What's on your menu today (Thursday) RNYers?

I still struggle with this, after 3.5 years out! I once read a post where the person said, if you're hungry, decide if you will eat a chicken breast. If so, you're hungry, if not, it's head hunger. I can truly say that most of the times I am "hungry", it's head hunger/wanting to snack/emotional eating...and I want chips/crackers/candy...not chicken breast :)

I once read that the basic apple is a great gauge of hunger. There was a study where they were taking healthy adults and having them eat at a steady 500 calorie a day deficit to see if they showed improvement in (or decreased susceptibility to) aging. One of the side effects they noticed is that the participants started eating apples that were always available at the study center. It seemed that even those who never ate or liked apples prior to the study started to crave them when they were physically hungry. Prior to WLS I used to always keep small crisp apples at work and when I was hungry I'd always eat the apple BEFORE eating anything else.

That helped me not regain ALL the weight I'd lost through dieting but it didn't get me below a 35 BMI.

Now I just want to eat an apple because it's a forbidden fruit! I really miss all the healthy foods I ate pre-WLS like spinach salads, fresh fruit, whole grain sour dough bread (fresh from my oven... ahhhh) things I know I'll be able to enjoy in moderation again once I get through the weight loss phase but currently I can't eat due to limited space and the need for protein dense foods.

I swear to God...

Prior to surgery, if I ate an apple, 15 minutes later I was truly hungry...

If I've had any apple since surgery, it was from a fruit plate at some event I was at.

But I'm not a 'fruit eater' and never had needed to have fruit around regularly.

I have to measure too because I also feel hungry a lot. Last night I ate my measured tuna really fast and thought I was still hungry. So I had a few spoonfuls of cottage cheese. Bad move! I felt close to the foamies (had to keep burping to settle it down). I haven't done that for a while, but it was a good reminder to keep within the portion size I'm used to.

I have always gotten hungry... but it is more like - Not hungry- should I eat? No I guess not, Not hungry, Should I eat? Nah- then...Oh I am famished and want to knaw my arm off... and as Elizabeth said eat a few bites then full. I get into trouble when I let myself get famished in that I eat too fast, and will take one too many bites and will get that ugh- too full feeling.

Then there are just big pouch days and small pouch days. On big pouch days I am like- Did I even have surgery??

I know you all don't want me to start whining again, but... I have had real hunger since about 3 weeks post-op. I measure every bite. It is what it is...

Happy June first! Maybe I'll get a breather now. Month end, in my office, is like a mad dash through a battlefield. And now that hubby is back to work, and he's been out of town all week, I am again just pushing myself to go, go, go.

I haven't been able to get here, even to read much, and I'm sorry for that. I am looking forward to CAMAW next week, and will make sure to prepare this weekend. I've really cut back on the carby food this week, and while I haven't been perfect, I'm on my way to CAMAW ready.

In other BIG news, I scheduled plastics. My hubby and I discussed, and we agreed that I needed to do it quickly, to give me time to heal up before his RNY later in the year. I went into the office Tuesday to schedule, and told them my timeline. They came back with June 20th, which was just 3 weeks away. Usually they schedule 5 to 6 weeks out, but they had 2 dates available sooner, so there I am. I purchased all of my compression garments, got the prescriptions for my meds and the pre-op instructions. I've started the process of short term disability, though I will only have to take 2 weeks off. The third week, which is the week of the 4th of July, will be a 3 day week, and I'm planning on working from home and returning to the office on July 10th. I'm nervous, excited and frantic to get tons of work done before I leave. My hubby will still have to work, but thankfully I'll have my teenager at home with me, since school will be out, and won't be left to my own devices. My weight has been stable since January, meaning it's fluctuated up and down within 5 pounds since then, and I feel good with where my body is, and where my head is.

DD2QOTD: Before surgery I couldn't walk more than 30 minutes at a time, which meant that school clothes shopping, or sight seeing was a tortuous affair. I couldn't sleep comfortably through the night without my CPAP machine, I couldn't shave my own legs. I couldn't run after my toddler. But also, I couldn't look at myself in a mirror and feel good with what I see. I can do all of this now. Everything I listed above I do easily and without thought.

22 months since surgery (surgiversary is on Sunday)

B: 3oz canned corned beef and 1 egg. Coffee with SF coffeemate

L: a can of tuna and 1/2 cup of stewed tomatoes

D: Smoked porkbutt with 1/2 a serving of BBQ sauce

S: 1oz of peanut butter and a few celery stalks.

totals:

Calories 897 Protein 88 Carbs 37 Fat 41

I hope everyone has a healthy and happy day!

I am so excited about your plastics news! Sounds like you have a good plan, and yes having your teenager around to help with the little one is a big one... For me the first week was a blur with all the surgeries- i walked and talked but remember very little because of the pain meds...

I was not at maintenance as many suggest, hit goal/normal Body fat morning of my first surgery...I had a hernia repaired too and that couldn't wait so my PS got fast tracked by me, I wasn't going under anethesia for just a hernia if I could help it - and I am not sorry at all I did... Obviously it has all worked out for me in the end. My biggest advice is write everything down- when you take your meds, eat, drink, everything...you won't remember because of the medication... and second start high protein now at least 100g a day...important for healing. and keep it up for at least a month after.

Thanks! I am doing CAMAW next week and I'm trying to go low carb, so pushing protein is in my plan. I really need to go grocery shopping this weekend.

I am also completely off wine for the foreseeable future, which is good all around. Doctor requires no alcohol for at least 2.5 weeks before and 2.5 weeks after, so this is a good motivation to kick that bad habit as well.

I have a TON of yard work and stuff that I want to get done before surgery, since I'll pretty much be down for the count in the heavy lifting/activity for a good 8 weeks. I'll probably just have time to get my yard ready for fall by the time I'm free to work hard again.

I'll start tracking everything, like my meds now. BTW, in case anyone is interested, I changed meds recently and I am feeling excellent. I think sometimes we start taking a medication and we feel better in some aspects, but then have other side effects that we disregard because the change in the anxiety is so much better. I stopped Prozac and started on Wellbutrin and I feel like a new person.

TMI WARNING:

About three months after starting Wellburtin I started having almost spontaneous ******s. I say almost spontaneous because I could feel them coming and kinda shut it down but seriously, what a FUN side effect. I would have them three or four times most days. It was at a time when (25 yr marriage) I wasn't getting any kind of sexual contact from my husband, and I felt terrible about my body so HEEEEYYYYY!

#JUSTSAYIN