Surgery for 3/11/13 with Dr. Ponce de Leon. I want to lose some weight to lower BMI for risk reduction and cost. Any suggestions?

I would start by just trying to be more physically active. Try taking a few short walks throughout the day or find an activity that you really like (swimming, bike riding). I would also try just lowering your carbs and maybe substituting one meal a day for a protein shake. Don't be too hard on yourself. I personally think your fitness level is a better indicator on how well your recovery will go, than a number on the scale.

Amanda you have a long way to go before your surgery. Maybe focus on your eating habits, try to cut out sweets and excess carbs i.e. breads, rice, pasta. Try to incorporate more veggies. I think your body will feel better but don't stress about it. You are having the surgery for a reason. No matter what age, activity level or health everyone will recover differently. You won't know until you have your surgery..........hang in there.

Low carb, limit to 20-40 carbs daily, lots of veggies and lean meats. 30-60 min exercise daily. you can do this!

I have lost 45 lbs since the middle of June, and I am also pre-op looking to get my BMi down and health better before surgery. My plan:

• eat between 1200 - 1350 calories per day
  
• eat high: protein, fiber, calcium, potassium
  
• eat low: fat, cholesterol
  
• 30 - 60 minutes of aerobic exercise six days per week.
  
• track everything I eat on myfitnesspal, no exceptions
  
• drink at least 6 cups of water per day
  
• other than water, drink only black coffee and one cup of skim milk per day.
  

My nutritionist has had me bump up both calories (to 1400-1500) and exercise (extra 15 minutes a day) going forwards toward surgery. I haven't weighed in yet so I've been doing that the last ten days and am not sure of the results. That's another part of my plan -- I do not weigh myself except once about every three weeks at my doctor's office. Oh and I do not count carbs or sugars right now although I am advised that will change at least while I am in weight loss phase after surgery.

Menu suggestions or ideas?

I'm probably not the right person for menu suggestions. I'm just cooking for me and I am perfectly happy to eat a lot of the same stuff every day, as long as it is easy for me to cook. My usual routine:

breakfast: hot cereal with fruit and skim milk (approx. 200 calories total)

lunch: nonfat yogurt with a couple tablespoons of Grape Nuts mixed in, raw baby carrots snack pack, apple (225 - 250 calories)

dinner: 4 oz. lean meat (sirloin filet, skinless chicken breast, fish such as halibut or cod, etc.), 2 green veggies, one starchy veggie (1/2 sweet potato, 1/2 baked potato, 100 grams Trader Joe's teeny tiny potatoes, 100 grams butternut squash, something like that). Approx. 350 calories.

Snacks: light string cheese, no salt added deli turkey slices, low sodium roasted almonds, fruit, dried fruit, skim milk with no sugar added Carnation Instant Breakfast.

I have a kitchen scale and I weigh virtually everything I eat.

Cooking: for butter or oil I usually use Smart Balance Light Spreadable Butter - 50 calories per tablespoon. I roast some veggies in the oven, or bake fish with a little low sodium chicken broth. Stuff that is sauteed in a pan, I use either a little of the Smart Balance or a couple of sprays of cooking spray and always use a non-stick pan.

I've always had good success with the Atkins diet, unfortunately I never managed to keep it going for life so invariably the weight comes back on (hence I've been researching a more permanent solution like WLS), but low carb gives me consistent results. Menus are basically: Meat and veggies. Veggies and meat. Full fat dairy. No potatoes, no carrots, no corn, no bread, no pasta, no sugar (obviously). I ate lots of eggs, steaks, chicken, broccoli and green beans, salads with full fat dressing, cut up raw veggies and ranch dressing, sugar free jello, brie, other cheese, strawberries (or other berries), nuts, jerky... that's about all I can think of right off the top of my head I didn't really count calories (I only counted carbs) but I'd say I probably averaged about 1800 calories a day and lost about 2 pounds a week consistently.

I'm going to do some hard core grocery shopping this weekend. Then I will start an organ total body cleanse. Once I get the all clear from my doc regarding my sprained ankle I will get back to walking. Any Multivitamin suggestions out there?

I used the GNC women's multi without iron (since I was getting a lot of iron from meat on low carb). If I was doing low fat or something else I'd get the one with the iron.