Pam!! Hi Darlin (say it in your best Texan drawl )  

Your Italian salad sounds yummy!! So funny how the hubbies think we can just "drop everything" and go out, NO MAN, don't they realize we spend loads of time planning the menu, posting the menu and making the food!! Just joking, but it can be annoying sometimes!  I think your menu looks awesome for today, I love cole slaw, for some reason I can't get enough it, I have to portion it out or I would eat a ton of it.  And shrimp, good golly I could eat that 24/7! Hubby and I are going to Boston and Martha's Vineyard for about 7 days first week of June and I plan on eating as much seafood as I can, I love lobster, shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops, fish, fish, fish!  So hopping I can get some great stuff there!

In regards to your chocolate craving, remind me pre surgery where you a sweets person?  I was BIG TIME, but now I only crave savoury, but the cravings are coming back with a vengeance, I want spicy salsa and tortilla chips, or spicy guac and tortilla chips ALL THE TIME.   I recently got some protein samples from Nashua Nutrition and they threw in two "freebies" and one was a Protein Hot Chocolate.  I though what the heck I will try it and OMG it was yummy! Its the brand "Proti-Thin Hot Drink - Hot Chocolate" if you search their site.  I made it with ho****er from my Keurig Machine and it was divine, very dark chocolate flavour, think you might like that.  I made it an sipped on it while watching TV a few weeks ago and it was great, I did not get hungry or feel the need to snack as I was drinking protein!!   I was super impressed and next time I order from them I am going to get some with my order.  Overall I am super impressed with the Nashua Nutrition site, they send it out right away, it arrives all packaged nice and they put in two random "freebies" if you order over $30.  I got a Peach-Mango protein powder freebie to try and I love all things peach so looking forward to trying it soon.  In case any newbies are reading this do check out the site, its so perfect to "try" a sample of protein powder before you buy a massive tub of it!!

Good luck with your workout, sounds awesome.  

Also glad to see you back, missed you 

Hey Daze! Good to see you, too. And thanks for the recommend on the protein hot chocolate, I'll look into that. I wasn't a sweets person pre-surgery, I'm much more of a savory/umami/salty kind of eater. I can do without cookies, cakes, pastries and candies of all kinds pretty much. However, chocolate...chocolate is the food of the gods. The Aztecs had it right! So I need to find a good substitute, I'm thinking.

Have fun on your trip, and enjoy the seafood! When the husbeast and I got engaged we took a trip to Boston and Bar Harbor, and we did some serious damage to the lobster population while there. Our favorite was the picked lobsters baked in a casserole style with lots of Ritz crackers and tons of butter...We called it "no-fight lobster".  Definitely off the menu now! When we go back (probably next year) it will be the regular "fight" lobster with some drawn butter, and that's good enough for me. Not much better than a little tumbledown lobster shack on the side of the road with a couple of picnic tables, big pots of seawater on the boil, and lobsters so fresh they still taste like the ocean but sweet as well. Mmmm!

Good morning Pam, thanks for the tip on the Saffron Road chick peas. It actually looks like my regular 'ole Giant grocery store carries them - I'm putting it on my list for the next trip!

Must agree on the Flatouts...the general taste isn't great when used in a wrap like situation - but I've really liked them as a "pizza dough" the two times I've tried it. I think I'll continue to use them in that way. 

As it is one of my water aerobics days, I was wondering...have you tried it yet? I know you had mentioned your trainer recommended water aerobics and you ordered a swimming suit. With the plague that recently hit you I'm sure you didn't go last week - but what about this week? Are you going to give it a try?!

I'm trying, I really am. But I put the swimsuit on and broke down in tears. I look awful...between the extra weight and the floppy skin starting, I just looked horrible. I know, I shouldn't let that deter me, but up until this point I just can't be seen like that. I don't mind flopping around the gym in my workout pants and a baggy t-shirt, but the bathing suit is just too much for the moment.

I know, I'm a whiny baby. But I'm looking at possible bathing suit options that may be a bit more camouflage, like something with a skirt instead of the plain maillot I ordered. As if I didn't feel old enough already, but wearing a bathing suit with a skirt...ugh!!

Can you tell this is a bit of an issue for me?  *sigh* 

Oh dear, Pam, I'm sorry that the bathing suit was so traumatic for you! Do remember, you only have to get from the locker room to the pool and back. During the class you'll be in deep enough water that no one will see any "floppy" bits. Personally, I go to the gym with my suit under my clothes, take off the clothes in the locker room and immediately wrap a towel around myself ****il VERY recently a towel wouldn't go around me, but I have a big beach towel that does the trick). I wear my towel out to the pool and wait until it's time to get in to take it off. Several other women seem to do the same thing. 

For what it's worth...I see a LOT of women in the "Family Fun" pool wearing skirted bathing suits and they're like young mothers and the like - so don't let it make you feel old! I highly recommend Lands Ends suits. That's where mine is from and I love it. They have so many options - like little shorts or skirts that are more "tankini" than old-lady skirted bathing suit that you might find more palatable.

Sunny and beautiful day here in Illinois and my new dog Lily and I have already walked about 2 miles to the park and back. She is doing much better on the leash and is great around people too so we both had fun. She is so proud of herself because she figured out how to get on the couch by herself! She is curled up there snoring now! The cats are finally coming upstairs now but don't want to be in the same room with her yet because she is wiggly like a little puppy but weighs 50 pounds. I never have an issue now with constipation because I put a dose of benefiber in my first cup of coffee every day and take one colace pill at night before bed. Right after surgery I had problems but since I got this routine going I am regular. On to today. Post op 21 months and at 122. B 1/2 c steel cut oats with nuts and 1/2 banana with peanut butter L 31/2 oz deli turkey with cheese and 1/2 c spinach S string cheese D 31/2 oz pork loin and 1/2 c spinachS 3/4 c Greek yogurt. On track with water and vitamins and working on my cup of coffee. Got about 2 miles walked already but will probably do another mile on my treadmill and 20 minutes on the bike. Off to a great start. Hope everyone has a super day!

Karen, I bet the oats help you stay regular as well. Lots of good fiber in those! I love the steel cut version, maybe I'll try incorporating a bit of oats into my mornings. I'd be willing to take the carb hit if it would help avoid the backup.

Good to hear Lily is settling in! If you'd be willing to post a picture I'd love to see her. Furbabies are awesome!

That's awesome that your rescue puppy is doing well!  My parents just got a rescue dog - she is not exactly house-trained, they are finding out (she lived with a hoarder who had 25 dogs wtf!) but she is settling in well too.  It's so awesome that people rescue dogs.  I may have to try benefiber.  Thanks for the tip!  Have a super day as well - enjoy the sunny and beautiful day!

Hi Emily, Anny, Pam and Menu Friends!!   It was a great post discussion yesterday!  Loved it.

Em I had a hard time with the dairy and milky protein shakes right out from surgery so I bought a few of the Isopure Zero Carb protein shakes, Grape Frost and Apple Melon.  I think they are great for something different, but I was not crazy about the taste.  Not anything bad, but not awesome either.  I preferred the Apple Melon of the two flavours I tried,  I still have about 6 or 8 left (I bought 24 bottles, 12 of each flavour) and my hubby loves them and drinks them before his baseball games, go figure he loves them.

Interesting you brought up the "what keeps you regular" topic.  You all can call me crazy but not only do I track my weight on a spreadsheet I also track my "movements".  Yes, really.  When I was a few months post op I kind of forgot about how often I was going and I ended up about 6 or 7 days without going and then realized oh no I have not gone.... I was so uncomfortable and was worried when it finally came how constipated I was going to be.  And yes I got totally constipated and was just in a mess. So I started upping my water like mad, eating more veggies and taking a Senokot every 2-3 days.  My Senokot has a laxative and stool softener in one tablet. I go fine now, all is good down there and I personally am not worried about using the Senokot every few days.  Not sure what the vets will say (if they chime in) but I know my centre says as long as you are eating protein forward, some veggies and drinking tons of water you should be fine and a laxative or stool softener every now and then is fine.  My family Doctor is very Pro stool softeners, even taken daily, she told me that when I was having so many problems a few months out.  Just my two cents, looking forward to what everyone else says.

6 months, 3 weeks post op

Exercise: hour long brisk walk at lunch, and taking the pups for a long walk/jog when I get home

Water: on it, but so far 24 oz

Vitamins: AM done (2 multi, 1 Iron, 1 B12, 1 Senokot), PM on alarms

Menu:

B: two cups of black coffee, one Splenda in each and one cup of unsweetened almond milk with 1.5 scoops of Syntrax Matrix Cookies n Cream protein powder

L: left over grilled bbq chicken - 3oz and 1/4 cup of peaches n cream corn

S: 1/2 cup Clover leaf tuna (packed in water) with a splash of green relish

D: left over grilled bbq chicken - 4oz and 1/2 cup grilled red peppers

S: 1/2 cup diced Cantaloupe sprinkled with Cinnamon (this is so sweet and yummy it totally feels like dessert to me)

STATS: 627 calories  26 carbs  100 protein

Have a great day ladies 

Daisy

Hi Daisy!  I don't think its crazy at all...in fact, I should probably track because what happens is that I will suddenly think, "Oh damn, it's been a while" and then yes, I may as well bring a novel in with me while I sit and hope to go and without going into details, we all know how uncomfortable being constipated is!  Almost as uncomfortable as what has to happen to get UN-constipated lol!

My NUT also says it's ok to take a laxative every few days BUT see Jennifer's comment below...her aunt had her colon removed.  Ugh.  I am going to try something else.

Awesome protein numbers today.  Damn, putting me to shame.  But mostly, inspiring me to do better tomorrow :)