NP_WIP

I have a banquet to attend tonight. In the past I’d be in tears trying to find anything to fit. Tonight I had six options right in my closet and they all look good. I’m actually excited to go!

Tried my hand at Grilled Caprese. Pretty good, if i say so myself!
Mr. forwarded this recipe to me because we were watching a cooking show where they were making focaccia and i was all, "i can do that!":
https://www.thekitchn.com/grilled-caprese-focaccia-23552694?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Frecipes
I only had whole wheat flour on hand, so i was not very optimistic about the end result, but it turned out super yum...that nutty flavour from the flour was delish. I did have to add an extra 1/4 cup of Water to make up for the dryness of the whole wheat flour though, but it was all good.
Baked it in a cast Iron pan on the bbq. Gave it a nice smoky flavour!
I calculated a serving as 1/12 of the whole thing. Ate a full "serving" with a generous lump of labneh: 249 calories.

I only found out about this site today. I began my trip down the bariatric road in late February of this year after roughly 4 years of being pointed in this direction by my doctor.
I was resistant primarily because prior to back-to-back knee injuries (right first, followed by the left three months later) in 2008 which were both 'corrected' surgically but have rapidly deteriorated in the years since to the point where I'm grinding bone-on-bone on both sides, I was very active - ice hockey 3x per week including 1x week through the summer, gym 6 days/wk, cycling 100-200 miles/week, so I could 'do it myself'...except with my knees in the state they are, I can't. Having consulted with two separate orthopaedic surgeons, they both agreed I need total knee replacement in both knees - badly - but neither will perform the procedure at my weight. Having this surgery is a stepping stone to my ultimate goal of no longer being a 56 year old 80 year old.
So, upon being referred to the bariatric program here in Toronto, I attended the virtual orientation class on March 7th and subsequently attended either virtually or in person, all of the other classes/consults up to and including the surgeon, and have done a sleep study and had an endoscopy and on July 7, received my surgery date; Aug 28
Being in Canada, I will only be out of pocket for the two weeks of liquid diet pre-surgery and then the regimented stages of dietary progression post-surgery. Everything else is covered including all of the diagnostics, the surgery and the hospital stay.
I'm looking forward to getting my life back...

I can understand that to be frustrating.
Just brainstorming thoughts... What types of foods are you eating? For example, sticking to low fat/sugar/carb and high Protein. What about drinks? Low to no calorie. Physical activity? Cardio and strength training. What about medications? Too much sodium? Water weight? Are you still tracking your food and fluids? Has your team done blood work lately? What does the nutritionist say?
Another way to measure progress is by measuring different areas of your body versus just the scale. Maybe you're losing inches instead of pounds. How about the way you feel or activities you can now do.
Hopefully, you and your team can figure out what is going on.

I managed to go to a conference all of last week and still have energy to hit the Disney parks in the evenings. I had 20k+ steps every day. I wasn't afraid of not fitting in rides (even the kiddie ones), I didn't feel like people were looking at me and judging me, and I managed to loose a few pounds even with the crappy food provided (kids menu were just fast food and at sit down restaurant massive 4oz of steak, 20 baby potatoes and half a head of broccoli)

BP medicine down from 10mg preop to 2.5mg, PCP admitted she will keep me on it because when I'm at the office it spikes but my records are all below 110/70, hoping to have it removed at my 3 month follow up.

Do not beat yourself up for eating it, take it as a learning experience and understand that it may be a trigger food for you. What works for me is eating after I served myself what would be my portion, sometimes even less and then waiting a few minutes to see if I want more. I time my meals to be 30min, if I do not eat my portion within that time, I just stop and leave it for later as a snack.
Follow your guidelines as that can vary and speak to your team if you feel you need more direct help.

That is normal with Isopure, even the fruity ones. Make it ahead like suggested before, it should be gone after 3 minutes or so.

I managed to go to a conference all of last week and still have energy to hit the Disney parks in the evenings. I had 20k+ steps every day. I wasn't afraid of not fitting in rides (even the kiddie ones), I didn't feel like people were looking at me and judging me, and I managed to loose a few pounds even with the crappy food provided (kids menu were just fast food and at sit down restaurant massive 4oz of steak, 20 baby potatoes and half a head of broccoli)

Prior to surgery up to a week depending on what it was. After surgery I will do 3-4 days depending on what it is, some meats tend to get drier, and if that's the case I will add some broth. Today I'm having carnitas which I made on Friday, and just adding some broth when reheating, heck I may have some left over for tomorrow 🤷‍♀️

Prior to surgery up to a week depending on what it was. After surgery I will do 3-4 days depending on what it is, some meats tend to get drier, and if that's the case I will add some broth. Today I'm having carnitas which I made on Friday, and just adding some broth when reheating, heck I may have some left over for tomorrow 🤷‍♀️

Prior to surgery up to a week depending on what it was. After surgery I will do 3-4 days depending on what it is, some meats tend to get drier, and if that's the case I will add some broth. Today I'm having carnitas which I made on Friday, and just adding some broth when reheating, heck I may have some left over for tomorrow 🤷‍♀️

i don't normally eat Pasta unless its homemade by my Mr. (he makes THE best fresh pasta, omg)
so todays lunch is about 1 cup of his cooked pasta, tossed in butter and olive oil topped with grilled asparagus and sautéed mushrooms and some parmesan.
324 cals for the bowl.
got though about 1/2 the pasta noodles, but ate everything else.

I had my surgery in another city, had to fly out. All my appointments have been virtual. I had 1 week post op, 2 weeks post op, and then every 3 months up until a year. I can reach out to them at any time though, and I have support meetings 3 times a week also on Zoom.

I agree with adding seasonings, it really helps make food more palatable. One of the things I noticed after surgery is that in the past when I was following a plan, I restricted spices/condiments and made my food bland, which eventually got tiring and made me quit. This time around I'm using regular seasoning and just keeping to my portions and macros.

Great advice from the others above.
Yes there are many advantages the survey affords you. The other bonus of the surgery, which I think is most valuable, is the time & opportunity it gives you to change the way you eat. You introduce healthier, more nutritious foods. You discover healthier ways to cook food, better alternatives to old favourites, new flavours, portion sizes, nutrient content of foods, etc. You change your relationship with food, better understand how you ate & why you ate & better manage those impulses. (You can do this alone or do it with the support of therapy.) You understand more about what your body needs you to eat to function effectively versus what you just want to eat. You’ll learn what your body needs will likely be different to what someone else needs. And that there’s no one right way to eat. There’s only the right way for you.
Don’t know about you, but no other diet I was ever on gave me this opportunity & I’ve been on a lot of different ones over the years. I saw a diet as being restricted or being punished. As soon as the diet finished I went back to eating the same way as I did before. I didn’t learn a single thing in all those years of dieting. Since my surgery I’ve made quite a few changes to my eating but I don’t think I’m on a never ending diet to maintain my weight. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. This is just how I eat. It’s a change of how I think about & look at food & eating. And yes, I still enjoy food & the flavours, textures, etc.
I’m very grateful for all I’ve learnt & discovered since my surgery.

pretty hungry this AM so whipped up a "breakfast cheese quesadilla" with a side of a bit of greek yogurt for dipping. I usually have sour cream for quesadilla dipping, but u know what? greek yogurt does the same (if not better!) job
401 calories for it all.

Zoo day (yesterday) and zoo food. Our zoo has several encounters and walkthrough areas- including kangaroos. It’s honestly one of my favorite places and I’d go every week if I lived a smidge closer.

We were told to be careful when microwaving or reheating food, because it can dry out the Proteins and make it harder to chew and digest, but we can still use it.

I managed to go to a conference all of last week and still have energy to hit the Disney parks in the evenings. I had 20k+ steps every day. I wasn't afraid of not fitting in rides (even the kiddie ones), I didn't feel like people were looking at me and judging me, and I managed to loose a few pounds even with the crappy food provided (kids menu were just fast food and at sit down restaurant massive 4oz of steak, 20 baby potatoes and half a head of broccoli)

I managed to go to a conference all of last week and still have energy to hit the Disney parks in the evenings. I had 20k+ steps every day. I wasn't afraid of not fitting in rides (even the kiddie ones), I didn't feel like people were looking at me and judging me, and I managed to loose a few pounds even with the crappy food provided (kids menu were just fast food and at sit down restaurant massive 4oz of steak, 20 baby potatoes and half a head of broccoli)

I managed to go to a conference all of last week and still have energy to hit the Disney parks in the evenings. I had 20k+ steps every day. I wasn't afraid of not fitting in rides (even the kiddie ones), I didn't feel like people were looking at me and judging me, and I managed to loose a few pounds even with the crappy food provided (kids menu were just fast food and at sit down restaurant massive 4oz of steak, 20 baby potatoes and half a head of broccoli)

I managed to go to a conference all of last week and still have energy to hit the Disney parks in the evenings. I had 20k+ steps every day. I wasn't afraid of not fitting in rides (even the kiddie ones), I didn't feel like people were looking at me and judging me, and I managed to loose a few pounds even with the crappy food provided (kids menu were just fast food and at sit down restaurant massive 4oz of steak, 20 baby potatoes and half a head of broccoli)

I managed to go to a conference all of last week and still have energy to hit the Disney parks in the evenings. I had 20k+ steps every day. I wasn't afraid of not fitting in rides (even the kiddie ones), I didn't feel like people were looking at me and judging me, and I managed to loose a few pounds even with the crappy food provided (kids menu were just fast food and at sit down restaurant massive 4oz of steak, 20 baby potatoes and half a head of broccoli)

I bought an adjustable dress form, before surgery. I couldn't afford one that would fit me, because I was too large. So, I bought a mid-sized form that I could afford and just padded the heck out of it.
Today, I tried to make the form smaller, to match what my measurements are now and it won't go as small as I need it to be. This is absolutely shocking to me, because I'm really not that small.
I'm just... floored.