nyxa

if you can find somewhere to get some kangen Water, you could drink that.. it changes the molecules in the water & remineralizes it (brings it back to "life" so to speak) and long story short, it has a very easily digestible & easy to assimilate form of magnesium in it.. which magnesium makes you poop.. and because it is water, it will help hydrate you... killing 2 birds with 1 stone. actually 3, because it is alkalized, and you want your body to be alkalized.. it helps you heal faster, repair yourself faster & keep bad stuff from growing in you.. if you have an alkalized body, cancer won't grow in it & etc.. so that's definitely worth checking out.. because you're so constipated, i'd start out at the top alkalized number.. you'll blow the bowl out of the toilet for a day or two, but you'll be so thankful to get that junk out of your body! alternately, you could get some magnesium powder.. same sort of effect, without the cool water. lol you can buy it at health food stores, like whole foods & akin's or whatever. edit: you can also pick up some xylitol & use that as a sweetener. it's a natural alternative to sugar & one of the benefits of it is that it's a natural laxative.. it's got all sorts of Vitamins and stuff in it, too.. http://www.livingfuel.com/TheraSweet.aspx << where you can buy some.

lol.. i live in the south & the real "ladies" always say that "ladies never cross their legs".. they keep their legs together & to the side.. but they will cross their ankles.. xD cause if you cross your legs, you risk people seeing your underwear when you wear skirts & dresses.. which is very impolite. xD it also can cause you to have spider veins.. http://becoming-a-lady.com/tips/crossing-your-legs-like-a-lady if you practice sitting like that, your inner thigh muscles will be stronger.. and that can also have a positive effect on other very important parts to a lady... if you catch my drift..

lol aww! well, if i was your neighbor, i'd help you out! i know what you mean about it being exhausting!.. but, just imagine being drugged up on pain killers & trying to do it all after surgery! LOL i'd rather do it now, while i can still wash dishes and whatnot. may not like it, but it will have to be done one way or another! unlike some other folks, i don't have a husband or any siblings that can stay home with me & both of my parents work & all my friends are at least 1/2 an hour away. :/ i'm just thankful that it's just some blended food & popsicles!

lol making your own's the way to go!

i'd say go for it do what feels good to you! nothing wrong with circuit training! and if it's free, even better! lol

never heard of 'em! hope they work! can you break them in half or something?.. if it's a solid pill, you can use a pill cutter & make it smaller & more manageable. if it's a capsule, then i'm sorry it's big.

congratulations!!!!!! how awesome!

I'm not sleeved, yet, but i know i'll be picking up some different kinds of teas.. like hibiscus (it lowers your blood pressure), green tea, blackberry sage, etc.. crystal light pure, etc.. another thing I will be picking up is a bottle of Bragg's liquid Aminos... When your body digests Protein, it breaks it down into amino acids.. So Bragg's Liquid Aminos sorta just cuts straight to the point & gives you 16 amino acids, right there, ready to be absorbed by your body that much faster & easier, without having to break down protein to get it. it has all 10 "essential aminos" and gives you 16 out of the 20 standard amino acids.. it also doesn't contain any dairy products, so in case you develop lactose intolerance, you can still use the aminos. from wikipedia: "In the form of Proteins, amino acids comprise the second largest component other than Water of human muscles, cells and other tissues. Outside proteins, amino acids also perform critical biological roles including neurotransmitters, transport, and in synthesis." "9 of the 20 standard amino acids are called 'essential' amino acids for humans because they cannot be created from other compounds by the human body, and so must be taken in as food." one cool thing about these liquid aminos is that a serving size is only 1/2 a tsp.. and you can blend them into your other food, eat them with your chicken/beef broth, use 'em on salads or whatever. http://bragg.com/products/la.html << their website. i would also purchase some easily digested/blended veggies that are frozen.. like peas, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.. y'know.. do some shopping ahead of time & buy a bag of frozen peas & some frozen broccoli & frozen carrots.. then go ahead & make myself some purees and leave some plain & add some seasonings to some of them, just in case you don't like or can't handle the seasoning for some reason after surgery.. then just pour the purees into ice cube trays and freeze them.. put them in a ziploc bag & label them accordingly.. so whenever you need to eat, you have something ready to go. you could probably add your protein (in the form of your unjury or chicken soup) as well as meats and whatnot for your different stages.. here's a few websites that have some good looking baby food recipes that could make for yourself.. including stuff with meat & cheese (like one that sounded pretty good to me was chicken & butternut squash).. http://www.homemade-...od-recipes.html http://wholesomebaby....momtastic.com/ http://www.nurturebaby.com/ here's chef gordon ramsay's broccoli Soup recipe, which i will be making for myself.. you could easily add your protein and the aminos to this: http://gordonramsays...-broccoli-soup/ you can also make yourself some healthier popsicles, paletas and cream pops and stuff like that, rather than buy store bought ones.. get yourself some stevia, swerve sweetener, TheraSweet (xylitol), agave nectar.. to use as a sweetener (the ones i listed are all natural, safe & don't have bad side effects like aspartame, sucralose, splenda & etc & they won't raise your blood glucose/blood sugar levels).. and get yourself some natural (or regular) flavor extracts & make yourself some popsicles... like lemon, orange, cherry, raspberry, chocolate, pina colada, coconut cream, rootbeer, etc.. whatever sounds good.. if you make 'em yourself, you could also sneak in some of your unflavored unjury protein, so you'll be eating protein in everything! when you can drink milk, if you develop lactose intolerance you can pick up some almond/cashew/hemp/soy/whatever milk & mix up some unjury, almond milk & flavor of your choice & have a creamsicle.. whenever you get to soft foods, you could try a recipe like this, except you blend the melon, instead of shred it.. could do that with watermelon or whatever.. or just leave the actual melon out all together & use the flavoring. http://www.busogsara...-ice-candy.html here's some places that sell natural flavorings: http://www.naturesfl...coffee-tea.html http://www.spicesetc...ural-Flavorings here's a recipe for an avocado paleta.. obviously you'd use a sugar alternative & you could mix in your unjury protein with the water & this is also dairy free, just in case: http://www.seriousea...ert-recipe.html here's some healthy, sugar free avocado chocolate pudding: http://penniesonapla...colate-pudding/ you can also freeze that mix & have a "fudge" popsicle. anyway.. that's what kinda stuff i will be doing. in my opinion, you may as well do all that you can while you feel good.. the more you can do ahead of time, the easier you'll have it during your recovery! even the simple stuff, like your broth.. so all you'll need to do when you get home is pick out what flavor you want, stick a cube of it in a coffee cup & microwave it.. it'll have your unjury protein, some bragg's liquid aminos and be ready for consumption. then all you'd have to do is throw your dirty cups in the dish washer, relax & fart around on the internet or watch tv. lol

you can make your own baby food.. one example would be like on that montel williams blender infomercial.. buy a bag of organic frozen peas, blanch them, then slap 'em in the blender with a little bit of the Water they were blanched in, blend til smooth, pour in ice cube tray & freeze until needed. you could do that with all sorts of fruit (mangoes, peaches, apples, blueberries, etc) & veggies (like broccoli, carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, etc), and of course you could season them however you want to.. store bought baby foods are pretty mild in flavor (aka bland lol). here's a few websites that have some good looking baby food recipes that could make for yourself.. including stuff with meat & cheese (like one that sounded pretty good to me was chicken & butternut squash).. http://www.homemade-...od-recipes.html http://wholesomebaby....momtastic.com/ http://www.nurturebaby.com/ if nothing else, at least you'll get some new ideas for stuff you could eat! lol

woo hoo! you can cross that off your bucket list! lol

if you're feeling it, you're ready lol besides, it makes you happier & more energetic, so it is healthy for you, too! and not a bad way to burn some extra calories.. lol

i posted this in another thread, but thought that i'd post it as it's own topic so everyone could see it. http://www.cockeyed.com/photos/bodies/heightweight.html it's a chart that uses real people of all shapes & sizes, from all over the world.. they're all at various heights and weights.. i thought you could maybe use it to see how you could potentially look at your goal weight, maybe to help you figure out what your ideal look could be or maybe it would be fun to submit your own picture(s) to the site if there's open spaces in the height/weight chart, so you could be helping someone like you! it's pretty neat to see all the people across the world that submitted their photos. hope you all enjoy it, too!

lmao, congratulations! to both you and your husband. he sounds like you guys may be in need of this book called "the multi-orgasmic man"... has some good stuff in there for women, too. lmao! that was cute! made me laugh. thanks for that!

yeah, i've heard about it before... don't really have much to say, except maybe folks that turn to drinking have too much time on their hands.. there's so much stuff out there that they could be doing & it's sad and a waste of their new, skinny life to lounge around drinking, spending all their time in bars and etc.. they could be out there making a difference, crossing things off their bucket list, traveling as much as their budget will allow, seeing the 7 wonders of the world, traipsing across the holy land or running marathons or something... they could be having such a full, fun-filled life now that they're not fat anymore & aren't limited by their size.. and it's very sad to me that people would rather waste their lives drinking.. :/ now that they're not fat, the world is their oyster... they could make their life a huge, priceless pearl.. but they'd rather run over the shell & squish the meat out so the whole thing is worthless. lol just so darn sad. :/

more articles: The Beverage that is Even WORSE than High Fructose Corn Syrup Soda Is This More-Dangerous-than-Aspartame Sweetener Hiding in Your food? Is This FDA-Approved Sweetener Causing Brain Damage? etc etc etc... artificial sweeteners are a bad deal!

if you use a lot of sugar free products, like aspartame (which is nutrasweet, crystal light, sugar free jello/pudding, etc), sucralose (splenda, mio, etc), sucrose, etc.. then one of the side effects is that it can raise your blood sugar and/or blood glucose. lol THE IRONY! but it does happen! here's a great article on how artificiall sweeteners can be worse for diabetics than sugar: http://articles.merc...than-sugar.aspx Aspartame Aspartame is one of the artificial sweeteners approved by the U.S. food and Drug Administration. It’s found in a variety of foods, including some baked goods, canned foods, candy and dairy products. Aspartame is a synthetic sugar that’s significantly sweeter than real sugar, but contains no calories. Possible benefits of aspartame include weight control and preventing dental cavities, according to MayoClinic.com. Blood Glucose Levels Scientists at Maastricht University in the Netherlands investigated the effects of aspartame on blood glucose levels in healthy males. Subjects drank a beverage containing aspartame on three separate visits. Blood glucose levels were measured before and after aspartame consumption. At the end of the study, which was published in the December 1999 issue of the “British Journal of Nutrition,” researchers observed that 40 percent of participants had decreases in blood glucose levels, whereas 20 percent experienced an increase. In addition, 40 percent had stable blood glucose levels. Insulin Levels Researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center studied the impact of aspartame on blood glucose and insulin levels. Subjects were assigned aspartame, stevia or sucrose with their lunch and dinner meals. Scientists observed that those in the aspartame group had higher blood glucose and insulin levels after their meals compared with those in the stevia group. The findings were reported in the August 2010 issue of “Appetite.” Side Effects Aspartame consumption has several side effects, including nausea, bloating, diarrhea, stomach upset and headache, according to MayoClinic.com. If you experience any of these side effects, reduce or eliminate aspartame from your diet. Source: http://www.livestron...in-in-the-body/ Splenda The web site www.truthaboutsplenda.com lists a variety of consumer complaints from Splenda consumption, such as: Gastrointestinal problems Migraines Seizures Dizziness Blurred vision Allergic reactions Blood sugar increases Weight gain My site also contains a long list of personal testimonials from readers who have suffered side effects from Splenda. In fact, we have more people on our site that have reported adverse reactions to Splenda than were formally studied in the research submitted for FDA approval! The symptoms are so numerous I can’t include them all here, but the following are common symptoms, usually noticed within a 24-hour period following consumption of Splenda products: Skin -- Redness, itching, swelling, blistering, weeping, crusting, rash, eruptions, or hives (itchy bumps or welts). These are the most common allergic symptoms that people have. Lungs -- Wheezing, tightness, cough, or shortness of breath. Head -- Swelling of the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, or throat; headaches and migraines (severe headaches). Nose -- Stuffy nose, runny nose (clear, thin discharge), sneezing. Eyes -- Red (bloodshot), itchy, swollen, or watery. Stomach -- Bloating, gas, pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or bloody diarrhea. Heart -- Palpitations or fluttering. Joints -- Joint pains or aches. Neurological -- Anxiety, dizziness, spaced-out sensation, depression. Beware – You Could be Consuming Splenda Without Your Knowledge You also need to be aware of the fact that although the bulk of Splenda is sold to processed food manufacturers and soft drink bottlers, it could turn up in your medicine as well, as nearly 10 percent of all sucralose is sold to drug companies. Many times sucralose (Splenda) will not be listed in the drug information, so there simply is no way you would know you are consuming a potentially dangerous artificial sweetener. However, if you experience any of the symptoms above even though you’re avoiding Splenda and other artificial sweeteners, then it may be worth investigating the ingredients of any medications you’re taking as well. source: http://articles.merc...ul-effects.aspx natural/better alternatives to sugar: Swerve Sweetener (http://www.swervesweetener.com/) stevia lo han xylitol Sweet N Low doesn't affect your blood glucose levels, but figured you'd wanna hear about it anyway... so i posted it at the bottom. Saccharin/Sweet N Low This sweet mess is saccharin (think Sweet and Low). It was first produced in 1878 by a chemist working on coal tar derivatives at Johns Hopkins University. After working with his compounds all day, he discovered that his hand tasted “sweet.”1 Not really sure how it came about that he tasted his hand, but there it is. Today, saccharin is commonly manufactured by combining anthranilic acid (used among other things as a corrosive agent for metal) with nitrous acid, sulfur dioxide, chlorine, and ammonia. Yes, that’s right. Chlorine and ammonia. In fact, that particular group of chemicals sounds more like a recipe for a household cleaner than a sweetener. And yet, millions upon millions of people consume saccharin every year. source: http://naturalhealthsherpa.com/saccharin-danger-side-effects/52849

http://www.cockeyed.com/photos/bodies/heightweight.html that is a chart of real people at various height & weights. seemed kinda like it'd be cool to post, so people can see what they would potentially look like at a certain weight.. not all of 'em are filled in, but hey, maybe you could fill one in yourself & help it get completed!

not whiney, just being honest. it's hard when you're going through all this stuff. liquid diet affects your mood & energy level + stress of having surgery & preparing for it + work + other stuff going on in your life.. lol it's stressful & at least you're not throwing in the towel, you're still hanging in there, even though you don't want to!

awesome!!! you must be excited!!! very happy for you & proud of you!

i have no idea what instagram is... >.> i'm so out of the loop.

i'd just tell them that i had a really bad stomach virus & the only things i could keep down are simple stuff with basic nutrients & that my doctor just wants me to stay hydrated.. if they kept pushing me for answers.. lol seems pretty thorough. then when you go back & you don't eat much or are still on liquids or mushy food, you could just be like "yeah... still having a tough time keeping stuff down. it's crazy!" lol alternately, you could just tell 'em you're doing a 'fast' and you're detoxing & needed time off to do it with proper medical supervision.. or whatever...

sounds like it could be lactose intolerance, since it only happens when you eat yogurt or have Protein Shake (most Protein Shakes are made from milk protein) i'm sorry you're going through this & i hope you'll feel better soon. might do a little test on yourself & swing by the grocery store (or have someone swing by for you) & pick up almond milk or some soy milk & see how you react to that. if all goes well, you might want to consider picking up some vegan Protein shakes or powders.. vega makes some, as well as garden of life and sun warrior.. sun warrior is sweetened with stevia, so if you don't like that, then you might not like that one too much. if you do okay with an alternative milk, you may also try swapping the yogurt for almond/hemp/coconut/cashew milk & yogurts. those you'd have to get at a health food store or some place like whole foods. they all have high amounts of protein.. as do soy products.. and are fortified with Calcium & stuff like that. i like plain, unsweetened almond milk a lot, but you may want to try vanilla or chocolate or something. silk soy milk is available pretty much anywhere, so if you don't have a soy allergy, that may be worth looking into. again, hope you get to feeling better asap. poor thing!

the shirataki noodles are packed in Water, so they're already swollen to the size that they're going to be.. so no swelling in your belly! you could probably eat them whenever you can eat regular food, if you keep it simple & eat things that are easier to digest.. like spaghetti or something with veggies in it & a little meat, like the japchae/jupchae dish i posted.. or the alfredo.. you could even add some extra Protein by adding some grilled chicken or shrimp probably get more protein if you added yogurt or silken tofu instead of sour cream, too... but that might affect the taste.. and i haven't tried it myself, yet.. just throwing out ideas.

mix 1/2 packet of crystal light with 6 oz of yogurt.. source: http://www.shape.com...-lillien?page=7 you could also add a bit of Water to that & then pour the mix into a popsicle mold & make some cream pops. sugar free, low-fat lemon frozen greek yogurt: http://www.theperfec...eek-yogurt.html all sorts of yogurt pop recipes: http://allrecipes.co...eslikethis.aspx cheesecake in a cup: 1 sugar free flavored syrup of your choice (raspberry, blueberry, etc), 6 oz of greek yogurt, 1 tbsp sugar free cheesecake pudding mix... mix together & enjoy. greek yogurt & avocado paleta: http://allrecipes.co...eslikethis.aspx ^^^ on that one, instead of sugar, add your favorite sugar substitute & instead of 2 avocados, use 6 oz of greek yogurt and one avocado.. personally, i would use swerve sweetener, because it's natural, doesn't have a funky aftertaste, is low calorie, can be measured 1 to 1 with sugar & does not raise blood sugar, so it's low glycemic.. you can buy it at whole foods or natural food/health stores or online at: http://www.swervesweetener.com/ Protein pudding: http://www.yummly.co...Free-Recipezaar 1 box of any flavor sugar free pudding mix, 2 scoops of Protein powder (probably vanilla flavored or something that would go with your pudding choice, or make the pudding vanilla so it goes with your protein powder choice..), 1 1/2 cups of water or milk.. then chill.. you could probably make popsicles out of these, too. << i really like the concept of that one.. cause it sneaks in extra protein & you're opened up on what you can have, because there's tons of pudding flavors and tons of flavors of protein powders.. so you could have something that tastes like french vanilla Cappuccino, cookie dough, etc.. or have pistachio or banana pudding flavor.. and if you added a bit of water to thin it out, you could make popsicles, so the batch lasts longer. greek yogurt gelato: http://www.seriousea...ato-recipe.html ^^ sub sugar for your favorite sugar free alternative.. could also use lime instead of lemon.. or use some other kind of citrus.. like yuzu, orange, etc.. if you wanted something savory, you could probably puree this one.. http://www.seriousea...ger-recipe.html it's got peas, potatoes & uses greek yogurt.. it's a curry... but you could make it non-spicy by omitting the cayenne pepper. you could add a bit more yogurt to taste & thin it out to your preferred consistency with some water.

well.. at least you'll never forget your surgery date wish you the best of luck on everything! <3