BLERDgirl

I would go for the milk and cheese. Yeah it's calories, but I doubt you are eating a crazy amount.

I went to UPenn. My surgeon was Noel Williams. I highly recommend him. I had zero pain, nausea, gas, vomiting. I especially liked that he starts his patients on colace & omeprazole from day 1. I never had n issue with constipation that so many seem to have.

Is that the only hospital you are interested in?

You might want to increase those carbs. Your body may be holding onto those pounds as a reaction to the workout. Carbs re not evil. Processed carbs are. Good carbs come from beans, dark green veg, rolled oats, yogurts, quinoa, sweet potatoes and nuts to name just a few. Are you fueling your workouts? A protein shake before and an ounce of nuts after might provide the protein and healthy carbs your body needs.

I keep forgetting to look up the name of the injection I had. It's more long term than the cortisone, but has to be done in stages. I did mine back in April/May/June and haven't needed another shot since. I tore my meniscus skiing many years ago. The repair was actually what prompted the arthritis in the left knee. I rebounded fairly quickly from the surgery, but I tend to rebound quickly in general. I was up on crutches 3 days later .

I'm not much of a recipe person. I have followed a few off pinterest, but mostly I just think Protein (bean, whole grins, TVP) + binder (egg whites, baked potatoes, tofu) + any veg & seasonings I like. Some come out really good like my sweet potato and black bean burgers. (Here's an easy recipe.) Some fall apart. If they fall a part I save the ingredients and make fritters with them in the waffle maker. Just make a savory batter and dump the ingredients in. For me cooking is fun. I don't stress about making things too perfect. Thankfully I learned basics from my grandmother.

I don't focus on the food. Other than breakfast and dinner, I stay busy doing activities both on and off ship. In fact I'm planning a cruise for Fall 2016 now.

Glad to see you called your surgeon. Please do your best to drink fluids. Yes protein is important, but dehydration will make you seriously ill. Once you get the nausea taken care of then you can begin to focus on the protein. To any other newbies reading this, please know you should not suffer. If you are miserable and especially if you are having trouble with nausea and vomiting, CALL YOUR DOCTOR asap.

Night snacking for me is a challenge. I don't always need a snack, but I find I have to pick and choose when I do. Figuring out if it's hunger or habit is the first step. Sometimes just drinking Water works. Some shows I find I want to snack while watching. The Shonda Rhimes TGIT lineup I want a glass of wine and sometimes popcorn. I have found that I can switch this up and drink peppermint tea and steamed edamame. Some nights I a truly hungry. On those nights diced cucumbers with lime and sriracha sauce, a hardboiled egg, half a cup of low sodium veg broth or a tbsp of almond butter will do the trick. One thing I did discover is my homemade hot chocolate doesn't help. Nutritionally it should, but I realized that it actually triggered hunger for me so I now stick to herbal tea.

I take exercise a lot more seriously. I was always active, but now I plan and make it a point to exercise every day even if it's just going for a walk.I am more in tune with my body. I think about drinking enough Water, ad eating good, whole foods.I practice better self care. I am no longer afraid to say "No" to people. I make taking care of me a priority and I don't neglect me out of fear of letting down someone else.I am much more fiscally responsible. I march to the beat of a different drum proudly.

I have some DVD's I play on a DVD player connected to my tv. Leslie Samone sells DVD's, has a social media page, including a youtube channel. I will also occasionally use the exercise section OnDemand through my cable provider.

It wasn't why I choose him, but my bariatric surgeon is definitely what I would call a silver fox. However if he could have looked like Quasimodo as long as he was competent. Flip side of that, my allergist is such a strikingly beautiful woman, the first time I saw her, I had to force myself not to stare. However she is the best allergist I have ever had. She is the one who finally gave me a diagnosis and solution to condition. I really do think that thing about pretty people being more successful is true. Since I have switched my specialist care to UPenn, I noticed that many of my doctor's are physically attractive.

CONGRATS!! Thank you for being a wonderful asset to this community!

I had a very pleasant surgical experience. No real pain, just soreness. I walked in recovery, did not require any pain meds once I woke up. I was able to get in and out of bed with no assistance. I had no issues with gas, nausea or vomiting. No dry mouth, no dry lips. I was able to suck on ice chips in recovery and started my post op foods once I was in my room. In the hospital I was provided, Jello, vegetable broth, decaf tea, Water and ProSource NoCarb liquid Protein. I was discharged on day 2. I had my first BM on day 5. I have been regular since. My doctor started me on colace and omeprazole on day 1 in the hospital. I began my multi-vitamins/supplements once I was discharged home. I walked 30 mins a day when home. Needed a mid day nap for the first week. I live alone the hospital arranged for a visiting nurse to come twice a week. She was discharged after my 2 week f/u because all was going well. I prepped my house before surgery so I was able to take care of basic day to day stuff on my own with the except of putting out the trash on trash day that first week home. My sister came down and did that.

You've gotten lots of really good advice. I would also highly recommend the Leslie Samone videos. They are really good. If stamina is and issue do them for 10 -15 minutes at a time. However in my experience it's consistency that counts. Make it your mission to do work out regularly. That's when you really start to see the benefit. Walking is good, but try to find something that challenges your core. I had zero abdominal pain post op due in part to the core work I regularly did in my aquafit classes. I know for many this may be a self esteem/mental issue but I can say from personal experience that no one at the gym is looking at your when you go. Most are there solely to focus on themselves. I was in high 300's when I joined my gym I went down as low as mid 300's and as high as 414. No one batted an eye. I never felt unwelcome. In fact some of the trainers and instructors actually gave me compliments when I was able to lose or when my form noticeably improved. An iPod can be your best friend. Load up your favorite tunes and rock out! As for going outside, it's not my favorite thing, but when I am unable to get to the gym, I do it. I simply incorporate and activity I have to do with it. If I need to mail something, then I walk to the post office. If I don't need to mail something I walk to the corner store. I buy 1 peppermint stick. I only bring my phone and a quarter so I'm not tempted to buy anything else. Otherwise I pretend I'm an artist and look for interesting things to photograph. My point is find something, anything and do it. I usually preview my week on Sunday's and plan what days I will go to the gym what days will be home workouts.

I have both, but use them differently. Dumbbells I will do while sitting. We also use them in my silver sneakers class. Kettlballs I do while standing. Especially for the swing through your legs moves. I bought a set that came with 3 & 5 lb kettleballs. It also had a workout DVD and I do those workouts at home. I find dumbbells easier to grasp, whereas with kettleballs I have to think more about my grasp. I don't want to grip them awkwardly and put stress on my wrist. Benefit wise I think because of the workouts I do with the them the kettleballs help more with my core, but dumbbells help with upper body strengthening.

You need to get in water. Keep a water bottle nearby at all time. Download one of those reminder apps if you need to. Fiber supplements won't work without water and can actually bind you up worse. I even keep a water bottle by the bed and try and drink at least 4 ounce of water when I wake up.

I make mine similar to that except I just use raw cacao powder and CVS Vanilla whey isolate. I also add a dash of cinnamon and a pinch of pink salt. If I want to sweeten it I add a bit of raw honey, but often the Protein powder is enough sweetener for me.

What do you typically eat? How much water do you drink in a day? It's not too late to ask your doctor for a colace script. I swear it was invaluable to getting me back on track. I went on day 5 and have been regular ever since.

I was just sore post op. I could walk and drink and basically care for myself. As for caring for you pet, as long as you can position him so you do not have to pick him up, you should be fine. I

Like most things this will vary person to person. I was just sore. I never even needed pain meds. My midsection felt like I had done 1,000 sit ups the day before.

My doctor started me on colace pills day 1 post-op for 30 days. It was enough time for my body to regulate and get back on track. Additionally I ate enough fiber rich foods and water that I have never been constipated. I would ask the doctor for a script for colace.

From what I have read and my nutritionist, the best and easiest absorbed Protein are isolates. Since the absorption factor on these shots are so low, they might be handy as flavor enhancers for Water, but I wouldn't count them towards my daily protein intake. I was given ProSource Nocarb in the hospital. They are very thick so I added them to my tea, but you can drink them straight from the pouch. They only come in orange cream and strawberry flavors though. Personally I found I did better with the Isopure Unflavored and mixing it to whatever I needed.

Only cream soups and chicken broth...can I puree ravioli? I would advise against it. The simple carbs in the Pasta are not your friend, even liquefied. Besides it would likely trigger hunger and craving responses. It's tough but seriously, follow your nutritionist advice. If you are unsure, call or email her.