mb20mom

That electronic cigarette sounds like a great solution. I quit with Chantix 3 years ago. I also found a book called The Easy Way to Quit Smoking and after reading it 3 times over the years it finally stuck and made a lot of sense to me. I highly recommend it but quitting smoking takes a huge effort and must be your main focus in life for about a year. What a struggle, but after smoking for 30 years I've never been more proud of anything! So glad that's over.

I think we all refer to slider foods as foods that go down easily, we can eat a lot of them, and they have no nutritional value. In fact, pretty much all bad snack foods that keep you from losing weight, like:

• Potato chips
• Popcorn
• Ice Cream
• Cake/Cookies
• Crackers
• Candy

The healthy stuff like chicken will fill you up very quickly, but these slider foods seem to fit very well in our tiny tummies with no problem!

Congratulations on completing Options. I don't know how long yours lasted, but mine was 6 mos long! After referral to the surgeon, the wait was about 6 weeks I think, then it went pretty fast. I was in the hospital 2 or 3 days, went back to the surgeon 10 days later and got cleared for soft food. My surgery was at Harbor City. They offered me South LA first, but I chose to wait for a certain surgeon at Harbor City. I remember waiting for that call from the surgeon's office for that first appt. I thought they would never call! Now it seems so long ago, and I forget I even had the surgery. It's hard to wait, but your journey is just beginning and you are farther along than a lot of people at Kaiser! I hear there are so many waiting they can't keep up.

Good luck on your surgery date. Your life is going to change like you can't even imagine. To me it's a feeling like winning the lottery after losing the weight. Every day I wake up excited to put on all my new clothes. Don't get discouraged during your recovery. It's not that fun, but sooooo worth it.

Awesome news! Congratulations on a healthy pregnancy and baby...such a gift.

I know exactly what you are talking about. I experienced this (both hubby and I) when we recently started following the Dukan Diet, which is high protein/low fat. I referred to it as an "end of the day B/O" type odor that would occur by 8am! It was overpowering to me and i hated it. It lasted a few weeks then stopped. It was musty/sweaty, like a man.

Congratulations on the weight loss, by the way! Good job.

I've lost about the same amount as you, and lately my stomach area has become more wrinkly looking. I will never understand how we can lose inches and not pounds but I know it happens. My butt fat is completely gone and my backside looks very deflated. I hate feeling my tailbone...grosses me out in the bathtub! And just yesterday I noticed I can feel the bones at the top of my shoulder, where it connects to my arm. My insurance will pay to have a panniculectomy, but it only removes the hanging part of the pannus and doesn't tighten anything, so I'm torn between getting that for free, or paying for a Tummy Tuck.< /p>

I did the same thing a few months ago. I was enjoying all the wrong foods and found I'd gained 5 lbs which put me in a panic and I got right back to low carb eating to start losing again. It's hard, but I'm determined to finish this to my goal. Our bodies want nothing more than to put weight back on. It's in our physical memory and bodies are smart enough to l sabotage our hunger and the way we burn calories in order to prevent losing! Good luck on returning to basics, but know that you're not alone. You've lost 90, you can lose more!

I agree that it's more important to stay hydrated at first, but I just want to put it out there to try the Premiere Protein Shakes from costco. They're the best tasting pre-made shakes I found, and contain 30 grams of Protein. It's a nice alternative to the powders. At over 1 year out, I still enjoy them for Breakfast every day or at night if I need a chocolate fix.

I found myself going off track after a year post op, and needed a jump start, so I started following the Dukan Diet. It's low fat, high Protein and a little strict, but it's been working for me and it's just what I needed. It's easier for me to follow something with few choices, so that's why this is working for me. Good luck!

Look for Gummy vitamins! I can't stand the chalky chewables, but every gummy I've tried is delicious.

Congratulations on your success! I am also a slow loser which seems to make very pound a victory lately, so I know what you mean. Size 14 is a milestone! It's like we're finally normal, huh? Keep up the good work, you'll get there.

I remember very early out having a strong feeling of sorrow for the way I used to eat. food was my friend all those years, and all I ever thought about, so what was I going to do with my time now? It was an odd feeling of disgust and regret (that I had the surgery) at the same time. I think it's normal to go thru a bit of depression towards food right after surgery, so be prepared for that. Not to say that you can't eat whatever you want, but food was a big part of our lives, so it can be a shocking adjustment to get along without out it all of a sudden.

Thanks, guys! You guys rock!

I think a balance diet is ideal, but when you don't have room for more than 4 bites of chicken, that doesn't leave room for any rice or potatoes! Some of us just end up eating low carb by putting Protein first. My nutritionist always wanted me to balance, like with one strawberry, 2 green Beans, 2 oz chicken, etc. all at one time. It just isn't always practical.

Are you experiencing hunger? If so I would say just eat when you're hungry. It's great that you're staying up on your fluids and Protein, so it sounds like you're fine as long as you feel good. When your swelling goes down more you'll be comfortable eating more spoonfuls at a time. Your calores must be low on such small amounts though, so try to get in more bites of food. Try refried Beans, mashed potatoes, egg salad, tuna salad, Soup...but if you don't fell like you have enough energy and feel weak, I've heard many say they feel better by getting some quick carbs in from ice cream.

At Kaiser they recommend you follow a balanced diet of 3 meals and 2 Snacks totalling 1500 calories a day. We logged our food and simply followed it, and it worked wonderfully. We were required to do this for 6 months prior to surgery and lose 10% of our body weight. I see many patients on here who don't prepare enough with how to eat before surgery, and it's quite a shock for them to change and they struggle. My advice is to use this valuable time to diet now. Get your mind into it and get serious. You are starting the journey of your life, so be excited and go for it the best you can. The more you can lose now, the healthier your liver will be for surgery too. Also, try out the Protein Shakes and find one you like. They will be your best friend after surgery. Good luck to you! (of course it's ok to go out for a final bad meal or 2 before you start!)

I think I know what you mean about why the low carb thing. If we could have done low-carb all this time we wouldn't need surgery, right? And when I first started reading posts seeing how strict everyone's eating was, I remember thinking, "I didn't get surgery so I'd have to follow the Atkins diet"!

While it is true that you need to eat Protein first, I didn't make a conscious effort to eliminate carbs. I followed a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables, Protein, and maybe a bite or two at the most of something with starch like potato or rice. The thing is, you just don't have the room, so you can't eat that stuff anymore. You won't want to. Those first 4 bites of chicken are going to pack your sleeve with so little room left over, that may be all you have. What you have to watch out for is the snacking of the empty calories and bad carbs, like chips, popcorn, Cookies, cakes etc. Seems like there's plenty of room for that stuff when you eat it! That is the danger zone. You have to change your lifestyle of eating to be healthy, but you can still eat healthy carbs and lose.

WAY TO GO GIRL!!!

I knew you could do it. You were so close for so long and I was just waiting for you to announce this. You are truly my inspiration. If it weren't for you coordinating our support group I don't think i would have gotten myself back on track, so I want to thank you for all you do. You are a gift.

Congratulations!!!1

OMG OMG OMG! I'm SOOOOOOOOOO PROUD OF YOU GIRL! I SERIOUSLY FEEL LIKE CRYING! YOU ARE DOING AWESOME!!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYY! Hope to see you on the 4th

Thanks Sophia!! I really have you to thank, since it's our support group that got me going again. I was practically pigging out for a couple of months, but after seeing the success of all you guys, I was motivated to get back on track! And wait a minute....you are less than a pound away from GOAL??? What? That is awesome!!! I think our next meeting will be a celebration! See you soon, girlie girl!

Yes, your surgery is considered treatment for a "serious health condition" and you can't be denied FMLA if a doctor authorizes your paperwork. The law doesn't designate whether treatment takes place in or out of the U.S.. What matters is whether the company you work for is in or out of the U.S. You are allowed up to 12 weeks off with guaranteed job security. I think most of us took off 2-4 weeks from work. Good luck on your surgery!

I know exactly what you mean about the sleeping. My sleep apnea was gone after losing about 40 pounds, and then I realized one day that I wasn't having to wear a Poise panty liner anymore. I used to have little accidents at every sneeze, laugh or cough. Now, I had no idea that weight loss would take care of that! That never happens to me anymore. Some people need surgery on their bladder to fix that. I guess taking weight off your bladder fixes it too. I keep bragging that EVERY little ache, pain and physical discomfort has simply gone away with my weight loss. I think the medical community should really push weight loss to cure everything!

I didn't like the dry chewables of any brand, but once I discovered gummies, I'm happy. I'll take any brand of gummy vitamins over chalky chewables any day! There are sugar free options that taste great.

Way to go! I've never done it myself, but I work in Riverside and I hear people talk about it all the time. Don't they do fireworks on July 4th there too? You should be very proud of your accomplishment and your new lifestyle!

I'm happy a all heck, and I feel freaking great!!! I feel a heck of a lot better than I did at 240 before I got the crap band! so, that is a major plus!!! You will know when you are at your GOAL! Just go with it!

Well said. That's what it's all about, really. I recently adjusted my goal from 145 up to 154. No one gave me a goal either, I just picked it out of the air. But after looking at the BMI chart, I would be happy just to get under the 25 mark to be "normal". And I'd be content to get into a size 8, so whatever that weight turns out to be, I'll say I made it!

Thanks guys! It's nice to share victories with those who can relate.