damalove

Are you at Dr Miranda's goal weight yet?

I totally hear you about perception... Ive lost 45lbs in the last four months and people are really noticing. but i feel like i take up the exact same amount of space, i still feel just as fat with just as big a gut as before. I saw a pic of my taken exactly one year ago and I swear, it looks the exact same. Im taking measurements, I see the scale, and I see how my old pants wont stay on any more... But yet I cant see me as a thinner me in the mirror. Its wierd. I literally feel like i look exactly the same. I know others on this board have felt this way too. Bizarre.

I think thats why it important to have 'before' pix, take measurements.. all tht. I cant refute the fact that Ive lost all this weight, even if i dont feel thinner or even remotely thin. Maybe someday it'll just hit me. Im still 35 lbs from my goal. Seems like a hell of a ways away.

Regardless, let me tell you, you look amazing! i am so jealous and proud of you you and sabrina are my two role models. hope i dont follow suit and need a port reloc; i think in that case ill consider switching to the sleeve.

How much have you lost??

holy guacamole ashley you look amazing! im loving the new pix!! wowowow

This may sound dumb, but it is truly helping me.

Orbit gum - Piña Colada flavor.

When I feel like I should stop eating, I pop in a piece. Its sweet and tastes like a cocktail or dessert.. and since im alreday chewing something, it stops me from going back in for seconds or for dessert. Its especially helpful at BBQs, parties, etc. Its like when ppl sabotage their plate to stop eating

Congrats Sabrina on the port remodel, and here's to many lovely nights sleeping on your side! <hip hip hooray>

...you eat an entire Lean Cuisine and feel super full..almost uncomfortably full!

...when you go out to dinner, you tell your dinnermates you've already eaten but you'll just have a little something, so they wont wonder why you're suddenly eating like a bird

i know there was a thread for this somewhere but couldnt find it.. just laughed out loud bc im so full off a lean cuisine and had to share

I use gummy vitamins too -- VitaFusion Multi-Vites for adults. Theyre delicious and feel like a treat.

Better yet, I buy the Target brand of em for even cheaper

I cant say I feel a difference when I take my vitamins or not... but I just do it anyway.

Lost 1.2 lbs since last Friday.

Sounds bratty but I was hoping for more, considering I am feeling restriction...

B - flaxbread with blue cheese-pecan spread (trader joes)

L - spicy mexican shrimp cocktail

D - leftovers from puerto rican restaurant - thinly sliced steak with onions, avocado, fried plantains

S - plain greek yogurt, torani s/f coconut syrump.

1000 cal, 55g fat, 47g net carbs, 66g protein

hey erica, long time no talk whats new? ya casi te alcanzo, ahora estoy a 196... woohoo!

cuidate~

In the upper corner, where you see your user name, you can click on your user name, then click "My Settings"

It will say "Your Options" at the top, click on the "Profile" tab, and then play with it. "About me" shows up on your profile only, what you write as your "Signature" will appear after every board post. Upload a picture, and an avatar (the pic that will appear when you post on the board).

As far as weight loss countdowns, go to:

http://www.tickerfactory.com/ezticker/ticker_designer.php?type=3

Design your ticker, and when you're done, it will give you a web address (URL) which you can copy and paste into "Change Signature" box and it will appear below every post.

could it be a side effect post TT surgery? could just be that youre not getting enough energy in the morning. do you work out in the am?

id see what you could do about getting a little more down in the am, couple sips of a protein drink even...

That's the same amount I got for my first fill at the OCC. I know it's hard to be patient at this point, but it will pay off in the long run if you take it slow and really pay attention to your body. Everyone is different and being too tight is much worse than being loose.

Margie

I second that!!! Too tight sucks... In the meanwhile, once you get back on solids, take it slow, chew really well. You may not feel restriction, I did not either after first fill. So if you dont, schedule your next one for about 4 weeks later, and in teh meanwhile, really focus on eating incredibly healthily. Its good practice for later.

Hi Ajb. As was mentioned, the big (port) incision will be stubbornly sore...for a while. If i wear high-waisted slacks, and slouch at my desk, it hurts, and Im 3 mo out. It will get better though.

One thing to keep an eye out for is infection; its normal that your port be sore, tender, etc. But if it feels warm to the touch, hot in fact, and the surrounding area is excessively red, could signal infection. dont mean to scare you as this is very rare, just thought id mention.

Sounds like youre doin just fine though.

oh one more thing, since you're headed to TJs, i liked their cuban black bean soup, warmed up in a mug with a sprinkling of parm and a dollop of sour cream or even plain yogurt, dash of hot sauce, delicious and pretty filling dinner. the soup is boxed not canned. i hear good things about the roasted red pepper one too but havent tried it.

hahaha. cooking gets a little depressing when you have to make it healthy, doesnt it? im a cook and baker too and you gotta believe it made me depressed too. the things i made just werent as creamy, rich, unctuous, delicious as before (with good reason of course!). it was a big bummer for me. made me feel like a sucky cook. eventually i got past it bc what are the alternatives? eating out? unhealthy and expensive. eating frozen/processed food? too much sodium, not yummy enough, boring. as for baking, the only baking i do these days is crustless quiche for breakfast and flax foccacia. I dont even think about making my pastries, cupcakes, cheesecakes anymore. fuhgeddaboutit. ill make them for ppl if they ask me to, but i wont partake. i tell people im watching my sugar (and my waistline).

and after a while, you get competent at being a healthy cook too. pm if u ever want ideas or recipes or whatever

oh, and yes, i did kill em with my white chocolate hazelnut cheesecake, mexican chocolate cheesecake, and pumpkin cheesecake, but that was another lifetime.. besides boys seemed to prefer when i made cupcakes, the girliest-looking of desserts. go figure!

B- flaxbread and herbed eggs

L- wedge salad and a couple hotwings at the bar watching the spain-germany match

D- mexican shrimp cocktail i made over the weekend...mmm spicy

S- likely 1/2 C greek yogurt w torani sugar free coconut syrup..

1,054 calories, 31g fat, 24g net carb, 71g protein

Hi Paul. Are you on full liquids yet? Should be, I think. Protein drinks helped a lot in the morning - get creative - I would go to Starbucks and order a double espresso over ice in a grande cup. Then I'd pour my chocolate protein drink in there (i like atkins dark chocolate royale) and there ya go - a more-filling-than-a-mocha mocha. Have em add a pump of syrup in there too, turn it into a cherry mocha, peppermint mocha, cinnamon mocha, etc...

As far as soups, most stuff out there isnt going to be very filling and will have tons of sodium, so try making your own. Milk/cream boost protein levels, you can try pureeing silken tofu into a soup to bulk up protein too. Cruise the recipe board; a lot of those recipes are targeted for post-op, as thats when we start to wonder what the hell we can drink that feels like a meal. If you arent much of a cook, you may as well start now.. Cooking meals from whole, fresh ingredients is going to be a key to success with WL. Plus its just good for ya

Also - i hated the drinkable yogurts I found in stores, too sweet, lame flavors, etc.. so I would buy my favorite yogurt (honey greek yogurt from trader joes) and thin it out with skim milk so it was about hte consistency of the packaged drinkables.

good luck. you're halfway done!

Just asked Dr. So about this last week; he said patients have reported little success with Maderma; he recommended a cream called "Contractubox Cream" (I could be botching the spelling there...) He said you can get it at pharmacies in Mx. I asked for it at the WalMart pharmacy as well as at Commercial Mexicana and neither had it, I guess grocery store pharmacies are pretty limited. We ran out of out time, but I intended to ask at a real pharmacy.

good thing im eating smaller portions bc i ate out lunch and dinner and am still keeping my cal count low.. phew..

B - andouille sausage quiche

L - shrimp lettuce wraps

D - bistec encebollado, platanos, avocado

S - handful raspberries, greek yogurt

947 cal, 44g net carbs, 48g fat, 60g protein

Hi Shelby, glad to see ur back on. Hope things have settled down for you a bit.

B - almonds and fresh raspberries

L - andouille sausage and peppers quiche, green salad w a splash of balsamic vinegar

D - leftovers from dinner out the other night: rosemary chicken and braised greens, a little polenta.

S - 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, splash of torani sugar free coconut syrup

950 Cal

50g fat

46g net carb

14g fiber

66g protein

Bread hurts but rice is fine, havent tried pasta yet. I dont eat nor miss any it though. Bread has been my enemy way before the band. We go waaaay back. Ive eaten beef (carne asada chopped really fine) since getting restriction and it was fine. The bread is the only thing that hurt like hell.

I walked towork this morning and when I got in I was super parched, so I took a big sip of cold water from the cooler, youch. It felt like I had a chunk of bread stuck in there, pretty uncomfortable. I guess I gotta go back to sip-sip, esp cold stuff in the AM. I think since we just got restriction its an exploratory time, so cautiously try things, see what hurts after one bite, and if it does, ditch it. Put it on a mental list of stuff that didnt work now, but might work in the future.

In the meanwhile, def avoid bread.

a little less than a week. gasx, baby!

Debbie, congrats, you look fantastic. I can see your muscle definition despite the loose shirt, you are a machine girl! CONGRATS!!!

I had a question; have you ever much felt restriction w/o a fill? have you felt your restriction decrease as you are shrinking? just curious.

youre my band-hero

Wasnt hungry this morning, so rather than skip a breakfast entirely, switched out some nuts for my usual quiche.

B -- walnut-pistachio-almond-pecan mix, handful of raspberries

L -- mexican style stewed chicken (the ONLY way ill eat white meat chicken!), 1 cup arugula salad mix

D -- andouille sausage and peppers quiche

S -- 1oz lo-carb chocolate

685 calories, 40g fat, 33g net carbs, 48g protein

Wow, Paul. Thats awesome. Ive read some things about how obesity affects advancement in the workplace, and that was a motivating factor for me too. I didnt want to be considered stupid because I was overweight.

For me, this was the next step in a series of get-your-life-on-track decisions. One, quit drinking and partying. Two, quit swearin and talkin crassly. Three, keep a cleaner house. Four, live a healthier life. I quit drinking cold-turkey February 19, 2008 and have been sober ever since. That was the first thing I took control of, then other things, eventually, I had to face my weight. I wanted lasting changes, so here I am.

And finally, I am 27 and have never been in love. I think you need to love yourself before someone else can love you, and this is just one of those things getting me on my path.