Fiddleman

Not sure if SAMs has chicken skewers, but I do know they have yummy chicken teriyaki meatballs as does costco. Another alternative is 3 oz chicken sausages stuffed with cheese pieces and peppers or smoked apple flavor, etc. I lived on these 3 oz sausages for most of my post op because they were/are the perfect size for a meal.

They come out of the refrigerated section so, no, not frozen on purchase. I am not sure if they could be frozen or not. They need to be eaten in a reasonable amount of time. They are separated into 3 sections, 4 in each section. Once you open a section, that section should be eaten in 3-4 days. The unopened sections would last until their expiration date which I recall being one month.

Love jack links. They sell it everywhere and it makes for a great high protein snack when on the go.

Nope - courtesy of costco. Highly recommend these chicken skewers. Each one is about 10 g of Protein and is flavored with tasty herbs and spices.

I read recently there is about 1000 calorie difference between feeling satisfied versus feeling full for the average person. Even though it is not the same delta for post op people like us, imagine how many calories you can save if you stop eating when satisfied versus full. It is huge, depending of course on what you are eating. Think about it.

yes, this is actually pretty normal because of the manner in which water is released from your body. It is an ongoing cycle of your muscles using up their glycogen stores, fat getting converted into glycogen, repeat. Your muscles require a lot of water to process the glycogen before letting the water go. Hence, your weight loss will be very much like a staircase over the months, stall a little, lose a little, stall a little, lose a little. You know your muscles are eating fat when the weight loss stalls out, but your clothes start fitting a little better. You want your muscles to eat fat from your body instead of carbs from your diet so it is most efficient to eat as low carb as possible to maximize the amount of fat that your muscles will eat. Good luck!

ouch...groan...that one is bad even by your standards. man, that was a setup if I ever saw one. Revenge, I tell you....

Really simple observation, but would the TP Roller helps with this type of pain? The reason I ask is that is what they advertise it for, myofascial release, and it is much cheaper long term then seeing a TP therapist. It is the best roller I have ever used and it is almost a miracle worker. It has paid itself off many times over in massage therapy and chiropractic work.

It is a shock to the pancreatic system which releases a deluge of insulin while sleeping and jump starts the metabolism. It works if you do this at most once a week after eating all week at a very low deficit. It is like jump starting your car battery when it stalls on the side of the road...

Welcome back Danielle! Glad to have you back on the wagon as we travel west into unexplored territory.

I read a good strength training book over the weekend by Mark Lauren called "You are your own gym": http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-Own-Gym/dp/0345528581/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370266234&sr=8-1&keywords=you+are+your+own+gym It is an awesome approach to building elite fitness. Mark Lauren shares his years of training elite SpecOp military forces with the rest of us. I really enjoy these exercises because they can be done anywhere at anytime with just your body and some common household items like phone books and broom handles. His approach is not a very long program -about 6 weeks- and is designed to get SpecOps ready for the battle field as quickly as possible. After 9/11, there was a need to ramp up special forces in the shortest amount of time to get them into the field quickly,ready for any physical challenge. Each exercise is fully explained and has a few different variations depending on your fitness level. I plan on using these exercises as a way to ramp up fitness in order to compete in cross fit regionals next year. There is also a DVD by Mark Lauren with the same title I am thinking of ordering. It will help form ritual-based motivation for these types of exercises. Right now I do not have it in me yet to set up my own programs based on the book alone. http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-Own-Gym/dp/B00AM7EQYC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370265769&sr=8-2&keywords=you+are+your+own+gym These are more geared towards men, but women can do the exercises also and achieve the same type of results. There is another book called "Body by You" which is also by Mark Lauren http://www.amazon.com/Body-You-Guide-Womens-Fitness/dp/0345528972/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1370266049&sr=8-3&keywords=you+are+your+own+gym This one is focused on exercises for women to get into elite shape.

Good job Laura. Walking is great exercise! Plus you can catch on some missed episodes from your favorite tv shows or watch a movie.

Yes, great suggestion in fact. I do believe my local library in Snohomish has free Internet. Will look into that. No coffee though inside the library.

After losing weight, I have noticed the little brown wooden chairs are kiddie size and uber uncomfortable for both the bum and the lower back. Oy! A coffee drink should come with a massage coupon. I am sitting in one of their kiddie size chairs today because my internet went out at home and I need an internet connection to do my work. These chairs need to be replaced! Rant out...

Yes, I agree with that statement on comfier chairs and scorched beans. The reality is, though, sometimes a star bucks is right there close by (within 15 minute drive) and has free Internet access. I do have my favorite local barista, but they are a drive through and, unfortunately, no Internet. I do live a bit out in the sticks and there are certainly more drive through options available for the commuters then there are sit downs.

The good burn that you feel the next day from lactic acid soreness is a sign of progression. Great job on hitting a personal goal of 50 lb lost! What a feeling of success that brings.

My wife and I bought some medicine balls of 6, 8 and 12 over the weekend as an alternative exercise we can do together. Short of just playing catch, what are some good exercises that you have done with the medicine ball involving 2 people? These 2 person exercises do not need to be challenging, but more on the fun side. I will do the challenging exercises individually with the 12 lb ball, but would not mind some suggestions there also.

It definitely will!! However, do realize the scale may go up initially because of more water in the muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. Do not be discouraged though!! It will pay off.

Perhaps during the day you can take cortisol or something OTC or prescription that is similar to that.

In addition to standard squats (air or weights), I have found that sumo squats are really effective at giving you a nice toned small round butt. Very tight. Doing these with a 45 or 50 lb dumbbell really works many muscle group around the lower core.