1. I can now do moist meats----but dry cuts or chicken, forget it!! I can also now do pasta like in ravoli and such for a change of pace. 2. Eggs!! Fiber rich breads, most fruits except bananas 3. I am trying not to consider any food a "cheat" since this in a forever thing we have going. Moderation and portion control are my goals. 4. Eat more protein!! Good poll to see how others are coping these days. Sharon

very similar, today i woke up and had 2 small cups of coffee with splenda and milk whille i was getting ready for work, then when i get to work i make breakfast (we have a kitchen at work very cool) i usally either have 1/2 a cup of cottage chesse with either nopales (pickled catus they sell in the mexican section of any market VERY yummy) or i add raisins and sunflower seeds, or i have 1/2 cup of cream of flax and add raisins, also more coffee Whheee! hehe, then mid morrning i start drinking propel i drink about 3-4 a day. lunch today i will have a ham and low fat swiss on low carb bread with diet mayo and honey mustard, i eat like every 3 hours so then i will have a low carb yoguart or some jerky, i get very snacky at work os i always have seeds of some sort with me or string chesse. then for dinners i usally eat only meat like 3-4oz of a steak or some chicken i love salad but i always forget to make it. or when i make the family spagetti i only eat the meat sause about 1/2 a cup and maybe a piece of garlic bread diped in it, then i will have a snack after dinner which is usally some sort of ice cream or i like to take frozen fruit mostly blue berrys and grind them in the food prosessor add a little splenda then top with whiped cream in the can it has barely and sugar or carbs and is way good. i do strugle at night to not get up and eat more whille i am watching tv, that is how i gained weight in the first place. anna

I've been having some dizziness when I stand up also, but not to the point where I might pass out. My last labs were fine and I am good about taking my vitamins, and can eat quite a varied diet and alot so I'd be shocked if I was deficient in something. I haven't had my BP checked lately. I have also had some heart palpitations a few times, but I've had that before. Let us know what you find out, Sherry. Make sure you eat something before you exercise, your muscles need fuel to work, that has made me light-headed before. Oh, and one more thing, I know two people who have passed out from taking vitamins on an empty stomach, so make sure you eat something first, or don't take them before exercise. ~Sue

(1) what are you eating now that you couldn't before? Since I ate a wider variety as well as more quantity than some earlier on, my foods really haven't changed much since the first couple of months post-op. (2) what are you having a hard time with? French bread is not good to me. Sit down restaurants are difficult for me sometimes because I think I eat faster and by the time I get the "full" signal, I end up feeling too full. So I prefer to eat at home. (3) "cheated" or experimented with something? I don't really think of too many foods as cheating, unless I throw all caution to the wind as far as quantity, and I haven't done that. Well, maybe the Jello Shooters made with vodka weren't too good of a plan they WERE sugar-free though! Oh, and I had too much of a dessert a couple of times and felt like poop for a long time afterward, that was a great lesson for me though and I don't eat much real dessert. (4) what would you like to change about your eating habits? I wouldn't want to change them so much as keep them exactly the same. I fear that I will want to eat more as time goes on. More water would definitely be a good thing, plus, maybe limiting the protein bars a bit. And I'd like to cook more sit down meals for my family instead of grabbing something or heating some soup... We are always on the go, but I try to buy healthy convenience foods at least. Thanks for the interesting poll Susan Looking forward to reading everyone else's responses!

Hi Anna, What I eat... OK! I think that I eat alot, but I also am careful and log everything on my fitday.com account. Here's what I do... Breakfast: I always have hot tea with splenda, some days with a bit of milk, most days without milk. An hour or two later I will usually eat breakfast, either a bar, or I might have one egg with a little bit of cheese and/or salsa, and I just discovered the low sugar oatmeal and it was really good. Very filling and tasty for only 140 calories made with carb countdown milk! Protein in the morning does much better for me than just carbs. For lunch, I might have some leftovers of chicken with some veggies, or a low carb lean cuisine. I can eat most of a low carb lean cuisine which consists of about a half cup of veggies and a few ounces of a saucy meat. They are good and run between 150-250 calories. If I'm still craving something I might top that off with just a bite or two of a bar, just so I have that feeling that I'm having a cookie or something sweet. I do count even the bites on fitday. In the afternoon, I often have a large iced coffee with half and half and splenda, or sometimes a hot nonfat latte at home. This carries me to dinner, since it can be 7 hours between lunch and dinner for me. If I get hungry again, I might eat half a fruit such as banana, apple or nectarine at some point. For dinner, I usually have some meat, 2-3 oz and vegetable or salad (up to a cup), maybe just a bite or two of bread or crackers. Later at night, more tea if I need something. I am eating around 1200 calories a day, some days less, some days a bit more. How about you?? I'm curious what you're doing as well as anyone else who wants to jump in and share... Regarding your tummy tuck question... yes, I am most likely going to have a tummy tuck. I have been wondering if it's worth it to do my thighs also. My inner thighs are not pretty! But I'm scared about having too many more procedures. Where in California do you live? Are you going to do the tummy tuck? Feel free to email me directly if you want ~Sue