KarenLR75

Usually searches by phase and//or stage should yield some helpful results like search for 'soft food phase', 'pureed food phase',, etc.

For a young/fit person with no health issues who also takes no medication that can 'blur' the picture, I personally feel that 'calories in vs. calories out' can be much more easily tracked and trusted as an 'indicator'. That being said, after years of watching Dr. Now on my 600 Pound Life, I've seen him bust several people who were actually NOT tracking/weighing/truly accounting what their 'in' vs their 'out' was. I remember he didn't even really get into it with most of them on what their 'calories out' calculation was - he just focused on the 'in part' but I am in NO WAY comparing these patients that we could EASILY see for ourselves were sabotaging their weight loss efforts by simply continuing their food addiction that they were still choosing to NOT address. I am also a slow loser. I've hit that magical age...went into menopause at 40, take meds that interfere with weight loss, etc. etc. etc. I cannot remember if you posted about this, but when I went back to the nutritionist and my surgeon complaining about slow weight loss, I was shocked when they told me to UP my carbs and my calories. I was like 'say what??"...I'm hardly losing right now why would I want to INCREASE anything. I think I even vented on a thread and ppl like Fluffychix, etc. pointed out that maybe I should listen to my surgeon/nutritionist and gave it a try. I up'd my numbers and within a week while I was not losing much more quickly than I had been, my body was given a bit of a shake up...and my numbers picked up weekly for me. Just seeing ANY improvement, whether I was losing maybe 1 lb more a week or really....since my body likes to do a 3 week stall followed by a 3 to 5..sometimes 6 lb weight loss...my overall 'monthly number of pounds lost" did start improving. It was NOTHING that would make me one of the fast losers...but the fact that I actually increased my calories from 600-700 a day to be 800 instead...and increased my carbs from LESS THAN 30 (usually hit 20 grams or less) to 60 (YES SIXTY)....my body basically..needed to be shaken up. There is much written about 'set points' and a whole bunch of other physiological data that proves there is science behind these set points we get stuck at. I think Dr. Weiner's videos address some of these....I'd have to get Fluffychix's thoughts on this but I know she has a wealth of knowledge accumulated in that beautiful head of hers. Because I'm now 6 months out and my weight loss is still slow...I know I have one thing in my control that has been set aside this past week - exercise....but I'm going to start exploring IF. I think you mentioned that prior to surgery you were doing intermittent fasting and maybe something else (can't remember) and your weight loss was more back then (although the more we lose/have lost overall, it seems.the harder it is to get the remainder off) . I know Fluffy mentioned a couple of months ago that I was still a bit early out to be thinking about IF...or maybe another poster mentioned, but that is the next thing I'm looking at as my body, for DECADES has ALWAYS managed to adapt to whatever method I was using to lose weight and in my mind, it went into survival mode and decided "thou shalt not lose any more weight". So I know I need to adjust/shake things up when I truly KNOW and can document I am doing the right things...but nothing is happening. I also know I need to wait until nothing has literally happened for at least 3 to 4 weeks before I concern myself with a 'shake up' in what I'm doing. Keep staying the course...and maybe ignore the peeps talking about in vs. out as there are SO many variables that can cloud this..whether there are things we are missing or actual variables like health, age, medical conditions, medication, body set points, metabolic resistance, etc. - and talk with your nutritionist about what are some changes they might recommend based on your personal history and where you are at...

I have found that I have VERY little restriction and I'm only..4.5 months out. Because of this and the fact that despite a horrible debacle with grilled chicken nuggets the other day (from eating too fast seems to be the main dr opinion), I also seem to have somewhat of an iron pouch. LOL..I still remember poor FluffyChix when I mentioned early on having some 'tummy/pouch' issues..I mentioned eating a P3 pack with sunflower seeds, nuts (I usually only eat 3 or 4 of them) and jerky. She was..um shocked....that with a sensitive pouch that I would eat nuts and seeds. Ironically, that was the only thing my pouch tolerated and it calmed down a bit. While I have only eaten something loaded with sugar 2 times..and I"m talking about 1 to 2 tbsps - not saying it was right or wise...or something with carbs at Thanksgiving..again, small amount but STILL..not wise for ME this so early in the journey with that 'honeymoon' period clock ticking away...my pouch was..like doing a happy dance..or maybe it was my addiction which will never be GONE. Although I wish I had not tried what I did, I learned a very valuable lesson in time to mitigate the consequences of this knowledge that my pouch will not balk at most things and that is I have to be on vigilant guard against what I call trigger foods..or any food that is not in my plan for clean eating. I also know that once again, I need to get a therapist that deals with WLS was my preference but as I also need one that is very experienced with grief, I'm having a hard time finding 1 that does both. All this being said, since I can consume more than normal at this point, I weigh and measure to ensure that I am getting 'enough' but not too much. I relentlessly log in my fitness pal to ensure I'm hitting my protein goals and NOT exceeding carbs and fats. When I continue to do this I do notice that my hunger/desire for food is VASTLY CURBED and food is once again, fuel, not anything more which is what it needs to be for me. I don't worry about not feeling full as that is not a barometer that works for me. I just focus on my macros which definitely help me limit my intake. Honestly, when I'm in the 'groove' and doing all the right things, it becomes almost a chore to think about food but I have to watch out for that as well or I'll find myself at 8 PM needing to get 40 grams of protein still in for the day and late night eating was a bad/old habit of mine.

SUPER slow weight loss. Partially my fault. Not walking/hiking like i was. 3 days of bad decisions around Thanksgiving..not going to justify it. Gained 5 lbs...ankles swelled like crazy. Lost 4 within 48 hrs but still up a pound. Even in all the other past 27 days of eating 'clean' and within macros..only lost 1 lb. Hair falling out like crazy. Husband gripes when I mention getting hair piece or something before cruise. Ate TWO darn grilled chicken nugget from Chik Filet too fast 2 days ago (only protein for that day) Don't have much restriction feeling at all anymore but I keep my meal sizes fairly consistent. Didn't hit restriction this time either but when I got home was hit with huge WAVE of nausea (ate them too fast??). Was in bathroom FOREVER. After 4+ hrs of vomiting/floaties/foamies/dry heaving, I burst so many tiny vessels in my face I looked like i had double case of chicken pox on forehead & 1/2 way down face.. Tried phenegran - didn't stay down..I swear a little piece of pill came out my nose during one of the worst bouts. Couldn't even sip water. 7+ hrs later I realized it was almost 11PM & I had early AM meetings. Went to ER out of desperation. ER couldn't stop it with IV phenegran either. Finally gave me another med. Stopped roughly 9 hrs after started. Checked for blockages..none found. Am tired, my face still has red spots..hair coming out in droves & droves. I feel old & ugly today..uglier. Sorry I don't have more positive things to say. Am here..so guess that is something. I actually feel...rather apathetic..

Call dr immediately. The shortness of breath is concerning.

I feel at my age I should know this but I've never been in the position of having 1/2 a grocery store's roast chicken left over. I took 1/2 of one breast/white meat and made pureed chicken salad. Am not feeling up to doing more right now - feeling clammy and dizzy but very PROUD that I made something!! And got the very pureed chicken salad into my 2 ounce disposable containers. Have SIX and 1/2 from just one side of the chicken! BOOM! Mind blown!! Any quick tips on whether I should slice the other part of the breast up, dice it..add broth to it..or anything that needs to be done as a prelude to freezing it? Also, freeze in Tupperware or a freezer Ziploc style bag. Thank you!

Hey @Midnightsun - lol..every time I see your name I think of the time when I was a child and lived in Alaska for 6 years! Thanks for sharing the additional input on liquid protein and its absorption. I feel bad that you are having to deal with liver issues on top of everything else. Sounds like you may be well rid of that doctor that wasn't listening to you back then! So you are also a member of the 'trust, but verify' club. I think it is interesting information that I personally am going to look into a bit more as that is literally my nature..I'm curious as the proverbial cat. I think you are one of my July surgery siblings, right? So we are roughly about the same place in our journey? Hope you are getting in your protein in the way that works best for you with no issues. I've sadly started having some of my hair..literally come off in my hands which is making me a bit blue. That is one reason why protein targets freak me out so much, or rather I should clarify..the thought of NOT HITTING my protein target freaks me out because of everything that starts to break down/fall apart if we don't get adequate protein. I do take some comfort in knowing I did everything that I HUMANLY COULD to try to prevent/or reduce the loss of hair. I hit my protein goals since surgery..about 98% of the time. I took the amount of Biotin and some other supplements recommended by 2 bariatric surgeons and supervised by my surgeon's team. I've taken my daily multivitamins....I have NOT been consistent on my calcium. So...am really nervous of the next 60 to 90 days..wondering how much more hair I'm going to lose. I have VERY thin hair and literally teared up last night looking @ the hair in my hands. It may be thin hair...not even really pretty hair..but it was MINE...am I making any sense? I noticed about 3 or 4 weeks ago my fingernails which had been GROWING OFF THE CHARTS suddenly became brittle and breaking again...so I knew in my heart my hair was probably next. I hope things are going well for you and all of our other siblings! My weight loss is stalled but that is on me. I have not kept up with my water and I've eaten at the high end of my calorie goal and multiple times I was NOT hungry so off to search for a therapist again.

I will now search for how to make a chaffle - is it on your recipe site, Fluffy? I'll also search on this thread...

Congrats to you! I remember from doing keto/low carb way of life prior to have WLS, I lost 55 or maybe 60 lbs in 15 months..yeah, not fast..that I finally found out that TOO much protein gets converted to glucose! I was like "say what?" as I chomped on my 4th piece of bacon that my keto WOL said I could 'eat' as long as I stayed under 20 grams a day (this was in PRE-SURGERY years - I don't eat bacon now out of choice) Although I've had 2 different nutritionists, my primary care dr and 2 bariatric surgeon's confirm that for me, I still just had to ask the surgeon I ended up using...whether I'd still have to be mindful of keeping my protein down...and the answer was that 'yes, too much protein can still and would still get converted to glucose at some point"..but was relieved when my 'target macro' for protein was 80 grams. I have that tidbit stuck in the back of my head so I always get nervous when I go over 80 (am female and only 5'6")...I just chant to myself 'glucose, glucose, glucose"..LOL..and my surgeon was also clear that the majority of protein being taken in during post-op was going all towards healing primarily. I just know 'me' so I keep myself in constant check on my specific protein macro which was identified as my ideal target. Most guys on here I've seen with a much higher protein target. I guess my question would kind of be..IF I were a guy...LOL...is would I lose more weight with less protein (i.e.or even for me as a woman..eating less than 80 but more than 63 or 64?). For me with my SLOW metabolism, my weight loss picks up when I keep my carbs a bit lower than my dr's macro but NOT as low as I was originally keeping my carbs out of habit from doing keto WOL. It's interesting finding out what our 'new normals' are and it is nice when we can work with our teams and make adjustments if needed...to see if that impacts our weight loss..especially when I have been STALLED!

Well, she's certainly within rights to make arbitrary fantasy rules for her practice, but scientifically this is a load of hooey. LOL. ALLLLLLLL macronutrients are cumulative as is calorie load, glycemic load, incretin load, protein load, etc. So. You do what you think is best. But if you apply her screwy logic to your diet, you are gonna be working super hard to get all that protein down and you will likely be over eating = slow weight loss. Protein Drinks + protein in food = total daily protein. Most of our docs say 60-80g for women and 80-100g for men (from all sources-animal, mineral, vegetable). LOL. @Midnightsun - honestly I had similar thought as Fluffy in that...your nutritionist said "what??". This is not to demean or take away from your team that you are working with. But I honestly was..shocked..I haunted these forums for 2 years prior to having surgery and no, this does not make me a nutritionist, a surgeon, etc. but one thing I think we can all agree on is that when you've hung around and paid attention to things for a long time, you get a feeling for many of the basics or even many of the variations we can expect to see that may change based on who your surgeon is and what they believe is best in their practice. Example - for some their dr's want 4 weeks liquid diet, some want 2 weeks liquid diet, some have just a few days, some do low calories including mostly liquids but maybe a lean cuisine meal at X meals a day. Coming here taught me that even post-op phases could vary but in general, there was a liquid stage, a pureed stage, soft foods, etc. I cannot speak for anyone but me but when I read your post my first thought was 'WOW, that is a new one!". I also felt frustrated FOR you reading that you were upset (and TOTALLY getting why) abt how things were not clarified for you and/or that you didn't understand it - paraphrasing here, not meaning to twist your words. My gut reply was surprise at something I simply had not heard/encountered before as well as FRUSTRATION for you/on your behalf. I read Fluffy's reply as TOTALLY coming from a different place...one more that I can state I felt - concern about what you had been told, worry that you felt frustrated, surprise at the suggestion, knowing I personally have never encountered that recommendation before (NOT saying it is WRONG, but it was for me..a bit startling)..and a desire for hopefully clarification on why they feel the way they do/recommend what they do. NOT that your team needs to justify anything to ME, just always interested in new/different info. Now ALL of that being said, one thing that frustrated me with my parent's generation was an over-reliance on believing that just because a person is a doctor, a lawyer, or lets say..even a nutritionist, that they were ALWAYS right. Well, some ALWAYS right dr's almost killed my Dad once in the hospital until I got rid of them and he lived another 7 years. This is an EXTREME example and does not mean you have bad/wrong dr/nutritionist but I have personally become very LEERY of information that is different. You did exactly what I would have done - you called and asked for clarification. I liked my surgeon and nutritionist team very much but....I'm a 'trust, but verify' person now. You called and got verification. I truly truly think that ppl were concerned for you and not meaning to...come from a place of being all-knowing. I've learned that the older I get, the less I know. I pray you receive this post in the spirit that it is meant and that is for you to know that I feel...we all posted because we were worried and we cared. You went and followed up. I think that is a good result in the end??

80 is my 'cap' for protein. I usually hit around 70 to 75. 80% of the time it is WITHOUT protein shakes FINALLY. I have occasionally gone over and hit like 82-85 a handful of times. I don't stress too much about a few points over as I am typically hitting under 80 anyways 95% of the time. I finally got fruit incorporated (the low carb ones) and am working to remember to incorporate veggies too. Developed bad bad habits from liquid days and then protein shakes galore...and then finally eating protein, yogurt (which has some protein too) and some fruit...and forgot my veggies! From what I recall, the focus when eating for me...at 4 months out is: protein, followed by veggies followed by fruit.

@FluffySaysForkIt!- did you find a good combo of biotin and lysine? Asking as I was looking for one with both. Right now am supplementing with Biotin and have supplemented since 45 days pre-op. My nails had been rocking it with growth pre-op and directly after surgery but in the past 2 to 3 weeks..they are back to breaking again and so very brittle. Going to get labs done in next day or 2 to get true concrete answers on my bloodwork but in the meantime I was wondering what biotin/lysine supplements you are using. Sadly I had already thinning hair from 'that time of life' and being on a blood thinner for almost 8 years. So my originally 'fine' hair..then became thinning and fine hair...and now am freaking out as I am seeing a specific area thinning more than the rest of my head and of course it is at the FRONT of my head..sigh I AM grateful for the weight loss and yes, I knew this could be a very likely outcome, but it still gives me twinges of pain to look in the mirror and see areas of my scalp..weight loss is still worth it in the end. Just wish the hair loss would have skipped me..LOL

I have been on point with taking the following: Bariatric Multivitamin 1 x's a day Biotin supplement - found the recommended fairly high dose to take in either Dr. Weiner's videos or that other dr who is hysterically funny and several here follow him Have Celebrate's hair, skin and nails multivitamin (I alternate with the sublingual biotin as I was worried about what happens if you take TOO much biotin) Eating at least 64 grams of protein a day. Dr has me going as high as 80 - I usually end up between 64 and 80 day. Maybe 3 days in past 6 wks where I got less than 64 gms My surgeons started me on the bariatric vitamins when I was pre-op and doing the liquid diet. He knows I added the biotin/skin, hair, nails supplement at same time I also started using Essie nail strengthener on my nails at the same time. My nails started growing so fast, just like when I was pregnant!!! Fast forward to the past 3 weeks, I am about 4 months post-op and my nails are more brittle than I've ever seen them, they tear off so much that the nail beds are shorter than my fingers...they look like a kid's fingers who chewed all their nails off. The ONLY thing I have not been consistent about getting in is the calcium citrate 3 x's per day. Could a calcium deficiency be the reason for this SUDDEN and drastic change?

OK, am glad you got some help for your situation but I will have to be honest and admit that I am VERY curious...what did your doctor/surgeon say about your Olive Garden outing and what were their thoughts as to how you packed in the soup and breadstick?? I know you mentioned maybe it was your meds...but is this also what your dr felt it might have been? I'm just truly curious about their take on it.

YES! Just knowing I had it 'in me'....makes me fear there is more hiding somewhere. I have heard too many actual in person horror stories. I don't spend every day freaking out but I do not believe that it is 'all gone'....

Ah dang..I didn't even think about UV exposure. Got diagnosed last year via a huge mole on one arm that started growing wildly with Malignant Melanoma Stage 1 - didn't even know until then that there is a Stage 0 classification too which TOTALLY blows my mind...I mean like...whhhhyyyyy? All that being said, I double down on sunscreen and other stuff now as the one thing I recall about melanoma is that it is a very very tricky cancer...

ack! So are 'powder dip' nails the same thing as the acrylic nails I used to get a decade ago? I remember feeling like my nail beds were being scored down to the bottom before they applied the powder dip. They were very sensitive when abraded down like that. I kept mine longer then than I would now but I remember how it would HURT to get one suddenly broken off/ripped off... Or is this some new type of 'faux' nail?

@theexfatgirl - I think you may have already mentioned trying the unflavored protein powder? I apologize if you stated you had already tried it and it didn't work out. I put the unflavored protein powder into my jello and mixed it up (I was allowed jello, broth, sugar free popsicles, and the protein drinks or protein shakes I made myself. I have a bit of a lactose intolerance so was not able to make shakes with milk but I sure wish I could have! I added unflavored protein powder to my broth. I bought a variety box of protein soups from bariatric pal and in my 2nd week, I tried some of those. The one I thought would be the worst for my stomach, cream of tomato, my pouch actually liked but I figure I was just lucky. Also, I have a gastric bypass instead of a sleeve so I have no idea if that made ANY difference at all in being able to tolerate it. I think you said the protein drinks you tried were making your tummy hurt? I was just wondering about this as I have a LOT..and I mean a LOT of abdominal/intestinal cramping in general..and when added to the gas issues..I felt like my stomach..or what I 'used to call my stomach' was hurting so often! I don't know if it was because of my new 'anatomy' and plumbing, but I was given meds to help with this..cramping, spasms..and they seemed worse after drinking protein drinks (again, apologies for not knowing if it applies to both the sleeve and gastric bypass peeps) but I somehow managed to get them down...thinning them out helped a bit. I remember on Day 3 being VERY VERY DISMAYED and a bit angry that my hunger returned. Oh, I knew this was a chance BUT I was very envious of those who went months and even some...YEARS without feeling the return of hunger. I know some posters have mentioned trying to see if different temperatures help with your tummy issues. I found that oddly for me, warm things made my pouch MUCH happier than cold (and of course most protein drinks we drink are 'cold', well the pre-made ones I mean). I also used a heating pad for my abdominal area. Be KIND to yourself. You just had major surgery and your whole body is reeling from the impact as well as the anesthesia. This definitely made me grouchy..not saying it made you grouchy..LOL, just saying how I felt about it. I also had a hard time on my sibling thread although I was generally truly THRILLED for my surgery siblings....I am a slow loser and while I only had a few minor complications, I soon realized that a lot of what I was feeling was simply due to 1) Major Surgery 2) MAJOR MAJOR hormonal swings that I was warned about...3) Feeling in pain/uncomfortable 4) Wondering even with THREE years of preparing on a handful of days..if I had done the right thing. I was on liquids for over 45 days straight so I was VERY VERY frustrated with this. That being said, I only stayed down and frustrated for a few days. Don't get me wrong, I still get a bit down and frustrated but I am able to quickly step out of those feelings now that I'm over 3 months post-op. My surgeon and nutritionist were very encouraging when I was tripping out about not hitting protein goals..they told me to do the BEST I COULD in the first few weeks. I hope one of the suggestions or many of the suggestions are able to be of help to you..and of comfort. I will say my mood did a drastic pick up in weeks 3 and 4....and before I was even 1 month post-op, I was back in my secure feeling of knowing I did the right thing. For others it may take longer, but my fervent hope and wish for you is that you are able to find something soon you can handle to drink/eat and that the beautiful part of your journey starts (we often don't even know it has started until we look back in hindsight). Best wishes to you!! You CAN do this!!

oh my gosh..my vision is so blurry..thought you said "geek yogurt"..must be tired or way under calories as I found that hysterical..lol..

@Briswife15! YES! It was your thread I was referencing. Good to know it may not be calcium. To be fair to AJ whose response for some reason made me feel defensive...I KNOW I need regular blood tests. I'm usually a stickler for all of my appointments and follow ups as I'm a 'data driven' person and without the 'data', am just guessing. I'm not used to not having a car so A Tylo, I apologize for being defensive about your comments. I've very much a planner and have a 'need to know facts' personality so I think I'm generally "a bit salty" as for once, I do NOT know and am encountering multiple challenges in something as simple as a blood draw! I cannot plan without knowing the reality even of the doses and what my dr has me taking. Everyone is different, maybe I'm low on some things, maybe I'm high..but I NEED to know and I think that is driving me batty when combined with the sudden disintegration of ALL my nails. My work schedule also makes appt making nuts as I work odd hours, often at night and am asleep during the day sometimes. Underlying ALL of this is absolute FEAR of losing my hair. I was willing to risk it obviously but will not lie..I've been praying that it will not happen to me but considering I had thinning WAY before WLS, I'm not holding out too much hope here.. @Briswife15 - have you tried to powder dip yet? I think I'm following your topic - you got a lot of good input. I appreciate you posting about it as that may be where i go next in regards to my nails. Wish there was a 'dip' for hair!!

Um..yeah...just "pounding" in the vitamins my DOCTOR told me to take and in the amount he told me to take them. I ADMITTED that I had not been getting in the calcium citrate so am not just 'pounding that in'. I am basically 2 weeks overdue on bloodwork for the very FIRST time. It's kind of hard to get anything done without a car which is why my doctor was happy to call in an order to quest..that I can uber to this week. I stated that I needed to get the bloodwork done and then of course, I expect the results will hope fully guide us in. making any changes necessary. I brought this topic up on the GALS FORUM as we have recently been discussing this very topic. If anyone here is following the recommendations of their doctor as it pertains to their vitamins and they are considered fairly 'new' in post op stages, I'm not quite sure if you view everyone as just 'pounding in their vitamins'..??

My hair was already thinning as I hit menopause at 41 or 42 and I've been taking coumadin for over a decade. About 6 months before surgery and before pre-op diet, I noticed a great deal of thinning, especially one one side of my head towards the front. This is one reason I was TERRIFIED of WLS. Especially now that I'm nearing month '5'. I've noticed some additional thinning but it is about the same rate I was observing before surgery. I'm trying to suck up the fact that I think the worst is still to come with my hair. I'd much rather deal with the fingernail issue than losing chunks of hair and I'm very much afraid that is coming up soon, the nail situation is a red flag in my opinion which I fear is a harbinger of possible clumps of hair starting to come out. To make it worse, we are going on Xmas cruise with MIL and that is when I'll be 5 months out from surgery...if my hair falls out while on board ship, I am NOT coming out of the room. I'm overdue on getting my labs as my dr is almost 2 hrs away and my car is having electrical issues. They just called in an order to Quest to get my labs done. I have to find time one morning this week to go. If anything my concern is that my levels on some things will be too high...but I know I need to get this done.

Hey there, I tore the left meniscus on my right knee roughly 1.5 yrs ago when I was stupidly trying to exercise by running 'down' stairs. Had a 'meniscus' trim surgery to remove the torn meniscus as it was 'dangling' and the ortho said he was concerned it would get caught in my knee and lock it up (this is actually a true possibility). Had MRI to diagnose tear and to check out both knees. ALL I was told is that I had a nasty meniscus tear and that outpatient surgery to trim it was the recommendation. OK, so I had the surgery. To this day, I cannot kneel on my right knee as the pain is INTENSE. To this day, my right knee swells up like a balloon if I drive to far (a LOT of stop and go traffic in DFW area!). It swells so much I get almost what we have going on with our 'stomach/aprons', the swelling 'spills down' in an extra overhang of flesh over my knee. I have to FIGHT to get knee injections as my company's pharma benefits were split off from our med coverage - CIGNA. CVS is the 'pharma' provider. You have to go through horrific process to get 'specialty' medications approved and the knee injections fall under that. Even though my 'benefit will let me have 1 every month which is actually a pretty GREAT amount of coverage', the process is so broken and involved that it takes me 2 to 3 months to jump through CVS Specialty hoops and have them ship the injection to my dr. Long story short on that part, after waiting for 2 months AGAIN, I am supposed to get a Gel One injection and possibly a steroid injection to help with the swelling this Thursday. Thanks to weight loss BEFORE surgery and the weight loss AFTER surgery, I've been able to start walking again. Weight loss did HELP knee, but after building up from barely 1/4 of a mile to now doing 2.2 - 2.5 miles, my knee just balloons up. I NEED to keep walking! Is there anything else outside of the injections that I can do to help my knee? Anyone in similar situation? When I was 390 lbs, there were no 'braces' that I could get on. I'm down to 281/282..but doubt there is a knee brace for my big size still..plus the dang thing stays swollen Ironically, I've seen 2 new orthos since the one that did the surgery and they looked at SAME MRI I had done and both said I had EXTENSIVE arthritis all throughout both knees and I should have never had the meniscus surgery. That I need an actual knee replacement of right knee and when left starts bothering me, that one would need replacement as well. However, I'd have to get down to BMI of 40. I had BMI of 62.9, now am at 45 but don't want to rush into replacing my knee..but if it is going to continue to swell and hold me back from exercising..well, I don't know what to do to be honest. I have more questions for these orthos..if extensive arthritis..why did knees NEVER hurt even at 390 lbs before meniscus tear on rt knee? If that extensive why does LEFT knee NOT hurt? If I continue to get injections to 'block pain' in rt knee, what damage am I doing to bones that now 'contact ea other' since meniscus support is torn & gone now from BOTH sides of rt knee?

@Healthy_life2 I've just been taking biotin. Do you mind me asking if you are supplementing with collagen and if so, what brand/type do you use or is it a combo pill/patch/capsule has BOTH biotin AND Collagen in it? I'm worried about not just my nails but my hair. I already have horribly thin hair due to early menopause, blood thinners, etc. - of course I try to ensure I hit protein goals for hair...does protein help with nails too?

Day 5 - Frustrated with myself for yesterday as I INTENTIONALLY ate some of Amy's Olive & mushroom pizza. Waged mental war in my head as I was cooking it. I had just bought it from the store to try & THEN I joined this challenge BEFORE I cooked it yet I STILL cooked it! I wanted to buy one with a cauliflower crust but it was so EXPENSIVE. To be fair to myself when I bought the pizza, I had not joined this challenge but am a big believer in not eating things w/processed flour, etc. It ended up sitting in my pouch feeling like I had just eaten raw bread dough so I'm GRATEFUL I derived no pleasant feelings from the pizza and for today (am One Day at a Time girl - beliefs earned from decades spent in NA and AA meetings) I have no plans to repeat this. I also bought Atkins peanut butter cups & pecan caramel thingies. I have now moved boxes in pantry (husband doing low carb so makes no sense to throw them out) because I KNOW me and while I'm 90-95% very compliant with 'program' from dr (I'm more strict on what I eat than he is)...these are items that I call 'trigger foods' which means I should not have them anywhere in house. I will ask husband to relocate them again. BUT, instead of staying down on myself about multiple purchase decisions I regret and the food I intentionally ate despite what I knew to be 'right for me', I am so GRATEFUL for this challenge as it helped me straighten out priorities once again and realize that the above things, for me...need to go for now. (NOTE: Husband ate rest of pizza so no lingering temptation there..plus literally..ugh...imagine feeling like you ate 2 lbs of raw bread dough..BLECH! Day 5: Things I am most grateful for in my house - from a living perspective - my fur babies. They've helped keep me sane & feeling loved as I've lost the 3 most important ppl (best friend of 20 yrs, my Dad, my Mom) in my life within past 6 yrs (ok, outside of my kids!). When I feel the ache of not having a best friend or parents anymore..they seem to know. My eldest kitty comes to me whenever she hears me cry. My fur babies are such a blessing!! Material possessions: It's a tie between my Keurig and my Roomba..LOL B-Side Question: Anyone/thing pushes your buttons too easily? 1) Yes, at work..we have ppl in exec mgmt making decisions about a system that is truly wonderful & used by many but they want to get rid of it to save money. It will mean an incredible ton of work on top of our crazy schedules...to move to something else just to satisfy someone who doesn't work with the system & doesn't understand the value but we will be given NO CHOICE. 2) At home - my husband..have been VERY irritated with him..more than usual. I think sometimes am jealous as he does semi low-carb but then drinks beer 3-4 x's a wk & does not gain. Also..ashamed to say I'm jealous his Mom is still alive and AM angry that he doesn't make time to see her each wk. I love my MIL and would not want her to 'not be alive'..I would grieve her loss too...but I am judging him based on what I would do & that is TREASURE EVERY MOMENT. Is it fair of me to measure him against what I would do? I don't know...:(