I'm new and wanted to say "hi"!

No, I'm still at Stage 3 - I'm really looking forward to the next step!  I hadn't thought of beans or adding tomato sauce to ricotta.  It wasn't on my list, so I didn't know if it was ok, where it's veg/bean and I'm not cleared for that yet.

Yesterday was torture.  Friends over, cooking out.  The guys are working on our new deck, so there was beer.  UGH! Everything a Memorial Day weekend should be.  Burgers, dogs, pasta salad, watermelon.  Fortunately, I was all out of energy at the end of the day and excused myself to sit out dinner.  Ended up napping for a couple of hours.  It was rough.  I was salivating pretty hard over the black bean chipotle veggie burger my hubby was enjoying.

I'm glad it's just a few more days.  I know I can do this!

Re: my incision.  It was fine the day after, and a nurse friend was over.  She's a visiting nurse with extra certification in wound care and I had her take a look at it.  She said it looked fine and if there was something draining, it was good (better out than in, being the theory).  I'm feeling good about it for now, keeping an eye on it, and will definitely mention it to the MD when I see him on Wednesday.

Thanks again for the advice and support!
Kelly

Glad to hear that you are moving right along.  I know how you feel about the food options, I am a slightly picky person.  I do not eat yogurt, cottage cheese, refried beans, etc. so all those items that would have been good for me didn't step foot in this house LOL.  It does get better though, when you do start eating do not be surprised if your tastes have changed.  I love chicken and for a while could not even think about taking a bite of it.  Now I am going on 9 months out and I eat almost everything that I used to enjoy. 

I do not have cravings for Mcdonalds, etc. and the only time I have visited the fast food chains is to get something for other family members.  Whatever you do, avoid the sweet temptations, even if it is sugar free.  I have been making that mistake for the past 2 months and I know that is why the scale is not moving.  Willpower is a tough thing to keep.

Good Luck!

 I'm thrilled to say that on Wednesday, I was approved for stage 4.  I've been enjoying veggie burgers, turkey burgers, chicken sausages (sans rolls, etc), and chili.  I feel like a new woman!

Now if I could just get the scale to move! I'm finally down a pound since Wednesday!  I think my lack of exercise is to blame.  All I can really do is walk, and I only got one good one in.  After the two weeks spent recovering, my house was a pit and I spent a good part of Thursday and Friday getting caught up. Weekend is here and hubby is building our deck, so I'm doing the mom thing.  My daughter is a big fan of tools, so keeping her out from under her dad's feet has been a chore!  I've really had to work at thinking about me and what I need.

I absolutely am going to have to work on willpower too. I've never had it (no kidding, right? probably wouldn't be in this situation if I did!).  But cravings are already starting to return.  Oh, and it didn't help that my husband made the perfect waffles this morning.  No thanks, I'll just have this chalk flavored protein shake...

I know it's going to be worth it.  I just can't wait until I can see results!  Keep up your hard work ~ you look wonderful and are an inspiration!

Thanks for the compliment.  I really do need to post a new profile pic as the red dress was from December and that was about 40+ lbs ago.  My weakness lately is potato chips or White Cheddar UTZ popcorn.  I think it is the crunch factor or something. 

I need to remember my motivation for the surgery and my goals and get back on track.  For the first 6 months I behaved so well a now I am just eating "whatever" without regard for the calories, carbs, etc. 

Be careful with solid foods and remember to take small bites, because even at 9 months out I have times when the food gets stuck and I can't eat until it passes and it can be painful until it moves.

Hi...lol you are one of the few people I've seen that like chicken sausage...my friend introduced them to me because the thought of a hot dog grosses me out!   She said to get your favorite kind (i like the roasted tomatoe one)  and put a little olive oil in a pan and cut up some red/orange/green/yellow peppers and let soften then.....YUMMY.  Cut up the sausage too in small pieces.  I have that at least twice a week.

 YUM! That sounds great! I've just been putting some water in a small frying pan and covering it, cooking them alone for about 10 mins and then taking the cover off, let the water evaporate and browning them up.  I think the one I have is the roasted tomato...I've heard the apple chicken is good too, but haven't tried it yet.
Your preparation sounds really good! 

 Just had to pop in and update...the scale STILL hasn't moved (12 days now), but it's cooler today, so I put on my jeans and then realized I could pull them down easily (fully fastened)!!! And I'm wearing a bra that I couldn't wear a couple of months ago.

I don't know how that's possible, but I'll take it ;)