I am 26 months out and currently 33 weeks preg.

1) I gave up steak. I just can't seem to stomach it. Sad. I originally went very low carb and when baby hit, I smashed noodles like it was my job, so I will be back to giving those up ASAP.

2) Carbonation - ehhh I was never a huge soda drinker and I find that the bubbles really bother me. Now a flat soda, I'll drink but that rarely ever happens. I had to let go of sweet tea, but again with baby on board, I have been lax.

3)Alcohol.....not right now, but I will enjoy a beer or two.

4) Eat and drink together......On I TRY so hard, but them my mouth feels dry and I'll take a sip to get my mough right. I don't watch the clock to see when I can drink again, i just wait until I am thirsty or chew on some ice.

5) Excercise....normally yes. I made up to 7 months walking, but now I am just so tired and wore out from every day living, I will get back to the gym in a few weeks!

6) Tell people....I have blogged about it and if they chose to read then they know. My family and close friends know and never had any negative responses. I don't shout it out and I have no issues telling people that are struggling and look to me because I ahve lost weight.

7) Favorite foods.....hmmmm I am a big fan of Tuna salad and tomatoes and cucumbers. I Really need to get back to protein, but I would take a veggie over meat right now.

8) Advice....if you have given up something and it's working for you, don't let it back in. It's hard when you get to taste it again and it's sooooo good. I have had pizza which I had sworn off unless it was super thin and full of veggies once a month. PROTEIN.....PROTEIN....PROTEIN.... and don't give up!

1) what did you give up and you still do not touch? Diet Mountain Dew and Beer. Sigh, loved both. I have had ONE taste of a Diet Mtn Dew and it was horrible. Can't believe I used to drink that stuff now. I may someday taste a beer again, but probably better not to do so.

2) do you drink carbonated beverages? No, see above.

3) alcohol do you drink? I consider having a glass of wine now and then. Someday I will. Right now, I don't want the calories.

4) do you eat and drink together? I didn't before surgery, much. So not too difficult to change for this.

5) do you exercise? Yes, as much as I should or sometimes would like too, no. I've gotten into hiking again. Now that I can, I like getting my exercise in fun ways.

6) did you tell people? I was also pretty honest with some people at work. tell the right person and the whole office will know anyway. Now that they see both my wife and I doing so well, we are getting people asking us about what we did. I have never tried to hide it. It is what it is for the individual. For me it meant living again.

7) favorite foods? Well, a week ago I would have said Quest bars, but now that the nutritionist has convinced me to cut them out as a regular thing... I love eggs, ham, a good steak - rib or filet, and now dark meat only chicken. I can't eat the drier white meat any longer. I also love an occasional Guerro 75 calorie flour tortilla. I find attempting to eat more than that makes me feel ill.

8) any tidbits/ advice? You got all of my best current eating advice on the other thread. (One year and 5 months...) For exercise, make it FUN and you won't feel like you are working out. If I was where you are, I'd be hiking, trying to get courage enough to take my still obese, saggy skinned self snorkling! (On my bucket list!)

I gave up medicating with food/emotional eating a year before surgery. I still found that I had trigger foods that were very difficult for me to control as they brought on huge cravings that I then had to fight for a day. Not surprisingly they were the high glycemic carbs. I no longer eat wheat, rice or white potato to any great extent. A few tbsp of these in a dish are ok but they cannot be the main ingredients. I also recently added corn chips, they illicited the same cravings. People ask me how I can restrict myself but honestly I eat a much wider variety now. I use beans, other grains and squashes/gourds for my starch. When I don't eat simple carbs I become normal, I don't even think about food until I am hungry. I have put in place delicious alternatives to past favorites. Instead of restaurant Vietnamese pho I make my own with Shirataki noodles. Instead of pizza I make portobello pizzas or Farinata. I make my own chick pea crepes that can be used as crepes, wraps or even to replace lasagna noodles. I make chick pea dumplings. I make almond macarons if I want cookies-but leftovers of baked goods are not allowed in the house (this is my skinny husbands rule) his trigger is sweet baked goods, so we all have some and immediately get rid of leftovers. I make a loaf of gluten free bread every 2 wks- bizarrely, I can completely portion control this. Luna coconut bar instead of candy bar. The nice thing was that we never grew up with a lot of processed food so we never had much of it in our house.

I never had Sparkling Ice prior to surgery but I was accustomed to a diet soda at least once or twice a week. I just shake all the fizz out of my pink grapefruit drink when I have the desire for a soda.

I had a light beer at a Super Bowl party that took 3 hours to finish. I was so buzzed and loved it! I share a beer with my husband or mom occasionally, because they never could finish a whole beer either.

I have had to stop drinking with meals or I will wash my food thru and feel a desire to eat too soon(hollow feeling) before my next meal is due.

I only recently began to add exercise at 5 months. Exercise always made me ravenous. When ravenous I make poor food choices. I have now started an hour or two of sustained exercise on the weekends and small 20 minute walks during the week.

If people ask I tell but I am quick to say "weight loss surgery will take off 20-30 lbs. Not ever eating wheat, rice or potato is what takes off 80-100 lbs". The "Easy" remark.....never eating more than a bite of candy, no more than 2 bites of dessert, 750 calories a day until you reach maintenance and even then you only get 1400 if you are 5'5" forty four yr old female, legally drunk after one glass of wine, only 5% of your diet is simple carbs! no carbonated beverages.....Sure, if you call that easy! At 172 lbs I am the weight I was in 6th grade. I have no concept of what it feels like to be a normal wt as an adult. This surgery has given me the tool to push past where all my previous attempts blew up.


Favorite foods. Chick pea flour!! I make all sorts of things from it. Private selection yogurt dips 35 cals/2tbsp. Popsicle sugar free fudgesicles. Premier Protein 160cal/30g protein shakes. Kroger Carbmaster skim milk 60cals/11g protein per cup-also comes in chocolate and vanilla. Premier Protein chewy chocolate chip bars. Meats cooked in crockpots so they are moist. Bacon and light bologna cause the calories are so reasonable for the flavor. All beans. Cheese sticks, slim Jim minis, 100 cal nut packs. PB2. Any seasoned goat cheese on any raw vegetable. Tuna or chicken salad made with strained/Greek yogurt instead of mayo. Eggs, lots of eggs.

Measure and log your food and go to support group. I accept that I will always have "Obese Brain". I will always need to pay attention to my food. Going to support group is just like AA for my eating.

Pretty much the same as DJRonnie. Only difference is telling folks. I just tell them I watch what i eat and exercise everyday. Maybe a half truth, if you look at the whole picture, but essentially what I am doing now.

I also feel like I'm eating small meals all day.

The biggest change has been logging excercise and food. The surgery makes things easier to manage, but also makes me plan my meals to supplement my excercise.