is so important. Make sure you are mentally ready to commit to the type of changes you will have to go through for this surgery. Pre surgery it is very hard to commit to the changes but you have to if you want to succeed. The sucky thing now it that you have to REALLY commit to it all and in a very short amount of time. Hopefully this does not discourage you. Follow the advice given here and by your NUT. You CAN lose the weight in the time you have left. If you need support we are all here to do just that. Ask questions, ask for support whenever you need it. We all want to succeed and help each other succeed. Don't feel like your alone.

Are you really ready for this?

I'm curious, were you *really* following the diet they gave you to the letter without cheating? If you really did, and you didn't lose any weight, I personally would call out the nutritionist for providing you with a diet that wouldn't meet your needs.

But, 6 months to lose 10 lbs, isn't hard to do. Simply cutting most to all carbs, soda and sugars will net you a 10 lb drop fairly quickly.