What is the amount of food everyone is intaking at each meal? and how many grams of protien? thanks

Shella, let me say you look fabulous! You are doing wonderfully and all the things you mentioned happens to us all! Luckily I had a head full of thick hair cause its coming out by the handfuls when I wash and style it. Ive learned to work with it and style differently and actually it looks much better now than before surgery! I dont do my protien shakes, I eat only meat, cheese and eggs so I tend to get enough protien from what little I'm eating I think. I eat very very little. I have lost from 258 to 172 depending on if my scales hate me the day I weigh or not! Some days they really hate me and weigh me 10 lbs heavier. I havent lost an ounce in a month. I have so much more energy now and can do so many more things but still cant get motivated here lately to use my treadmill or weights. I think the weather has alot to do with it. If its pretty outside I am more likely to go out and walk than to stay stuck in the house and not walk at all. I clean desperately every day and think hey I have really worked but I know its not enough and I know I need to do more. I am loving being so much smaller but still get discouraged and think I havent lost near enough and soon enough. The loose skin makes me feel like a saggy baggy elephant and is kinda depressing but I try my best to not dwell on that. I dont get enough water in at all and like you my weakness before wls was sodas. I miss them something awful but will NOT go back to drinking them. They are part of the reason why I had to have surgery to begin with! I dont dump so I have to really school myself in not eating certain things. I dont eat bread, rice, pasta, flour, sugar, potatoes or anything sweet. I have developed a fruit tooth here lately and my latest weakness is grapes. I know I probably shouldnt have them but I keep thinking hey fruit is good for me isnt it? lol I have fell completely off the wagon with this fruit obsession. Instead of a good healthy meal or breakfast, I grab grapes. or a slice of cheese. simply put, I dont eat right at all I dont think. My hubby bless his heart says I dont eat enough to keep a cat alive. I havent since surgery. Most meals are less than 1 1/2 - 2 ounces and I had my surgery 9-22-03. All in all you are not alone, I think we all go thru some form of the things you mentioned. Its good that we all share this cause it helps to know we are not alone! Love, prayers and hugs, your fellow loser..... Carol

Hi! I, too, had surgey in September 2003 and I have loss 110 lb. I feel good! I am able to eat a lot of things, but white meat chicken and beef give me problems. I haven't been wroking out because my back is stll give giving me problems. I am going to PT and will be able ro exercise as soon as the theraoist releases me. I have never dumped. I can eat sugar and fats and I don't feel anything. This is why I have to be very careful. I am watching everything that goes in my mouth. Also, I can eat much more, now. I am aware of this and I am careful to not eat too much food. I stop before I'm satisfied and some days I am hungry. I'm so afraid of stretching out my pouch. There were two girls in the doctors office, when I was there, today, that were asking for revisions. That won't ever be me. Peace and Blessings,

Hi I am a bit confused about this board. I am from Utah, and I thought I was on a local forum for my surgeon ( Dr. Chad Halverson), but it looks like this is from all over the place? Oh well, who cares, right? Shella, I had surgery on September 29th, 2003. Last time I weighed, which was on Feb. 12th, I had lost 152 lbs! HOLY COW! But.....for those of you who haven't lost that much, don't feel out-done. I weighed in at a over-ripe 479 lbs the day of my surgery. I could no longer walk around without a wheelchair and I was home-bound. I had(still have) Lymphedema in my legs, neuropathy in my feet, Diabetes ( which started the whole nightmare of health problems in the first place), two large hernias, an inflamed gallbladder and all of my organs were enlarged. I was dying. Today, my Lymphedema is being treated, so my legs are not so swollen, my neuropathy looks like it is no longer progressing. My Diabetes is gone, my hernias are still repaired, my gallbladder is gone - ha ha. I can walk, though I am learning how to bend my knees again while I walk, and I still lack balance a bit. My surgeon is very strict with food. He and his partners approach the food topic from the standpoint that it is an addiction for those of us who are so overweight that we come to the desperation of surgery. They don't allow any breads , and very few whole grain carbs ( oatmeal or shredded wheat once a week or so). They even discourage fruits. No cofee or Tea ( caffein stimulates the appetite ) no soda, no sugar -- and they don't encourage us to ever add those things in! Boy. But must admit they have a very high weight loss success rate. They encourage proteins and vegetables, milk, very few no sugar added fruits, nuts, beans, etc. But none of that other stuff. And, they encourage strict adherance to the portions too. I am at about 1/2 to 2/3 cup each meal, and I am ahead of many in the ounces! Still, I read posts here on the forum, and wonder what everyone's surgeons rules are. You all sound so different in what you eat! I am not encouraged to have protein drinks at all. Just vitamins, vitamins, and healthy eating, exercise.... the usual. Still, I relate to the fear of gaining weight. I didn't get where I was at through healthy thinking about food and weight! I'm affraid of not sticking to my plan and gaining weight. Stupid though, really. I am very careful about what I eat and follow most of the guidelines, and my husband is an incredible support...makes and measures my meals for me when he can! I am losing hair too. Also, my body looks like a deflated baloon LOL! And about the food again, I wonder just what is right sometimes, how I will react later, what I will eat, what I won't. I just worry too much! I know that I need support groups, relation to other people like me. It can remind me who I am and how i got to where I got, and how important it is to eat right. My mind has always screwed me when it comes to food. I either think I should be able to eat like others, and attempt it one more time, or I get meticulously rigid, and try to be perfect. Or I binge and fill myself with guilt, whatever. Never peaceful, never normal. But since the surgery, I am hoping that my thinking will change, and that this time of reprieve will give me the time I need to use the resources God has given me. I have been soooo blessed! It's incredible. Plus, it truly is one day at a time. Well, that is it. I'm definitely a talker, so I'll stop while I should! Good luck everyone. Tammy

Thank you Angie for the response. It sounds like you are doing wonderful. I viewed your profile and your before and after pictures are awesome. I still have such a long ways to go. But I will keep pushing and get there some day. My biggest downfall is the Mexican food. I was raised on it and love to cook it. So you can imagine all the calories I have to deal with. Leaving the chocolate hasn't been a problem for me at all. I think the hardest thing for me to not touch was the fountain soda's. I would scrap every nickel and dime in the house to get myself one every day. But I am very thankful I don't have that habit anymore. I don't take as much meds as I did before the surgery. I only take my synthroid and my vitamins. Also on a good day I will try to get a protein drink in.