hawzenk

I just talked to my dietitian...she said to add some fruit. Maybe 1/4 cup grapes during the day then half an apple and a small scoop of Peanut Butter before I work out. She said I need those carbs for work out and to help stabilize. :/

You know, phad Thai used to be one of my favorites too. That is the only dish I would order for the most part. Never got tired of it, but felt bad that here I was eating 1 thing from a menu of 100s of different choices (figuratively speaking). After surgery, I never had phad Thai again. I probably could have, but did not want that interfering with my weight loss nor did I want food to control me anymore. Long story short, I decided to start ordering things off the Thai menu I was always a wimp about before. Now I can eat at Thai all the time and know that there are many different lower calorie options that are not noodle based. So go ahead and try different options from the menu. You might find something you never knew you had a taste for.

They make a caffeine version and a non caffeine version now. For cardio there is cardio fire.

NO Xplod by BSN has a pretty good pre work out with no caffeine.

Great question. You might look into the scivation xtend product:
http://www.amazon.com/Scivation-Intra-Workout-Catalyst-Watermelon-Servings/dp/B005CH0DT4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391793703&sr=8-1&keywords=xtend
Overall good pre and intra workout drink to give you the extra energy without the caffeine. It is also good for recovery because it contains good portions of leucine and glutamine.
Another amino product I like without caffeine is called catalyst:
http://www.amazon.com/AdvoCare-Catalyst-Dietary-Supplement-Capsules/dp/B007SUWQXY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391793922&sr=8-1&keywords=catalyst
It is not a drink per say and has quite a few more aminos when compared with the xtend product.
Personally I like caffeine before working out because it helps with energy, focus and delays muscle fatigue during a hard workout, but everyone to their own.
If you want a good product with aminos and caffeine, you can try amino energy:
http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Essential-Energy-Watermelon/dp/B00COQUN9Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391794148&sr=8-2&keywords=Amino+energy

or it will eat muscle. Munch. Munch.

And by the way - welcome to the forum! This is a special place with tons of knowledgeable and supportive folks. We're always glad to have new folks join us!!

I work out 4 or 5 days a week and can get up to about 600-700 calories burned (depending on what you're looking at.) I'm not losing at a crazy fast pace but I am steady. I don't worry too much about eating low-fat (although I prefer skim milk and yogurt.)
My physician's assistant basically said that they want me to eat up to 1200 calories with the sweet spot being between 800 and 1200. So if I burn 600 and eat 800, I am supposed to eat enough to get up to 800, so another 600 calories. (Obviously if I burn 600 and eat 1400 that is fine.) It is not as hard as it sounds; it's a couple of extra Snacks. Add some Peanut Butter to your post-workout shake. Etc. Cubes of cheese, if you like it. Some nuts or avocado.

I would talk with your dietician to see what your calorie needs should be. Have you tried MyFitnessPal or a similar program? You can track everything you eat as well as your daily activities. This will help you to see what your calorie intake is compared to your calorie expenditure. To loose weight you have to consume less than you burn but if you are consuming too little then your body may be hanging on to every bit of calories for fear of starvation. You can print out a report that you can take to your dietician so you both can see where you need to make changes. I used MyFitnessPal prior to getting my Fitbit, I know track everything there. It's very helpful. MyFitnessPal is free. Good luck!

When I increased my workouts and the intensity of them, my weight loss stalled. My nutritionist said I wasn't eating enough calories (I was eating 400-600). I increased it to 800-1000 and eventually the lbs started shedding again. I also eat 5-6 smaller meals in order to get the calories in. You're also building muscle and that weighs more than fat. Check your measurements....I bet you're losing inches even though the pounds aren't showing yet. Good luck!

I'm not pregant, but I plan on getting pregnant as soon as I'm allowed to... and have been talking with my DR about it alot. She says that just like pre-op, pregnancy can cause many extra hormones that cause you to want to eat and feel more hungry than normal. You need to make sure that you are controlling yourself, and only eating what your body NEEDS, not just whenever it WANTS. I know its easier said than done, but it's important to remember

Egg foo young is LOADED with fat and fried in oil ... most Chinese foods are loaded with fats and oils unless you get the steamed healthy kind. I stay far, far away from Chinese way, way too many calories.