Hello,

I am working on losing 15-20 lbs to be safe for surgery. I have participated in dieting prior to this journey and was successful, but for some reason it seems 1,000 times harder right now. I am almost 31 has my body just slowed down? **YIKES** I am on the verge of breaking 300lbs and I would like to get into the 200's!!

Here is what I am doing and I would love any constructive help/tips:

-Drinking A LOT of Water

-Logging on MyfitnessPal

-Try to eat frequently with focus on Protein

-I DO NOT like meals.I normally eat something about every two hours. Today I had a fat free latte and 1oz of turkey Jerky, a bit over two hours later I had a half sandwhich with low fat cheese and turkey breast

-Work out videos at home.

-I participate in more physical activity than I used to.

- I was a vegetarian, but I am using turkey as a crutch to loose this 20lbs on my own- I struggle with this daily!

-chewing 20 times per bite

-eating slow

-I average 1500 calories a day

-70g of protein, all though I should be eating 90

What I know I am doing wrong

-sometimes I am fearful of making an unhealthy choice, so I spend what feels like forever deciding what I should eat. Before I know it, my blood sugar is low and we all know what happens from here.. I then make real poor decisions about nutrition.

Should I replace a meal with a Protein shake? I would love to hear your suggestions, please be gentle. I am going through a lot and I prefer kindness.

Thanks for reading and sharing your strategies with me.

Sannah

oh.. also.. what about slow cooker recipes?.. you can look up some recipes or go to amazon & get some recipes for all kinda stuff.. and you don't have to do much other than wash the stuff, cut it up & throw it in the pot.. then come home to a perfectly cooked meal.. i saw some recipes for asian & indian slow cooker recipes.. so it doesn't have to be just roast beef. there's also recipe books and sites out there that have lots of recipes for just 2 people, so that could help with portion control & variety for you & your hubby, or if you wanted to make something & save one for later.

in regards to you only being able to eat the same thing so many times.. i totally understand & am the same way. lol but lasagna freezes pretty good & you can make individual portions, just by choosing saller eggplants and making enough for 1 or 2 meals for yourself, if your hubby doesn't want to eat leftovers.

the good thing about freezing stuff.. when you're hungry, you'll have an assortment to choose from! lol you can freeze pesto, Soups, stews, chili, sauces, etc..

i dunno if you like asian food or not, but you can look up some korean food (maangchi.com, aeriskitchen.com, etc).. a lot of those are pretty low carb & good for you- like the doenjang chigae, bulgogi, etc.. bulgogi, you can wrap it in some lettice leaves & dip it in some soy sauce/sesame seed oil mix & go to town. you can also make or eat some kimchi (low carb & has probiotics).. they make cucumber kimchi, radish kimchi, cabage kimchi, etc.. you can replace the sugar with swerve & cut back on or omit the rice flour/mochiko powder.. japanese food is awesome, too (http://www.youtube.com/user/cookingwithdog/).. they're 2 of the healthiest types of asian food... miso Soup would be easy and delicious to make. and they even sell it in packets where you just add Water & microwave it. those would be great if you're in a rut & just need to eat something.. it's mostly broth, with a few chunks of tofu & some seaweed

in my house, we have a rotiserie chicken and bag-salad as a stand-by.. cause everyone has lazy days.. where they don't wanna cook. if your hubby doesn't wanna eat leftovers, then just swing by the grocery store & grab a chicken on the way home, so it's fresh.. it tastes good & will fill the hole, as my mom would say.

now if only i could follow my own advice...... *looks guilty and ashamed* lol

I bought a pedometer. I just try to get more steps each day than I had the day before. I'm also trying Water exercise and yoga because I truly despise exercise and anything that makes me sweat. Good luck!

Sounds like a plan!!! It may be good for me to see how much I am currently doing so I can set a goal and amp it up!!! I could set up my bodybugg again!! I like the idea of gentle exercise

So you did all shakes? No food? I have a pre surgery insurance requirement of 6 months medically supervised weight loss. I am supposed to loose my 15-20lbs during this time. But basically I have two months' date=' because I was seeing my PCP and now I am working with the Weight Management Institute on the 6 month diet. The Weight Management Institute, which is where my surgeon is told me about the 20 lbs. So far my surgeon has not mentioned a pre op diet. I am adding this to my list!! I want to be successful and have my surgery asap.. What a bummer it would be to be delayed because I wasn't able to loose my 20lbs!! Great tip!! Thank you!! [/quote']

My surgeon seems a bit more stringent than most, but he is considered one of the best around. The 2 week pre-op is to shrink the liver to make it easier for him to work. I lost 35 lbs before the pre-op low carbing it. On the low carb i would drink 2 atkins shakes a day so it was an easy transition to the all shake diet. I was basically low carbing for about 3 months pre-op and lost 58 before surgery. I'm starting week 4 and i have lost another 31 post-op. I truly believe the low carb before hand has help me maintain my weightloss pace. My body was already conditioned for the protien first requirments, so it wasnt a shock. Just my opinion.

My surgeon seems a bit more stringent than most' date=' but he is considered one of the best around. The 2 week pre-op is to shrink the liver to make it easier for him to work. I lost 35 lbs before the pre-op low carbing it. On the low carb i would drink 2 atkins shakes a day so it was an easy transition to the all shake diet. I was basically low carbing for about 3 months pre-op and lost 58 before surgery. I'm starting week 4 and i have lost another 31 post-op. I truly believe the low carb before hand has help me maintain my weightloss pace. My body was already conditioned for the protien first requirments, so it wasnt a shock. Just my opinion.[/quote']

Hello!!

Sounds like your hard work paid off. When you were drinking Atkins (2daily) is this all you had? Did you incorporate food as well? What flavors did you like? I see your point about the prep of low carb and how this is beneficial for the changes.

I would love to hear more!!

Sannah

Sent from my iPhone using VST

Hello!!

Sounds like your hard work paid off. When you were drinking Atkins (2daily) is this all you had? Did you incorporate food as well? What flavors did you like? I see your point about the prep of low carb and how this is beneficial for the changes.

I would love to hear more!!

Sannah

Sent from my iPhone using VST

I would have a shake for Breakfast and lunch. For dinner i would have protien and veggies. I like the chocolate and mocha latte.

I would have a shake for breakfast and lunch. For dinner i would have protien and veggies. I like the chocolate and mocha latte.

Any Snacks in between?

Any Snacks in between?

I tried to limit snacks, but if i did it was usually boiled eggs or cheese.