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I always thought GNC was like the fast food of health food and Vitamin stores. I to am curious about the Designer Whey?

Good luck my BMI is 44 and I am having surgery in the states. After some further digging I found a few comments on here saying they also had no liquid diet just an 8 hour fast before surgery like I am I guess. But yes I guess we can only trust our surgeons. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using the BariatricPal App

In 1987 I lost 70 pounds to fast and got kidney and gallstones. Something to drink a lot of water to help manage. Sent from my SGH-M919 using BariatricPal mobile app

Okay, so I finally broke down and did the online food logger. I've been using a book, but noticed that I often "forgot" to write down my Water or food. I'm Lissa912 on there, if anyone is interested. My question is this: I'm not trying to keep my calories to a specific limit right now. I'm still tracking water in and Protein (64 oz of water, 70 g of protein). I stuck 1,000 calories in there because that seemed like a nice round number...and the program is having a fit. Every time I log in, it tells me that I'm eating too few calories and I need to eat more to stay out of starvation mode. Having lost 55 pounds so far, I don't think my body is in starvation mode, but SHOULD I be adding more calories each day? If so, how on earth do I add them? I am literally making myself eat now to get my protein. I'm not avoiding anything specific, except bread, rice and Pasta, because they all make me feel way too full very fast. I can use that space for protein instead. Also, I'm looking for sleeve-friendly veggies that are NOT dark green, leafy veggies. I'm on Coumadin and the green stuff I love makes my Coumadin readings go through the roof. I've done steamed carrots until I'm about to start going "What's up doc?" I need some ideas here. And, I need to know if I should just up the number on MFP and then eat what I need, ignoring it's comments?

If that doesn't workout for you....check out Pocket Fuel. All natural energy gels that are based on nut butters, not sugar. They are kinda like flavored peanut butter. Very tasty and will not give you an insulin spike the way other gels will. I've ordered some online and they came pretty fast. For a long century ride they are a good alternative.

It's weird so many surgeons have different plans, but it does seem like those in US do recommend protein shakes. The shake I drink is 170 calories for 35 gm of protein. Not bad! And how else can you get 50-70 grams per day? I can't actually eat that much. As far a airbornes goes, I tried it once and was only able to tolerate one sip. Boy that hit me fast and made me feel terrible. Maybe others can tolerate it, but I sure could not. It's definitely worse than soda.

so I had to fast today until my 12:30 appt for stress test. I am just able to eat.. and i am eating this subway sandwich like there is no tomorrow!! i wasn't able to have my usual coffee in the am. or Breakfast.. i get up at 7:30am.. so this is a loooooooooong time. I am sooooo determined to do this and be successful.. but i don't know what it is.. lately i feel so guilty about everything I eat.. cause i know i should be changing my habits now. and i have a little here and there. I almost feel like.. not matter how restricted my band will be. i will still always feel hungry.. and feel like i am starving myself. anyone out there with this problem?? thanks!

I’m having so many mixed thoughts swirling around my head. I hesitate to post this today. I am grateful for having gastric bypass to have the tool to combat metabolic disorders and inability to exercise due to disability (post exertional malaise) and I was at the point it was all or nothing. All my fight was getting me nowhere fast. I know I’ve come a long way, I’ve also paid a hefty price physically and am still dealing with many health challenges. But I also know my body could not carry the burden of all that weight. And I will do everything in my power to maintain the weight loss. i reached goal Sometime last month. I overshot it a little. Although based on my height of 5’ I’m within my goal range. I haven’t been actively trying to lose for a few weeks. I raised my calories somewhat but not drastically. I started out at 208lbs with a BMI of 40.6 and today am 102.4 and a BMI of 20. its Funny though, I write my weight on a calendar daily, and write Daily log of my weight, meals, calories and protein to Track and plan what I will eat the best I can based on what’s available in the fridge, freezer, pantry. I haven’t given solid thought to my progress, I’ve just taken it one moment at a time. My weight fluctuates slightly and that’s ok. Other things weigh on my mind though. I hesitate to call it a celebration when even my birthday this month went unmentioned and Covid-19 will be around for the foreseeable future. It’s not impacted my odd daily routines of living with lifelong chronic illness and disability. I’m homebound much of the time as is. It’s risky going to get groceries but a necessity. But It’s had more of an impact on healthcare. i Had an early one year follow up with my surgeon February 11 and discussed continuing severe pain and spasms in left side under ribs along with other symptoms along with my history of ulcers in the remnant stomach and small intestine, they said I needed a double balloon enteroscopy. But I had to see a different doctor for the test. I couldn’t get an appointment until March 12 to see that doctor, I asked if they could schedule the test since it takes a while but no I had to wait to see the doctor first, who of course ordered the test. Which was then scheduled for April 27. And what happened, of course no one called until the last minute and it was then canceled indefinitely. And I’m left in pain, I sent them a message and they tell me I could go to the ER to be evaluated. First of all how is that a good idea? And evaluated for what? That’s why I saw the doctor and he ordered the test (actually both doctors did) I’m at a loss as to what to do and meanwhile I’m just trying to move ahead. i don’t even want to discuss this. I’ve other health issues that I’ve been waiting months to deal with. My doctor gives me attitude. Even things are obviously a problem. I saw my general doctor February after waiting a few weeks. I had sudden severe pain just lightly touching the front of my throat. I had a thyroid ultrasound. I also saw an endocrinologist. I was supposed to go to the hospital for further tests. But this was cancelled indefinitely. I’ve also been having nosebleeds and I don’t know why ... but it’s all been put on hold and none of the doctors care to follow up. I have been making plans about having skin removal surgery. Since it’s the only thing I can manage to do right now. The excess sagging skin is very problematic especially my thighs. A thigh lift, and Having a Belt lipectomy/Butterfly lift to remove excess skin might also help benefit strengthening my core which I can’t do with exercise. I’ve been working on this with Hospital BC that is part of BariatricPal and they are so helpful in the process. I’m trying to think of it as a vacation in Mexico with benefits. I’ll need financing of course. I’m far away from rich. It’s a goal to have a body I haven’t as long as I can remember. I haven’t been this weight as long as I can remember either. I could never reach this goal on my own before even as hard as I tried with strict low carb and calorie counting. I only managed 124lbs and it didn’t stay there long. So taking that last step of getting rid of ugly sagging, rashy problematic skin feels like part of the journey to finish. A crazy thing in times like these. I’ll be pinching pennies as hard as I can. But part of me is determined. And also ... trying to ignore the rest. I had wanted to deal with the other health issues first but looks like that won’t happen so I’m going to try to roll with it and see what happens. maybe it’s dumb for me to write this. I don’t know anymore. I’m exhausted. But I think that I want others to know that if I can do this with my chronic illness and disability And despite how hard it has been for me ... that others can succeed and reach their weight loss goal.

Karate type fast chopping and tapping on the back and shoulders gets it out super fast!

I had a barium swallow every year after my sleeve to check if it was stretched. I guess I was paranoid lol. Now after the revision, I haven't done that. But it is fast, you drink chalky stuff, they watch it go down. I always asked for a picture to compare year to year. No sedation, can Uber that no problem but ... For the surgery, not allowed to do Uber, at least here I couldn't.

I found with the lapband I lost inches VERY fast. I started with a a 54" waist and am now a 32" waist. Tom, Toronto Banded July 6 06 Wt. Loss; 156 lbs

I am hoping to start a help group. I am on mushy stage and needing to get in 80 grams of protein.. How do you do it.. I am still a bit swollen so get eat to much. so I am struggling.. Fill up fast. Also getting burned out on protein drinks fast Thanks in advance:confused_smile:

Hey there! Your post touched home as although I'm older than you, I'm about the same height and was close to the same weight as you. Great job on deciding to make a change for the better! Cutting out the soda is a great first step! Soda is just empty calories that don't help you in any beneficial way. The first step – have you seen a doctor about your back? You may want to have it checked to make sure you don’t have a herniated disk. If nothing shows up and you’re cleared to exercise, then I suggest you start walking. Try walking for 20 minutes, and build yourself up to longer time. Once you start exercising on a regular basis, it’s very possible that your back will begin to feel better. When I take more than a couple of days off from working out, my back starts to hurt a lot; when I start exercising again – no more pain. Once you lose some weight, you may want to try jogging/running. Start for short increments, like warming up by walking fast for five minutes, then jog for 90 seconds, walk for 90 seconds, jog for 90 seconds, walk again, etc., until you reach 25 minutes. Then cool down with another five minute walk. That will definitely help you tone up and lose weight. As you become fit, you can increase the time that you run and work out. The second step is to make sure you’re not overeating. If you are not banded, then I offer the following suggestions: You only need 3-4 ounces of protein, and you can always add some veggies. You may want to invest in a food scale – it really does help. Also, if you eat cold meat sandwiches, then I suggest that you switch to whole wheat bread and have low-sodium turkey. You only need one piece of bread and about three pieces of turkey. A half of a sandwich is really enough, especially for lunch. Also, you’ll want to have a mid-afternoon snack, so some fruit and two hard boiled eggs are a great suggestion. (You should eat about every four hours.) You need to remember that you need to burn more calories then what you take in. If you want help in tracking both how many calories you burn and how many you take in, you may want to invest in a calorie counter, such as a BodyBugg or Go Wear Fit. There have been a lot of posts about these, so just do a search to see what the others have said. So, if your goal is to lose two pounds a week, then you’ll need a 1000 calorie deficit each day. For me, this means burning 2500 calories each day and not eating more than 1500 calories. I think my highest weight was close to what you are – and once I stopped overeating and began walking for a ½ hour a day, I lost abut twenty five pounds really quickly (a lot of it was water weight). Last year I lost 50 pounds. I think I could have done a little better, as there were times I slacked off from working out, but I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and hope to finish what I started this year. I hope this helps. Regardless of whether you are banded or not, this site is a great resource. Let me know if you have any questions. Best, Maggie

Hey yall Im having my first dumping syndrome , I’m 12 days post op and I ate to fast. So I’m sweating and my heart is racing and I feel so nauseous... Headache I think I was so cocky with saying everything is going smoothly with recovery and no dumping that it caught up to me. Good lord , it’s no joke when they say you can have dumping syndrome. I was hungry and i just took a bite after a bite and now I’m feeling miserable .

My pre-op diet is three protein shakes, 2 protein bars, and one meal of 5oz of meat with 2 cups of veggies. They told me I can use any type of protein shake, so I picked up some Slim Fast since I know I can tolerate those. I'm really glad I don't have to go all liquid. I'm pretty excited to start.

Okay...that was funny!! I am 5' 11'' and I have always joked that I wish I was taller...cuz I'd be thinner...more stretched out, you know? lol I will tend to drop super fast but I also used to gain it back too. Lost a TON of weight a TON of times like everyone else... I do stick to the plan once decided upon. I am planning on doing it until May 24th so a little over 3 weeks. Hoping to lose 30 lbs. Just making sure I wasn't going to be disappointed. Thanks for your reply!

Follow this. Quality carbs before, quality protein after. Fasted cardio works for tons of people, but at a non intense state. Working out hard on an empty stomach in most will promote catabalysm and you'll end up burning tons of unnecessary muscle mass, you'll lose weight, but that weight will be the worst kind to lose, muscle. Look at low GI carbs. 70% of your energy starts with carbs, eat some oatmeal or sweet potatoes before a workout. You can google best pre workout carbs and get a ton of ideas, or better yet, click here.

I lost alot of my weight really fast. But once I hit 213lb I quit loosing. It has taking me 6 months to loose 20lbs. HELP I am very close to my goal. I just want to loose 40 more lbs. I got another fill a month ago and I am at very good restriction but I am still loosing really slow. I am only eating about 1 cup of food a day. Any suggestions?

Thanks really trying to stay motivated to keep moving. I have been really tired as of late. I just made an appt with my PCP to see if my blood pressure meds are maybe too high for me now and making me super sleepy. It's also been very hot here on Long Island, but I have been OK with the heat and humidity, just really really tired. I pushed through and went to the gym today. Walked for 45 minutes. I wonder if there is anyone out there who might be able to advise a good fitness routine for someone just starting out that doesn't have a whole lot of time to spend in the gym throughout the day. At first I was walking way too fast at 3.0 for my target heart rate, so I have slowed down and walk in the range for weight loss and monitor it at intervals and I have increased the amount of time I am walking by 15 minutes. I try to use the bike a couple of times a week, for 20 minutes to shift things up. I am not really seeing the scale move, though I am feeling good and I can tell the inches are shifting in the way things fit. I'd love to hear any advice you all have. I'm trying to stay motivated to get fit and keep losing the weight.

I think Curves has lots going for it - supportive atmosphere, no men, no lycra clad glamour girls, and a good basic circuit routine for women who are not athletes and have not been in great shape. I also think there's a few pitfalls to be aware of. The instructors for one, obviously we can each talk about only the centres we've experienced but I worked as a trainer at Curves for a little while and really, the trainers know very little. They are not properly trained, they're not very knowledgeable and I wouldnt be placing my health and fitness squarely in their hands, I'd be informing myself. And secondly the equipment - its GREAT if you're unfit, but despite how much Curves denies that you'll ever get too fit for their equipment, that's simply not true. There is only so fast you can push that hydraulic equipment (which is how you increase intensity and continue to progress) before you lose form because it has limitations on how fast it will more. I was unable to get enough of a workout to even get a little bit sore from it, and everytime I went I had to try to work so darn fast, that I'd lose the correct form and it took me months for my back to recover, especially from those twistie side to side abdominal machines. If you're starting out, you need lots of friendly support then it'll be a really great experience for you. If you have base fitness and like to exercise and know a fair bit about it, you'd be better off at a regular gym.

After you get filled you may have hiccup problems. As for the pain, you just had surgery, people! Your insides were cut up and your abdominal muscles now have a foreign object stitched to them (your port.) It will take a few weeks of healing before all the pains go away, and you will still feel a pulling around your port from time to time if you twist and turn sharply. I don't have a belching problem, but my husband does. He also has the hiccups more than I do, usually from eating too fast or the wrong things. Welcome to bandland.

I didn't have a "stuck" episode for a quite a while after surgery, probably not until I had 2 or 3 small fills. I suppose it's possible to never have one, but as you get more fills and the novelty of being newly banded wears off a bit (sometimes I forget I have a band because I'm so used to it now), you may forget or not pay attention or be in a rush and you too will probably have that stuck feeling eventually, and if not, more power to you, you'll be one of the lucky ones. When it's happened to me it's been my own fault, each and every time from me eating too fast or not chewing enough or just being distracted while eating has caused episodes. But these episodes are very rare for me at this point (I was 1 yr post-op this past December), as I have learned what I should and shouldn't do at certain times of the day (from morning til dinner, lately, I'm pretty tight and eat very little and mostly mushier things or Protein shakes). Around dinner time is usually when I am able to eat a small meal (probably the size of a lean cuisine) and I'm satified, but I still have to be very careful. I'm not perfect all the time, which is why I am a slow loser, I do indulge on occasion but it works for me and my lifestyle. It's really all been trial and error so far in discovering foods I should try to avoid and things that usually give me no trouble. The only thing I can't do is eat fried or crispy (from being baked in the oven) chicken skin, which I shouldn't be having anyway lol, but this is a big NO for me, the few times I've tried it I've gotten stuck, even just one bite has gotten stuck no matter how much I chewed it. I also can't sit and eat a big burger with the bun or eat a big sub sandwich with the bun (shouldn't be doing that either, but I can't even if I wanted to). Also, if I have steak and it's too chewy, fatty, well done, or rubbery I have to spit it out because I know it'll get stuck. But for the most part I can have every type of food as long as it's cooked right, Pasta, rice, breads, all meats, although sometimes veggies give me trouble unless they are really over cooked, salads are sometimes hard, I have to eat them extra slowly. If my food is dry, that means trouble, so I try to moisten it a little with fat free dressings or fat free sour cream fat free sauces or gravys, I eat alot of avacoado too in place of mayo to add some moisture. So I basically can eat anything, just in very small amounts now, I have to be very careful though at all times when I'm eating. This wasn't so until my last fill (about a month ago). I'm now at 7ccs in an 11cc band and this is definitely as tight as I feel I should be without starving to death lol. I felt a little restriction since the beinging, and then little by little I felt a little more with each small fill, but comparing that to how I feel right now, I'd say that was nothing compared to this! So it took me over a year to get where I needed to be with restriction, my "green zone", but that's mainly because my doctors believe in filling slowly and also because I'm self pay since my insurance changed. I have to pay out of pocket for each fill so I didn't fill up as often as I would have liked to. Like I mentioned before, the amount of food I eat for dinner is about the size of a small lean cuisine, sometimes I can eat more, sometimes less, it depends on the day or the types of food I'm eating. I do not measure my food, to me that whole 1 cup, half cup of food thing is for the birds.. I eat what I'm eating and I count my protein and calories, that's it. I am not telling anyone to not measure their food, always follow your doctors orders, I'm just stating that this is what works for me, my doctor feels this is fine for me to do it as long as I'm still losing. To answer your question as to why some don't feel restriction until after several fills, keep in mind that every BODY is different, what works for you might not work for someone else, it's not an exact science. Some people have bigger bands that need more Fluid to constrict, some people have larger stomachs and need more saline injected in their bands for the proper amount of restriction. Some doctors do small fills, some do bigger. Sometimes just the band alone is enough for some patients and some need to be super tight. We are all different, but in time we can find our perfect balance. Good luck to you, I've babbled enough.. I hope some of what I've said helps!

Found this out by accident this morning when cleaning my blender cup. Take your blender cup with the metal ball in it and fill it 1/2 way with Water. Turn it side ways and grab the ends with both hands. Stand up straight, hold your core tight and shake vigorously from side to side in a horizontal plane for 5 minutes. It gives your core and lower back an invigorating workout. You want to makes sure the ball hits the edges as you go from side to side in a fast and rhythmic fashion. Should I patent it as a made for tv gizmo All kidding aside, it makes for a brain dead simple exercise. You may be able to increase intensity by filling with more water, a more liquid with more viscosity or by increasing the rate of oscillation. Have fun!

A little disappointing (from a run perspecetive), but here are my race results Jerseyman Triathlon Place: 135/195 Swim Place: 78 23:13; T1: 4:08; Bike Place:104 1:14:56 MPH 15.6; T2: 1:19 Run Place: 178 35:17 Pace: 11:23 Total Time: 2:18:51 Age Group Place: 19/22 M35-39 Male Racers Place: 95/122. Race Day – Got up at 5:00 and onsite by 6:00. I had a cereal bar, sugar free red-bull, clif bar, and Gatorade by 7:00. Lots of room in transition, and it was not crowded at all. “Pool” opened at 7 for pre-race warm-up. Water temp was 74, but it was still a shock at first. I could not breathe at all for my first few strokes. Finally got my face into the water more and got a decent rhythm going. This was, by far, the best decision I made all day - to do the practice swim. I got out of the water at 7:15, as the race was supposed to be at 7:30, and there was supposed to be a pre-race briefing. Neither happened. At 7:30, I got back in the water, as it was apparent we were not swimming for awhile, and I wanted to get reacclimated. Out again at 7:45 (not a lot of swimming…just bobbing and getting used to the water). Around 8 we did a wade in start and somehow I ended up front and center. This did not bother me at all, other than thinking, “how did I get here, when I intentionally went to the right of everyone?” The moment was lightened, when a little girl yelled out, “Don’t stop swimming daddy!!” Great advice, huh? Swimming went pretty well, other than the occasional stop for those who swam in front of me and cut me off. One additional nag point was I guess the volunteers drove a boat close to us, and our glass flat lake had sudden rollers in it. I thought a storm (it was raining) had suddenly hit us or something. It was a bit disconcerting, but it went away quickly. I did get a good feeling once, when I realized I was swimming fast enough for someone to draft off me. This one guy stayed glued to me for at least ½ the race, but I lost him after the final buoy, when I turned it up a little. I was shocked, as I exited the water and my watch said 22 minutes and change. I thought for sure I had swam faster than that. I’d say the course distance was off, but a 22 YO woman from Philadelphia finished in 15:57…that’s just unbelievably fast to me. I guess my extra minute or so on the official time was running to the timing mat. I had a good 75-100 yard sandy run to the sidewalk, then decided to walk a little to transition, as it was still a ways away. The crowd was pretty supportive with us too. I did pretty well in the “changing” part of transition, and most of my time was running/walking into and out of transition. I did run my bike to the mount point though, even in my bike shoes, as I realized before the race it was all grass, and the cleats would not be so unwieldy on grass. Oh, and the weather was 65 and humid, when it wasn’t raining. I had planned on putting on another shirt (was wearing sleeveless compression shirt under wetsuit on swim) in T1, but left it there, as I was plenty warm enough. Wetsuit came off easy enough too. Onto the bike. Oh, those first few miles were hell. I had a splitting headache (back of head), and I did not feel like riding hard at all. In fact, I felt woozy and lightheaded for the rest of the day after the race. I got some Gu into me (powdered mix in water), and I started to feel a bit better. Steady rain started falling, and taking turns and downhills fast was a bit freaky. Some downhills, which I knew were straight I hammered at full speed, and others I braked quite a bit. About halfway into the ride I started to feel good, and I steadily increased the pace. I stopped to help another athlete who had a flat (gave him my spare), but that only cost me 20-30 seconds, and I knew I wasn’t winning any medals anyway. I was hammering the last few miles, as I felt strong, and I knew the end was near. I got into an easier gear about a mile out and started spinning, to get the legs ready for the run. I got to the dismount area, jumped off really nice, and ran my bike to T2 – the run to T2 felt great. Got into T2, and thought I made awesome time. I had already put my race belt on in T1, so T2 consisted of: run in, rack bike, change shoes, run out. Nothing too special. About 50 feet into my 5k run, my mind told me, “This is going to suck.” Now remember, my run off the bike into T2, felt great, legs were not beat up or anything, or so I thought. I jogged/shuffled for the first 1.5 miles, then started to walk/run for a minute each at a time. My hips were killing me, which is not a pain I have experienced before in training. I felt like I had nothing left, and my run time definitely suffered. If it hadn’t been a race or if I did not keep on getting support from other runners, I may have bagged it, had it just been training. Wrong thing to do, I know, but I was not doing well physically or mentally on the run. Summary: Swim Goal: 20 minutes; Actual 23:13 – not too worried about this, as distance could have been off (that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. J ), and I was firmly MOP for this – expected result. Transition Times: < 6 minutes total; Actual 5:27 – I could have made T1 a little faster, but I could not have done much better on T2 Bike Goal: 75 Minutes; Actual 1:14:56. Hmm...I think I knew how fast I was going to go, huh? J Considering the weather and how I felt in the beginning, I’m pretty satisfied with this. Run Goal: Sub 30 minute; actual 35:17 – What can be said? This time sucks, and I know it. Time for lots of running this winter. Goals for next year – keep on training, keep on having fun, keep on getting better at running.

Hi all, I just wanted to suggest to all of those that hate most cardio...I do too but I found a solution...the rowing machine! I believe most gyms have them. They do not require you to put all of your weight on your legs so are great for those of us early in our journeys. Now I love rowing and can go for an hour at a fast speed...although this will not replace walking, which you should do more of as you lose weight. Shauna