theshrinkingchef

A lot of veggie protein(morning star and boca) have wheat gluten in them, so you have to be careful, especially if you have an intolerance. like me! I eat a mostly vegetarian diet. Have you heard of complete proteins? I just learned about them in culinary school. Like beans and rice, hummus and pitas. Those pairings are considered complete proteins, providing your body with all of your essential aminos. Greek yogurt is high in protein and also provides you with good bacteria for healthy digestion. Check out complementary proteins. I'm not a vegetarian, but out of necessity I have eliminated most meats from my diet. You can have a healthy lifestyle eating meat( red meat in moderation), but i would suggest free range, grass fed organic meats. I drink raw milk. Just milked from the cow. It's not pastuerized or homogenized. It's illegal in most states, so you must own dairy cows in order to get it. If it's possible, consider a herdshare. We lose so may nutrients from store bought milk, which is why they're added back in. It's not for everyone. It's an aquired taste, but I grew up on farm fresh milk. Anyway before I go all activist on you, I just wanted to say that you can get your protein from other sources in food.

Or... you might have food allergies. I have food allergies and one of the side effects I experienced was sinus infections. I used to get them 6 to 7 times a year. No one could figure out why. My PCP was no help. I had a number of symtoms: sluggishness, lethargy, achy runny nose, watery eyes, you name it. My PCP stareted to treat me like I was nuts. I went to an ENT that found a sinus blockage, but he couldn't understand why I got sick all of the time and sent me to an allergiest. low and behold....I'm allergic to the earth. I didn't have these as a child, but as an adult, i have them all. My food allergies are more like sensitivities, which means I don't have violent reactions, but I do have them. Since diagnosis, i have not had ONE sinus infection. Real talk: dairy, chicken and any fast forming moldy foods(berries, bread, etc) are mucus formers. I'm not trying to sound militant, but I believe a lot of our physical problems and ailments can traced back to the food we eat. You may have also developed environmental allergies. I have both. Every person that has complained about one thing or another i have suggested they get allergy tested and they have ALL come back with some interesting issues. You'd be surprised. I'm a chef that is allergic to most foods! I have become an allegen free chef and I grow a lot of my own foods, I bought into a herd share(raw milk and dairy) and I'm the queen of substitutions and I have not gone to visit my PCP in almost a year! No depression, no sinus infections, no muscle aches....all gone! Consider it.

I didn't really read through all of the posts, so this may be a repeat. you say he's been like this when you were heavier? And that he is supportive of your weight loss? No offense, but I seriously doubt it. It's not immaturity, it's insecurity. I seriously doubt that there is anything you do that's not going to be a problem for him, especially now that you are getting smaller. You said it....you want to wear sexy clothes and live! his insecurities are going to force you to compromise yourself everytime, especially if you feel guilted every time. Who cares what anyone thinks? What do you think? You want to break up with him? Do it! You want to stay with him? Stay. If you stay, stop complaining! Sorry, a little tough love. you know what you have and all of the advice in the world won't change anything unless you do. Trust me, I was in a relationship for 7 years, which was about 5 years too long. I was so miserable and I didn't feel like myself. I felt like I was going to go crazy. I cried all of the time and tried to convince myself he would change. never happend. It wasn't until I broke free that I really realized how miserable I was and how much of myself I lost. I kept ignoring my gut that kept screaming to end the relationship and suffered because of it. When I hear of women that are experiencing the same things, I have to stop and say something. I don't know you or him, but I know his type... I seem to attract those guys and I can honestly say he will not change and things may get worse as you get smaller. You'll either argue all of the time about going out and the clothes you wear or you'll be miserable because you're stuck at home trying to please him. Relationships are two way streets and there has to be balance. He should be, at the very least, be willing to meet you half way. If he doesn't or as you say, won't....the guess what? You have your answer. I'm certainly not encouraging you to break up, and I encourage you to try and work things out, but it sounds like he's pretty selfish. I'm sure it's not what you want to hear, but sometimes hearing it from a complete stranger, who's been there and done that( wasted my prime 20's on that dude), gives you a little perspective. Start thinking of your needs, it doesn't sound like he is. Good luck and best wishes. i hope everything works out( and I'm wrong! )

Hello everyone, I am Ricky and I'm new to all of this. Recently I made the decision to look in to weight loss surgery. For a long time, I looked at WLS as something extremely obese people did and never thought in a million years I could qualify for something so radical. I have struggled with be a big girl for most of my life. I've never thought I'd want to be rail thin, because I think curves should be on a woman. i do, however think I should be smaller than I am today. At my "thinnest" , I was very healthy and I worked out 4-6 times a week, depending on the week. Eash session, I worked out 2-3 hours and I was dedicated. i got into bodybuilding and lifted/trained with some of the best in the world. My former trainer is going for Mr. Olympia and the other one was Ms. Fitness. I wasn't light, but I was lean. Most of my weight was muscle mass and I was comfortably fitting in size 6/8. Several years ago, I became injured through my job and I'm still, to this day, not back to my old self. I have struggle through 2 foot surgeries, which have prevented me from exercise. During that time i managed to pack on 80lbs. Yes, I let it all go. I will say that I never altered my diet, while working out and that is the main reason I wasn't able to maintain all these years. I at big macs and whoppers because I could. i was maxing15-20 hours a week in the gym! had I eaten cleaner, I would have probably minimize the damage. As the years have gone by, i would lose 20lbs here, 30lbs there and then stop and gain it all back and recently I gained more after struggling with severe depression and taking anti-depressents to combat it. For some, they're lucky enough to lose weight on them, for me it was the opposite. This year, Jan 2012, I maxed out at 278 pounds. The highest I've ever been in life. I can say I am happier now, but still down about my weight. Also, in January I had my second foot surgery. It's been tough. I've also been diagnosed with severe food allergies, which I suffer with, because I haven't really modified my diet. Through all of this, I attended culinary school and learned how to be a chef, i recently completed in August. It was around that time that i decided I really needed to do something about my weight. I'm tired of buying bigger clothes every few months and I'm tired of being uncomfortable in my own skin. I vowed not to have anothe "fat-faced" picture taken of me. But, as I tried in the past to lose weight, I discovered it wasn't as easy as it used to be. I didn't know what was happening. I never had a problem losing weight. Now, i'm armed with an arsenal of information about exercise and diet and I couldn't lose a thing. I was used to being able to shed 50-60lbs in 5-6 months. i was lucky to lose 2lbs in 2 months. It was around August that I talked to a friend of mine, who had had gastric bypass, a few years back and she mentioned her sister getting lap-band surgery. I never viewed her sister as being out of control obese, infact, I never saw her as being big. How was that possible? As I asked a whole bunch of questions, I started looking into it for myself and discovered that I, too, could qualify for WLS and actively persued it. So here I am today. I've teetered on the fence between lap-band and gastric sleeve. I once was very gung ho about the lap band and decided it was just not for me. I have firmly planted my feet in the land of gastric sleeve. I am currently going into month 2 of my 3 month supervised weight loss. I am currently 264 pounds and hope to shed another 5-6 pounds before the new year. It seems onece I stopped stressing about everything and made a few modifications, ie drinking more water, the weight is slowly coming off. I was intinally discouraged about the Supervised weight loss, but soon realized some things happen for a reason. This time, i want to do things right. I am mentally and physically preparing myself for my future. Gastric Sleeve surgery is no joke and requires a complete lifestyle overhaul. I am still planning to mave forward with my surgery. WLS is a tool that can be used to help maintain any loss that I woould acheive. I've come to this forum to learn from others and I also feel that I have information that may be beneficial to others. I look forward to meeting everyone and losing weight.

I agree. I'm still Pre-op, so I'm just looking at everyone's story and I must say, it's wild and exciting to hear people losing upwards of 30lbs in a month or two, but the reality, for me, is giving my body time to adjust. I think there's some great advice here. WLS isn't a miracle cure. I've never had a problem losing weight, it's always gaining it back and then some and kerping it off. Your body does need to heal and adjust. Before you know it, the weight will be falling off. It sounds like you're doing the right things calorie wise, but you have to drink more water. Water is the key to everything. I went to culinary school and took a nutrition class and learned nutritional cooking. I learned so much about what our bodies need and water is key! Drink a minimum of 64oz a day. That's four little bottles. Water helps our joints and our organs function more efficiently. It helps rev up our metabolism and in turn increases energy. It moisturizes your skin and promotes cell development, a key in elasticity in our skin. It helps us feel full, especially for us emotional eaters. If you're not drinking water, it may be why you're stalling. 8lbs is nothing to get upset about. We're supposed to lose slowly. 1-2lbs a week. It gives our bodies time to adjust, our skin to snap back and encourages long term weight loss. I used to lose pretty quickly, and I always re-gained. Last month I only lost 6 pounds, dieting. I was so happy. A loss is a loss! I felt kn top of the world. You should be rejoicing and looking forward to what is to come! As long as you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, you will get there! I suffered from severe depression and being overweight had contributed to it. It's exactly one year ago that I wouldn't even come outside I was so sad! Now, I'm looking forwArd to great things including WLS, a tool that I feel will help me sustain my weight loss, and I'm so happy! Look forward. Our minds have a tendency to play tricks on us and can sometimes sabotage our progress. Stay positive, stay focus and keep your eyes on the prize! This is only the beginning!

*that was, don't sleep on exfoliation! Don't you just love autocorrect!

There are other brands, those are the ones I use. Also, I drink lots of Water, take a collagen supplement and other Vitamins that promote cell growth and rebuild collagen in the body. People swear by Gelatin broths( yuck). So I supplement. Dry brushing also pomotes circulation and removes dead skin cells from the surface. And also allows any product to be easily absorbed. I've been doing it for a few weeks and I love the results. I bought a clarisonic for my face and I use a $5 natural bristle brush on my body. I had very bad acne and discoloration on my face and it is noticibly improving. I've gotten many compliments on my face( I'd been using the clarisonic for about 2 months now). My skin is radiant! Don't deep on exfoliation. I figured if it worked for my face, it had to work for my body. And my skin is smoother and softer. Use natural, sulfate free, body wash. I did splurge on Bliss body butter and love handler, but Nivea firming body lotion is just as good. You have to be diligent, especially durning this time. I'm really loving how beautiful my skin looks and i know it's being nourished from the inside out. I'm sad that it took me this long to figure it out, but at least it's not too late. Good luck with your journey!

Spinning is awesome! You can burn up to 800-1000 calories per hour class. Definitely get some cycling shorts! cycling also helps lengthen your leg muscles(leaner) and works your core( no crunches, yay!). I've heard that wearing a compression garment all the time helps with gravity wanting to take over. Exercising with loose skin is only going to exacerbate the issue. We all like wearing loose fitting clothes when we work out, cuz they're comfortable. We really should be wearing form fitting to keep our skin from jiggling and gravity pulling us down. I've been extensively researching this because I'm not interested in having a bodylift after all of this. I'm on my medically supervised diet, Pre-op. I am using this time to mentally and physically prepare for this surgery. I am following the paleo diet. It's low carb, high Protein. No processed foods. This guy Mark Sisson breaks down the phenomenon of loose skin. Google him and loose skin. It's very interesting and plausible. In addition, I do wear a compression garment all the time, even when I sleep. Nothing contricting, just holds me in. I prefer two pieces instead of one. Tj maxx and marshalls have all types of good ones for under $20. I love Flexees. They're soft and comfortable for sleeping in and layering under clothes and working out. I do have heavy duty ones, like vedette and body magic, but the seem restricting, ie, you know it's there. I'll use those post op, to help with compression. Spanx

It sucks when you're loved ones don't seem to be supportive. I used to feel that way whenever I went to my mom and shared the next adventure with her and she never seemed enthusiastic. I got to the point where I called her out on it and she finally shared that it wasn't that she wasn't happy or supportive of me, but that she was just overly cautious. Sometimes for her, it's very difficult to throw caution to the wind, whereas, I'm the first one off the ledge! That being said, this surgery is a major deal and although it may not come out that way, she's probably very nervous and like most if us that were heavy for a while or struggled with weight their whole lives, she may be concerned about whether or not this will work. Our parents want us to be successful!( I hope). That being said, regardless of whether she's on board or not, this is your decision. This is for your wellness and happiness. You have to live with you and how you feel about yourself. I would never put things on hold to satisfy someone elses feelings, especially when you're the one that has to live with it. They have their lives and I'm sure may not consider your feelings when making decisions for themselves. That's absolutely selfish! I will say that I am considering the sleeve and for the first time in my life, I am taking my time to get my mind and body ready for a complete lifestyle change. If you're not committed to doing the work, you will struggle. It's important that you feel ready for this, not anyone else. Good luck! I'm sure once you go through with this, things will change. Btw, I told mg mom I was considering this and she decided to do it for herself, as well. Go figure!

I've heard the ninjas are very similar to vitamix. I'm a chef and of course, the vitamix is king. Oddly enough, I got mine through QVC or was it HSN. I should say my mother got it for me and it came with a lot of stuff and she did flex pay. So, she didn't throw down $700, she made 5 easy payments. Prior to vitamix, I used this cuisinart blender that was similar to magic bullet. It has the big blender cannister, as well as the four individual smoothie cups and a mini chopper. I've made awesome things with it. truth be told, I really didn't need the vitamix, lol! This thing cost $69, plus I got a $20 instant rebate on top of my 10% professional discount from sur la table. That thing is lways on sale. I've seen it at Bed Bath s well. I've pureed soups, smoothies, made nut butters and ground spices with this thing. It's pretty awesome.

Depending on your situation, i.e. diabetes, cholesterol, etc. I would suggest Protein, lots of water and fruits and vegetables ONLY. The protein HAS to be lo-carb though. A well respected brand is Beverly International. Met RX has a very tasty ready to drink version that is high in protein and low in carbs. Ultimately, you want to lose the fat and retain your muscle mass. I know it's weird that I know this, but pre-injury swell-up. I used to bodybuild. I worked out with competitive bodybuilders and when it was time for competition and they needed to lean out, they switched to high protein , low carb. Usually 24/48 hours prior to competition they also limited their sodium and water intake. i know that seems strange, but the idea was to showcase the muscle, not the bloat. I'm sure these same principles can be applied in this situation. You definitely do not want to retain water, so cut out the sodium. If possible, Try 3 days of cardio. Walking is good, but if your body is used to walking, you may need to step it up or switch to another activity. If you have access to a sauna and are able to tolerate it, I'd suggest 10 minutes in the sauna a couple of times. It'll rev up that fat burning machine. as long as you are not consuming sugar, which a lot of RTD protein shakes have, unless they specify low carb, you should be fine. GOOD sources of protein are essential. Good Luck!