Hello All You Boomers!

This Chat Room is now open for members to get acquainted. C'mon in ... the water's fine. Chat about whatever's on your mind. Let's get to know each other. Who will be the first in?

Here's a few questions to get you started.

Who's the youngest member of our group? (I'm the oldest.)

Who's newly married?

Who's newly sleeved?

Who's still searching?

Faye, You look great! I can see a difference in your face!

I know exactly what you mean about having to catch up in your mind, even though the numbers etc are changing. It has been the same for me. When I am clothes shopping I still head for the plus sizes even though I haven't worn them for months now. Sometimes I pass the cheval mirror and catch a glimpse of myself and am surprised how much smaller I am that I was before surgery....and other times, I still am not sure.

I actually have a funny story about that. After one of my many diets where I had lost about 70#, I was talking with a new friend who had not known me heavier. I referred to myself as fat and she protested...my reply was "Oh, but this isn't my real body....I just lost a lot of weight....." Sad but true....LOL

PS...Faye, I can see a difference all over, but I only said face because you said that you couldn't see it there. And Sassy....thanks for your "improper" birthday greeting...LOL

Have to share a NSV, even though I'm not sleeved. LOL The other day I dug out my tape measure because I thought I should get a baseline before surgery. I have in the past measured myself, and would put it away in disgust.

So, I drag it out and start with my waist. I couldn't believe it. I am 7" smaller in the waist. WTH? I thought that was unbelievable, but then I was weighed today at the doctor's office. I have lost 13 lbs. in the last 3 weeks. I started my pre-op diet Friday, but still... I am dropping weight like a weightlifter.

As of today I have lost 63 lbs. from my highest weight. I can't even imagine how much more I'll lose as I still have 10 days to go on the pre-op. And then surgery ... Wow!

Pre-op Feedback, Please.

My eating habits are so at odds with this new way of eating, that it’s gonna take substantial effort on my part to redo that. In preparation for my Pre-op Diet, I went out and bought all sorts of things that seemed like a good idea: Asparagus, Spinach, Acorn Squash, Shrimp, Sliced Turkey, String cheese, and of course Protein Drinks. It looks pretty and fills up my refrigerator. Then I just watch it all going to waste because, the shrimp, for example, has a deadline on how long it will last I bought a pound, and have at least ½ pound left.

Did something like this happen to you guys? I really have to learn a whole new way of eating. What I was eating before was chicken salad, Mac & Cheese, Chicken Soup and pizza from Whole Foods, an occasional KFC dinner and frequent takeouts from a nearby restaurant. I always ordered a piece or two of pie, also from them, because they were so good.

So, what did I eat today? I stopped at the restaurant on my way back from the doctor and got some chicken quesadillas. I know … off my diet … but down 13 pounds, I figure I could slide just for today.

When I do through something together, it looks good, tastes good, but either doesn’t touch my hunger or leaves me with no desire to make it again. One day, I made an omelet with shrimp, spinach, cheese and onion. Tomorrow, I’m gonna have a salad with the same ingredients, plus zucchini. I’ll eat a side of Acorn Squash. Then I’ll have Protein Shakes for my other two meals.

They weren’t kidding when they said we’d have to learn a whole new way of eating. Yeah, baby. Now, mind you, at the moment, I can’t get in my kitchen to cook. It’s too tiny and I’m not. So cooking anything is a chore, especially since I can’t yet stand or walk on my own.

What really killed me, though, was the doctor’s staff today ignored my substantial weight loss and only wanted to know how many Protein drinks I had a day … checking to see if I had too many? Erggg.

I think what I need is a tutorial on how to go from not cooking to eating right for my sleeve. Keep in mind I don’t cook now, and can’t do much because of the size of my kitchen.

I saw Faye’s recipe for meatloaf, which she said was delicious. However it contained feta cheese, which I don’t like. (Don’t like blue cheese either.) Sounded like a great recipe, though.

Any easy-to-implement ideas?

_{It just occurred to me that my best solution would be to find a new place to buy pre-cooked food from. Sadly, my favorite Diet Gourmet closed their doors.}

I would suggest avoiding squash on the preop diet...it's pretty high in carbs. Even though it's a healthy food, it's not a great choice if you're trying to limit carbs to less than 20g per day. Postop, you'll be extremely limited in terms of what you can have, so that's not actually as challenging as preop. My meatloaf can easily be made with no cheese, or just pick some other meatloaf to make. If you think you'll get tired of it, slice it up & freeze the slices individually so you can stretch it out over 2 or 3 weeks, or have it on hand for when you get to real food postop. Sweet potatoes make a good puree, and so does cottage cheese run through the blender or food processor. Acorn squash would actually be great pureed, but I'd suggest adding protein powder to it.

Thanks for the suggestions, Faye. I appreciate it. I just don't think like a cook, as you do, so these things don't occur to me. And I need all the help I can get. I only learned after I bought the squash that it had a lot of carbs. Haven't eaten it yet, so good to know. I'll probably give most of it to my dog, Shiki. He's loving my new diet and all the real food treats he gets like zucchini, pineapple and asparagus. He even licked a spoon with mustard on it last night.

Edited October 23, 201312 yr by SassySenior

Fruit is also loaded with carbs. Bananas are the very worst but truly, any fruit is carb laden. Post-op I eat a bite or two of fruit sometimes after a meal when I am too full to eat much of it, because I dearly love fruit and I don't want to have the room for it. I eat like 2 grapes, etc. Other very high carb foods are potatoes, corn, and peas. All fruits and veggies also have quite a bit of natural sugar.

I use My Fitness Pal which keeps track of calories, fat, carbs, sugar, Protein etc.

I make sure to enter every single bite or drink that I have in a day. MFP isn't the only program but it's what I use. I would definitely recommend using something to keep track. It helps me know if I'm getting enough protein and also watch my carbs etc. In the beginning you won't over-eat, but I am almost 6 months out and can tell you that it is amazing how your sugar content can add up so quickly while eating healthy foods. I am always at my limit for sugar and I never eat anything WITH ADDED sugar it is just the natural sugars that rack up quickly. It would be good to get started with a tool like MFP before surgery.

If you do end up using a service that prepares meals, I would recommend that you make sure they have the nutritional information on the foods they make.

Hope you will find these tips useful, Sassy.

Jean,

Thanks for your tips. I have been using MFP for years. My problem is not keeping track. My problem is how to incorporate this new way of life into mine. I rarely eat fruit, though. The pineapple is for Shiki who’s constipated. L

I just realized what my problem really is. I stopped cooking years ago. It's unrealistic to go from eating food pre-cooked and prepared by someone else, like the stuff I get from Whole Foods, to suddenly cooking my own. That's the crux of the problem - I just didn't see it at first.

I probably won't ever go back to cooking my own food. My kitchen and my lifestyle just don’t support that. I'm single and live alone. Like a lot of people who don't cook any more, I rely on frozen foods. I know the requirements for this new way of life. I just haven't figured out how to modify my life to meet them. I will, though. I have to. But It's all new and will require a lot of adjustments.

My favorite surgeon, Dr. Harry Meyers, recommends fruit with every meal on the pre-op. His attitude is to find a way of dieting and eating that works for you. And he's already a slim sleever. Dr. Meyers advice:

“The only diet that works is one you will follow. Do what works for you. There are many options available. Pick something and stick to it. It is an important step in the whole process. The more you embrace this concept. the easier your post-op course will be.”

I am 7" smaller in the waist and I have lost 13 lbs. in the last 2 weeks. I started my pre-op diet Friday, but still... I am dropping weight like a weightlifter.

As of today I have lost 63 lbs. from my highest weight.

Hey guys,

Can I get an attagirl for losing 13 lbs. in 2 weeks and a total of 63 lbs. pre-surgery?

Hey guys,

Can I get an attagirl for losing 13 lbs. in 2 weeks and a total of 63 lbs. pre-surgery?

Way to go...that's an awesome loss!

Thanks, Faye. Just following in your footsteps!

That is Amazing!!! Congrats! You are going to be so skinny that if you stand sideways and stick out your tongue, you will look like a zipper .....

Edited October 24, 201312 yr by jeanielan

Jean - Heh, heh

I do agree with the concept of finding something that works for you post-op....at least to a point. Me, I could drink 4-5 protein drinks most days and forget totally about food. But they don't want us to do that. So I stay at 2-3 protein drinks. I HATE HATE HATE most meat and fish. I do try to make myself eat a little of it at dinner most nights. If I didn't have family to cook for, I wouldn't cook either. If I eat meat, my preference is meatloaf or hamburger helper with pasta in it. But I gave up pasta about 10 years ago. I used to just cook pasta and put ketchup and cheese on it and I was in heaven. Pasta and cereal are my favorite foods other than desserts...LOL. I also dearly love fruit.Truly, most of the food I like is not on the post op diet, but even before this surgery I didn't eat much of the foods I love.