Liz,

I remember you. It is harder - thanks for the encouragement.

Roo

I get frothies too. (I would call that the foamies--like cotton mouth white foam saliva) Happened more early out. Slimies--super thick saliva. When I eat raw veggies, they do not process so quick , so the saliva sits in tummy. Eventually it will result in the thick saliva coming back up--mouthful at a time. Not Fun. Lettuce doesn't do this to me, but things like raw carrots, broccoli, cauliflower; and only if it is in large quantity. If I cook the veggies, it doesn't happen; only with raw.

remember when we were in mushies, and we would take the cottage cheese with spag. sauce--yummmmm

edited, I lost 130 lbs---making my goal between 130 - 136. but well in the normal bmi range

((Hugs and Pats on the back))

Sweetie, cry if you want--you have been through quite a bit!

may I offer 2 (what I believe to be sound) pieces of advice?

Listen to the first reply: nothing to be ashamed of, 36 lbs in 3 months is fantastic--so give yourself credit for it.

and second, you do realize that right now, all stress aside, that you have tons of fat cells emptying into your bloodstream, and with that goes tons of extra estrogen---yeah hormones! My surgeon had told me that at times I would feel moody and as if I was out of control emotionally; but it is hormonal, and will subside shortly.

so until then (((Hugs))); and kudos on your weight loss.

oh, and I do enjoy my latino food as well. soy mama por dos ninos Guatemalatecos.

she looks so sad.

almost 4 years out; size 40 not oversewn. Only 2 lbs about maintain range.

hijack for just an OT question. Brandi--is your avatar a gerbil? yours?

We have babies now that are one week away from being weaned (7 week old). Love them!

Rhonda Roo

I had him do my sleevie when he was still in Cincinnati.

I really liked him, personality and all.

However, he is an "old salt dog"; meaning, he's not gonna baby you, sugar coat you or nuttin like that. He's an excellent surgeon, and he will not blink twice about "setting you straight", if its needed.

Interesting timing as I just looked it up to follow to keep me on track this season.

Clear is broth, juice, flat soda pop, jellos

Semi liquid (full liquid) is protein drinks, milk, yogurt, pureed soups

Semi solid (mushies / purees) refried beans, cottage cheese, cheese, soft scrambled eggs, tuna salad, chopped lean soft meats (moist meat loaf), canned chicken, soft flake fish

Solids and what to eat from now until: solid meats

(((Hugs))) take heart!

1st; be merciful to yourself. You are under a great deal of stress. Did you know that when you are under stress your body starts to make cortisol (the stress hormone). One of the downers to this naturally occurring hormone is that it holds onto belly fat. Yes, true. So when under stress you have to be extra gentle with yourself. Make sure you are getting enough (and not too much sleep). Kudos for keeping up on the water. Engage helpful things to counter stress; and exercise is one of the best. Since you are already exercising, you may want to play with intensity and / or duration to see which counters the stress better. (notice here it is the relief of stress and not weight loss--get to the root the weight starts budging again.) Other helpful distractions for me include magazine reading, bubble baths, pedicures, talking / getting with girlfriends. Make sure you keep time for some "baby-you-time" stuff. When under stress it is quite normal to crave carbs. I'm not one to say "never"; but you do want to limit this as carbs (more specific sugars) are what that cortisol will store in the belly during high-stress times---so you don't want to give it too much here. Get just enough sweet to counter the taste, then fill up on protein and go for a walk to burn the sugar before it can get stored. And, carbs will crave carbs. The more carbs you eat, the more your body will crave it. And for me, I found most carbs I gravitate to are sliders, and do not give me restriction. So, make sure during those time you are doing something to get restrictions ie pairing with raw fruit, veg, or dense protein.

And I do want to make sure that you are keeping clear on how this weight loss works. You are no where close to being a failure in this--in fact, it looks to me as if you are on target. I lost *most* of my weight by the 12 month mark, but it took another 6 months to get the last 30 off. The smaller you are, the closer to "normal" or "goal", the slower it comes off---it makes sense. Your body needs fewer calories to maintain a smaller size, and you don't have as much "reserve". It IS NOT NOR SHOULD IT BE as fast of weight loss as it was in the beginning of the journey. Nevertheless, you are no where yet done. In the last 30, I lost between 4 - 5 lbs per month. Don't lose sight of that is success--any move forward is. You will need to remind yourself of that--and change the negative self-talk. And at this point too, all swelling is done, and you should have less restriction; but I suspect it is good. Measure out some dense protein, or weigh it; say around 10 oz of beef or chicken, don't drink 10 minutes prior, don't drink during. Eat slowly and chew, chew, chew. Stop when you are "not hungry" (not "full"--but one bite shy of "full"); then remeasure, do the math and you'll see what your tiny tummy will hold. I bet you'll be surprised.

Sum up, don't be hard on yourself, keep doing what you know to do, and resist going back to the "old way" as the "old way" didn't work for you before. You can do this, I know you can!