Help...2 questions

Hi guys. I need some advice... Tonight I have a business dinner/meet & greet thing to go to and it is being held at an Italian restaurant. I am 4 weeks out today and am looking for some advice as to what I should eat...the BEST choice since I can only eat about 2 oz. I am thinking just soup? If it is buffet style I am thinking a meatball? What do you think? My second issue is that I am 4 weeks out today. I lost 20 pounds my first week and have only lost about 7 in the past 3. I am feeling discouraged. I am due to get Aunt Flo tomorrow, so I am thinking maybe that has something to do with it. I feel great and my clothes are fitting better, but I guess I just want to hear that other people have gone through this. I mean, ~28 pounds in a month is great, but being so slow lately is discouraging. Any advice or support would be appreciated. Erin

Hi Erin, I was thinking a meatball would be a great thing to have. Lots of protein in it...remember, protein first! I'm 3 weeks out today and lost 20 in the first week but have only lost 6 in the last two weeks. I think it's our bodies trying to hold on to our fat because it thinks we're starving it! I think if we start to "up" our exercise and get the metabolic rate up, we'll lose more. Paula

Erin, First of all congrats on the weight loss! Second..funny thing you should ask about eating Italian food, I just received a gift certificate yesterday for an Italian restaurant. I am going out to dinner with my boyfriend Friday night and wondering what I can eat. I am further out then you but my pouch is still picky. I was thinking about soup also. Maybe I will try some lasagna and pick out the noodles. What could go wrong with sauce & cheese right?! Ok now with the weight loss...I think you are doing great. I am down a total of 48 lbs, but 20 of that I lost pre-op. So I am down 28 lbs as of 6 weeks out. I was told to up my water intake and it might speed things up. Good luck to you. Monica

Erin, Great weight loss!!! I know it is discouraging to have think that you have only lost *7* pounds in three weeks, but my dh keeps reminding me that he read somewhere that we should "plateau" every three weeks...that is normal. So, it is probably your body saying, "WHOAH, NELLY! WE ARE LOSING TOO MUCH TO QUICK!" It will realize soon enough that we can handle it and it will fall off again. As for the meatball, I don't know....I am not supposed to have red meat until around 8 weeks out...., but every surgeon is different. I would just make sure you follow your surgeon's guidelines!!! I hope you have fun at your meet and greet!! ~~Emily Montgomery, AL Lap RNY 9/15/2005 Dr. Andrew DeWitt Carraway Methodist Medical Center

I've had a meatball since my surgery, and it was pretty fatty, so after the first taste I quit. I've had lasagne, too. I just scraped off the sauce and cheese. That was GOOD. Congrats on your weight loss so far. I lost 26 pounds in the first week and a half, and have been stalled ever since. Supposedly this is normal. But it is FRUSTRATING! Good luck.

I did a meatball last week and ate 1/4 of it with about 2 tsp of pasta (cut up). Did great that night, but tried to eat the left over the next day and couldn't get it down. Go figure. Soup may be safer. As for the weight loss, we are all in the same boat. As I suggested before, look at Kathy &Rich's weight loss chart on her profile. It shows that with patience, those pesky 2-3 pounds a week add up to a whopping amount as the months go by. That is what I am using for inspiration! Denise 253/s232/207/140

Hi Erin, I say go with the meatball, it's more filling than the soup. By the way, I am 6 week post-op and I have lost 40 pounds. I lost 38 the first 4 weeks. I figure when I'm not losing weight I'm losing inches. Either way I'll take it. Diana

Erin, Sounds like my story exactly, the numbers have stopped, tomorrow will be 3 weeks at the exact same weight. Frustrating doesn't even to begin to explain it. It doesn't seem like it could be possible, eating like a bird. I even got aunt flo last week, always good for a 4-5 pound wt gain, and i didn't move, up or down, exactly the same. Bizarre.... I am trying so hard to be patient, but it's hard. I understand. I went out the other day to an italian restaurant, and got minestrone soup once, delicious, and 2nd time out had Pasta Fagioli, only ate the beans, not much on the pasta. Soup, thick and tasted great. Both times I didn't feel left out, took my time with the soup. Good luck, Sandy