Coookies

i'm at 244 right now, but am can fit into all of my size 16s which would not go up past my thighs 3 weeks ago... i've only lost 5 pounds over the last 3 weeks, but because i've been working out like a mad woman and have gained a lot of muscle and lost a lot of fat in the meantime... i look about 20 pounds lighter than i really am... last time i got down to a size 16 i was around 220, but i was only walking to work out then, this time around i'm doing taekwondo and aikido about 8 hours a week at high intensity.. its making a huge difference!!!!

http://homecookingro...sams-picadillo/ Oops... Filipino.... Ingredients 1 whole upo (bottle gourd), about 18 inches long 2 tbsps. of cooking oil 1 onion, chopped 6 cloves of garlic, minced 3 tomatoes, roughly chopped 400 g. of coarsely ground pork 4 to 6 c. of broth patis (fish sauce), to taste freshly milled black pepper Instructions To prepare the upo, cut about half an inch off both ends. You may cut theupo into halves or thirds for easier handling. Using a small sharp utility knife, cut off the skin. Then, cut the skinned upo vertically into halves to expose the center. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds. Cut the flesh into half-inch cubes. Heat the cooking oil in a pot. Saute the onion and tomatoes. Do this over medium heat until the vegetables start to liquefy. Add the garlic. Saute for another minute. Turn up the heat. Add the ground pork to the pot. Season with fish sauce and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the pork is no longer pink. Pour in the broth. Add the upo cubes. Taste and add more fish sauce and pepper. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for about ten minutes or until the upo cubes are tender. Serve hot. Preparation time: 15 minute(s) Cooking time: 15 minute(s) Number of servings (yield): 4 to 6

that sucks... my PCP didn't want me to do the surgery... he was totally against it until i asked him to figure out what my BMI was... after he did that, he was more accepting... it was very funny too because all of his nurses came into the injection room afterwards and asked me about the surgery and told me that i was making a great decision and told me good luck... some doctors are just idiots... don't stress over it!! oh, and TexasT's rec. for the sublingual B-12 is great! .. i live in Korea, and just today i ordered some online from Walgreen's in the US, and my sister is going to mail them to me

That's awesome!! Congrats!!

its normal and will end, make sure you are getting in all of your water too... my "3 week stall" actually occurred in week 5 for me.. it's different for everyone... don't stress, that makes it worse.. also, you could try switching out one of the shakes for real protein (in addition to your dinner protein)... maybe for breakfast....

Wow Congrats!!! You look amazing!!!

aqua jogging... buy a float belt and you can do it on your own in any pool.. no classes needed like with water aerobics and the workout is much better (i'm a former lifeguard and water aerobics instructor)... aqua jogging is what most uni & pro athletes do for rehab... i've done it too... it is an amazing workout and there is no impact on your knees and ankle, whereas there is some impact with water aerobics.... ( i did it for 1 year after i tore my right anterior talofibular ligament in my ankle) .... it really helped and let me exercise when i could hardly even walk

Wow Shanny!! That's awesome!!!

Looking great!!! Congrats!!!

I have the same problem with bananas... just the smell makes me gag, so I've never eaten one... in my whole life.. Add to that a potassium and Iron deficiency I've had cuz of a medicine I've been taking since kindergarten, and it equals a whole lot of Vitamins... I take Spring Valley's Natural Potassium Gluconate.... 3% RDA... and i take 2-3 tabs daily.. within a few days after my surgery I was already starting to cramp up... first to go is always my feet, then my calves... I know I've been too lax on skipping them when my thighs start to cramp... ever had a thigh cramp?? you don't want to go there... Post-op my solution was to dissolve 2 caplets overnight in about a quarter cup of G2 and then drink it in the morning.. they dissolve really well..... I did the same thing to my B-12.... no problems... Just don't try to dissolve any vitamins with a coating... very nasty!!

I'm the same way,,,,, shrinking top to bottom...and my pants-- the waist is tight but the seat and thighs are baggy... I'm wearing 18 pants (and 20s in some brands).. and either large or XL shirts... but mostly larges... i'm very unbalanced size-wise.. I messaged one of my friends who is a trainer, and this is what he said: " I found that most people lose weight from top/bottom to the middle."

Wow!!!! Looking good!!!!! Congrats!!!

congrats!! .... That is a really high number, does that include pre-op diet loss too????? if not, what was your starting weight??? thanks!! just curious!

thanks!!! ... I was self pay ... and my doctor said that since i had lost so much weight within the last year on my own (66 pounds in 11 months), that I didn't need to do a pre-op diet... but since I was mostly vegetarian, i needed to increase my Protein so that i would heal better...

I am almost 3 months out and i have lost 46 pounds since my surgery ( i am on day 87 post-op... so that means i have lost an average of a little more than 1/2 a pound each day) .. i am 32 years old... my BMI at surgery time was 45.3 (5'8" at 298 pounds)... no pre-op diet.. just was ordered to eat high protein for 9 days before surgery and 1200 calories... didn't lose a pound... wasn't supposed to... my current weight is 252 and my BMI is 38.3... Hope this helps... good luck!!

I spent 6 days in the hospital, so I took really loose men's pj bottoms from old navy and baggy t-shirts (i cant sleep in only gowns or a nightshirt, i must have bottoms on!!)... as soon as i got out of the ICU i got a nurse to help me change!! thank God for her!!! your clothing choice sounds perfect!!! oh, and Tiffykins has it right.. if you are big chested and self-consious, take a sports bra or sleep bra (without underwire)... mine didn't close in the front, thus the need for the nurse's help... but there was no way in hell i was going to walk around the hospital without a bra on!!! good luck!!

They will shrink, give them time... You really should wait until about a year post-op before you do any cosmetic surgery... that is what most of the long-timers on here suggest, to give your body time to bounce back (including your skin)... Get to your goal or very near it and re-evaluate... In the meantime, go invest in some new bras... Bras that don't fit well commonly cause back pain among us larger breasted girls... What size of bra are you wearing now?? Oh, and I agree with KristeyK... most surgeons won't do the surgery on you right now anyway... and anyone who is willing to shouldn't be trusted...

Congrats!! They check for leaks during the surgery, but you can always develop one later... usually during the first 3 months post-op, but occasionally it happens during the 3-6 month range... There have been a couple of people on here like that...but they speculate that such leaks were already present earlier on and that they went undiagnosed... I'm not trying to scare you... like i said, they are very rare... This surgery is so worth it!!! If you follow the eating plan from your doctor, you will be fine!! And yes... scar tissue will develop over the staple line in time and that creates a protective barrier that strengthens the seal of the new stomach. I don't regret getting this surgery!! Best (and scariest) decision of my life!!!

Sorry, you never said if you are male or female.... If you are female, Is there any chance you could be pregnant?????? That seems too low to be connected with the surgery, but it could be an ectopic pregnancy.. which means you need to be in the hospital ASAP....

I've done this with green olives... i made a green olive & cream cheese sandwich spread.. yummy!!

agreed!! and i agree that Protein doesn't spike blood sugar levels... never implied that it did... just that protein does actually convert to glucose during metabolism.......rather it helps to maintain steady blood sugar levels, by converting to a very small amount of glucose over a longer period of time.... so, if you are eating primarily or solely protein, it will keep your blood sugar levels stable, and if you don't eat, you will crash.. ----------------- On a side note, I found this article from a diabetes support group in the UK... http://www.insulin-pumpers.org/howto/pfandbs-2.html The last sentence of the article says: "Most authorities believe that the amount of protein converted to glucose is quite small, except under conditions of intense exercise or metablic starvation. Under these conditions amino acids produce the major source of glucose for blood sugar maintenance." ---- I wonder if this is what happens when we are doing very strict low-carb dieting... any ideas??? I think it makes sense that if we are relying mainly on protein, then that would have to keep our blood sugar levels regulated, otherwise we would be fainting all the time.... Does Atkins (which is basically what i'm doing, as are most on here) count as metabolic starvation??? I'm curious now!! Opinions??

That is awesome!! Congrats!!!

Proteins and fats do have a minor impact on blood sugar levels, and i think the whole point was not that her blood sugar levels were too high, but rather were too low... Some research has shown that eating Protein can actually lower or stabilize blood-sugar levels for a period of time.. and that the consumption of fats can slow the emptying of the stomach, which inhibits spikes in blood-sugar. Check out this article: http://www.nutrition.../content/3/1/16 And just because you are diabetic does not make you the know all of this forum... I've studied nutrition too.... And I wasn't saying anything about the bacon, rather a response to the idea that only sugar affects blood-sugar levels, which is wrong because the body processes all foods into glucose (to varying degrees depending on what kind of food is eaten)... this includes proteins... because amino acids derived from protein are converted to glucose through gluconeogenesis An interesting bit of research: http://www.insulin-p.../pfandbs-2.html look it up... very simple to do... and you shouldn't make comments about misinforming people, when that is exactly what you did. A general statement like yours: "Blood sugar is not affected by protein. It is affected by sugar.." could be misleading for people, making them believe that only eating sugary substances will impact their blood-sugar level. Be nice!! Everyone is entitled to have a say.... This is a forum of discussion, education and support...

Welcome, welcome, welcome!!! You will find that a lot of us were middle/high school and university athletes... and we are here for the same reason, so don't beat yourself up!! We got used to eating what we wanted and burning off the calories, and when the exercising stopped/slowed down, we kept eating like before... That's why my butt has it's own zip-code... LOL @Wishes--- GREAT JOB!!!!!!!! YOU GO GIRL!!!

That is awesome!! CONGRATS!!! can we see a pic??? pretty please!!!