Inner Surfer Girl

Yeah! I won. Am I invited?

My answer: the best exercise is the one that I do. Whatever gets me moving!

I agree, polite persistence and patience shouldn't hurt.

This sounds great! Just one question. How are your Iron levels? I was told that Calcium interferes with the absorption of iron so not to take iron with calcium. Since you take your iron first thing and then drink calcium fortified juice soon after I would think it might make a difference. Thank you so much for sharing!

This is great. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

Try it again in the summer with ripe, juicy, fresh tomatoes and you might feel differently.

Embrace the Stall http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

I took a PPI as prescribed for six months.

Sleeve and hernia repair. No drain.

You might also want to check out the blog The World According to Eggface for recipe ideas.

Every surgeon has a different pre-op diet. The best thing for me was to focus on what I COULD have instead of what I COULDN'T. Definitely call your NUT if you have questions or if you aren't clear on what you can have.

You could do a bean dip (or similar), chili as other's have suggested, or even something like a crock pot full of meatballs.

I am not diabetic, but this sounds like something you should work out between your regular doctor and your surgeon. I assume you have talked to your NUT about this?

I understand where you are coming from. It reminds me when my boss decided we should all read "The Secret" because it was the best thing he had ever read. I thought it was a not very well disguised recycling of ideas that has been presented much better by other people. I learned many years ago that what is old hat to some is new to others. I think it comes from working at a University and with Freshmen. Everybody has to learn something new for the first time. And, for some of us, we have to hear it a million times or in a million ways before we really get it.

What are they giving you? Mine gave me packets of ProtiDiet liquid Beverage Concentrate and it really helped me get in my Protein. Initially, I ate it undiluted over a little bit of crushed ice.

For me, I have eliminated: carbonation, alcohol, anything fried, sugary things like cake, most starches most of the time, pasta, and anything sugary like fruit juice.

Ha Ha Ha Ha! Perfect.

I believe you started out right by asking the question. Knowing what you need is also a big step in the right direction. Do you want someone local you can see independently or are you open to someone you can communicate with remotely? I have a friend who does some coaching. I haven't used her services but am contemplating doing so when I get closer to goal so I can only vouch for her as a personal friend. I believe she does group work and one-on-one counseling. I'll PM you her website. You might also want to look at an organization that provides credentials to coaching. You might ask your other physicians (your PCP, etc.) if they know of someone. I am looking forward to seeing the responses you receive from this post.

I am so sorry to hear that he is discouraged as well as experiencing health problems. I agree with the others. It sounds like he is doing great weight loss wise. Has he talked to his surgeon and/or NUT lately about his progress? A physician can offer better advice about whether or not how he is feeling is related to the surgery or something else. He will probably need to check his blood for Vitamin levels, etc. In the meantime, as long as he is following his program, getting in all of his Protein and fluids every day, avoiding starches and added sugars, taking his Vitamins and supplements as recommended, and exercising he should be able to continue to lose weight. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

These are great! Good choices.

Great advice.

Glad I could help! Boiled? With no seasoning? Yuck. I am glad you gave them another try.

@@Emmasue53 Good for you for sticking with your water/protein/activity levels! I know it can seem like you shouldn't have to deal with stalls since you went through surgery, but try to think of them as rest breaks for your body to catch up. You couldn't run flat out for 100 miles without a break - you'd need to stop every so often and catch your breath, have a few swigs of water and get revved back up to hit that trail and run fast again. That's exactly what your body is doing - taking a breather in preparation to performing another sprint (drop a few pounds). Sometimes it might need a short rest, sometimes it might need longer (weeks). But if you keep giving it what it needs (water/protein/exercise) you'll start sprinting again. And get out a tape measure and take measurements NOW. Arms, chest, waist, hips and thighs. You'll see during those stalls that you might just be dropping fat (it gets burned off and replaced with muscle). Since a pound of fat and a pound of muscle weigh the same, it might not show up on the scale, but fat is MUCH bulkier than muscle, so you'll see it in the tape measure and how your clothes fit. Stalls are vital. Stalls are GOOD. It means you're hitting a new peak and getting ready for some weight loss coming up. Well said. Complaining about stalls is like complaining that you need to sleep. It's part of the process. As far as I can tell, it would be a physical impossibility to lose a substantial amount of weight without stalls.

Yes, I have advice. Stay off the scale. As you have already noticed when you weigh on different scales, on different days, and even different times of day you will get different readings. Just pick one scale (preferably the scale at your surgeon's office) and only weigh at your appointments. As long as you are following your meal plan, then weighing all the time is a good habit to break. Especially if you are going to let the numbers on the scale dictate how you feel.

The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie is a book I recommend often. Today's entry on Detachment seems like it might be helpful to some folks on BariatricPal who struggle with letting go. I know I need the reminder. The Language of Letting Go February 16th, 2016 Detachment The concept of letting go can be confusing to many of us. When are we doing too much or trying too hard to control people and outcomes? When are we doing too little? When is what we're doing an appropriate part of taking care of ourselves? What is our responsibility, and what isn't? These issues can challenge us whether we've been in recovery ten days or ten years. Sometimes, we may let go so much that we neglect responsibility to others or ourselves. Other times, we may cross the line from taking care of ourselves to controlling others and outcomes. There is no rulebook. But we don't have to make ourselves crazy; we don't have to be so afraid. We don't have to do recovery perfectly. If it feels like we need to do a particular action, we can do it. If no action feels timely or inspired, don't act on it. Having and setting healthy limits - healthy boundaries - isn't a tidy process. We can give ourselves permission to experiment, to make mistakes, to learn, to grow. We can talk to people, ask questions, and question ourselves. If there's something we need to do or learn, it will become apparent. Lessons don't go away. If we're not taking care of ourselves enough, we'll see that. If we are being too controlling, we'll grow to understand that too. Things will work out. The way will become clear. Today, I will take actions that appear appropriate. I will let go of the rest. I will strive for the balance between self-responsibility, responsibility to others, and letting go.