mrsclooney918

I do swimming as well. I just added yoga to my routine and am really liking it! I actually am stronger than I think. Today I was planking! My nutritionist recommended to keep the metabolism going is "muscle confusion" so if you shake up what you are doing and what muscles you are using, it will keep your metabolism on its toes so to speak. What I like is that it gives me more variety so when I go back to the treadmill, I have a renewed enthusiasm for it! Next up, I'm getting my bike's tires filled and adding that.

For me, exercise was key. I decided that I needed to double up on my calorie burn so if I normally did 30 minutes on a treadmill, I did 60 minutes. Then I started doing bursts of running (2 minutes every 15 minutes). I also goaled myself to walk 12,000 steps a day (up from 10,000). I recently had two 20,000+ step days in one week! My Fitbit almost shorted out! Now with summer, I alternate swimming and treadmill. But I do exercise almost everyday now and it is now a priority. I actually crave it like I use to crave french fries! Really! What I found was that the exercise really helped curb cravings and my appetite seems normal. I lost 10 lbs in 8 weeks. And I can totally tell my metabolism is fired up. One thing that all my medical partners reminded me, that when you get closer to your goal weight and farther away from surgery, weight loss does slow down. I was losing 2 lbs a week up to 6 months out and then slowed down to about .5 per week! So I am thrilled with one lb a week now. Good luck and hang in there. It's normal to have a plateau.

I find that baby dill pickles really satisfy my potato chip craving. Salty and crunchy. Sometimes I grab a few when dinner isn't for a while and need that little something to hold me over.

I LOVE MY NUTRITIONIST! She has been the key to making it all make sense. I had to switch after my first one (associate with the surgeon) was a knucklehead. My new one is also in the same office and I think they keep her hidden because she's so great and they don't want the other one to be out of a job. (OK. I'm just wild guessing here. But seriously. If you knew the woman, you'd know what I mean!) My new nutritionist is a myfitmesspal friend so she keeps me honest! She is a true partner for me and that's what I really need.

During pre-op information, we were told not to do these. Can't remember why exactly but I think because of some nutrient issue?

For me, it took about 9 months. But that included every test ever created by the medical profession that might be related to lap band surgery. But I got approved on the first try.

Would flat champagne be just wine then?

I have to put my plug in for my Blendtec blender. It's the brand that Starbucks uses and I can't believe I lived without it. It was costly ($400 but i got it for $300 on Amazon) but it has paid for itself already! Smoothies are actually a pleasure with it!

Hmmmm. I'm not sure why you were required to purchase from your doctor. My opinion is that Protein is a very personal decision and you have to experiment until you find the one that tastes the best for you. Some of the ones that people rave about here I do not like at all and I'm sure my favorite is not the favorite of others. Once you find the one that's most pleasing to you, it does make the Protein shake part of your lift much happier!

I brought mine to my thyroid and LB surgeries. Both times I had it in recovery and at night. But I never was under the impression that it would be used in surgery. I wonder if it was?

Love it! I was thinking that this was posted right before she was rolled into surgery. (If it were me I would have been LOOPY from the pre op cocktail.) She should be almost out at this point. Good luck to all of you!

Have you tried putting an arch support in your shoe? This helps stretch out the tendons so the plantar facitis is not so bad. Also make sure you do a nice set of stretches that focus on your hamstring. These are all lessons that I have lived through! And a good icing of your heels will help take swelling down. As your weight goes down you will see an improvement. Why not try exercises that don't require you banging on your feet? Cycling, swimming are two that come to mind. Also make sure you invest in a good athletic shoe. My podiatrist recommends New Balance for this condition. Good luck!

Pre surgery I was doing spark people and really liked it. But with my Fitbit, I switched over to myfitnesspal which is a fine fine website/app. And not so crazy graphically.

Well, any topic title "pastries" is enough to get me to open! The few pastries I have had since surgery have not been an issue. I guess because I can chew them up better then bread (my nemesis). I am not sure what Cuban pastries are exactly but I do love Cuban sandwiches which I really shouldn't have since bread always gets stuck. (It's that pickle that gets me gaga about Cubans!)