Dee_1111

Leepers, I too eat out ALOT..My job demands it..I have learned to NICELY ask the wait staff to please omit any butters, sauces, salts and oils from my foods. I've never had a problem yet. One time, at a chain restaurant I did have a slight hiccup. Apparently the food came from a pre-made frozen bag, off a delivery truck, so it already had butter, salts, and oils upon defrosting, Sorry, had to scratch that place off my list. My family is lovely, they always ask "Can You Eat There"..Loll..I love them.

In all honesty, my success has come from a strictly enforced, plant-based diet. I do eat chicken, but I add it to a 'Raw Foods' based plan. So while I'm not a vegan, or a Raw Foodist..I do base my entire fruits and vegetable life around a raw foods diet. It has keep me stable at 115 lbs for 4 years. I have NEVER felt better and weight stable in my life. At this stage I cant even imagine myself going back to: bread, Pasta, crackers, dairy, or any processed dead foods. I feel to good for that.

PS..I live in the northern Midwest farmbelt..believe me when I tell you, what I see in the fields, and what I know is on the supermarket shelves, are totally 2 different commodities.

I am RnY..my problem here is not gluten or celiac..my problem is bread (except Ezkeil bread, which I eat) in general, whether it be gluten free or whole grain. It is a highly process food product. Being Gastric, I can not eat bread, it 'doughs-up' in my esophagus and gums up my pouch for hours and makes me feel vomity. By the time the 'Wheat/Whole Grain' reaches the shelves in markets, it has been so violated, chemicalized and changed, can we really call it 'Whole' anymore'???

As far as 'shakes' go..there are a million on the market, you don't have to drink a 'milky' type Protein shake. Go to Amazon, or any health site and type in non-whey/dairy Liquid Protein. its quite over whelming actually. I am Lactose intolerant. I don't have a specific type or brand, I try them all..lol..they each have different benefits, I like 'LivingFuel' supergreens, just to mention one. Much luck on your surgery decision.

Funny this post should be up, thanx..starting my 84 day bodybuilding challenge tomarrow..would have been today..but I worked O.T., to late to hit the gym..got my program, my trainer, my schedule,my diet and believe it or not, I think Im ready!!!! So tomarrow (March 4th) is Day 1!!!!

PS--> when your all healed, balance the two, the results are exquisite!

I'd say take this opportunity to strength train..building muscle burns fat faster that cardio. Cardio gives you a long lean look, like a runner or a bicyclist. Building muscle gives you sexy rounded shoulders..and a small waist, shapely legs..not to mention a flatter tummy..along with a great diet you will be SMOKIN' HOT in no time..lol..Im down to only 30 minutes tops of cardio now.

It just dawned on me while reading as many text as I could on this Sunday. I've been reading a lot of threads about before surgery jitters. definitely a legitimate concern, indeed. Its natural to be that way before any major surgery. Like Mr. Coggin said, I'd be leary of someone who wasn't. Ok with that said, what I haven't heard from people is how are you preparing for your new life. Your new pouch is like a new baby. You wouldn't feed a new born foods you know would hurt their tummies or give them diarrhea aka 'dumping'. While the surgery is a MAJOR part of what is about to happen to you, and a lot of the threads on here talk about hair loss, vitamins, dumping, as they should, all of it is vital information. But I think talking about life after surgery is a bigger part of the whole. While I was in Post-op learning mode, my dietitian and I spend ooddles and oodles of time together. She taught me how to read labels, what all the 'OSE's' ment. Tricky hidden names the food industry uses for sugar,fats,and refine carbs. I tell you, it was mind boggling at first. I learned that after surgery, and after the food 'Phase' & honeymoon periods, my real life would begin. I think that's what caught me off guard more than the surgery. I needed to have my good (healthy) food choices in place first(getting my ducks in a row, if you will). Where was I going to shop, how to troll a supermarket, where the Farmers markets were, and could I afford to eat fresh live food. Well that was a matter of priority. Seeing I live in the Northern Farm belt (Minnesota) I have access to all farm grown produce. But I had to learn all that before surgery if I was going to be successful and not try to jump back into my old eating habits or try to tweek them to fit my new pouch. So, sorry Im a bit of a 'Food Nazi', but over half of my success was knowing where I was going to get food & vitamins for my new pouch & body ahead of time, how to troll the market. And above all stay focused on that task. Knowing ahead of time gave me a super advantage to getting and staying healthy. Thanks for listening..lol..apparently I have a 'High Horse' and food is it..lol

Hmmm..I gave this a lot of thought. All my hearts desires have been met. Wow, I couldn't think of one thing I wanted or need from life anymore. Just to live it in peace and happiness. I guess when your young life seems so much more desperate and dramatic. Now I'm simply content. I've become comfortable in my own skin. I like who I've become, I adore husband & family. I love where I live. I love my job, and I travel. That's a good life to me. I quietly dismissed all the negative things I use to surround my self with, and that wasn't as difficult as I thought. Easy really. I guess my heart desires the things I now have around me, SIMPLY LIVING a clean, healthy good life.

Oh goodness, Im about to be the worst advicer ever :/ Because you are asking about exercising right after surgery. Don't shoot me or paintball me!!! Because I knew that this surgery was going to make me lose weight for the next 8-12 months after I had it. I took the opportunity / advantage of the fact that while I was in this 'honeymoon stage, and I knew I didn't have to work at losing weigh YET..I took the (opportunistic) losing phase to learn everything I could about how I was going to be eating and exercising before the euphoria of losing wore off. I experimented with all kinds of foods my NUT & dietitian gave me. I was SO determined to get my eating habits under control and get them to become a habit I forgone exercise for the first 8-12 months. SHAME I know, but it worked for me. I knew so much about the foods I'd be making and living with for the rest of my life, that by the time the 'Honeymoon" was over, I was ready for the exercise portion to begin. I let the surgery do its job. I paid very close attention to what I ate before the Honeymoon was over. NOT an ideal plan, but its what I decided was best for me. I'm a treadmill junkie and strength train a lot also.

Orama--> wow, you jumped 17lbs and your Doc called thats 'normal'???.. sorry orama..don't mean to be a downer, but, Im 4 years out and NEVA went anywhere near that number, my lowest weight was 113lbs and Im stable at 115lbs..yikes..thats a bit scary. Look back at your food logs..what are you doing different? anything? wow, seems you gotta be your own detective, and quickly!!!

Veggies packed with protein: These are staples in our house, among a lot more 1 avocado - 10 grams • 1 cup broccoli - 5 grams • 1 cup spinach - 5 grams • 2 cups cooked kale - 5 grams • 1 cup boiled peas - 9 grams • 1 cup cooked sweet potato - 5 grams • 1 cup lentils - 18 grams • 1 cup refried Beans - 15.5 grams • 1 cup garbanzo beans (and hummus) - 14.5 grams • 1 cup pinto, kidney, black beans - 13-15 grams • Quinoa is versatile and delicious. 1 cup - 9 grams. • Amaranth, bulgur, brown rice, wheat germ, oat bran are other grains with a high Protein content. • oatmeal - 1 cup = 6 grams. • Sprouted grain bread products like Ezekeil - buns, tortillas, bread. Pack a sandwich or a wrap and you'll get 7-10 grams from the bread alone. this is just a fraction of Protein packed foods I eat on a day to day basis..so see when you start eating NEW FOODS, here are some to get started..just a tiny example

yes...lol..I just said that Pookybear..she's cute.. Because you asked this question Kimr..Im going to give you this web site, put it in your fav's until you can eat..I have learn invaluable information, and them have a food Protein calculator, type a food and it will tell you the protein percent in that food..wonder all over the site, I have learn so much about what were talking about from this one site, Here it is: healthaliciousness.com... the info is 'dumbed down' for the common person to understand..ok for me to understand...lol

Here's the thing about that Kristina..besides the powder..I get my protein from foods, I don't want my powder to be my daily allowance of protein. Im a eater/foodie..so I don't get high doses of powder. I get my other protein from my home made humus which consists of approximately 14 g's of protein per serving, I eat boiled eggs a lot which are like 6 g's each, I eat about 4 a day, I also eat all the nut butters on celery or what ever and Nut butters are 7g's a serving..so durning the day I kickin' some protein a$$. I also eat TONS of baked chicken breasts...I know this doesn't help Kimr much, but humus is soft , you can make soft boiled eggs, I have ton of other protein I eat also, but your not their yet.

I use Plant-based Protein powders from thevitaminshoppe.com ...( WLS made me Lactose)..if you go there, click on the "sports nutrition & workout" tab..then click on the "sports protein" tab.. I just bought the Vegetable protein soy-free..no artificial sweetners, low fat, & 4 g carg per scoop..I like it so far..but then again, I put all kinds of frozen fruit and ground flax, cinnamon in my bullet and mix the hell out it,,,lol delish..I heard on this site, that Amazon.com has a lot of other kinds of protein powders also.

Ick!!!..I'll just eat my fruits & veggies..organic preferably

B is my powerhouse hero..I just started the elip..hate it!!..I do it but walking & my strengh traing r good enough for my maintenance style..l'll keep doing it

Good for you..sensible thinking..I've never heard of 5:2..I wouldn't do that even if I knew what it was. I have learned and adapted a healthy way of eating and I stick to it. I eat pretty much the same things everyday. I get into trouble when I introduce unfamiliar foods into my staples. for meat its just chicken, turkey bacon, venison (I live in Minnesota..lol) turkey burger, ham, & deli ..quaker oatmeal, Quaker caramel corn flavored rice cakes, Smuckers natural peanut butter, applesause, lots of fruits and every vegetable I can get my hands on..lol..oh and green olives..lots and lots of spices.. I've been maintaining for 4 years. oh yeah, no bread, pasta, rice, dairy (surgery made me lactose) and absolutely no sugar. But its maintainable for me. I had to find it. it didn't find me, Im still looking for great foods..

How far out are you...I didn't TAKE A SIP for 6 months this far out and I've been demoted to 2 glasses, after that, its lights out.. SECURITY!!!!!...so sad for me..ex-wine-o

If weight loss is your primary goal in an exercise program, then you should create a program that necessitates 3 days of cardiovascular exercise. Make sure your cardiovascular exercises last 30 minutes or more. For quicker weight loss, work out on those 3 days for 1 hour or more. Then, incorporate strength training into your regimen 2 days a week. If you've never lifted weights, try an all-over body workout like circuit training. Alternate your cardio and strength-training days. If you incorporate this regimen with a sensible, low-calorie diet, then you will burn more calories than you take in as well as raise your metabolic rate. Then you'll definitely lose weight. Grabbed these info pieces from Ehow.com

Shorter and More Frequent Workouts Shorter workouts allow you to exercise more often on the elliptical machine. It is easier to schedule a 10-minute workout, than a whole half hour. According to Mayoclinic.com "Longer, less frequent sessions of aerobic exercise have no clear advantage over shorter, more frequent sessions of activity." Sporadic exercise offers cardiovascular benefits so it is more important to stick to a routine that is realistic for your lifestyle. Bottom LineIt is best to exercise on the elliptical when you have time. Any form of physical activity is better than nothing when it comes to fitness and health. Of course, the more exercise that you engage in on the elliptical, the better results you will have when it comes to weight loss and health benefits hope that helps..Im a gym rat..lol

Sorry I forgot to mention, My PhD's / team consist of: My physiatrist, Physiologist, Nutritionist , Dietitian, and last, but never the lesst, love you Tim, My Life Coach!!!

I truly hope that the future of WLS makes this subject a 'Mandatory' no Exception rule, that EVERYONE have access to this kind of help. I was fortunate to receive this kind of help before surgery. Because I promise you, without it, I'd of been doom to failure. My PhD's taught me to come face to face with all the "Why's"..Why am I overweight, Why do I use food for anything other than nourishment, Why do I feel I'm addicted, they also taught me the signs to look for or avoid ..etc. I never knew the importance of PhD's. They really are incredible at their jobs if you find one that is right for you, I did. They taught me food logging, how to eat, what to eat, how to shop, where to shop, what foods to avoid, what my portions should look like,.how to weigh food, how to read labels, how to fix foods I never heard of..just incredible amounts of information to make me a success at being a Bariatric person. So Thank You for giving me the knowledge to go forward with intellect and confidence. There are no other works I can think of to state my admiration and appreciation for what they've done for me PRE-OP. Because of them I am a successful POST OP.

OH, I've lost the ability to throw up..one thing I DO NOT miss..I'm ok with that piece of body work..believe ME!