BLERDgirl

CONGRATS AND THANKS FOR SHARING!

Philadelphia, Pa (Germantown) I also had doctor Williams at UPenn. Love him! DO any of you Philly/Dr. Williams people attend the support groups? They are always looking for successful post-ops to share their experiences. I like going to the Presby meetings since parking is free.

An activity tracker can be helpful. There are currently loads on the market so you just have to do some checking to see which one best meets your own personal needs.

My nutritionist said it was okay, but I never did. I think she was talking abut the whole meat ones though. I'd have to double check to be certain.

Depending on your store they also sell hand weights starting at 2 lbs. What i especially liked was they sold the individual serving sized packets so I bought a few to try before committing to the big container.

I adapted the microwave cake in a mug to be a little healthier. The original recipe: Ingredients: ¼ cup all­purpose flour 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder ¼ tsp. baking powder 2 tbsp. granulated sugar (you can add 1 tbsp. more if you like it a bit sweeter) ⅛ tsp. salt ¼ cup + 1 tbsp. milk 2 tbsp. vegetable oil Instructions: 1. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. 2. Whisk in the milk and vegetable oil until all ingredients are combined and batter has no clumps. 3. Pour batter into a microwave­safe mug. Mine was a 14­ounce mug. You want enough head space for the cake to rise without pouring over. 4. Add 1 tbsp. of hazelnut chocolate spread in the middle of the batter. Just drop it in the middle, no need to push it down and sink it in the batter. 5. Place a paper towel into the microwave and set the mug on top (this is to catch any batter if your mug cake overflows). 6. Microwave mug cake for 60 seconds on high. Microwaves vary, I start at 60 seconds and if it's not done, I pop in back in for another 10. Check and if necessary add another 10 secs. 7. Carefully remove from microwave and enjoy! To cut calories & add Protein, I used: Ingredients: Insead of the ¼ cup all­purpose flour, I used half Protein Powder & half almond meal. 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder ¼ tsp. baking powder. Instead of the 2 tbsp. granulated sugar, I used half sugar and half stevia or any sweetener for baking. Once I realized that stevia was an allergy trigger for me I started experimenting with date paste, but I haven't figured out a good ratio for that yet. ⅛ tsp. salt ¼ cup + 1 tbsp. milk, I subbed unsweetened almond milk. You can use any unsweetened non dairy milk. 2 tbsp. vegetable oil Then just followed the mixing instructions above. For a extra special treat, you can add a tsp of nutella or nut butter of choice or you can microwave it with 1 caramel in the middle or 1 giant marshmallow on top. The cake in a mug is a easily adapted receipt and there are zillions of recipes out there. Just google cake in a mug.

Funny thing is I like healthy food just as much if not more than I like junk food. Salads packed with veggies and dressed with olive oil have always made me happy. I've never had a problem drinking plain Water. I love yogurt, even plain, no sugar added yogurt. I love cottage cheese. Growing up we weren't allowed sodas except once or twice a year on special occasions. My family always cooked from scratch. We called that blue box stuff fake-a-roni & sorta cheese. On the other hand I LOVE greasy old cheese fries. However my cholesterol has never been high. I don't eat meat and I'm not sure if that plays a part or not but presurgery I had at least 2-3 eggs a day and enough yogurt to sink a ship. My cholesterol still is absolutely fine. I think as my allergies became worse even though I had not so good for you foods I enjoyed like ice cream and pizza fries, for the most part food became something to approach with caution. When I began trying to eat clean it became easy because the less processed the food I ate, the less likely I was to overindulge.

I ate pretty much anything I could shove into my nutra bullet. Your nutritionist may have more concrete suggestions.

Breakfast: Protein shake with cacao powder and coffee ice cubes. Lunch: Spinach omelet with cheddar and 1 strip of smoked tempeh Dinner: Beyond meat Chickenless strips over romaine with diced avocado dressed with lemon juice and EVOO I may have an orange as a snack.

It may have been too thick or gone down too fast. You could try sipping warm Water. But usually this take a few hours to go away. You can also try an ant-acid or PPI like omeprazole. It's the food getting stuck on the way down. Sometimes walking helps, but usually it's matter of waiting this out. However if this last until tomorrow call your doctor.

Are you feeling dehydrated or feeling you should be drinking more Water? I rarely drank juices pre-surgery so water hasn't been a problem for me. if your electrolytes are off coconut water is more natural than say gatorade or pedialyte but not everyone likes the taste. If you aren't a water drinker, diluted juices may be a good option. This early on I would stick to either grape or apple since the acidity in orange juice might be uncomfortable. The point is to get fluids in. Also be aware of your sodium. If you aren't making your Soup from scratch, make sure you buy low sodium. Especially if it's canned soups.

I couldn't afford a trainer which is why I wanted a gym with classes. Another thing I found is it's sometimes better to shop online for gym memberships. I've found that gyms will try and hard sell you all kinds of crazy services if you walk in the door and (IMO) they also tend to sign overweight people into higher contracts. I got my gym membership online at LAFitness 3 years ago. It was for $8.95 a week with no initiation fee. That comes out to roughly $36 a month for an all access membership. All access means if I go out of town I can use any LA Fitness in the area. I have talked to people in my Water aerobics class paying twice that plus they had to pay an initiation fee. Currently they have an online sale for $99 initiation fee plus $25 a month. Still a really good buy. The other thing I did was buy 2 bathing suits and 2 sets of towels. I would come home, hang up the wet stuff and repack the bag with the dry stuff. it kept me from having the excuse that my clothes were too wet to put on. STAY AWAY from the gym's snack bar! I don't trust the smoothies they make there. They all look like over-priced glorified milk shakes. Bring on make your own.

The Polar loop notifies you if you've been sitting too long. Vivosmart vibrates. @@Kindle - Jawbone may be just the thing for you. Since I'm retired and sedentary I need the constant reminders to move. I also like being able to check my progress throughout the day. If I'm not moving enough I will go upstairs and back down again or pull up a 10 -15 minute workout On Demand.

Pedialyte won't hydrate you any more than water. Just drink more water. Chances are if you are drinking shakes and eating soups you aren't getting dehydrated.

Milaxx - I'll send you friend's request

I didn't gave mental/emotional issues but those hit flashes!

At my 2 week f/u when I saw I had lost 26lbs. Everything had been easy up to that point. I had no issues with recovery . I was prepared for a slow but steady weight loss so seeing that number at 2 weeks was encouraging.

Look for brands Polar or Garmin. They seem to have the best products. I didn't like the jawbone because you have to use your phone to get feedback. I wanted everything right there at a glance. I thought misfit shine was overly complicated. From what I've read wrist bands are better than clip ons. It's been a while since I looked, but polar I believe has several that key into your pulse and thus track any type of activity. I believe you can compare on their website

Been well & just thankful to not have any issues

Most days I'm happy with fruit but a cup of hot cocoa will often hit the spot Oh I had one mini Reese's since surgery & it was enough

It's good to realize you are a people pleaser. Now ask yourself how do you feel about your weight? If you have co-morbidities how does carrying that extra weight feel?

The regular bloodwork is key. My b12 was high so I'm taking that every other day. My doctor does every 3 mths for the first year do I'm going to adjust my supplements accordingly.

Sorry. I've had no problems. No hair loss that I can see. And no awkwardness with food. Then again, I'm a vegetarian with multiple food allergies so everyone already thinks I eat weird.

Yes that's a Pennsylvania Dutch thing. I'm in Philly. Good thing too cause I don't really care for applesauce.

I take Water aerobics. Here are things that made it easier for me: The first one is more of a tip than a challenge. I am out of the size range for the Speedo and Nike swim suits. Through trial and error I found that the crinkle cut suits are the best. They go from straight sizes to very large and they truly are chlorine resistant. They also don't stretch out of shape and come in a variety of colors and shapes. Best of all they have supportive built in bras. The second challenge was finding a swimcap to fit my head. I have locs and regular swim caps didn't fit me. This etsy shop came to the rescue. Now my hair stays nice and try. The third thing was this towel. I have sensitive skin. If I don't shower the chlorine off after class it will trigger my allergies. This makes moving from the showers to the locker room easier. For floor time/other workouts I find that compression wear is a must. I buy them from Lane Bryants and Old Navy. For home I recommend a set of light hand weights. The can be anywhere from 2-5 lbs depending on your upper body strength. These may be especially good if you have limited mobility since you can use these while sitting down.