Berry78

Most people are between 800-1000 calories at 9 weeks. Maybe a bit of background will help.. how much/what are you eating? Did you have trouble losing weight preop? (Most people can lose, but can't keep it off.. occasionally there is a person that can't lose at all....) Health issues?

Oh, oh, oh..! I just needed to celebrate for a minute! I jumped onto my hubby's laptop, where I can see my ticker, and as of today, my BMI has dipped down low enough that I would no longer qualify for weight loss surgery through insurance (Even with comorbidities!) Woo Hoo! To start out morbidly obese, then be severely obese.. now I'm just obese (class 1)! So excited!!!

I have a crystal ball, but it just sits on my mantle collecting dust (actually it is a crystal globe.. very pretty ). It's true, I have no idea what your set point will be, just giving a guess based on your starting weight, current weight, and lifestyle.

Something most people aren't aware of.. the 10 pound "sign on bonus". As soon as we start a diet, we get a "free" ten pounds that come off almost instantly. So subtract this 10 pounds from what you lost during the preop diet to get your "actual" preop weight loss. So, with that in mind, you only actually lost 3lbs in two weeks preop, which is the same rate as postop. Now you see that this is your normal, and can expect to continue losing about a pound a week until getting closer to goal. Revamp your expectations for future losses, and take the stress off. I lost 16lbs during the 2 weeks preop and have averaged 3lbs a week postop. It works!

Probiotics won't hurt. And even if you never liked seafood, with your taste changes you might be surprised Just make sure you try GOOD seafood that is fresh and well prepared.

I've thought about those gut bugs too! Lol.

I've thought about those gut bugs too! Lol.

Your tastes will continue changing for the next year or so. But for now, just concentrate on protein from dairy, nuts, seeds, beans, eggs, seafood? You might have to continue using protein shakes... Good luck!

Double post. Oops.

I'm thinking cottage cheese, yogurt, protein shakes, etc.

Contact your doc. Probiotics can help with diarrhea caused by antibiotics.

Ok, I totally didn't even realize you were only 3 months out. Kiss your goal goodbye. Start thinking about your body planning on becoming 130lbs. A vegan that runs is gonna have trouble keeping even that much weight on. And I'm not saying that with an attitude... it's just plain true. But, you still have 40lbs before getting there, so you have time to figure things out (I sure would have to wrap my head around some things if I were told I'd be hitting 130! Lol. No worries here though... I'll end up around where you are now or heavier).

NOT tracking got me into this mess. Even with kids, you should find 5 minutes to write stuff down. Journaling is so good for lots of things!

I strongly believe that exercise does not impede fat loss.. although it may make you hold onto fluid, therefore impeding scale losses. But when you take a break from daily exercise, then you'll let the water go, and "magically" the scale moves again. This makes it seem like exercise was a problem.

Lol! TMI but.. yes, I take care of my own needs, but that doesn't seem to make a difference...

Absolutely. If you decide to add dairy, a pint of whole milk has 300 calories, so you would burn that off with your running. (And it's fluid, so doesn't replace a meal). I think these #s are why Dr. Matthew Weiner doesn't talk about strict veganism.. it is just so hard to get our calories up!

Ok, so let's talk calories. It would be great if you could get your BMR tested to see how many calories a day you need in order to maintain your weight while sitting around. It might be 1200, or 1800.. hard to say without a test. But, for this post, I'll just say it's 1300. Now, add running/walking around/daily activities to that. I forget how much you said you run, but if it's 3 miles a day, you need to add about 300 calories. A couple hundred more for daily activities, and you need 1300+300+200=1800 calories a day. 3oz of things like beans and sweet potatoes have around 100 calories. 1oz of nuts has 200 calories (rounding up) So, if you can eat 4oz of nuts plus 5 meals with 6oz each of starchy veggies, you can make your calories. Protein: nuts 7×4=28g.....sweet potatoes 5 3oz servings= 10g..... beans 5 3oz servings =35g 28+10+35= 73g protein without any shakes. Fat= 16g×4= 64g Carbs= about 176g/day These #s are just rough estimates, but give an idea of what is required to get calories up to the desired level on a vegan diet, while "minimizing" fat. You don't need that much protein and so can exchange some of the beans for grains.. but ultimately it doesn't make much difference. You still need to eat 6oz of food, 5 times a day. Can you do that? Keep in mind, these numbers are based on a lot of assumptions. With more info we can pin it down more.

Goggy didn't get to eat for weeks.. the eating is a new thing..

Dense meat is a whole other ballgame. I can eat 6-8 ounces of chili and things like that. Solid meat.. 3.5 ounces is my max. And that is only if I haven't eaten for a while. And if I eat that much meat, there isn't room for even a bite of veggies. So I eat them separately. Keep in mind I'm 5 months out. Solid meat shouldn't be on your agenda until around 8 weeks out. (And expect to get full on 1-2 ounces when you get there).

Bingo! Pretty sure this is exactly what's going on, for me at least. If we get to the point that I feel confident we can actually "do" something, then it might be a fake it 'till you make it situation.

We crossed on Friday at about 9:30am. There were only about 3 cars ahead of us. It took us a bit longer than normal because ... story time! Ok, so I'm in the elevator at the hotel, going down to meet my driver to go to the airport. There was a woman in the elevator that said she was also headed to the airport. She was planning on ordering an uber or something. We go to the lobby and my driver is there, ready to go. The lady asks if she can come along. There was room, so I didn't care. I asked the driver, and he didn't care. So we brought her along. We get to the crossing, and she doesn't have her passport in order! She just has a PICTURE of her passport! So the guard is opening our luggage, popping our hood and trunk, trying to figure out whether he should let this lady cross. After about 15 minutes, he waves us on and we all head on to the airport. I totally would have left her there at the border too. Dumbness.. "let's leave our passport in the safe deposit box at the bank while we drive into Mexico!" Here's hoping she isn't actually some international crime boss, disguised as a 60 year old air-head chatterbox.. and I got her across the border....

Sometimes our tummies decide to go vegetarian, at least for a while. That might be what has happened...

My hubby has been injured for about 4 years (different injuries, but one after the next). I think I could have a sex drive, but I've been "not able to" for so long that I don't even know where to start. I don't feel romantic, even if he's feeling up to it...

We used to go out to eat all the time, but that has diminished dramatically. Usually I just order a cup of soup. $3.00 Bam, done. One time, a restaurant didn't have soup, so I ordered a full size entree. I was kinda horrified to be presented with so much food. With that in mind, a buffet would likely be good since you can control how much food you put on your plate. (Downfall is feeling like you overpaid). Nice hearing others' experiences!

Just so you know.. smooth move tea can be found in some grocery stores. The tea works as a stimulant (same class as ex-lax and coffee). Stimulants can cause the bowel to become "lazy", requiring their use (i.e. "if I don't have my coffee, I get backed up"). If you try the tea, definitely start with 1 cup. I had 2 the first time, and oh man... did I sit there by the bathroom for 2 hours with the most horrible cramps!