BLERDgirl

I'm post menopausal. Comes with the territory. I shave my chin every few days.

Does not exist. Everyone gets stretch marks, even skinny folks. Keeping your skin well moisturized may lessen the overall appearance, but if you are one of those people who gets them, please realize part of it is genetics.

This was me. Until my 6 mth f/u I only got weighed when I went to the doctor's. After that it was once a month or at the doctor's whichever came first. It was a blessing not to stress over numbers on a scale. Now that I am a year out and my next follow up isn't until next year, I plan to continue that. I will only get weighed once a month or at the doctor's, which ever is first. It's just much less stressful for me.

I understand. I have a big, close knit family. We get together often. One of the things I've learned over the years is some things are not worth fighting over. Especially not with people you will see all the time. I confide more in my sister because she's more open about WLS. Other family members I don't mention it at all. I'm not going to frustrate myself trying to convince them and I don't want this to be a bone of contention. Now a year out seeing how well I am doing many of the nay sayers are coming around.

You are just fine.

I've been vegetarian for nearly 20 years and still managed to become morbidly obese.

What sort of complications?

Sample a variety. Think about if RTD or powdered better fits into your lifestyle and pocketbook. I was using almond milk, but stopped since it was too low of a Protein payoff for the carbs it contains. I already had a nutra bullet because I drink Protein shakes pre-gym. That may not be an expense you want to make if you won't use it after the early post-op stages. Popular brands are Premier Protein, unjury, GENEPRO, Isopure and Syntrax nectar. However there are a zillion other brands out there. Make sure you speak to your nutritionist about what they recommend. Mine wanted me to make sure that the one I chose either had whey or soy isolates since that is the most concentrated form of protein. She said to make sure to not get concentrates. She also gave me guidelines as to nutrition levels per serving. I think it was at least 15 gms Proteins, and no more than 6 gms of sugar. I would have to double check my binder to be sure. I found I needed some unflavored protein as the constant sweet of the drinks was too much for me after a week. Being able to have vegetable broth or non chunky Soup with a scoop of unflavored protein was a welcome break. I also liked the Isopure teas because I needed something non milk based. Save all receipts. Most stores will accept unused portions if you decide you do not like them. Since people are sharing, here's my iced coffee/mock frap/mock coolata recipe. I buy a med Dunkin Donuts coffee with cream. Cool then pour into ice cube trays. 1 scoop of CVS chocolate whey ¼ - ½ cup of FAGE 0% plain greek yogurt depending on taste 4 - 6 ice cubes (a traditional ice cube is ~ 1 ounce) just enough Water to blend. Throw the whole thing in the nutra bullet. Based on 6 cubes and ½ cup of yogurt your totals are: 242 calories 14 carbs 4 fat 39 protein 111 sodium 7 sugar If you want to cut calories and carbs try ¼ cup and 4 cubes. I do this for pre-gym, drink half and drink the rest post workout for recovery. At 39 gms of protein I have now gotten in most of my protein before noon.

I had a 3 hour nutrition class but that was it. What does the Bari Boot Camp consist of? What did these classes cover?

Maybe half the meat and half ground veg or mushrooms with the same seasonings. Like OP's recipe, you can just adapt it to suit your needs.

I am very close to you. I'm in Germantown. I'm also vegetarian. Send me a PM if you have questions.

I'd love to hear how these work for you. I went with the Isopure because my nutritionist said it was important to use whey isolates and not concentrates. I plan to switch back to plant based protein once I hit maintenance but I will l likely still need unflavored because I can't have stevia.

Morningstar isn't my cup of tea. I don't like the cellulose in it (and of course it triggers my allergies). However I do a basic egg bake in cupcake tins similar to this. I use eggs, cheese, veg, TVP or seitan. The good thing about a recipe like this is if you make them on Sunday then you have a quick grab and go Breakfast.

I was looking at the ingredient on the Powerade bottle. The 2nd ingredient listed is salt. In fact it's mostly food coloring and salt with sucrolose (splenda) as a sweetener. Perhaps try not drinking it for a few days and see if it's the culprit. Also make sure your seasoning doesn't contain MSG. Some people are highly sensitive to it and it's often used instead of salt.

Hard to tell, but I think a week to 10 days would be sufficient for a desk job. I'm retired, but I was bored silly after a week of being home. If I worked I could have easily returned to a desk job.

Powerade zero had 250gms of sodium per bottle. How many are you drinking a day? Perhaps look at how you prepare your chicken and what's in your protein drink. Both may contain sodium. Are you drinking any plain water at all? Do you exercise? These could all be contributing factors.

Orgain, Raw Protein, and I think Vega are organic or claim to be organic. I agree with @Weighting2BeFree your bet bet is to go to a health food store or Whole Foods and try a few. Just save your receipt so you can return any you don't like.

I Ike Isopure unflavored or pre mixed teas

I must be drunk aunty. Alcohol feels exactly the same as it did pre-op

I was different. I have chronic health conditions. They weren't cause by being overweight, but being overweight made them worse. In short they robbed me of the ability to fight them off. 5 years ago I got a severe case of facial shingles. They are much more painful than on the body because the skin on your face is thinner. I was really sick. Quarantined for 6 weeks, too weak to move for months. I have permanent damage from that called trigeminal neuralgia. I was in my 40's. Way out of the demographic for shingle which typically effects seniors. I knew then I had to do something to build my immunity and give my body a chance to fight. I joined a gym and completely over hauled my diet. I stopped eating processed food and drinking soda. I loss 50lbs in 6 mths. Then I had an allergy attack. A bad one. I was in a medically induced coma for 4 days. I was left weak and tired. I couldn't work out. I regained that 50lbs. I did this several times. Lost 35 -50lbs eating right and going to the gym, then got sick and regained. I need off that cycle and I need help. I started investigating WLS and knew the sleeve was for me. Having previously changed my eating habits, the bariatric diet wasn't that much of a challenge. Pain and side effects? I had none. That surgery was the easiest hospital experience I ever had and I've spent more time in ER's and hospitals than I ever want to do again. The best part is somehow the surgery triggered something in me. I have not been to the ER in well over a year. A big change from every couple of months pre-op. My allergies are mostly managed by medication and my energy level is through the roof. It helps being confident going in, I think it makes the hospital stay easier, but you need to know 100% that this is for you. Ask yourself if fear is talking or if you really believe you can do this without help. If it's fear then, don't let fear rule your life.

Go to an informational seminar. The restrictions aren't really that bad. In fact, I'm not sure I would call them that. You relearn how to eat, but ultimately the choice is yours. It's just that the surgery makes sticking to those choices easier because you have less space to deal with. Whether you opt for surgery or not the seminar is a good informational step. I will say this; I go out all the time. I have a very active social life. I ate out somewhere around 4 - 6 weeks post-op. At 6mths I went to a wine tasting. This week I had a glass of wine and a cup of skinny popcorn to watch Scandal. it takes some planning and forethought, but life post op is very manageable.

Typically I range between 800 - a little over 1,000. Looking back at MFP My low for this week was 802 and my high was 1,088. I always hit 100gm of Protein but my Protein shake isn't very high in calories. I lose as long as I hit my protein level and exercise.

If you are pre-op, don't attempt to follow a post-op diet. Wait and talk to your NUT about your specific needs. 800 calories is low for post-op anyway. Good sources of protein: lean meats (turkey, chicken, fish, tuna, salmon, shrimp, lean beef, pork, etc.), cheese (cottage cheese, low fat cheese, regular cheese), Greek yogurt, Beans, etc. 800 isn't low. It's entirely possible to eat in that range and be completely sated. Especially if it's good, clean food.

It's more of a challenge pre-op. You still have a full sized stomach. A typical day for me is a Protein shake for breakfastt with 1 scoop of Protein powder, ¼ - ½ a cup of FAGE 0% greek yogurt and what ever flavoring I like. Sometimes that's a tbsp of almond butter, today it was a tbsp of shredded coconut. I'm vegetarian. lunch may be a veggie burger, or a small salad with black Beans and hardboiled egg with salsa or vinegar /oil for dressing. snack is an ounce of nuts dinner is 1 cup of either lentil or vegetable Soup. Depending on my protein count at that point I may add a scoop of unflavored protein powder and a dash of sriracha sauce. In between I'm drinking Water. I'm one of the few people who get full on water. Pre-op the easiest thing to do would be to try for clean Proteins and veg. Cut out sodas and as much processed and fast foods as possible.

I just checked my test results since I just had them done last week. Unfortunately my doctor only test for iron and I'm smack in the middle for that. Standard range is 28 - 170 ug/dL. My level was 63.