Inner Surfer Girl

I just want to be able to buy nice clothes in a regular store. I would LOVE to own at least one designer dress (Dior, Balmain, or similar) in my lifetime.

You can do it!

I agree that 500 calories is very low. What is your Protein target? At 500 calories, that would be three premier Protein shakes (which would still leave me short 10 grams of protein).

I forgot to add: sugar free Jello Sugar free Popsicles

If you are like me, right after surgery it will be difficult to get in all of your Protein and fluids so you will be sipping all day. As you heal and progress through the food phases, it gets easier. Definitely are if you can get sample packs of

This is great information. File under: I learn something new every day. I had heard that people undergoing chemo should avoid green tea.

Green tea, although good for you, still has caffeine. Although it isn't as much as black tea, if she is drinking a lot of it she would have to increase her Water to compensate for the caffeine. Has she tried: Herbal infusions (like mint tea) Infused water (putting fruit, vegetables, and/or herbs in water) -- some good examples: cucumber, ginger/lime, cantaloupe and/or berries, lemon, etc. Using water enhancers like Mio drops, crystal light, etc. Decaf tea (hot or over ice) -- one of my favorites is Harney & Sons hot cinnamon spice decaf

As to a Protein target my surgeon's guidelines are: 100 grams a day for all men, and women with a starting BMI of over 50. 80 grams a day for everyone else.

I found this: http://naturalhealthtechniques.com/healingtechniquesdry_brushing_technique/

Did the brushes have directions?

As a hair stylist, I just want to say that while horse mane shampoo does make your hair feel fuller and have more volume, it is terrible for your hair. It works by swelling the strands due to very high ph. It's short term gain.The Nioxin treatment kit is the best thing out there to use preventatively and to encourage healthy regrowth. It's a little spendy though. As far as drugstore products, Infusium has a protein treatment along with a shampoo and conditioner that really helps keep hair healthy whole going through this process. Don't forget to use a good conditioner and apply from the bottom up not top down. By the time conditioner gets to scalp it should be well diluted from water in your hair. Also, just a general reminder-pat hair dry with towel, don't rub or twist. Always use a comb when hair is wet, never a brush and don't sleep with hair elastics or tight scrunchies. For long, thick or heavy hair in a ponytail, use Bobby pins if you can to keep sone of the pressure off the hair tie. These things cause breakage especially when your hair is stressed and fragile. Great advise! I was going to suggest being gentle with your hair but she said it much better. Weaves, blow drying, etc., are tough on your hair.

I don't know how much I weighed when I broke my first piece of furniture but it wasn't nearly as much as my highest weight. Believe it or not, a lot of furniture today isn't very sturdy. In the past few years I have had to be very careful about furniture. You would be surprised to find how much isn't designed for over 250 pounds. Even though a piece may hold more than the recommended weight for a while, it will give out.

Great! All that said, constipation is also common early out. Making sure you get in your Water will help. You may also want to talk to your surgeon's office or PCP for suggestions. Mine suggested generic Miralax (I can't remember the name off the top of my head). If you take it just make sure you drink lots of water.

Eat it Up! by Connie Stapelton. OA literature (OA.org) The Language of Letting Go by Melodie Beatty When food is Love by Geneen Roth The One Life Solution by Dr. Henry Cloud

Have you talked to your surgeon? Are you taking a PPI?

I agree if it's for a clearance. But, if it's for someone to see for help it shouldn't matter to your surgeon.

You are very welcome!

Stalls are a normal, natural, and necessary part of the process of losing weight. We all stall periodically and almost everyone stalls about three weeks after surgery. Just follow your program. Focus on getting in all of your Protein and fluids. Take your Vitamins and supplements as instructed. Exercise when cleared. And, Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

I am so sorry to hear that the food distracted you. I learned a long time ago that I can only "do me", but can imagine how uncomfortable you were. There is a reason the pre-op folks were the team. We have all struggled with food and come to the process at different levels of knowledge, skills, abilities, and commitment.

I just wanted to post these because I just realized today that I am just "before I am half way" to goal. The Promises If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us — sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them. The Promises; Alcoholic Anonymous (‘The Big Book’) pages 83 – 84 The Hidden Promises And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone-even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality—safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition. The Hidden Promises; Alcoholic Anonymous (‘The Big Book’) pages 84 – 85

We won't leave you alone! Pre-op and waiting for my surgery really was the worst part of the whole process for me. The uncertainty and having no idea what to expect can produce a lot of fear and anxiety. Do you have a counselor or therapist? Have you attended any support group meetings? One thing that helps me is to take a shower, brush my teeth, paint my nails, etc. to just DO something rather than sit and stew. If you are able, a walk is a great idea as was suggested above. You CAN get through this and there is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. I am almost a year post-op and can't even begin to describe how great it is to have hope, see progress, experience miracles, and get my life back.

I certainly understand. I was the Queen of Denial about how big I was. Going through this process has been as much about being honest and realistic with and about myself related to my obesity as anything else.

Sorry about that. I jumped the gun. 1000 calories with a 95 gram Protein goal seems low if you are exercising a lot. You MAY need more complex carbs and protein.

I don't know of anyone in particular. I have seen where some folks have used an online psych eval and from watching My 600 Pound Life have seen that it is possible to have online counseling. Have you started with your surgeon's office? Maybe the person who did your psych evaluation can refer you to someone.

How much Protein are you getting in every day? If I ate 80% of the volume I ate pre-op that would be a disaster because I wasn't eating nearly enough protein and ate too many carbs/starches. Are you avoiding starches, added sugar, and fried foods? Are you drinking at least 64 oz of fluid/water a day? Are you taking your Vitamins and supplements? Are you exercising?