BeagleLover

Fantastic!

@@misswatkins1 Does this look good!... like what I can't eat now!

As far as the bottle goes, it looked kind of small-- not sure it's worth the trip. I would look online. Amazon probably has a lot of them and you can read the reviews.

I haven't gotten to that point yet, but I will. I have at least 2 more months in the process of getting approved. I would look in a place that sells high quality protein powders. I went to http://www.theisopurecompany.com. They have a drop down list of places to buy Isopure. You may want to look at the websites for this list and see if they have water bottles that make it easy to track how much water you're getting. There may be a store near you, or, if you're very busy, use mail order. I went to Wal-Mart and they had one; I believe it said BHA(?) free... something that leaches from the bottle to the water. Hope that helps!

How much did your NUT recommend drinking? [i have heard it's not easy to drink all of it.]

When I read this, I just remembered making baby food for my daughters years ago. For chicken broth or other food, I'd just freeze it in an ice cube tray, and put it in a gallon freezer zip lock bag & into the freezer. That way you can take out just the amount you want to eat or cook with.

WOW! You look better already!

Good luck & best wishes!

I agree with you on the water. Are you taking in enough protein? My NUT recommends at least 60g per day for women.

What brand is this? Thanks!

Great to hear that you've finally been approved and things have been worked out to keep your options open! Best wishes.

I'd like to go to a trampoline park without hurting the next day!

Maybe they had WLS!

What insurance is this?

There are so many cuisines that owe their flavor to various spices instead of butter or oil-- my favorite is Indian vegetarian. Test them out by taking books out of the library to see what you like best. If there is something specific you REALLY like and don't want to give up, google whatever it is and add "copycat recipe" to the search terms. If it calls for sugar, I usually add around 25% more Splenda than the amount of sugar called for in the recipe. There is also a product that replaces brown sugar, but this is half sugar and half artificial brown sugar. To get a pie filling/dessert taste, to the fruit base, I add Splenda, a little lemon juice, a little cinnamon and, if you want to really have it taste good, around 16 crushed star anise seeds. They makes the dish incredibly tasty and fragrant!

@claudiad213 What a transformation! You look fabulous!

My nutritionist emphasized that the best was 100% Protein isolate, it's protein that is all available to the body. Isopure does (http://www.theisopurecompany.com) tells you where you can buy the Protein powder and maybe try them ahead of time. I think I will get their ready-to-drink (RTD) high protein clear drinks for immediate post-op in case I can't tolerate the protein powders. I just bought a book called, "The Bariatric Foodie Guide to Perfect Protein Drinks." Some people buy unflavored and add the protein powder to not-too-hot Water or broth, or almond milk with fruit and/or Torani sugar free syrups or DaVinci zero calorie syrups (which Wal-Mart does have). If I have to do this, I'm making them as tasty as possible!

My understanding is that these "stalls" or "plateaus" are evidence of our bodies automatically trying to protect itself from famine. It holds onto the weight as long as it can, then releases it. I KNOW we are excited about losing so much weight and the number on the scale represents "how well we're doing." I would like to see folks not get excited about these *temporary* lapses of evidence of losing the pounds and RELAX... it's gonna happen--- trust the tool.

Four days later and you weigh 12 lbs. less?!!! Uhhhhh, let me guess-- FAST loser!

@DaddyMarie Congratulations! It looks like it'd be cute! Was it hard to get it published? My daughter is working on her first book.

@getnhealthyintx Glad to hear that! From the research I did, the earlier you have the surgery, the better in terms of getting rid of it completely. Four years and under is the ideal (don't remember what scientific paper it came from).

Great news on diabetes lessening! If you don't mind telling, how long have you been diabetic? Was it well controlled? I'm hoping it goes away for good!

My nutritionist had me try Optifast. I followed it to the letter and didn't lose much at all. Don't blame yourself. Everyone's body is different and reacts differently.

I recommend two books that have helped me separate eating from emotions: 1) Emotional First + Aid: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery by Cynthia Alexander 2) From the First Bite (and other books) by Kay Sheppard

I suggest finding the nearest bariatric hospital or Center of Excellence and ask about their support groups. Both pre- and post- Ops attend. Mine has one every month. It's free. We've been told that the people who keep attending the support group do the best in the long run. I think it would help to just be around other people and help keep yourself on track.