marfar7

Just a hint: I get bashed for saying this exact thing. I got wls cuz I was tired of dieting. I don't count anything. My labs r good and I only have a few lbs to goal. I plan on continuing with my way forever.
While the loss was much slower than those who got to goal within 6 mths (I'm a yr out), I'm happy with the way things are going.
Not many people here believe this theory. Prepare to get some comments...
Congrats on ur refusal to continue dieting. If I wanted to count everything, I coulda done that wihtout removing 85% of my stomach...

I am not on a diet, yippee! Because I was such a restrictor (with inevitable bounce-backs, obviously), it is better for me not to count and measure. I know what's right and if I'm having too much. I don't count Protein grams but love protein -- it is great for me to be more relaxed about food. I'm happy I still really enjoy it -- and all the prep, etc. -- but I use my planning, counting, obsessing energy for exercise instead. Love counting that!

Just a hint: I get bashed for saying this exact thing. I got wls cuz I was tired of dieting. I don't count anything. My labs r good and I only have a few lbs to goal. I plan on continuing with my way forever.
While the loss was much slower than those who got to goal within 6 mths (I'm a yr out), I'm happy with the way things are going.
Not many people here believe this theory. Prepare to get some comments...
Congrats on ur refusal to continue dieting. If I wanted to count everything, I coulda done that wihtout removing 85% of my stomach...

Just a hint: I get bashed for saying this exact thing. I got wls cuz I was tired of dieting. I don't count anything. My labs r good and I only have a few lbs to goal. I plan on continuing with my way forever.
While the loss was much slower than those who got to goal within 6 mths (I'm a yr out), I'm happy with the way things are going.
Not many people here believe this theory. Prepare to get some comments...
Congrats on ur refusal to continue dieting. If I wanted to count everything, I coulda done that wihtout removing 85% of my stomach...

Just a hint: I get bashed for saying this exact thing. I got wls cuz I was tired of dieting. I don't count anything. My labs r good and I only have a few lbs to goal. I plan on continuing with my way forever.
While the loss was much slower than those who got to goal within 6 mths (I'm a yr out), I'm happy with the way things are going.
Not many people here believe this theory. Prepare to get some comments...
Congrats on ur refusal to continue dieting. If I wanted to count everything, I coulda done that wihtout removing 85% of my stomach...

Heck no! Isn't that one of the benefits of having the surgery--- getting away from all that dieting shhhtuff! My NUT said, if you count anything, count Protein grams to make sure you're getting enough. I imagine, after you do that for a few months, you'd have it down & wouldn't even have to do that.
Congratulations on your continuing progress. It sounds like you're working hard.

I eat a little bit of whatever I'm craving and call it a day. If I try to eat around something (say a cookie), I will eat a 1/2 an apple (40 cals). When that didn't work, I'll eat a cup of sf choc pudding (60 cals). When that doesn't work, I'll eat a Protein bar( 120 cals). By the time I'm done trying to quench my craving with stuff I DON"T want, I coulda eaten 3-4 Cookies.
So I'll eat one and avoid the extra food and calories.
Works for me.

I will confess also: About 2x a month, when out to eat, I will have a couple sips off my husbands diet soda. A couple sips is all I need. No pain or side effects. I would never dream of ordering my own soda. Just not worth the $2 to take 2 sips. And I burp like a sailor afterwards...

A lot of us have slightly different habits during the summer compared to the rest of the year. We often have a little bit more time in the summer, and the extra time, sunny days, and long evenings give us the chance to do things we can't always do year-round. Some of your healthy summer habits might be swimming, walking around town with your friends, or playing with your children at the park.
Unfortunately, not all summer traditions are healthy. Before weight loss surgery, you may have depended on frozen treats to help beat the heat and have fun. Ice cream cones, bars, and sandwiches, popsicles, smoothies, and slushies are cold choices, but they do not belong on your weight loss surgery diet.
They can be high in calories, so your weight loss can stall.
They can be high in sugar, so you can get dumping syndrome, especially if you are a gastric bypass patient.
They can be low in nutrients, so you are less likely to meet your daily needs.
They can be high in saturated fat, which is bad for your heart.
They’re low in Protein.< br>
So what can you do when you want something cold and refreshing but don’t want to throw your weight loss off track? There are plenty of options for cold summer treats to buy or make while sticking to your diet.


Avoid the Bad Choices
There’s no doubt that ice cream tastes good, so you may need a little extra help gathering the willpower to resist it. The following scary statistics should be enough to make you think twice before indulging.
An ice cream sandwich can have 360 calories and 10 grams of saturated fat (more than half the maximum you should have in a day).
A cup of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream (half of a pint) has 600 calories and 20 grams of saturated fat. That’s like having two meals and only getting 8 grams of protein!
A brownie sundae from Baskin Robbins has 920 calories and 97 grams of sugars. Eat one of those, and you’ll be near your calorie limit for the day.
A fruit smoothie can seem innocent, but an original Mega Mango smoothie from Jamba juice has 340 calories and 78 grams of sugars. You’re likely to feel pretty sick from all that sugar and hardly any protein.

The best way to arm yourself against these diet disasters is to have your own alternatives at the ready.
Try These Healthy Options
Fruit is high in Fiber and low in calories, and is a great choice for frozen Snacks. Add protein to your treat by using Greek yogurt or a small portion of nuts or peanuts. Try these ideas, or create your own variations.
Roll a banana in chopped peanuts and freeze it. Mix the peanuts with cinnamon before rolling, if you want.
Freeze melon or watermelon balls or grapes.
Make raspberry lemonade pops by blending raspberries – or your choice of berries – and light lemonade. Pour into paper cups, stick popsicle sticks in the centers, and freeze them.
Blend mango, peach, or another soft fruit with Greek yogurt, keeping it chunky. Freeze.
Dip strawberries, peach slices, or cherries into light Greek vanilla yogurt. Put the fruit on wax paper on a cookie sheet, and freeze your treats.

Check the Ice Cream Aisle
The ice cream aisle has some options that are good for occasional treats.
Sugar-free popsicles have 15 calories each.
No sugar added fudge pops have 40 calories each.
A small no sugar added ice cream sandwich has 100 calories.
A half-cup of no sugar added vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream has 90 calories.

Don't Get Tricked!
Never assume anything is healthy or low-calorie. Always read the nutrition facts panel and list of ingredients. Then make your own decision about whether the food belongs on your weight loss surgery diet.
Low-fat and fat-free products can be high in sugar and calories.
“Light” can mean light in color, light in calories, or light in something else.
Low-carb and low-sugar products can be high-calorie and high-fat.
Fat-free toppings, such as caramel or chocolate topping, can be high in sugar and contain 50 calories per tablespoon (that’s not a big serving size!).

Frozen Treats and Your Weight Loss Surgery Diet Rules: Solids and Liquids
After weight loss surgery, you are supposed to drink liquids separately from when you eat solid foods. This is true whether you have the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, lap-band, sleeve plication, or another kind of surgery. The reason is that solid foods stay in your stomach, pouch, or sleeve for a while, while liquids flow through more quickly and leave your stomach empty.
When you eat ice cream or ice pops, they melt in your stomach, sleeve, or pouch. This means that you do not stay full for as long as you would if you ate the same number of calories in solid foods. This does not mean that you can never have frozen treats, but it does mean that you should be aware of the extra calories you are taking in when you eat them. If possible, eat them with solid foods, such as fruit or nuts, to stay full.
Frozen Treats and Your Weight Loss Surgery Diet Rules: Portion Control
Another weight loss surgery diet rule is to use Portion Control. An innocent 90-calorie half-cup serving of non-fat frozen yogurt becomes a 360-calorie mistake if you sit down with the pint or fill up a regular-sized bowl with frozen yogurt. Always measure your portions.
Treats for the liquid and pureed Foods Stages
Ice cream and fresh fruit are off limits during the liquid post-op stage, and you can only eat selected fresh fruit on the pureed foods diet. You can still enjoy healthy, refreshing treats this summer. For example, you can enjoy frozen juice pops or make a fruit slushie without the added sugars.
Freeze one or more kinds of juice in ice cube trays.
Mix and match flavor combinations, such as apple and grape, a citrus blend with grapefruit, tangerine, and orange juices, or a tropical mixture using pineapple and raspberry lemonade juices. Be sure to choose 100 percent juice instead sugar-sweetened juice drinks.< br> When you are ready for your treat, grind the cubes in the blender until they are more like chips.< br> If your surgeon has suggested that you avoid orange juice because of its acidity, look for a low-acid brand in your supermarket.

As a dietician working in a bariatric clinic I meet a lot of patients who over eat. This is far from surprising. However, what never fails to astound me is how many of these very same people are malnourished.
It’s easy for the general public to make the connection between malnutrition and starvation in the developing world, but when it comes to overweight Westerners being malnourished it’s a different story.
In the developed world, where obesity has reached epidemic proportions, we are seeing more and more people who are overweight or obese being diagnosed with malnutrition because they consume too much of the wrong foods; foods with little to no nutritional value that are low in Protein, Vitamins and minerals.
To understand this contradictory situation you must understand the different types of nutrients and how vital they are. This is one of the main reasons why so many Westerners are plagued by chronic diseases.
According to Joanne Slavin, a nutrition professor at the University of Minnesota, the main culprit of malnutrition is usually poor protein.
“If you don’t get enough protein, you might still get enough calories without getting enough nutrients,” says Slavin.
In my experience the main “shortfall” nutrients tend to be Calcium, Fiber, potassium and Vitamin D. Many overweight individuals have packed on extra weight over the years because they have poor diets that are typically high in refined foods. These highly refined foods are high in unhealthy fats and sugars and low in the aforementioned nutrients.
In this age of calorie counting, it’s important to consider all aspects of your diet. But let me tell you, calorie content is not the be all and end all. A calorie from a Mars bar is the same as a calorie from an Apple when it comes to energy exchange, however, an apple is much richer in vitamins and minerals.
As US based nutritional consultant, Carol Cottrill, points out “when we eat the empty calories found in processed foods instead of wholesome, real food, our appetite is curbed temporarily, and our stomachs feel full, though our bodies have not taken in the nutrients they crave. This is the setup for what's known as subclinical malnutrition. Not to be confused with the undernourishment experienced in famine-stricken countries.”
To keep our body healthy, we must fuel it with the necessary ingredients that can only come from a healthy, well-balanced diet. When we don't get nutrients, our internal functions don't work as well - and this is when we become vulnerable to diseases such as obesity.
Image Credit: Melissa Gruntkosky

It was nice meeting everyone! I felt very comfortable and learned alot. It's nice to get together with people who are going thru and having the same struggles.
C u next month! This time I won't be late!
Marci

I actually USED to be a nurse. In a former lifetime. I injured my back while serving in the Army so I'm now retired (for 14 yrs now) but it's true, I used to be a nurse. First in the civilian sector, then in the Army...
Nice guess.

I'm impressed u could get down a whole 1.I 'm 12 mths post op and I can comfortably eat 1 drumstick and a few bites of a side. Yes, ull be happy with what ur able to live on. I'm still surprised on how little we actually need to survive.
You'll be very happy u did this!

So I have been thinking about this for a while now. Prior to accepting the fact that I need bariatric surgery, I was of the mindset that surgery was the "easy way out". Yes, a 140 pounds overweight person thought this - a traitor in your midst!! JK. As I started this process, during orientation I had thoughts like "I can lose weight, I've done it before and I can do it again, so why am I here" and "I don't have any serious co-morbities so why am I here?" Then, after more thought I came to the conclusion that I have been overweight for most of my life, so if I could have/would have done it, I wouldn't be even contemplating such things. If I stay the way I am I WILL develop serious co-morbidities - it's not a question of "IF" it's a question of "WHEN".
Now that I have accepted this to be fact, I am starting to look around at other people who have lost weight, whether they are a celebrity or just someone I know or someone who has put themselves out there on the internet. I came to the revelation that no one I know that had significant weight to lose has (1) lost all of their weight or (2) kept it off. The results of those people on the web are mixed, but I admit, I have not done a thorough search for really obese people that have chronicled their weight lose through a blog. Back in 2007-2008 I became familiar with David Smith (through his BodySpace blog) on Bodybuildingdotcom before he was famous for losing like 400 pounds with the help of Chris Powell (from Extreme Weight Loss fame). In fact, that is how Chris became famous, because of David. A few years after his tremendous success, David eventually gained about 300-350 pounds back and is now trying to get back to his lowest weight. I sincerely wish him the best of luck - I had a chance to PM him a few times through his BodySpace blog and he seems like a really nice guy. Check out his Facebook page if you are curious - it's David Ellmore Smith.
My former gynecologist is overweight and has been for the entire time I have known her, which is about 14 years. A few years ago, she went on a liquid diet and lost like 100 or so pounds. I gave her a nickname "skinny" and we'd joke about it whenever I came in for an appointment. Unfortunately, she has gained back almost all she has lost and is morbidly obese again. She was always down on bariatric surgery - she felt it was too invasive. When I saw that she had gained back the weight, I felt sad for her and then thought, "if my own doctor can't keep it off with her advanced knowledge of the body and how it works, what hope is there for me?"
Yesterday, I got wind of the whole Star Jones/Mo'nique controversy where supposedly Star said that there was no way that Mo'nique lost weight without surgery..bla..bla...bla. Turns out Star never said that but you know how the media loves controversy. What surprised me was Mo'nique's response that she had lost it through hard work and sweat and sent a message to other big women that they didn't have to resort to surgery. She said during an interview:
"I tweet every morning about my workouts because I want women to see – especially us big women – that you don’t have to let them cut you and suck it out, you don’t have to let them staple you up, you don’t have to let them give you a pill, you don’t have to let them put a band around your organs,” Mo’Nique said in an interview."
I thought it was interesting that she framed the issue in terms of women being "made" to have surgery, or take pills, as if they don't have a choice whether or not to have a bariatric procedure. Her comment appear to propogate a victim mentality to make it seem like what she is doing is so much more fabulous than merely losing weight - she is this extraordinary woman fighting against some invisible villian by losing the weight through traditional methods. In approaching the issue this way she demonizes bariatric surgery at the same time. So that got me thinking - why do we see bariatric surgery as the "unnatural" or the "bad" way to lose weight? It's really not true at all.
Losing weight can be done by anyone - everyone on this site and other sites like it have lost weight. The issue is KEEPING IT OFF and changing to behaviors that support healthy habits and a healthy body weight.
Why does it matter HOW someone loses weight? I would argue that it DOESN'T.
1. The person that loses weight through diet and exercises uses the diet and exercise as a TOOL to be healthy and achieve their goal
2. The person that uses the surgery and diet uses these as a TOOL to be healthy and achieve their goal
3. BOTH types of people have to STRUGGLE each and every day to keep the weight off and maintain healthy habits
The difference between the two (at least from what I understand since I have not yet had the surgery) is that having surgery makes it EASIER to be successful. Two of my relatives have had bariatric surgery have both said that the surgery "levels the playing field", meaning that it is so much easier for them to be successful, post surgery, at maintaining healthy habits and keeping the weight off.
Maybe that is where this comes from, the idea that it is easier for people than before their surgery is a huge cop-out. Maybe it's jealousy on many different levels. I however, don't think that way. However someone can lose weight is great - surgery or not. It's never a cake-walk.

I belonged to an all woman gym after my lapband surgery in 2009 (I'm now a a sleeve revision). I paid $60 a week for a personal trainer. Loved her. She kicked my butt every week. We spent 90 mins (30 on nutrition choices and 60 on weight training/cardio intervals). I told her I didn't like the elliptical cuz it was hard and made my legs feel like noodles. Guess what she chose for my 3 mins cardio intervals? Yep, the damn elliptical. By the time I left, I felt like Jello. Had a hard time walking to the car.
After about 2 mths, I cut back to every 2 weeks (just cound't afford the $240 every month). I would weigh, we'd discuss my food intake and then she'd work me out. Everytime I got on the scale, I saw a loss. Even after not making the wisest choices at times.
After a couple more months, I cut her back to once a month. Still saw losses every month. Then I met my now-husband. He had a membership at the Y, so I started going with him. He couldn't go to the all female gym with me and we didn't want to work out alone. So I gave up my trainer.
Something she told me early on that I still remember: "You don't have to give up ur favorite foods. Just take a few bites and throw the rest away. U still have the taste but also have the control over what ur eating". She got me off my almost daily Tamale Pie (Found at Vons and Safeway on the West Coast). I cut back to once a week. Not giving it up but cutting back on it. I rarely eat them now.

I started at 25, a 3x on top, size 22 jeans and a 44DD. I've now lost 100 lbs and in an 8 jean. Still an xl and a 40D. Didn't lose ,uch on top, compared with the bottom.
My top half looks photoshopped onto my lower body. I look like a marshmallow held up with 2 toothpicks. If I lose anymore on my legs/butt, not sure ill be able to hold the top half up
Unsure about what to do about it, besides cosmetic surgery. And seeing as I never play the lottery, that's not gunna happen anytime soon...

So, I'm the last likely person to use anything not prescribed to me.. When in WA last week, my stepson took us to a medical marijuana store that his friend owns. After much discussion, it was determined that weed would help my chronic back pain. So he gave me 2 chocloate bars. I'm extremely lightweight when it comes to stuff like this so I ate 1 small square last nite. After an hour, I felt nothing. So I ate another 1/2. Bam, hit me. All of a sudden I was brought back to age 20 and realized why I don't like pot. I ate 1 1/2 pkgs of Lean Cuisine pizzas and 2 Trader Joes taquitos till I thought I might bust.



So, hint: make sure if u get the munchies u have cut up veggies on hand. NOT pizza and taquitos. There's ur words of wisdom for the day.



Now that everyone thinks I'm a drug addict, I guess Ill call it a day...

Nobody lost 45-50 pds the first month either. Amazing are people losing 15-20 from what I've seen. My limited experience ok? Just an FYI and I want to make that clear.

My sister and niece staged an intervention. I am 5'5" and when I got down to about 155 range they were very concerned. What I realized is that they have only really seen me as overweight over obese so I looked too thin. Also, immediately after rapid weight loss you do tend to have a certain "look" that normalizes out over time.
When I told them my actual weight and that it is healthy for my height there response was "you look about 125 and still losing". They felt better knowing that my doc feels it is a healthy weight etc. and that I weighed more than they thought.
I am about 140 or so right now. I got another round of negative feedback but once again I was just honest... I am not trying to lose more and my weight is still very healthy for my height. A male friend told me I look GREAT right here and to stop because pretty soon my a$$ would completely disappear. (He couldn't help but throw in to try really hard to maintain here and not regain - gee thanks dude). As blunt as he was, he is right. My hips measure 36" and I don't really want a skinnier butt - I like how I look, I like my clothing size. Everyone else is adjusting to my current size and I really don't get razzed about it anymore. Or if I do, it is a compliment - my close girlfriends call me "skinny b*itch" which is a huge compliment after the lifetime of being the hugest woman in the room - and we all know it is a compliment so it's fine!
My advice is to smile and nod, or if it is someone you really care about (like my sis) actually talk to them about it. Find your own happy place and don't be too worried about others - they will get over it. I am finding that people are forgetting now how huge i used to be. I showed a before pic to my own grown sons and they couldn't believe it - they have become used to how I look now.

I eat a little bit of whatever I'm craving and call it a day. If I try to eat around something (say a cookie), I will eat a 1/2 an apple (40 cals). When that didn't work, I'll eat a cup of sf choc pudding (60 cals). When that doesn't work, I'll eat a Protein bar( 120 cals). By the time I'm done trying to quench my craving with stuff I DON"T want, I coulda eaten 3-4 Cookies.
So I'll eat one and avoid the extra food and calories.
Works for me.

So, I'm the last likely person to use anything not prescribed to me.. When in WA last week, my stepson took us to a medical marijuana store that his friend owns. After much discussion, it was determined that weed would help my chronic back pain. So he gave me 2 chocloate bars. I'm extremely lightweight when it comes to stuff like this so I ate 1 small square last nite. After an hour, I felt nothing. So I ate another 1/2. Bam, hit me. All of a sudden I was brought back to age 20 and realized why I don't like pot. I ate 1 1/2 pkgs of Lean Cuisine pizzas and 2 Trader Joes taquitos till I thought I might bust.



So, hint: make sure if u get the munchies u have cut up veggies on hand. NOT pizza and taquitos. There's ur words of wisdom for the day.



Now that everyone thinks I'm a drug addict, I guess Ill call it a day...

I eat a little bit of whatever I'm craving and call it a day. If I try to eat around something (say a cookie), I will eat a 1/2 an apple (40 cals). When that didn't work, I'll eat a cup of sf choc pudding (60 cals). When that doesn't work, I'll eat a Protein bar( 120 cals). By the time I'm done trying to quench my craving with stuff I DON"T want, I coulda eaten 3-4 Cookies.
So I'll eat one and avoid the extra food and calories.
Works for me.

I eat a little bit of whatever I'm craving and call it a day. If I try to eat around something (say a cookie), I will eat a 1/2 an apple (40 cals). When that didn't work, I'll eat a cup of sf choc pudding (60 cals). When that doesn't work, I'll eat a Protein bar( 120 cals). By the time I'm done trying to quench my craving with stuff I DON"T want, I coulda eaten 3-4 Cookies.
So I'll eat one and avoid the extra food and calories.
Works for me.

I eat a little bit of whatever I'm craving and call it a day. If I try to eat around something (say a cookie), I will eat a 1/2 an apple (40 cals). When that didn't work, I'll eat a cup of sf choc pudding (60 cals). When that doesn't work, I'll eat a Protein bar( 120 cals). By the time I'm done trying to quench my craving with stuff I DON"T want, I coulda eaten 3-4 Cookies.
So I'll eat one and avoid the extra food and calories.
Works for me.

I eat a little bit of whatever I'm craving and call it a day. If I try to eat around something (say a cookie), I will eat a 1/2 an apple (40 cals). When that didn't work, I'll eat a cup of sf choc pudding (60 cals). When that doesn't work, I'll eat a Protein bar( 120 cals). By the time I'm done trying to quench my craving with stuff I DON"T want, I coulda eaten 3-4 Cookies.
So I'll eat one and avoid the extra food and calories.
Works for me.