bookwormswot

I have been following low carb since February. I am not losing at all but actually gaining. I just don't get it. The diet makes sense and I am not cheating, it just doesn't work for me. HELP?! I have a gluten allergy so it's been years since I had cake or pizza or a sandwich, so I really didn't have to change my diet much to go low-carb, just cut out the yogurt and banana that was my breakfast. My BF is diabetic and a follower of Atkins for his blood sugar not so much for his weight (he's only 5 pounds over). I decided to be a good GF and follow his diet because it makes cooking/grocery shopping easier. I log EVERYTHING that I eat/drink on fatsecret.com and it gives me my total carbs, net carbs, calories, Protein, etc. I know I am not overeating. My daily net carb intake is between 18-22, with most of it from veggies and berries, and a calorie intake between 1100-1300. Logically, I should be losing, but I'm not. I gained 1.4 pounds last week. It's driving me crazy. A few girls at work are doing it and they lose like 6 pounds a week. I just don't understand why I can't be doing the same. Does anyone know of any reason why low carb won't work for some people?

I absolutely love zero carb Isopure creamy vanilla and low carb isopure dutch chocolate (1 net carb). These are available in most vitamin/health stores and online. Two scoop serving = 50 grams of Protein. I generally start out with one scoop in the morning and then make another at night if my protein is too low. Another way to make these shakes even better is to add some davinci sugar-free, calorie free syrups. I like to mix in banana, cookie dough, Peanut Butter, caramel, etc. and it makes the shakes a really great treat and it doesn't feel like you are having the same thing day in and day out. On a related note, I highly recommend the new Blender Bottles that are out for shake making. They come with a little whisk ball that keeps things really mixed and it doesn't leak, which is nearly unheard of. A friend recommended it and I love it so much I have two.

Thanks so much for the link, Mow! That's something I really want to check out!

I hear you! I'll probably start out riding flat paths until I am certain I won't go bum over handlebars. It's been decades since I've ridden, but I am excited to try again!

Thanks for the info, Laura. I was looking at something similar, and again, the lovely sales people at Sports Authority said no way. I don't think I will ever be shopping there again.

Thanks Leigha! I didn't think of Craigslist.

Now that I've lost 60 pounds and am feeling better, I was all pumped to start some outdoor exercise this summer. And then I went to the sports store... I wanted inline skates, but the stupid buckle wouldn't close and the guy helping me at Sports Authority made sure everyone in the vicinity knew that it didn't fit and he never, ever had someone who was to big for it; I was the first person who couldn't fit it, etc. I was mortified. :blushing: Now, I am being told that at 258 pounds, I need to get a custom built bike if I want to ride because the ones at department stores won't work. I can't afford $1000+ on a bike. I am soooo frustrated. Now that I have the energy and drive, I can't find the equipment. :thumbdown: I bought an elliptical and it served me well all through winter, but I want to be able to exercise outside. I know I can walk, but it doesn't have the same intensity. Running is too bad for my joints and is so not for me. Any suggestions/advice?

I know two wrongs don't make a right, but I am going to name call anyway. In high school, we had two major dances, the prom and the tea (which sophomores put on for seniors). So my senior year, I am at the tea, and this total white trash skanky sophomore (ok I know I am no better, but she did sleep with half the school and was already pregnant at the time), had the DJ play "baby got back" and dedicate it to me. Which he did. I refused to leave or act upset, even though it tore me apart. I did however, go give the DJ a piece of my mind. Now, according to what I hear through the grapevine, she is on welfare, has more baby daddies than I can count and is a hot mess. I may still be fat (for now), but I have an amazing life where I travel the world, interact with celebrities, run my own charity and have men with IQs higher than their age interested in me. So yeah, this baby has back, but I have a life she can only dream of, while her's peaked in high school. And mine will only get better as I lose weight. Noooo, I am not a vindictive b*tch. lol

I live just north of the city but I go to grad school in Manhattan.

I am a big fan of Isopure's Dutch chocolate Protein powder. A serving is 2 scoops and 50 g of protein. I usually only mix 1 with Water, but I am not a huge fan of it, though it is less horrible than many of the others I've tried. It tasted like watery cocoa. However...The reason I love it is because it is great to mix with things. Mix 1 scoop of it with a serving of nonfat greek yogurt and it is super yummy and gives you 41 g of protein. I also use it in place of chocolate for guilt free treats (melt 1 cup of organic Peanut Butter, and pour over 1 cup of toasted oats, 1 cup of protein powder and add water/liquid protein to get your fav consistency and roll into balls and chill. Filling, full of protein and takes care of sweets craving. Makes about 26 balls.) I also used it in place of cocoa in a baked pear filled with chocolate roccota recipe. I want to experiment with other protein powder flavors and see how else I can mix them in. As you can see, I'd rather "eat" my protein powder than drink it. :wub:

I was told it could take up to 15 minutes for the papaya enzyme to work. I haven't had a fill yet, so I haven't taken any but I do have a bottle I keep with me in my purse. My doc and nutritionist highly suggested it. Repeatedly.

I don't. I know from past diet failures that having to do something like that every day doesn't work for me. I need low maintenance. I work a 50-60 hour week, go to grad school and run a charity. I suck at trying to log everything. I know it doesn't work for me so I don't even bother. All it does is add unneeded stress. But one thing I do is keep track of my Protein and Iron intake (I have hemolytic anemia). It's just a running tabulation in my head each day though. Nothing formal.

I copied the code from the ticker web site and pasted it in the text box in signature section. If you have problems, let me know and I'll try to walk you through it.

meschultz, you are an inspiration. I am just starting out so it's so cool to see others who've lost so much weight. Screw what that old bat says. You've done an amazing job already and you will be in that bikini top someday, probably looking better than she EVER did and probably in better shape than she EVER was. Living well is the best revenge after all.

I had to give myself lovenox injections for 2 weeks because my mom had a blood clot post knee surgery and I am on depo (apparently birth control increases risk of blood clot). I really didn't think I could do it and it was a big deal the first three days but it became second nature. Now I don't think I'll freak out over needles again. :wub:

I know it's hard but trust me, it will pass quite quickly. The best thing you can do is stick to the diet. We're on it because we have to let our stomach heal. Use this example and how it made you feel/getting stuck to keep you from cheating again. You need to let your tummy heal and not force it to digest food before it's ready to. I am on week 5 post op. Once you get on mushies, it's like a whole new world. It took two weeks for me to get to purees and it was tough, but it's worth it. I am on solid food now and even without a fill, I am losing weight and not having a problem. You don't want to screw up your stomach. And really, what's two weeks in the grand scheme of things? Stay strong and this period will be over before you know it! Do they allow yogurt? If so get some protein powder and mix it with nonfat greek yogurt. It will give you tons of protein to keep you full. I use the Isopure Dutch Chocolate powder. One scoop is 25 g of protein. Mix it with greek yogurt, which has 16 g and you are at 41 g without having to force down a shake. I know it's tough, but hang in there! It will be so worth it in no time! Best of luck! Bookworm

Besides what Mel says, do some research or talk to your doctor before hand. I find out that the more I know, the less scared I am. I got a packet of info that went over several types of anesthesia, the benefits and risks, which would most likely be used and why. And you'll meet your anesthesiologist before surgery and you can ask any questions you have. Don't feel shy; ask away!

I'm a little confused. Are you asking what happens here or what you do for surgery? If it is about surgery, you need to attend an educational seminar and find a surgeon. You can do a search online for bariatric surgeons to find one in your area. Your surgeon will then tell you what your next steps are. It seems to vary depending on doctor and what the patient's other conditions may be. Generally all include a meeting with a nutritionist and a psychologist. Once pretesting is done, your doc submits the info to your insurance for approval if you are not selfpay. Some insurances require a 6 month supervised diet beforehand. If you are talking about the forums, now that you've registered, just jump in and start posting and responding. Best of luck! Bookworm

Congrats and good luck! Surgery time will be here before you know it. Now's a good time to start cleaning out the frig and cupboards and buying funky small plates and measuring cups and testing out protein shakes so you can find some you can stand. There is a lot to do to make the time pass.

I am sorry you had to go through all of that, but I am glad you are back on the wagon and good for your for your 5 pound loss! And ignore whoever is making fat comments. Screw 'em. Listen to us. We're here to cheer you on!

Good luck, Joe! I am so jealous you are in England. I studied in Manchester for a year and have wanted to move back to the UK ever since.

Every doctor is different. For me, it's no fresh veggies. At least yet. I am in my 5th week post op. My options are canned or baby food. I chose babyfood. It's really not bad, especially if you get organic. Add a little salt and spices and it's fine. My doc also said only about 1.5 oz, that's only half a small jar of baby food. Not much at all. Even if you absolutely hate veggies, you can deal with 1.5 oz. Plus the baby food mixes fruit and veggies like apples and squash, which might help you. I was told no salads. They may be introduced later but it is off the menu for now for me. Others might have different instructions from their docs. So don't fret too much about veggies. Just be sure to talk a quality mulitvitamin at least once a day. It's required for pretty much all lapband patients across the board.

I would definitely request that the school test him for a learning disability. I was really slow to learn to read because I was dyslexic. Unfortunately I wasn't diagnosed until College. I had someone managed to teach myself ways to cope. While it all worked out well in the end (I am an editor - who would have thunk it?), I still can't spell to save my life because I learned everything wrong. Life would have been easier had I had help much earlier.

Way to go Aimee!

I was also banded July 29 with no fill. I lost 17 lb pre surgery and then 3 lb during liquids which was depressing. And then I gained 1.5 pounds when I went to mushes, which my dr. warned would happen. But once I was eating solid food regularly again, I lost 4 pounds in one week. My dr said that with liquids, we get so little calories that the body holds on to everything. Same with mushies. We are getting some food but still not enough and the body has been in starvation mode having just gone through 4 weeks of liquid diet. But once the body realized it was getting real food on a normal basis, it relaxes and stops trying to horde all the calories.