beachgurl84

@@TEXASLADY52

I haven't had any trouble. I love it! The only down side is it does not "remember" networks. So if you travel with it, you have to set up the wireless every time, even if you've been there before.

My cousin has one and hasn't had any trouble with hers either.

I use the fitbit flex and fitbit aria. Pricey but worth it for the tracking methods.

Here's a look at my last 30 days The negatives are gains It happens, just keep working the program

02/09/2015 -0.2
02/10/2015 0.0
02/11/2015 0.3
02/12/2015 1.7
02/13/2015 -0.4
02/14/2015 -0.3
02/15/2015 0.0
02/16/2015 0.8
02/17/2015 -1.0
02/18/2015 2.3
02/19/2015 1.0
02/20/2015 0.4
02/21/2015 1.3
02/22/2015 0.3
02/23/2015 0.1
02/24/2015 0.8
02/25/2015 -0.8
02/26/2015 1.5
02/27/2015 -0.3
02/28/2015 1.4
03/01/2015 1.0
03/02/2015 -2.5
03/03/2015 1.7
03/04/2015 0.8
03/05/2015 -0.3
03/06/2015 -2.4
03/07/2015 1.4
03/08/2015 0.1
03/09/2015 0.8
03/10/2015 -0.1

I had a full blown sinus infection a week before surgery. Everyone told me they would do it as long as I didn't have a fever but I was terrified they wouldn't. I used a netti pot and took cold meds (asprin free) around the clock and by the time my surgery got there I was all better. Make sure you don't take any meds your doctor has restricted. And I would look into the netti pot. I had never used one prior to that but I was desperate to use anything available. You can get them pretty cheap at any local drug store like Walgreens or CVS.

@@Rtbrewer2 I'm really surprised your surgeon's office scheduled your surgery without prior approval. It's awesome that they did if your approval comes through. Is there anything that might cause you to be denied? I wasn't even aware my doc's office had submitted to my insurance until after they received my approval. That's when they called to set up my pre-op and surgery date. I had to pass nicotine test before my surgeon would do it and I thought they wouldn't submit till after my last test, but they did it before which is why I didn't know about it. Even though I didn't know about it, I was 99.9% certain I would be approved because I followed my medical insurance policy to a T with the requirements. Have you confirmed you met all the pre-reqs?

Good Luck! Praying it all works out for you.

@@Sunshine_Gal

I use myfitnesspal so my fat grams are automatically tracked, but I don't necessarily watch them in everything I eat. I try to keep my fat less than 3% of my calories but that doesn't always work. And I haven't seen any correlation between the amount of fat grams I eat and weight loss. I see more with calories & carbs than fat. I'm actually about to drop my calories back down to 800 to see if that gets me out of this slump. Seems like every 10 pounds I lose I hit a stall and this one has been going for 11 days.

Did your doctor actually tell you that you had to get 60 g of Protein only a week after surgery or did they say that is what you would eventually aim for? Do they know you're trying to go back to work so soon? My doctor wouldn't agree to the surgery if he even remotely thought I was lying about taking at least two weeks off.

I swear by the Isopure and I did drink that post op when I started feeling weak but I was on a clear liquid diet for a week post op so I had no choice. Also, broth is a good way to get Protein. Just watch your sodium level with that.

They said I am to "work my way up to it" but when they called to check up on me Friday they were REALLY pushing the 60g thing. I will have hubby pick up some Isopure on the way home from work tonight. He is going to GNC anyhow to pick up some Protein powder for me. I have shied away from Isopure because I have heard so many people DON'T like it. But these Protein shakes are just too much. I also was on clear liquid a week prior.

My surgeon's office says for this procedure your amount of time off obviously depends on the type of job you do, but given I have basically a desk job they said I should be ok at a week to two. Of course me being me, I set my goal at the shorter end of that. I guess we will just have to see what he says tomorrow.

Isopure flavors are definitely different than your average kool-aid so you gotta try them all before ruling them out (my favorite is passion fruit and least fav is grape cause it taste like smelly feet). Also, because of the high protein content, it's a bit like drinking paper. That's the best way to describe it. You get used to it. I'd take that any day over some of the sickening sweet milky Protein Shakes out there. They make me gag usually. I can do the Oh Yeah shakes and the GNC Total Lean Mint layer cake only when I have a sweet craving.

I also have a desk job and my doc still refused to do the surgery when he thought I was going to take off less than two weeks. But I also had a walking program in place at the time of surgery to hit my 10K steps and I escaped my desk at work to hit that goal every day so maybe he was more worried about that.

Have you tried making ranch dip with plain Greek yogurt? Get the ranch powder and instead of mixing it with sour cream or mayo, use plain Greek yogurt. The ratios aren't quite the same so you have to play with the flavor, but just like your hummus or PB it's something great to eat with veggies without sacrificing Protein.

Did your doctor actually tell you that you had to get 60 g of Protein only a week after surgery or did they say that is what you would eventually aim for? Do they know you're trying to go back to work so soon? My doctor wouldn't agree to the surgery if he even remotely thought I was lying about taking at least two weeks off.

I swear by the Isopure and I did drink that post op when I started feeling weak but I was on a clear liquid diet for a week post op so I had no choice. Also, broth is a good way to get Protein. Just watch your sodium level with that.

Good Luck! See you on the flip side

So, to sum up, I get just over 65 grams of Protein from the items I eat every day and then try to get 15-20 grams each from whatever my lunch and dinner are. On days I have my kashi cereal in my yogurt I get a little extra Protein along with the carbs from the cereal to help fuel my workout.

Ok that doesn't sound too different from me. I usually have a Protein shake a day. Either an Isopoure w/40 grams or Criosport with 32 grams. Sometimes, if I have a sweet craving I'll have a GNC lean mint layer cake with 25 grams. But never more than one a day. On heavy workout days I'll usually have a Protein Bar as well. Other than that I have stocked up on baby bel cheeses and my husband loves them for Snacks too. I'm right there with you on not enjoying the hubby's sides because they are usually potato something. I do a greek yogurt for Breakfast, cream in my coffee, and some kind of meat for dinner. Oh, and usually like tuna salad or chicken salad for lunch. I just looked back through MFP diary and it looks like I usually get around 80. If my calories for the day allow it, I'll usually have a vegetable at some point during the day. I hate to admit it but grazing is a weakness of mine. So I try to keep only things on hand that won't hinder me if I don't catch myself. And I struggle to get fluids because I'm just sick of Water, lol.

When I have lost weight in the past, I always stuck to a sort of "calorie cycling" model, where I would have really low days and then cheat days where I was really high. That definitely seemed to keep things moving. But post-sleeve, that's not really an option. I have to get pretty creative just to figure out how to get enough calories to sustain my exercise. Cutting back for a "low day" or adding more for a "cheat day" just isn't in the cards, unless I were to do something really crazy, like drink a milkshake or something really bad for me.

I will see what I can do about trying to add in some fruits or vegetables. It'll be tricky, but maybe it will help shake things up a little. Any recommendations for veggies that aren't very filling and would still let me get Protein in at the same time? Also, what do you do about preparing the right amount of veggies or storing the leftovers, since I will obviously be eating very little of them?

@@JamieLogical

this has become my new favorite side dish.

http://www.food.com/recipe/roasted-asparagus-with-parmesan-304007

easy to make and delicious (if you like asparagus). Only down side is asparagus is a fibrous vegetable so it is pretty filling.

Can I ask you, what do you eat on a regular basis to hit 100g Protein a day? My doctor's program only recommended 60-80 for women and under 1000 cals. I'm usually doing pretty good to get 80 g protein under the calorie limit and trying to keep my carbs around 50-60. I also take a Fiber supplement and I factor in my supplements into MFP plan every day. 15 of my carbs each day come from supplements alone.

Nature's Best Isopure, zero carb. 40 grams of Protein, lactose free & gluten free. I cant' stand the taste of mild either so i drink clear Protein drinks. Criosport watermelon is also really good, not sure what other flavors it comes in.

Sorry my post came across as "kind of bummed." I was trying to be humorous. I really am pretty accepting of my slow loss. I do get frustrated by it from time to time, depending on my mood and what other factors are going on, but for the most part, I'm very happy with my loss so far and the fact that I AM still losing. Definitely beats the alternative!

Rock on!!!! Slow is better than none! And even on mornings like today where I wake up and I've gained 2 pounds, I only cry a little, lol, because I know it's all part of the process.

Given that I was a rapid loser to start with and I've slowed to a crawl (average daily weight loss last 30 days is 0.34lb/day)

Sorry. Pretty hard for me to sympathize with you there! I lost 0.6 pounds last week and 1 pound the week before that. At least the scale is still moving.... occasionally. Just calculated it and over the last month I'm averaging 0.18 per day. My "crawl" is half as fast as yours.... or is it twice as slow?

I see what you mean but consider this. You had your surgery two months before I did. Not counting the 10 pounds I lost on preop liquids which was Water weight anyway, I've lost 37.6% of my excess body fat. Looking at your numbers, it looks like you've lost about 45%. I know you're kinda bummed about being a slow loser and I admire your post I've seen around about accepting that about yourself and making the most of your journey. But when you look at how many pounds people have lost alone, it's easy to lose sight of the overall picture. I know you know the saying, the more you have to lose, the faster you lose. I had a lot more than you to lose and now I'm closer to where you started and it's slowing down.

So maybe instead of looking at being a slow loser because the pounds aren't adding up, we should start looking at where our percentage of excess body fat is compared to where we started.

LOL look at it this way, would you rather be a slow loser with only 34 pounds to go or a faster loser like me with 90 pounds to go?

I did tell my parents before my surgery but now I'm regretting it. They have been more than supportive but every time I talk to my mom she asks me how much I've lost. My loss has dramatically slowed in the last few weeks so every time I talk to her I have to be reminded of that. Then of course she has quite a few opinions about what I'm doing wrong (because of course it must be my fault).

I was hangriest the 2nd & 3rd day. Just keep drinking, it sucks but it helps. Good Luck. And it's totally worth it

Congratulations!

Welcome aboard! Sounds like you're on the right path of doing your research and consulting a good WLS team. I totally relate with this

"Why am I fat? Well obviously cause I make the wrong choices with food and don't exercise enough . Emotionally, its because I was berated about my weight from an early age by my parents/relatives. (Oddly it wasn't till I was an adult that I realized I wasn't even fat!! Wish they'd have encouraged me rather than berate me). I truly had no one to teach me about nutrition. And of course the same people who berate me (my Mom) shoveled food in me by the #."

I look back at old photos and wonder why I ever thought I was fat. It's a self image struggle I think I'll have to deal with my whole life.

Congratulations on taking the first steps in this journey and welcome aboard.

I can eat a whole container of yogurt no problem, but I struggle to eat more than a few ounces of meat or anything more solid.

I'm six months post-op and there is still NO WAY I could eat that much food in one sitting. I can only do 2-4 oz. of meat at a time. No room for sides at all. If I tried to work in veggies or starches, it would be at the expense of Protein and then I wouldn't be able to get my 100 grams of Protein in.

I agree. I always freak out that maybe I can eat too much at this stage. But when I think about it, I ate 6 medium shrimp last night for dinner. That's it, that's all I had room for. No way I could fit in a side of anything. I will sometimes try to wait 10-15 mins to eat some vegetables but I'm usually counting down till I can drink something so that doesn't happen either.

I chose the sleeve because it freaks me out to think about a foreign object hanging out in my body. And all the complication with the low success rate didn't make the band worth it to me. I know many people have been successful with it but I think there's a lot to consider when a site like this has an entire section dedicated to band revisions. I have had no trouble with my sleeve. Works like a charm. Dumping syndrome does not effect sleeve patients so we have to use our own will power to avoid sweets. I know some people have a lot of nausea but I haven't. I never considered the bypass cause re-routing of my internals freaked me out too. My doc told me the band is being phased out. Too much maintenance for too little result. Everyone is different though and you may see benefits to the band that others don't. Just make the decision based on what's right for you, and not other people. I understand your family wants to support you but only you know how much time & effort you want to put into this.

Congrats!

Congratulations

I stick with Isopure Zero Carb (Alpine Punch & Passion Fruit) or Criosport Watermelon. I can't find the passion fruit Isopure in a store here so I order it online from Vitamin shoppe and usually get a 10% promo code and free shipping. The Isopure usually runs $45 for 12 and the criosport runs $29 for 12. Isopure has 40 g Protein, 160 calories, zero carb, gluten free & lactose free. Not sure of the criosport stats off the top of my head.