Fiddleman

I waited 5 weeks before getting on the elliptical. Lots and lots of different types of walking before then. I was walking the same day I came home from the hospital. Not more then a quarter mile, but at least it was a start. I remember needing to increase my O2 capacity with the little breathing applicator in order to gain strength for walking further. By the end of the month, I was walking 5 miles a day in addition to hills.

My comment above is just from my own knowledge base and should not be attributed to medical fact. You may be perfectly ok taking the extra iron. Others may not need it ( like myself). I tried to take more iron back around 1 month post op and it gave me the gag reflex for some reason. Never went back to it and my six month labs did not report any issues. If you are not sure, it is a good question for your NUT.

Ditto- baby rays is the best! I put it on chicken and pork.

My dr has allowed nsaids six months which has really helped with back and foot inflammation ( from a previous surgery). Aleve seems to help the most, but I also do diclofenac. Hoping this is not going to bite me later on. I always take an extra prilosec when ever I take nsaid for protection, just in case it is needed.

Good choice.

I agree with everyone on this thread. Eating every 3 hours has worked really well to keep hunger at bay, energy constant, insulin levels flat and a general sense of well being. Your meals will start out at 1-2 ounces of protein after 1st month, but should increase to 3-4 ounces by 6 months. I like to have shakes for morning and bedtime meals, simple protein for mid morning and after noon snacks, and a mixture of protein and veggies for lunch and dinner. I am eating between 900-1000 calories at 7 months out (exercise an hour a day also), but do remember only hitting 300-500 calories for first few months with exercise primarily being different types of walks. My exercise did not get serious until about month 5. I now try and eat more low glycemic carbs to help my cardio and strength training, but only before my exercise; otherwise, I am eating pretty clean protein most of the time.

Yay, awesome! You are now only 1 weight group away from "normal" BMI. You will get there soon. Keep up the good work. Again, congratulations.

My food list : chicken breast, chicken sausage, chicken large sausage (3 oz), chicken meatballs, seaweed salad, eggs, soy milk, broccoli, green Beans, mango salsa, ostrich Jerky, wild salmon, pork chops, chicken patties, Syntrax matrix Protein powder, BA caramel Calcium chews, rotisserie chicken, energy squares from nuts.com, shrimp, feta cheese. I am about 7 months out.

Sure, still have the table menu in front of me: Tortelloni al Forno Shrimp Crostini Sausage Fonduta Bruschetta Duo Grill chicken Spiedini (I had this) Sicilian Meatbslls (next time!) Pan Seared Mozzarella Parmesan Roasted Asparagus The Chicken Spiedini had 4 oz of chicken and I had a single bite of wife's salad. Perfect size!

Stalls happen often after the first 3 week stall. For me, I think the pattern is stall a week lose for two weeks, repeat. Running for an hour every day for me seems to help the continual downward trend. The biggest positive I have noticed is the reduction in chest/stomach and legs. The scale is no longer a weekly need for me. I measure success based on how my clothes fit or how I feel or how I look in the mirror. Can now wear size 34/35 jeans and medium/large shirts. I seem to be 1/2 way between sizes which is a little odd. Just keep meeting and beating your water, protein, and exercise goals. Your stall will break. It is just a matter of time.

It gets better. For me, I stopped getting so cold after 6-7 months. Not sure why, but perhaps it is my brain getting used to the smaller me.

I can never find anything remotely healthy at the move theatre. It is not fair! I usually just take my water bottle or a shake if it overlaps my meal time.

You might look into nuts.com energy squares. They are about the size of dice and have a mixture of different nuts held together with a little molasses. Two are 120 calories and provide good energy before or during a long and hard cardio or strength training exercise ( greater then 30 min). There are quite a few varieties on nut.com, but I have only tried chocolate paradise. Love it. I know Butter The Bean mentioned he has tried a lot of the varieties, so hopefully he will post here or you can PM him for info.

We just stopped in red lobster to look at the menu. We ended up going across the street to Olive Garden. At Red Lobster, any of the grilled salmons or shrimps would be good. There are quite a few options. At Olive Garden, I like the new Italian Small Plates part of the menu. Perfect size in order to eat without packing leftovers and only 5 dollars! Can you believe it?

Hey BTB - Lucky you - one less pill to take! My B12 levels are really high, like > 1500 when range is between 100-900. Not sure what to think about it, but do enjoy the strawberry flavor under my tongue every morning. Any dangers from too high B12 levels?