Padanelle

Isn't great to enjoy real food flavors again. i was also lucky to get a reprieve from the shakes and start mushies 2 days early. What a gift! Its almost 3 months since I started mushies, and I haven't had a shake since. You may want to try some Grrek yogurt on your backed potato. To me, it tastes like sour cream. Fage has a 0% G. yogurt that has 10g of Protein in 1/2 cup. Good luck on your journey. Joan

ouch!!!!!!

71 miles! Way to go! I hate it that its getting dark earlier now. Do you live in the city? Where do you walk. I live in Manhattan, so its hard to get a good pace going with all of the traffice lights. When I work my way up to a longer walk, I'll walk by the river and avoid the lights. I dug out a new pair of sneakers from the bottom of the closet that I wore today. Now I have blisters on my heels. Guess its back to my weggie sandals (lol) for a few days while they heal. I have another appointment uptown tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to get in another 2 miles roundtrip before the end of the month. 14 miles is much better than last month. Its a start. Joan

Good luck on your Eliptical machine challenge and congratulations on your weight loss. I really need to get off my butt and start some serious exercising. I tried the September mileage challenge, and made it half-way, even though my goal for the month is only 20 miles, which would have been very easy to achieve. The thing is, I really like to walk, and the weather has been cooler, so I really don't have a good excuse. Louise, how are you doing with your 60 mile goal? Better than me, I hope. Well, today is a new day. I have an appointment uptown, which is a little over a mile away. I usually take the bus there, and walk home. If I can get my act together, and get ready quickly, maybe I can walk there also. Joan

Very sorry for my typo. It should have read '10x', not 100.

Spanx or similar brands won't 'cure' saggy skin, but they will smooth out the lumps and slim your measurements a bit while you are wearing them.

The calorie/protein count seems a bit high. You really should contact your nutritionist or surgeon. Everyone's needs are different, based on their weight and activity level. It is very normal for your weight loss to plateau, and I don't believe your body is in starvation mode if you are eating the proper amount of Protein. Be patient, and stick to yout nut's guidlines. Good luck!

Check with your doctor, as the pre-op diets really vary a LOT. Some surgeons don't require any diet, or only for a few days. Mine was 2 weeks of shakes + 2 cups a veggies p/day that included at least 50 g protein, no more than 35g fat and 1,000 calories.

I wore spanx before surgery, but have not since - no particular reason, but probably because my clothes fit so much better now. I've lost a little over 40 lbs, and so far my skin has not been sagging. I don't know if that will still be the case when I reach goal. Since the surgery, I have been using Jergens Firming Lotion once or twice a day. I'm not sure if its helping, but I do have very soft skin now. lol.

unjury can only be bought online: www.unjury.com You can get the Greek yougurt at most supermarkets. I like Fage brand 0%. Its great mixed with fruit. I also add different spices and creat a sauce for dry meats/fish.

unjury makes and unflavored and chicken broth flavor protein powder which is pretty good. If you don't want to buy the whole container, they sell samples. Also, I highly recommend Fage FF Greek yogurt. It has 20g protein p/cup and tastes great.

Kartman - Thanks for all the info. You're right about finding something I like to get me motivated. Unfortunately, I have had no success with joining gyms. I have wasted so many memberships, going for the first month and not continuing. I've been looking into WII. My friend has it and invited me to try it before I spend the money and it becomes another dust collector. I have had several different brands of treadmills over the years that becam good clothes racks. I have done well with exercise videos. Zumba sounds like fun. I may bring out some of my old Jane Fonda & Richard Simmons tapes (I'm dating myself) and see how it goes.

My favorite recipe site is epicurious.com Here's a link to a quick & easy recipe. Be sure to read the reviews, as they have good suggestions. Light Refried Black Beans Recipe at Epicurious.com They suggest topping with sour cream, but I recommend FF Greek yogurt - tastes like sour cream & is high in Protein. Enjoy! Joan

Welcome Kristen, Good luck with your meeting on Wed. Joan

Congratulations on your wonderfull success! Joan

Many people don't know the difference between gastric bypass & lap-band surgery, which is 100 X safer. I think the statistics for death due to lap-band surgery was 1 in 1,000, but I believe with the new bands it has gotten much safer. That's why it is important to check out your surgeon beforehand. I have been fortunate with the support I have gotten from family & friends. I only had one person try to discourage me. Everyone else has been great.

I bought a VitaMix several years ago, and barely used it, but its now getting a great workout. It makes hot Soups - to ice cream in minutes. The Magic Bullet is a lot less expensive, and I've read good things about it. There are lots of other brands, but you'll probably want some form of blender. You'll want to find a good Protein Powder that you like. Start early trying them, as they will probably be the mainstay of your pre/post op diet. Many companies offer samples. You can google "protein powder samples" to find the various brands. unjury is a popular brand, and comes in the ususal choc/van/strawbry flavors, plus chicken broth & unflavored. I highly recommend the latter two.

They sound great, but how do you stop after an oz or 2?

High Fiber Cereal, Activia, Prune juice, Plumsmart juice, metamucil, diet tea, mineral oil. I have at least 3 of thesse each day, and I still suffer. Going to try MOM tomorrow.

It was all slider stuff, so I doubt if you did any harm. Just get back on the wagon tomorrow. Hope it was a happy day!

How about the Rice Diet Grapefruit Dietand does anyone remember AYDS?

Since I'm vertically challenged (4'11") my nut told me I should aim for 50g of Protein. I used to log in everthing I ate, along with the calorie, protein & fat count. I stopped counting about a month ago, but still journal my food. A typical day would be: Breakfast: 22g 1 cu 1%milk w/coffee 8g plus either 3/4 cu Cereal (Spl K or Kashi Go Lean) 10g w/ w/ 1/2 c 1% milk 4g & 1/2 cu blueberries or 1 scrambled egg 6g w/grated LF parmesan 2g toasted whole wheat Eng muffin 6g Lunch: about 15-20 g 1/2 can tuna fish Water chestnuts or canellini Beans (I use balsamic vinegar instead of mayo) or romaine lettuce with tofu or canalleni beans or lentil/spinach Soup made w/unjury chicken broth Protein powder or crustless vegetable quiche Dinner: about 20g 3 ozfish/chicken/beef w/either sm salad or spinach The breakfast & lunch items I eat for any meal. Depending on how hungry I am, i have 1 or 2 Snacks a day that is usually either: activia 5g, Jello SF/FF pudding made with protien powder 10g, V-8 or piece of fruit On days that I am too busy or not very hungry i supplement with 1/2 bottle of Isopure Lemon Green Tea mixed with regular green tea 10 g I usually don't eat many starches unless I'm having friends over, and then I like to make cuzcous w/unjury chicken broth, peas & spices. Hope this helps.

Kartman - Congratulations on your fantastic weight loss. And thanks for the tips. Its encouraging for me that you didn't start exercising until 5 months. I'm such a couch potato, with all the best intentions, but can't seem to get started. Keep up your great success! Joan

Andy, you should be proud of your weight loss success. You are doing great. Plateauing is normal. How long have you been at your current weight and how many fills have you had so far? You mention that you haven't changed what you are eating much. Perhaps trying a few days of liquids and mushies might help. That usually helps me get the scale going in the right direction when it seems to be stuck for awhile. You'll probably have to do that if you are having a fill soon.

You can get Biotin as part of a multi-Vitamin. I like Trader Joe's High Potency Chewables. They taste pretty good, and have 100% of the daily requirement for biotin, zinc and other minerals important to maintain healthy hair. They also have 50% of the daily Iron requirement, which is VERY important for healthy hair. Don't take Calcium within 2 hr of taking iron, as the calcium will affect the iron's absorption. Multivits that contain both usually have very low calcium content. Shampoos will not help, as it does not reach the roots. Your hair is already dead, so it can't revive it. Other hair treatments are meant for genetic hair loss, so it will not help in this case. Just be patient, eat your Protein and take a your vits & minerals.