January 2nd will be my 6 month post op. I have to say this was the best decision I ever made. Dr. Cirangle saved my life. This has been the easiest diet I have ever been on. Starting weight was 384. This morning I was 251. I've lost 133lbs. I still got 56 more pounds to go but I'm still losing.
Before
After
I will post again when I hit goal. I expect to be at my goal weight by tax time. Wish me luck.
Oh, oh, oh...I forgot my all time favorite: Lemon Ricotta Creme
Take one 15 oz. container of part skim ricotta cheese, add the zest of one lemon, juice of half the lemon, 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 4 packets of splenda - puree until smooth - AWESOME!!!!
You can do variations on this should you choose - substitue orange zest and 1 tbsp. of orange juice with orange extract or keep vanilla extract for a dreamsicle taste. chocolate ricotta creme is easy too by substituting 2 tbsp. cocoa powder instead of zest and juice, same vanilla extract and splenda to sweeten.
Perfect sweet tooth item instead of the same old pudding and/or jell-o and it has a high concentration of Protein due to the ricotta cheese.< /p>
Enjoy!
I LOVE to cook so if I think of more or create more I will post here.
I am on pureed foods right now and here are a few of my favorites:
Egg salad - couple eggs, 1 tsp of mayo, 1/2 tsp of spicy brown mustard, salt & pepper - puree until smooth
Buffalo chicken - can of chicken, 1 tbsp blue cheese crumbles, 2 tbsp ranch dressing, 1 tsp. of buffalo sauce, salt & pepper - puree until smooth - MY PERSONAL FAVORITE!
Squash casserole - 1 can of squash with vidalia onion, 2 tbsp of cream cheese, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, salt & pepper, 1 tsp margarine/butter, 1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese - puree until smooth, pour into dish and microwave for 90 seconds or until heated through and bubbly
Pintos and cheese - 1 can of Pintos with onion - puree until smooth, pour into dish and cover with 2 tbsp. of shredded cheddar cheese - microwave for 90 seconds or until heated through and bubbly - stir well to combine the cheese - optional: add a bit of enchilada sauce if you are looking for more flavor
Hope these help. Take care!
Hey chunkychick...welcome to the Losers team. Sounds like you are doing well. I had surgery 6 months ago and am feeling great, losing slower now but not gaining, and that was the old life...I could lose but always gained it back.
Soft/pureed food...let's see, refried Beans with melted cheese, crock pot meals, mashed potatoes with canned chicken and chicken gravy, tuna fish, yogurt, cottage cheese with canned fruit, soft scrambled eggs, SF pudding, Soups, ricotta bake (layers of marinara, ricotta cheese and motzarella baked in a ramekin) hot Cereal.
I do weigh myself but I don't obsess, it comes off when your body is ready to release the weight, just stay focused and you'll have success!
Hello Everyone!
I've been a member for quite a while but this is my 1st post. Today is makes 1 week post-op for me hooray!!!
I look forward to getting to know you through these chats. I am 1 week post-op and have lost 8 pounds but I lost this within he first 4 days and have not lost since? Is that normal? I am still on full liquids and can only walk a little bit as I am still recovering. I've read some of your stories and successes and I am so looking forward to being another success.
Thank you all for sharing your experiences.
Cristela
It's sad that at 26 I have no energy! I'm a full time student (graduate May 2012) yay! I work full time and I'm a mommy!!! I'm drained at the end of the day and I'm at my heaviest I've ever been in my life!! It's scary and since I got high blood pressure after my pregnancy... I'm looking to better my life being healthy for me and my daughter. I hope this November or December is the surgery date. I need to go to my psychological appointment and see how it goes after that. Reading everyone's stories truly inspires me!!
As i browsed through the forums i noticed a large amount of people either complaining or asking questions about loooose skin, and no that was not a typo lol. For us when we lose massive amounts of weight we are clearly and visibly aware of unwanted saggy skin which may be on our chin, neck, arms, legs, and stomach areas. Most us ask the questions, but never really find the answers you were looking for. Well here are 20 ways to tighten up your skin. Doing this pre-op as soon as possible, we will be able to limit the loose and saggy skin we dreadfully detest or will come to detest.
Here are 20 ways to tighten skin after weight loss
1. Lose Weight Now!
As we age, our skin naturally loses elasticity. This means that the younger the age at which you lose weight, the better your skin will rebound. if you have a weight issue, lose weight now! The sooner you lose weight, the better the chances your skin will tighten on its own.
2. Don’t Yo-yo Diet
If it seems like you’re always gaining and losing weight, more than 25 pounds each time, that’s yo-yo dieting, and it’s terrible for your body, including your skin. The constant growing and shrinking puts stress on your skin, so stop the yo-yo dieting. Rather than gain and lose weight over and over again, talk to a pro about making a few PERMANENT key lifestyle changes. These healthy changes will help you lose weight, and keep it off, long term.
3. Don’t Lose Weight Too Quickly
Slow and steady wins the race, and helps tighten your skin after weight loss. Your skin tightens slowly, so help the natural tightening process by losing weight safely and slowly, too. Besides, losing weight permanently by making broad lifestyle changes takes time, but it also helps prevent yo-yo dieting, something else that can help tighten skin after weight loss. Bonus!
4. Scrub to Tighten Skin after Weight Loss!
Scientists think the reason using sea salt scrubs (or other scrubs) helps tighten skin after weight loss is that they encourage increased blood flow, which in turn encourages healthy, elastic skin. Whatever the exact reason, it does seem to work for many people… try using a good scrub in the shower twice a day, several times a week, and see if it helps you!
5. Use a collagen Cream
Another way to tighten skin after weight loss is to keep it nourished with a collagen cream, one designed specifically to cope with loose, sagging skin. They can be pricey, but well worth the expense when they work. Note that collagen creams won’t work for everyone (nothing ever does), so ask family and friends for recommendations before you invest in a range of products that aren’t effective.
6. Try Massage Therapy
I have a particular friend who swears her weekly massage therapy helped her tighten skin after weight loss. She complain of sagging skin, particularly on her upper arms and upper thighs, and is delighted to show off her non-saggy parts now. Why not give it a go? At best, it will help tighten your skin… at worst, you get an invigorating massage.
7. Perhaps a Wrap?
Another friend tells me his skin was tightened when he got a seaweed wrap at a local spa, and now he goes every 6 to 8 weeks to enjoy its benefits. Online, I’ve found rave reviews on the local spa he frequents, and not a single negative review. Find a spa near you and do some digging… are their clients as happy as the clients at m local spa? If so, give them a try!
8. Add Weight Training
Chance are, you used weight training to help you get to your goal weight, but if not, it’s time to add them, to help tighten skin after weight loss! If you’re worried about looking overly buff and masculine, don’t be. Simply add weights to your workout three times a week, because building toned, lean muscle under your skin will help it look tighter.
Lunges are great for sagging skin on the upper thigh. In order to tighten loose skin by exercise, you need to pinpoint the right exercises that will target the area you wish to tighten the skin on. The upper thigh requires lunges, in which you tone the gluteus, upper thigh and hamstring, pulling the skin tighter to the thigh and creating a more attractive thigh area.
Squats also assist with your lower body sagging skin. Squats are a dream to tighten loose skin by exercise. They provide an ultimate lower body workout for the gluteus and thighs. With your feet shoulder length apart, you simply keep your back straight as you lower yourself into a sitting position as if you were sitting in a chair.
Bicep curls target that nasty underarm hang. The arm skin that hangs down has been called many things by its biggest haters. This problem seems to be one of the ladies’ biggest woes and can be targeted with bicep curls. It is important that when you tighten loose skin by exercise you perform exercises that are toning the muscle, and therefore the surrounding skin.
Planks work that stomach flab. With your hands under your shoulders, hold your arms out with your legs straight and toes holding your legs up. You get the most abdominal toning with this exercise the longer you hold the stance. The recommended time is 20 to 30 minutes.
Crunches are painful but highly effective. When you are seeking the ultimate way to tighten loose skin by exercise and targeting the stomach skin flap, crunches can be the most effective. Crunches provide complete toning for the abs if performed appropriately. The back should be straight with the chin level, and you will raise your torso to your knees, fighting the resistance. This will be one exercise you will feel later.
9. Drink Water to Help Tighten Skin after Weight Loss…
Healthy skin is hydrated skin, and despite the debate in the scientific community about whether or not drinking 64 ounces of water a day can help keep skin healthy and happy, I’ve seen the results myself. Perhaps it’s because, if you’re drinking that much water, you’re not drinking soda, loaded with unhealthy chemicals… or perhaps it’s because healthy, elastic skin really does need water. Either way, it works.
10. Practice Yoga
Yoga will help you relieve stress, be more flexible, lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, and even help your skin rebound after weight loss. They key with yoga, and any other regimen for that matter, is to Start off slow, and within a few weeks, you’ll be surprised how much more flexible you, and your skin, can be.
11. Be Patient
I suppose I ought to mention that after a significant weight loss, your skin can take up to six months to tighten to the new, slender you. Be patient, then… if your skin doesn’t rebound immediately, keep in mind that it may take a little time. Just like setting realistic weight loss goals is important, setting realistic goals for your body to adjust is important, too.
12. Do Calisthenics
Calisthenics are great for building lean muscle, great for your heart, and they’re even great for tightening skin after weight loss! Add a round of calisthenics to your weekly routine, three or four times a week, and enjoy the jumping jacks, push-ups, windmills, and more… they can be fun, and they’re helping your skin readjust at the same time. Shaun T's Beachbody P90, P90X, Insanity are great suggestions.
13. Eat Plenty of Lean Protein
Adding lean Protein to your diet will also help tighten skin after weight loss. How? First of all, it helps build lean muscle, which will make you appear more toned (well, you WILL be more toned!). But lean protein also contains the collagen and other nutrients your skin needs to stay elastic. Protip: consuming lean protein after a workout will help boost the muscle-building effect.
14. Avoid High-fat Foods
Foods that are high in fat are a dieter’s worst nightmare on two fronts. First, obviously, they can wreck your diet. Second, they do your skin no favors. If you’re trying to keep a healthy weight, or tighten skin after weight loss, avoid foods that are high in fat. Even the ones that taste really, really good. ESPECIALLY the ones that taste really, really good! Studies have shown that these high fat foods can even be addictive… so stay away!
15. Try for Five
The USDA recommends we eat five servings of fresh fruits and veggies every day, to give us nutrients we need, and to help us maintain healthy weights. But did you also know these five servings will help tighten skin after weight loss? That’s because most fruits and veggies have a high water content, which your skin needs to rebound. And again, they’re very good at helping ou maintain a healthy weight!
16. Avoid Sulfates to Tighten Skin after Weight Loss…
Sulfates are used in lots of body washes, soaps, and shampoos because they’re good, cheap cleansers and they make lush lather. But sulfates can also over-dry and irritate skin, stripping it of vital moisture and making it less elastic. If you’re trying to tighten skin after weight loss, shop around for sulfate-free products. L’Oreal offers a great line, for a very reasonable price.
17. Don’t Tan
The tanning process is horrible for your skin, especially when you’re using a tanning bed to boost your melanin. You might think it makes your skin look smoother and healthier, but it doesn’t. Wear sunblock when you’re outdoors, and don’t fake and bake. You’ll see your skin tighten more quickly, and you’ll also avoid a greater risk of skin cancer.
18. Rinse Away Chlorine
Excess chlorine from swimming pools and hot tubs can dry out your skin, making it less elastic, and less likely to rebound after weight loss. If you swim to keep fit, be sure to shower immediately after, and use cleaners designed to remove chlorine and moisturize your skin. Also, remember that you don’t need HOT water to rinse chlorine away, use warm water instead, which will also help keep your skin hydrated (hot water can strip away natural oils).
19. Dress The Part
Even the skinniest person can have a muffin top if their jeans are too tight. You may not have excess skin, or loose skin, after weight loss… you might just need to wear clothes that fit better. Give this some serious thought while clothes shopping.
20. Consider Surgery
If all of these tips fail to tighten your skin after weight loss, and you’ve waited six months since you dropped that last pound, you may want to consider surgery to remove the excess skin. As with any surgery, there are risks, but for some, those risks are outweighed by the benefits. Talk to your doctor.
You’ve already done the hard part — you’ve lost weight! Now follow these tips to tighten your skin after weight loss, and you’ll be bikini ready in no time… well, at least within 6 months! You can do it! Or… perhaps you already have? Which of these tips worked to tighten your skin after weight loss? Or do you have another skin care tip to share? Please do!
Credit goes out yo Meghan, for taking her time to write this...
If any one believes in God..I think prayer is key..I'm gonna go hit my knees and pray right now..because I've been feeling out myself and I forgot that God leads me..sometimes I forget that everything is gonna be okay as long as I have faith ..silly me..I'm gonna give it to God..and stop stressing;)
Emmy got a reaction from JerseyGirl68 in Any Jersey Sleevers?
Emmy got a reaction from Susan 2.0 in October Sleevers! Announce Yourselves