mi75

june 24 here...i am down just over 60 lbs total right now. slowing down a bit right now but i have been lax with exercise the past few weeks. picked back up this week with exercise and a full shake every day too. we will see what the scale says at the end of the week! my surgeon told me there would be a day about 4-5 months out when the surgery will slow down it's part of the work, and MY choices and lifestyle would pick up a large part of the weight loss...thinking i am getting close to that. also, everyone talks about the 'honeymoon' period of 5-6 months post op when you lose the most. i think this all sounds pretty normal.

thanks everyone, taking suggestions to heart. focusing on the good. definitely feeling awesome. losing some size too, even though scale is locked up. MAJOR improvement today, included a full shake, increased liquids, AND power walked... moving in the right direction! thanks

I agree with Fat Sick &Nearly Dead- in fact part 2 is coming out in a couple weeks! I also LOVE Hungry for Change which is awesome, and if you are REALLY motivated, food Matters TV which is an online Netflix for health! that said, i would also schedule a specific time twice a day to get up, get out, and move. walking, gym, going to the park, etc. just do some movement. i also agree with maybe finding a support group. that is a lot to handle in one little year. good luck!

i have hit a BAD stall and stuck at my current number for the past 2 weeks. scale moves 0.5 up, then 0.5 down, and back and forth... i have put off officially joining any gym and have been doing day passes and such, but i think this is my wake up call to get an official membership, get some training, and a program. i am also thinking about doing a 2-3 day shake only re-boot. any suggestions are appreciated...

I eat EVERYTHING and have no problems. Bread takes a lot of space though, so if i'm eating a sandwich or something like, i will take most of it off and have just a tiny bit for effect....that said: pizza- very thin crust, ham and veggie only. 1 piece mexican- 1 crispy taco chinese- chicken and broccoli. 1 tbsp noodles italian- grilled fish with salad, or 1/3 cup spaghetti with meat sauce deli- nothing there for me. all junk, meat has lot of processing and sodium fast food burger places- chili or Soup family style restaurant- roast beef or ham or similar Protein, cooked veg and cottage cheese. take most home. i have found that since surgery, i generally eat out very minimal to what we did. and when we do, it's always the same places, the same foods. it makes my choosing less stressful. 4 months, 60 lbs down and counting

I have a whole Cookies and Cream every afternoon, it is my second snack of the day. it would be hard to make my Protein goal without them since i no longer have shakes. LOVE them. i am partial to cookies and cream, and the cookie dough ones are pretty good too.

my program allows for 3 meals and 3 Snacks a day, so in essence, i graze every day. i am eating every 2 hours with this plan. in between, i drink. for my snacks i have a P3 snack pack, popcorn, maybe a slice of deli meat with some cuke slices, a slice of Ezekial toast with PB, almonds, or a baby-bell cheese. i try to focus more on Protein but i have been known to have plenty of carb too, because my plan emphasizes all foods, and is not a low carb plan. i am losing steadily and my skin is doing well, no real sagging. i feel great and am ahead of where my surgeon expected me to be for this point.

I also do NOT do 'low carb'. I juice EVERY day with my fusion Juicer and occasionally have a nutriblast with my nutribullet. the key is to focus on VEG and very little fruit. it takes only a tiny amount of fruit to get flavor. i would concentrate on celery, kale, beet root, etc and then add just a tiny bit of fruit. no need to add agave or monkfruit, i continue to lose steadily and no issues at all. i juice because i am drinking whole, direct nutrients into my body for the best possible uptake. post surgery, there is NO way i am getting the nutrients my body would need through the little amounts of food i eat.

i was a HUGE addict, and drank almost a GALLON of regular Mtn Dew a day. yes, regular, not even diet... i quit about a month before surgery and haven't had any caffeine since. doesn't bother me at all. in fact, the entire event of walking away from pop, after drinking a GALLON a day for almost 12 years, was pretty unceremonious. I had a slight headache the next day, took some Excedrin and had some tea. no probs since!

i don't mind it, and i have a cookies and cream Quest bar daily for protein. it's my candy bar!

good stories everyone. keep your opinions coming! i am still in the 'deciding' mode. i am looking into different membership options.

thanks everyone for your input. it is great. i think the majority vote sounds like it would be worth my while to at least try a gym and see how it goes. now just deciding WHICH one...

i started in at LEAST a 22, but wore scrubs and t-shirts pretty much all the time so i really don't know... however, with 60 lbs lost, a size 16 jeans fit me pretty well, and would be perfect after another 5# loss. so for ME, i consider a size 10 really little and would be awesome. considering that i have pretty much reversed ALL of my health ailments, my final size isn't too vital, just so that i'm healthy and not carrying belly fat which does really bad things to me...

i track Protein and liquids. i watch my intake of simple carbs and try to avoid them for the most part (Pasta about 1x per month, white potato maybe 1x every 2 wks, no rice, no bread). i will have fruit if it is available to me or salad or roasted veggies. i include winter squash in my veggies. i still use ranch dressing for things, and miracle whip and butter in small amounts. i avoid sugars and try to sub with stevia or splenda.

hey all, still perplexed about joining a gym. i went this week to a local one at got a trial 1-week thing to try it out. it was good, but i have also been exercising at home with resistance bands and dumbbells, plus walking. FYI- i have a great treadmill at home AND work, plus a bike at both too. i want to get some strength so i'm not sure if i NEED to go to a gym, or if working out at home like i have been will work. the HUGE issue for me (besides the money commitment), is the drive to the gym, and the gas spent doing it. i would have to go at about 4:45 am before i start my day just due to my crazy life/work schedule and kids. the time thing i could handle but if i can get a good workout at home, i would rather. i have about 3 months left of my 'honeymoon period'. at that point, i would like to be darn close to goal-i have 30 lbs to go until goal. i don't know if going to they gym will boost that along, or what. any thoughts are appreciated. thanks!

i got a set of 3 at target for $10. i use them 3-4 times a week

as a general rule, surgeons say to plan on 20 lbs the first month and then 10 lbs each month thereafter. i lost about that, but some weeks have been faster, then some slower. i am now 17 wks out and down 60 lbs, with 30 lbs to go until goal.

i am 16 wks and had one yesterday for breakfast! it was an all beef one, from a local butcher. NO nitrates or nitrites, no preservatives. very fresh, no 'snap' casing either. it was awesome with mustard. they are a VERY occasional treat. only the 2nd one i've had since surgery. it was really good, but i have changed so much about how i eat that i would really only eat them a few times a year now...

i too am a HUGE proponent of strength training AND cardio. cardio is honestly pretty easy to get just by walking. no issue there. BUT, i did not want to be a woman who lost all her weight, was WEAK, and had SKIN all over. i want to be TIGHT, TAUT, TONED and STRONG!!! i personally think that the women on the cover of Oxygen magazine look way more awesome than the ones on the cover of Vogue. That's just ME. so, i tried it myself with toning bands, some free weights, walking, etc. Got a great start and then caved and joined a gym...

i would say you will lose slower...i was 218 on day of surgery (HW 233 or so) and tomorrow i will be 17wks out and i am now at 181. definitely losing still, but it has slowed some. not stressing, just keeping in my mind that the honeymoon period is 6 months so trying everything i can to get as much off during that time as possible. i have 30 lbs to go until goal.

I don't care for Premier, I prefer either Unjury or Muscle MIlk like pre-mixed. however, i know there are a TON of brands out there. for ME, Premier were too thick. I like a thinner shake much more, and with ice and extra milk added to it!

ROAR!!! Katy Perry. it really gets me in the mood for exercise and daily commitment. also, Girl on Fire works for me too! 'cause i AM a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!!!

another bursitis person here...right hip too! it flares up when i push myself WAY to much. i started running last week after NO running since 2000, and it flared right up on que. i was in SERIOUS pain for several days. heating pad, icy hot, ice packs, and rest did the trick...

i am in the same boat. i am 4 months out and starting to see that i can tolerate a little more food than i hoped i would. my doc told me that "the first 5-6 months, the surgery does the work. after that, YOU do the work"... i am definitely joining a gym. i didn't get this far to stall out or worse yet, be done. i figure i have a solid 2 months left to really get this weight moving, and i have 30 lbs to go until goal. it's not coming off as fast as i had hoped it would, and i too have been very patient and willing to lose slowly, but now i'm seeing that i'm going to have to start upping my game a bit. good luck!

Truly after reading these posts I don't think i take many at all! upon waking: 1 BP med, 1 PPI, Biotin, B complex, chewable bariatric multi vit 2 chewable calcium citrate with each meal 1 BP med with dinner that's it! bloodwork is all good (so far)...