moonlitestarbrite

wanted to pass on my experience. one of my whines about exercising after this surgery is not being able to take motrin for muscle soreness. but my massage therapist introduced me to magnesium oil. you use it sparingly on sore muscles (it can be a little stingy or itchy when you first put it on) and it WORKS GREAT. i got mine at vitacost.com, but you can get it at any health food store.

actually it means that mild muscle soreness after weight lifting, deep stretching or high intensity workouts is normal.

i agree with carlotta, go to a center of excellence. i used a center of excellence and my medical care was excellent despite complications. my surgeon is the chief of surgery at the hospital and i thought he was a totally awesome surgeon and person. (a friend with bypass says his surgeon is a nazi, even though he is happy with his results). (my complications had nothing to do with my surgery, i apparently had pancreatitis after my gall bladder was removed [not diagnosed at the time] and i had tons of scar tissue in my belly, on my stomach, pancreas and spleen. the doctor had to clean that all up and as a result i had a longer and rougher initial recovery period)

if you take a PPI, you need to take sublingual B12 in order to absorb iron. PPIs inhibit B12 absorption which make it impossible to use the iron in your diet OR supplemental iron. a diet high in oxalates will also inhibit iron absorption. sublingual B12 is as good as the injections.

i am frequently sore after yoga. know what that means?

i love this post on a friends blog. bear in mind, she was never morbidly obese, but did go from eating a sugar heavy, low fat, high carb, vegetarian diet to a mostly paleo, no processed foods diet over the course of seven years. she has been searching for "the answer." and was surprised at what she discovered. http://mamasweeds.com/2014/02/23/the-pendulum-and-why-i-broke-up-with-low-carb/

have you heard of sumo squats? lol. nuff said!

fish oil, glucosamine sulfate and investigate removing wheat and/or dairy from your diet. and work on strengthening your quads.

thats not really all that unusual. my friend didnt have a regular period while she was in the army. when she weighed what the army wanted her to weigh, she was clearly underweight. it also happened to 2 friends of mine who were regular runners. the female human body is designed to have some fat on it.

time for a new profile pic i think.

acupuncture was very helpful to me post gall bladder removal. i highly recommend it. (i did it after vsg surgery too) it helps balance everything back out again.

i have a huge favor to ask of those of you who dislike cooking, could you please complete this survey for me? thank you so much!! https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FXZ27X8

i think he is nuts too.

thank you to everyone who took the survey! (or who will)

you have to rinse quinoa before cooking it.

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here is an entire blog dedicated to cooking with quinoa! she'll even send you a free cookbook. http://www.queenofquinoa.me/

life is too short to settle. and too short for you to make your choices based on your kids... they are almost grown now. when you make the decision, they will say, "what took you so long mom?" i have several friends who's marriages ended because their H's were cheating and felt they wanted to be with the other woman. (with little kids) and the women will tell you, it was a miracle in disguise. their lives are wonderful and incredible now (not without struggle though). being away from their spouses has been a huge blessing and they cant believe how happy they are! really. all of them! one who's H decided he was done when she was 6 weeks pregnant! now her daughter is 6 and an amazing kid and mom is so strong and happy (and remarried this summer to an amazing guy). get out and go live the rest of your incredible life!

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/series/recipes_for_health/quinoa/ http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/cooking-with-quinoa-00412000073996/ this is a recipe i make in the summer when i can get fresh peppers, spinach (or usually i used chard or broccoli) and corn at the farmer's market. i add in one pound browned ground chicken and use double the peppers to stuff. they keep well in the fridge, or you could half the recipe and use half pound chicken in the 4 peppers. http://www.atlantishome.com/5774/peppers-stuffed-with-quinoa-spinach-corn-and-feta/

there is some evidence to suggest that giving into cravings for foods (which is a mental state, not a physical one) creates more cravings. i know this is true for me. its a slippery slope. i prefer to actually deal head on with what is causing the craving. usually it's stress or my period or both. or feeling neglected or not taking care of me and wanting to use food as a reward... because see how hard i work with little appreciation?? when i take good care of me, both physically and emotionally, i have way fewer cravings. i really like this blog. she creates healthy high Protein recipes that reproduce the flavors of all kinds of yummy take out food. the recipes work for both my husband and me, and they are pretty easy and taste good too. we esp. love the meatball recipes... cheaper and easier for me to digest. http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/portfolio/meatballs i esp like the shu mai ones. ummmmm dumplings!

i avoid take out. its a trigger food for me. i will eat far too much and its really high in calories. i make this recipe: http://www.rachelcooksthai.com/pad-thai/ the recipe for one. if i am making for dinner, i quadruple it. i usually use broccoli slaw (or spaghetti squash) in place of the rice noddles. if you feel intimidated by cooking pad thai, watch her video, its actually really easy!

denial. it aint a river in egypt.

mostly this is just to vent. there is a support group at the hospital. its peer run and i have heard lot of negative things about it from people who have gone. so i avoided it. i have attended an invitation only local group a few times. i am so disappointed, none of the women there are exercising! when they told a newbie they hated the shakes and couldnt get them down, i chimed in that i started doing Protein bars at 5 weeks post op for that reason. one of the women jumped all over me about how bad that was. um, but its better to not get in your protein? its supposed to be a group for dealing with the emotional crap, but no one said a word about changing our relationship with food until the very end of the 90 min we had. it was so disappointing. there were women there with lots of time in too. i am so grateful for the internet! suppose that was all the support i had!

there must be very "special" dynamics in a person's life that allows them to reach 600 pounds... not just severe food addiction with entrenched denial, but an extensive system of enablers. having worked in addiction counseling, esp working with families for many years... this isnt going to change overnight or at all without really extensive counseling and each enabler having their own recovery program. my husband's stepdad is a food addict. not 600 pounds by any stretch of the imagination... but his addictive nature of eating, omg! despite advanced liver disease, cancer treatment and high blood pressure, i have never seen him change his eating habits. but why should he when my MIL gives him whatever he demands? he wants a pizza or huge fish fry when his liver enzymes are sky high? she runs right out and gets it. doc says low fat food to rest the liver? nope, she runs off to get him ribs and cheese dip at the store... not saying its her fault he's food addicted, but until she learns to not enable him, his incentive to change remains low. the family is a system and while one can change without the rest, its really really hard, nearly impossible. when my FIL dies, my MIL might look at her codependent behavior, but probably not. the worst thing is, she has chronic autoimmune disorder that causes her lots of pain when she eats poorly. so she is in pain every day because of her inability to say no. she is as ill as he is, maybe more so.

the thing you will need to get straight in you head is WHY you "fell off the wagon." (for purposes of not white washing your journey with obesity, you might want to start talking about this in more specific terms... ie "i started eating huge portions again. i stopped eating a salad for dinner. i stopped exercising 4 times a week." whatever it was that lead you to regain. saying "i fell off the wagon" doesnt really mean anything, since you werent abstaining from food, right?) understanding WHY you stopped choosing healthy behaviors knowing you would gain your weight back will prob go a long way in being able to plan what you need to do post op. some people know they need to not eat fast food or sugary carbs ever. these are trigger food for them. some people know they have to have a trainer, or be able to exercise at home. or whatever. knowing, understanding and planning for your personal triggers will make you successful. a therapist who specializes in eating disorders can help you. choose a center of excellence that requires you to do a lot of preparation ahead of surgery... nutrition appts, psych eval, etc. be honest, ask for help, learn your own story about your relationship with food. imagine who you will be without food as the single biggest coping skill in your life. going into this with eyes wide open will go a long way to make sure you are successful.