amber1974

Awesome job Bob! I am so proud FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What is an I-touch? Do I want one or would that make my husband jealous?

I bought a pair of size 12 slim leg jeans yesterday as an incentive but....they fit me now!!!! They arent event the stretchy type material or relaxed fit. I am sooo stoked.

Hi all. I am now down roughly 60 pounds and seven weeks out from when I started my liquid pre-diet. Am also having some awesome NSV moments. Some are:

No longer wearing 3x shirts. They are packed and ready to be taken to Goodwill. My size 48 (expandable) pants? Gone too. Can button my pants at my belly button. No more "slant pants." I wore a much smaller belt...and it was a new one! Went three days this past week without needing a mid day nap. Three days now without any slimes or throwing up. Joined a local health club to work out. Snoring is all but gone. No more BP meds at all (125/65 is normal now). And BMs much more normal and less stressful. Bought myself an I-touch. That was my 50 pound loss gift to myself. Any suggestions for the 100 plateau? That's a short list, but ones that come to mind.

Please, share yours!

Let's look at the fact that this journey is not just about the weight loss, but about all the wonderful things that continue to happen along the ride!

So happy for you!! Yay!!

hey amber
"onderland" means that you have finally reached the under 200 club into the great 100#'s
kathy

hi caiti
hop on the train to journey land - its a nice to place to visiit, and you'll never want to leave.
Your last sentence is well put and says it all. "the future is all mine to do whatever my heart desires..and i can't wait to go on my first rollor coaster ride when i finally will be able to fit "
The future is great, the sleeve will show you the way ---man this is starting to sound corny.!
You will get used to drinking 64oz oz liquid, gradually of course, Eating less, etc. with the sleeve, it will all come together.
Everyone will say you are now going on your journey...enjoy
best
kathy

Hi! I'm 5 weeks out also. Op date was 1/17/12. So, I put Beneprotein in everything. I even add a scoop or two to the Premier Protein shakes that I get at costco, and to greek yogurt. I figure if I have one Premier Protein shake with two scoops of Beneprotien and 4-8oz of soy milk (I just think the shakes are a little too sweet, but they are good), that is 42-46g of Protein right there (I drink this in two different settings throughout the day. Then have one Chobani Greek Yogurt (and yes, I am having the ones with fruit in them) with one scoop of Beneprotein, that is 20g. Right there is 62-66g of protein. I have this just about every day. If I have a cup of Soup, I'll put Beneprotein in that also. My goal is to get at the very least 60g of protein in each day and any more is great. I'll usually also have 4-6 oz of some custard tofu - I get it from an asian market. It is like super silken tofu, 100% tofu/soy Beans. I heat that up and pour a ginger Syrup over it. That is additional protein.
I might have to give the Syntrex nectar products a try. Thanks.

Haven't had surgery yet, but I love the EAS whey Protein Shakes. I add one teaspoon of low fat Peanut Butter, delicious, and its full of Protein, skim milk and ice. I can't taste the protein. 2 scoops is 46grams, and then 8 grams from the peanut butter pretty much low cal. Just delicious. Carbs are low on the peanut butter and protien powder. I add some cocoa to it to make it more chocolaty, the real cocoa(low carb, low cal), not already made ones. Getting myself ready to drink fluids and protein shakes.< /p>

First of all, don't be too afraid of stretching your stomach. It will eventually stretch some so instead of worrying about it, learn the proper foods to eat and stick with it. You've made a big investment in your life and that's the way to live long with it.
As far as Protein, it was 6-7 weeks before I succeeded at getting all my Protein via food. I looked for the highest protein per oz of foods I could, things like scallops, lobster, shrimp and eventually beef Jerky. Luckily, I love seafood. I went for 3-5 smaller meals per day just to get the protein. Protein shakes were pretty good for a while but eventually you have to move to more solid food.
Good luck and don't be a stranger here. Nobody judges here.

have you tried the 3 oz Protein shots? the Atkins Protein Bars? the greek yogurt? I'm about 5 weeks post op as well and I still haven't used any form of Protein Powder or even a blender and I'm tracking my Protein and everything else with myfitnesspal. The shakes I use are awesome and taste great. Maybe you want to try some other kinds. Below is a picture of the kind I'm using and I still love them after 3 months of drinking them
http://www.contoursoftheearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/pure-protein-shake-cookies-creme-e1313198653500.jpg

I drink Premier Protein shakes from costco and pour them over ice to make them really cold. I also really like the Syntrax nectar Cappucinno over ice and, to me, it tastes just like an iced coffee. Most of the nectar products don't have a Protein aftertaste. Also, Power Crunch bars taste just like a cookie....they are wafers so they are light and crispy.
You really have to try several different products until you find what you like. Everyone has such different taste preferences so what I think is really good, you may not. A lot of bariatric sites (i.e. Bariatric Pantry) offer sample packs so that you can try various products. I've also learned that I do best when I stick to one particular Protein Drink and bar because then I become used to the taste which helps me stick with it.
Good Luck and don't give up on finding something you like!!!

I am doing low carb, so I eat a good bit of cheese everyday. I usually will eat a laughing cow wedge, a babybel cheese round and a little whipped cream cheese on turkey deli meat.< /p>

and it looks from your post that this is 3 pounds in 2 weeks--which is sort of like 6 pounds in a month, right? Like others have said, take the word "only" out of your vocabulary. Sometimes you just won't lose as much as other times--check my stats in my signature for proof!
Just hang in there and keep doing what you're doing. If you are not tracking your intake, that might be a good idea, just so you know you're getting the right quantities of Water and Protein and you know how many calories you're taking in. You're doing okay, though!! No worries.

So after feeling bad about myself and not allowing myself to be happy for the 3 pound loss as I should. I took the weekend to meet with a trainer and have set up a new exercise plan that I will start tonight after work. I am starting to work on the elliptical and strength training, I will still be doing the swim aerobics twice a week and my do a yoga class now and again, but I am focusing on the elliptical for the month of March. Thanks for listing to me and my pity party I just need to really get a grip with this number issue. I refuse to feel badly for any amount of weight that I lose from now on! Thank you all for your support!

You all are doing great. Everyone is different & lose at a different pace. If you are at a stall, step up on the exercise a little bit. It doesn't take much to get it going again. Good luck!

There is NO only in weight loss. Every pound lost is another pound you don't have to face tomorrow. Go look at a pound of butter or a pound of fat from meat. You've removed one more of those from your body, and that's a wonderful thing!
Look for the NSVs. Are your clothes looser? Are you more energetic? If so, then you ARE making wonderful progress!

One good book that we used in establishing the foundation for our efforts when we started our journey several years ago is:
Sports Nutrition Guide: Minerals, Vitamins & Antioxidants for Athletes by Michael Colgan
http://www.amazon.com/Sports-Nutrition-Guide-Minerals-Antioxidants/dp/0969527284/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330465262&sr=1-3
It provides a good rundown of the various nutrients, how the body uses them and appropriate levels for them. In contrast to the standard govt RDAs which have been established primarily to avoid deficiency disease, he has tried to understand and present what levels are needed for optimum health and performance, which can be quite a range given the differing demands of various athletic activities, but you can also get a good idea of what's needed for us less demanding types. It's certainly worth having in your library.
The Nutribase program (we use the "Personal Plus" version) is availabe from Cybersoft at dietsoftware.com and can be downloaded for a free trial so you can compare it to some of the online diet trackers that are available, and decide if it's worth its' cost. I don't know how it compares to some of the popular programs like myfitnesspal, but when we got started in all of this it fit our needs better than the online programs available at the time.

A little background. Started out at 366 lbs at 6' at age 61. Lapband was my choice at that time and had LP surgery in July 2009. Did pretty well although the larger lapband that was used was a 15 cc and we never could get it tight enough to give me restriction. Lost 83 lbs. Had left hip surgery in May 2010. Rehab from that was to start a walking routine. Gained back about 35 lbs thru July 2011. Lapband just wasn't working as it never was tight enough to restrict my intake. Scheduled VGS conversion for mid-Aug. 2011 and surgeon wanted me to lose as much of the 35 that I gained before surgery. I had seriously begun Power Walking to lose the weight. 3-6 miles per day at about a 16 min/mile avg. Morning of surgery at clinic I got on the scale and had lost it all. VGS surgery went really smoothly and my recovery had started. 2.5 weeks Post-Op I participated in an 8k/5mi Run/Walk with my walking buddy Jolly and finished it in a personal record avg/mi time. 15:16 min/mile. Hoooray!!! Have kept up my walking routine thru the Fall along with rigorous hunting actvities.
Here's the WOW moment. Since July 17th 2011 I have now covered 208 miles. I use a GPS program on my smartphone to track and monitor my activities.(RunKeeper). My avg times have continued to drop and now I am walking at about 14 min miles and have actually done a couple of walks at under 14 mi/mile.
I feel so good and healthy right now. All my health indicators are fantastic. Weight has dropped to 235 for a total loss of 131. Blood workup has me in the normal range of everything. BP is actually a bit low now and they are taking me off my BP meds.
I couldn't feel better. I still have 35 lbs to go but with my walking and exercise routine I am sure I can attain that goal also. I plan on participating in a half dozen or more Run/Walk event this summer. I just wanted to let all of you know that it can be done and you can get an exercise routine to work for you. Start small and slow and it will naturally increase with time and weight loss. Good luck in your journey.

What a great and inspiring story! Keep up the good work!

I'm so glad to hear you are feeling better. I followed your posts but never posted because I was praying for you to get better and thank God you are. Now you can make the best of your journey. God Bless.

Pic update with progress! no weight loss lately... but the inches are are coming off-- I have been working out a lot! Next month Florida! and I WILL post bathing suit pics :-)