Sandi

And, remember, you don't have to get to goal to start looking a lot better. Every time you lose 10-15 pounds, you will go down a size. I took pictures of myself every time I lost 15 pounds. It gave me little bite-size goals. I posted them on FB and my friends got so they were rooting me on bc they wanted to see the next pic. lol You can do it. Once you get through the mush phase and can eat what you want, believe me, it gets a lot easier. Until I got there, I was asking myself every day what in the world I had gotten myself into. Try to drink Water so you don't get dehydrated, and try to get in the Protein so you don't lose your hair. A great Protein Drink that you can mix in 4 ounces of water that actually tastes good is nectar by Syntrax. The caribbean cooler flavor tastes like a pina colada. Not bad, and you get 24 grams of protein in 4 ounces, which is all your stomach will be able to hold. I mix the vanilla bean flavor in 4 ounces of coffee in the morning. It is good. First I mix the powder in a cup with about 3 tsp of sugar-free Hazelnut coffee mate. It is in the dairy section in liquid form, and has a green band around the top. After you mix that up, then add the coffee. If you add the coffee first, it doesn't turn out right for some reason. That is what I usually have as my Breakfast even now. Another really good liquid that I virtually lived on was the Lipton chicken Soup that comes in a box, and you boil it in some water. I would just eat the liquid part, and it is yummy. And, of course, Crystal Light. I'm sure your doctor has told you about that.

Put together a routine that starts with stretching exercises while you are still in bed. Usually once you start with a routine, you won't stop. It's the getting started that is hard. Then, build on that with aerobics, or stairmaster, or whatever, and then add in muscle building exercises -- I like bowflex and pilates reformer. But, you can do whatever you want. You need to do 1/2 hour of aerobics every day, and then alternate every other day with weights (upper body one day and lower the next). The weight lifting is important to avoid a lot of hanging skin at the end of your journey. I also love my ABCirclePro. My waist is now a size 28 and my pant size is XS. I used to wear a size 2X. Start slow and build up. But, most important, exercise every day.

...also, you might want to try dancing. My husband and I got involved in ballroom dancing lessons, so in addition to my exercise routine, I am dancing 1-1/2 hours four nights a week, and we are meeting a lot of new (thin) people. Most dance centers have monthly activities for the students, and it's a great place to make new friends, while exercising.

I asked my family doctor that very thing. How could I be healthy eating only 500 calories a day. She told me that I am living off my fat. Duh!!! Why didn't I think of that. She said I would be perfectly fine as long as I took the Vitamins I was supposed to and the Protein.< /p>

Great point Sandi. I haven't made it to spin yet, but I did start running this week. So far, I've run 4 miles this week and will head back into the gym tomorrow. Congrats on all of your success! I hope to be in your shoes some day soon.

Getting too much Protein, and then getting enough Protein were my problems early on. I am now 10-1/2 months out and 92 pounds lighter. I could not have done it if I hadn't solved the protein problem early on. I am writing to share what I learned, as my doctor was precious little help.
At first I was nauseated all the time and could not figure out why. I read and read, and found out that if you eat only protein with not enough carbs, you put your body into a state of ketosis (like on the Atkins diet) and that a byproduct of ketosis is nausea. Hello!!!! Why didn't anyone tell me that. i started adding more cabs to my diet. Problem solved.
My next issue with the dreaded protein was trying to get 8-16 ounces down and into a sleeve that would only hold 4 ounces. Well, that required thinking about and drinking freakin' protein all the live-long day. That did not fit into my lifesteyle. I wanted a Protein Drink where I could drink 4 ounces of liquid that tasted good in the morning and get 25 grams of protein. I looked and looked on the internet and finally found Inspire protein at BE Eating and it was divine. Powdered protein in caramel latte flavor that could be mixed in 4 ounces of hot coffee in the morning, and tasted like a caramel latte from Starbucks. I am not exaggerating. That saved my life. Unfortunately, low and behold, the site has been undergoing some kind of renovation for the past several months, so the protein is not available at this time. They keep saying that it will be available soon, so that is why I tell you about it. Because if you can get this protein, do it. It is wonderful.
So, when BE became unavailable, I had to go on the big search again for a protein I could take in 4 ounces of liquid. I found another one called nectar by Syntrax. I buy it on the internet. You can get it in individual packets for taking on vacay, too. It says it is supposed to be mixed in 8-16 ounces of Water, but I tried it in 4 ounces, and it is palatable. I got the caribbean cooler, and it tastes like a pina colada when mixed in 4 ounces of Water. I like it. I also got the vanilla bean, and it is good mixed with my coffee. Now, if you are going to mix it with the coffee, here is the secret formula. You put the power in the bottom of your cup. Then, you mix in three tsp of sugar free Hazelnut Creamer. (It's in the dairy section of your grocery store, and comes in liquid form -- has a green band near the top). You mix the creamer and the powder until it is completely mixed. Then, you add in the hot coffee -- about 4 ounces. Then, stir again. If you try and put the coffee in the cup first and then add the powder, you end up with a mess. Also, I tried it with instant coffee once, and the result was not good. I have a small pot and brew a cup of Decaf every morning, and that's how I take my protein. Drink it down in a couple of minutes and that is my Breakfast.
I usually have a caribbean cooler at night -- I call it my pina colada night cap. lol
Hope this helps you in dealng with your protein needs.

Getting too much Protein, and then getting enough Protein were my problems early on. I am now 10-1/2 months out and 92 pounds lighter. I could not have done it if I hadn't solved the protein problem early on. I am writing to share what I learned, as my doctor was precious little help.
At first I was nauseated all the time and could not figure out why. I read and read, and found out that if you eat only protein with not enough carbs, you put your body into a state of ketosis (like on the Atkins diet) and that a byproduct of ketosis is nausea. Hello!!!! Why didn't anyone tell me that. i started adding more cabs to my diet. Problem solved.
My next issue with the dreaded protein was trying to get 8-16 ounces down and into a sleeve that would only hold 4 ounces. Well, that required thinking about and drinking freakin' protein all the live-long day. That did not fit into my lifesteyle. I wanted a Protein Drink where I could drink 4 ounces of liquid that tasted good in the morning and get 25 grams of protein. I looked and looked on the internet and finally found Inspire protein at BE Eating and it was divine. Powdered protein in caramel latte flavor that could be mixed in 4 ounces of hot coffee in the morning, and tasted like a caramel latte from Starbucks. I am not exaggerating. That saved my life. Unfortunately, low and behold, the site has been undergoing some kind of renovation for the past several months, so the protein is not available at this time. They keep saying that it will be available soon, so that is why I tell you about it. Because if you can get this protein, do it. It is wonderful.
So, when BE became unavailable, I had to go on the big search again for a protein I could take in 4 ounces of liquid. I found another one called nectar by Syntrax. I buy it on the internet. You can get it in individual packets for taking on vacay, too. It says it is supposed to be mixed in 8-16 ounces of Water, but I tried it in 4 ounces, and it is palatable. I got the caribbean cooler, and it tastes like a pina colada when mixed in 4 ounces of Water. I like it. I also got the vanilla bean, and it is good mixed with my coffee. Now, if you are going to mix it with the coffee, here is the secret formula. You put the power in the bottom of your cup. Then, you mix in three tsp of sugar free Hazelnut Creamer. (It's in the dairy section of your grocery store, and comes in liquid form -- has a green band near the top). You mix the creamer and the powder until it is completely mixed. Then, you add in the hot coffee -- about 4 ounces. Then, stir again. If you try and put the coffee in the cup first and then add the powder, you end up with a mess. Also, I tried it with instant coffee once, and the result was not good. I have a small pot and brew a cup of Decaf every morning, and that's how I take my protein. Drink it down in a couple of minutes and that is my Breakfast.
I usually have a caribbean cooler at night -- I call it my pina colada night cap. lol
Hope this helps you in dealng with your protein needs.