Where have all the February people gone?

hi lori: i'm kinda new to this site. i've been checking in my state board but will also start looking in here. guess i never looked around the site very much. glad to hear from you and glad you asked the question. sure looks like it got a great response. happy easter. dorthe

Hi all, I have been doing well, which was more than I expected. I thought sure I would be the one vomiting all the time, but I have been truly BLESSED!!! I am able to eat anything I want as long as I CHEW CHEW CHEW. I am trying to get all my liquids in because I have been retaining water the last 2 weeks, which I think is effecting my weight loss. Please offer any suggestions regarding the water. I go back to work on Tuesday, March 29, which may be a challenge since I have been home for the last 6 weeks. Good luck all... Michelle -41lbs

Hi Lori! My name is Lori, too! Had my surgery on 2/21/05. I just went back to work this past Tuesday and I'm doing really good! Thought I may have to go back on reduced hours, but I surprised myself and my coworkers by being able to do my usual 8 hours! I am doing soft foods (kind of skipped right over pureed that just grosses me out!) Although my own fault for skipping, I am having a few issues with some foods not sitting well in my pouch, but for the most part am doing fantastic! I'm down 28 pounds now and am fitting into some of those poor neglected jeans and tops that have been hanging in my closet "just in case." I'm sure you all can relate to how wonderful that feeling is! Hope you all have a beautiful blessed Easter! I am really looking forward to getting to know all of my February buddies on this board. I promise to be better at posting! OH, and if anyone is interested, the head chef in our cafe at work shared a bunch of Splenda recipes with me today and I'll be more than happy to share with anyone who may have a sweet tooth to satisfy! Lori Open RNY 2/21/05 242/217/140

Please do share the recipes you have. I am sure we all would love to have them! Diana

Hi Ya LORI! Nice to meet you! I skipped most of the pureed stuff too.....it gagged me to see or taste something that "used to be" food. It was all in my head....but some times our heads are pretty powerful things. LOL....after hearing about the chili at Wendy's having the fingertip in it....I can not eat any chili....not even my homemade! Just start gagging at the site. I am a nurse, and have never had much of a gag reflex.....this should be interesting when I go back to work April 11th! Glad to have met you. Hope to see ya around a lot more. Lori

I am glad to see all the Februarians are back! It feels lonely when I come to check the message board and not a new posting can be found. I guess I need to post more myself anyway. I guess we should take it that everyone is doing fine? For myself, I can say that this surgery has been such a blessing to me. The outcomes have been so much more than I could have expected. I am down 24 pounds, and yes it has slowed quite alot recently. I have not found really any type of food to upset my pouch. I sometimes think my doc forgot to hook me up the right way because of no discomfort. My food proportions tell me it working though. I had a recent bout of constipation that was quite painful the past couple of weeks. I found myself actually craving salads during this time. I gave in and had a Taco Bell Fiesta Salad and it sure did the trick! I hope that everyone has a wonderful Easter! Diana

Hi Lori, I'm an "old lady of 56" and post on the Over Fifty Forum frequently and my WA state board. I do realize that we have so mu*****ommon with our similar surgery dates. I am learning to eat a whole new way and I'm sure you all are too. I'm having constipation issues for the first time and am eating prunes to see if that helps. I'll try a fresh salad for the first time this weekend. I'm doing great with vitamins, protein supplements, and fluids. Just not much variety in my eating and nothing really tastes good. Especially my old favorites of pasta, and bread! I guess that's a good thing. I did have a toasted cheese sandwich made with french bread yesterday and it tasted pretty good. Think I'll try toasted tuna next. Tuna used to be my all time favorite but it doesn't taste very good now. Best wishes, I'll stop by more often, Karen

speaking of watching food programs - there is a local Boston program that highlights different foods and restaurants each week and the show last Saturday was on Chocolate! and candy - I was stuck on the couch because of just plain fatigue and I watched it anyway - I was dying by the end - I think I have learned to taste things in my head, but the chocolate-covered everything all looked Fabulous!!! I substituted a sf fugicle ah, me - at least I know I'm not the only one have a nice Easter! Pat 257/230

Hi, Lori! I'm frequently on here, but generally a lurker for the most part. Its good to read about others who have same experiences as me. I should post mine as well more often. I am just 5 weeks post-op and down 28 lbs. I thought that was a little on the slow side, but thanks to everyone else on here, I find it is about the right pace. I eat anything that I want except I can't have TOO much sugar and recently found grease doesn't sit too well, either. (Had a "pizza" tortilla w/ mushrooms and spinach at APPLEBEE'S that made me nauseted for about an hour) UGH! Wendy's chilli is AMAZING but I also got sick from the sugar content. Oh well! I'm having a little trouble with my eating now. During the first few weeks I tried to stay at minimum of 1000 calories/day so as to not slow the metabolism, but lately find eating to be such a CHORE! I used to enjoy meals, now it's just part of a requirement along with the water intake, vitamins, protein supplements. Meat tastes like cardboard! I try to stay away from fatty, high carb food, but don't want to cut the carbs completely. I've already been on the atkins diet and know that if I limit my carbs, if I just have 1 bite, I will balloon up! For those of you having trouble getting the protein shakes in, I use GNC predigested liquid protein. It tastes like cough syrup, so I take it in like medicine. 2 tbsp gets you 15 g protein. SO much better than those nasty shakes! I have an extensive profile with photos and my current diet, so check it out!

Hey LL, thanks for the tip about the liquid protein....I will have to check that out! To everyone else.....its so funny how different we all are, but how very similiar in some aspects. Its nice to have people that we can turn to and question about what we are going through. I feel truly blessed to have found this board. Take care!