BlackBerryJuice

Wow, what a difference!

Which brand have you found to be best? I almost bought some Krema yogurt today, but then I read the label and it's loaded with fat - 11 grams of fat per 7 grams Protein. Might as well have some chicken wings!

Bfast: Quaker cinnamon oatmeal (low sugar - try it, it's good! Only 120 calories per pack) with milk and1/2 scoop Protein powder Lunch: miso Soup, 1/2 chirashi (mixed sashimi on rice) lunch #2: other half of said chirashi, coffee with cream Dinner: 1/2 a veal canneloni, 1/2 cup chocolate mousse Exercise: skipped my dance class because of logistical issues, but I did walk about 2 miles today

Feel better! And I'm jealous you got to go to a cat show! What breed is your cat?

Well played! I'm running my first 5K in a year in 2 weeks. My training so far has been rather subpar!

I did mine at just about 35 BMI. Why wait til you can't even get out of bed on your own? I'm glad I missed out on some "joys" of being 300+ lbs, such as not being able to fit into an airplane seat or wipe your own @$$ properly.

Interesting recipe. Doubt I'll find almond meal, anyone know what can be substituted? Or should I just grind some almonds in the food processor?

It probably doesn't have anything to do with weight - back pain tends to get better, not worse with weightloss. You probably have a different problem - could be a musculoskeletal issue with your back or could be pain from something else (kidneys, endometriosis, pancreas, etc).

I have a few drinks a week, nothing wrong with that. But I very rarely have more than 1 - I'm pretty sure I've had 2 in a row before, but to be honest, I can't even remember the last time. I haven't had more than 2 drinks in one day since the surgery, but I've never been much of a drinker. Generally, the normal alcohol intake for women is limited to 2 drinks a day (4 for men). It sounds like you were venturing into alcoholism territory before surgery, so I think this would be prime time to seize the day and consider some counselling. As mentioned earlier, substitute addictions are quite common after WLS and without food to turn to, your tendency to consume too much alcohol may be more likely to spin out of control. I understand your work/social circle forces you to go to bars, but no one's forcing you to have alcohol - you can have a pop, non-alcoholic cocktail, or tea/coffee and still enjoy the social aspect of hanging out.

Hmmm, I'd wait a few months on the lipo and try to do some weight lifting in the meantime to see if it resolves the problem. I'm not anti-lipo, but yes, it CAN make you look lumpy after, and one of the worst things that could happen is that you regain a few lbs years from now and it will end up somewhere ridiculous. One of my mom's friends had lipo done on her lower abdomen and then she gained like 20 lbs later. Like half of that weight went to her upper abdomen - and NONE to her lower. Now she looks like a freak, she can never wear anything remotely form-fitting, because she has this huge shelf of fat protruding over her bellybutton, but underneath it's flat as a board! She super-unhappy, but she's afraid to get lipo on her upper abdomen now, because she's scared of this fat going somewhere even more esthetically unpleasant, e.g. her face or hands.

Yeah, I exercise regularly, although nothing too crazy. On an average week, I've got 2 or 3 dance classes and 1 or 2 days going for a quick run (2 miles) and lifting weights, for a total of 4 days at the gym/week, about 4.5-5 hours. I'd rate everything besides running as moderate intensity exercise. I try to work in some random physical activity, too - e.g. rather than wait for the bus by my house, if I don't see it, I'll just walk to the next stop, then the stop after until it finally catches up with me, and I'll sometimes take the train instead of the bus because then I have to walk an extra 10 blocks to get home. But outside of that, I'm very sedentary, as I have to study a lot, so I do a lot of sitting around in front of the computer. If I try to limit carbs, I get major headaches and cravings, and I definitely don't have energy to exercise. I tried Atkins once, and I basically just lay in bed watching TV for 4 days until I binged on a bunch of ice cream, lol.

It's funny you say that - we ended up going to a different place because my boyfriend whined that he had Indian food (without me! and I love it!) last night BUT I was planning to go to Haweli. I have a Groupon for there, so I guess we'll just try it tomorrow instead! I've had takeout from there once, the naan paneer is definitely the best I've ever had. I've been to Rasoi, but it was a massive function with a buffet and they totally cheaped out - all the curries were basically sauce with hardly any chicken or meat in it, which was kind of lame. With several hundred people coming, they could've used to opportunity to advertise their restaurant, but they just served mediocre stuff instead.

"Hungry" day + sabotage from classmates = less than stellar eating! Bfast: small no-sugar-added smoothie. Then I came to our small group learning session and someone brought donuts for everyone! I had a Canadian maple. Then someone else showed up with Sausage & Egg McMuffins! I had a few bites and threw the rest out. I guess now I'll make sure not to have bfast before my sessions, as my classmates in this group seem to like bringing treats Lunch: wonton soup with vegs, half a cabbage roll with some sour cream Snack: chocolate bar (naughty!) Dinner: going out to an Indian restaurant, so some sort of curry most likely On the upside, I've noticed a trend - it seems that the days when I feel particularly hungry seem to be followed by a drop on the scale. Maybe my leptin levels just rise to try and make up for the impending decrease in poundage? Doesn't seem to matter if I eat what/how much I want on those days, either.

I've got 2 unsolicited compliments in less than 24 hrs! Today, a friend of mine (who knows about my surgery) saw me in my tight gym clothes and later texted me to say "OMG, your body looks amazing! What's your BMI, like 22?" And yesterday at a party, a friend who doesn't know about my surgery came up to me and randomly asked me "What's the secret to your toned arms?" I'm quite flattered, especially about the last comment, since she doesn't know about my VSG!

I'm not quite sure, I didn't apply any fancy lotions or try any lasers. I do make my boyfriend give me massages several times a week, usually with some sort of body butter, lol. I also lift weights regularly. I have a tiny amount of loose skin, but it's not something that'd prevent me from wearing a bikini or something like that - hoping it will tighten up. I've been remarkably lucky in the boob department, too - of course, they don't look the same as 34 DDs on someone who's never been overweight, but they are nowhere near as saggy as I was worried they'd be - so there may be a genetic component to how much my skin snaps back. None of my relatives have lost a large amount of weight, so I can't determine how much of my skin tightening is thanks to genetics.

Exercise is very important for losing weight and even more so, for keeping it from creeping back on. At 7 months out, I can tell you that I can definitely consume more calories than I need - so if not for my 4-5x/week gym habit and generally trying to walk more, I'd probably be a lot more worried about potentially regaining. What happens when you diet without exercising is you lose a ton of muscle in addition to fat - it can be as high as 50% of overall weight loss. So first of all, you continue to be out of shape; second, you are more likely to look like a melted snowman after the weight comes off, rather than having a trim, taut body; and most importantly, your metabolism slows down drastically, compared to someone who exercised and maintained their muscle mass or minimized muscle loss. Slower metabolism = less food needed to overeat and gain weight = greater odds of regaining the weight (or, as in your case, lower odds of losing more). Not to mention, exercise has tons of other benefits besides helping you lose or maintain weight. Overweight (<30 BMI) people who exercise regularly do better on basic health tests such as lipid profile than slim people who are inactive. There's a proven connection between being sedentary and being in poorer health, whether you are overweight or not. There are also mental benefits - exercise improves moods and decreases stress. I recently went to a talk by a public health researcher who suggested that there may be a direct connection between the lack of physical activity in our society and the high rate of depression and other mental health problems. And, anecdotal personal experience - if I don't exercise for a while, I feel like crap, and once I exercise, I feel tons better. So regardless of what your focus is, I would add some form of exercise to your program.

I checked yesterday, and the bodyfat measurements at my school only include BMI, waist circumference, and calipers. I'm not sure why anyone would pay to have their waist and BMI measured when you can do it for free yourself/online, but I digress. Calipers aren't the best from what I know - they are good for tracking changes, but not so much for determining the correct number. I guess the Bod Pod thing is only available to research labs here, I couldn't find a way for someone to just walk in, pay, and get measured. Boo!

Also, I recall reading somewhere that taking magnesium supplements tends to help with chocolate cravings around PMS time. See if your multivitamin has enough Mg in it.

My boyfriend bought me a ton of chocolate a few months after the surgery, which led to my overeating on a couple of occasions - although nothing like the 20-piece binges I would've had before the surgery! I eventually just told him to stop buying me chocolate unless I specifically ask for it. Your husband was probably just trying to do something nice, not sabotage you. After years of treating you to food you like, he might be having difficulty thinking of non-food things he can bring (or do) to make you happy. Maybe throw out some suggestions? As far as chocolate, I agree with the person above who said try sugar-free hot chocolate. Buy some good quality cocoa powder and brew your own hot chocolate on the stove with some milk and splenda. Cocoa is actually very good for you - lots of Fiber and antioxidants - it's all the sugar they throw in it that makes chocolate bad!

Endometrial ablation is a good treatment for very heavy, debilitating cycles (the kind that makes women go for a hysterectomy), but you have to make sure you are done having kids. I have bad cramps on the first day (requires ibuprofen if I am to function) and manageable cramps on the 2nd day. This hasn't changed since losing weight, unfortunately.

Bfast: coffee with cream, Protein bar Lunch: piece of quesadilla, green salad Snack: yogurt, cookie Snack: another piece of quesadilla Dinner: birthday debauchery at a place called CHOCOHOLIC BUFFET. Yup, promises to be interesting. Doubt I'll eat too much, though - if I eat too many sweets these days, it just makes me feel gross, so I'm bringing some tupperware to see if I can haul some of the loot back home. Workout: day off, but I did join this impromptu 20-min yoga session at lunch.

I'm thinking of getting mine measured just for kicks, we have a Bod Pod at our university, which is the gold standard for bodyfat measurements. But I have no idea how/where to actually book the thing - and whether it's reasonably priced! If it's like $300, I'm definitely NOT gonna bother.

Ha, reminds me of how my boyfriend was all worried coming back from vacation 2 weeks after my surgery thinking he wouldn't recognize me at the airport. It's like, come on! Even if I dropped 10% of my weight (21 lbs!), how could I be unrecognizable!

Haha, I read that as "half a Miller Light." I was like, "Now THAT's what I call breakfast!" Bfast: coffee, Protein bar Lunch: half a tuna salad wrap (with cheese and vegs) Snack: banana Early dinner: other half of the wrap Workout: 1.5-hr ballet lesson Dinner: not sure yet, might go out with bf, might just snack on something at home - yogurt, oatmeal.

I don't find that the sleeve prevents me from attending social functions, including those that revolve around food. In fact, I went out for lunch with friends 4 days after my surgery - the day after I flew back home! We just went to a Vietnamese restaurant and one of my friends ordered pho (soup) and we requested a second bowl for me. She just poured some of her broth for me, and that's it! And you are almost 3 months out, so you should be able to eat basically anything at this point. Surely there are SOME restaurants you could go to where healthier options are available. I wouldn't go to a burger place, but practically every restaurant has a selection of salads or some sort of "healthy" entrees. Even Denny's has some "fit" platter among their breakfast options. Just carry tupperware with you for leftovers and you're set!