ok so question

I admit i am not all that good at counting what i eat. I know what is good to put in my mouth and what is not. I dont eat bread, white rice (really no rice sometimes brown but not alot) no soda and all that good stuff. So when people post they stall i kinda take it in stride cause i stalled but then a flook happens an di might lose 2 ounds here or there. So according to research i have done my goal weight should be 156 (since i had surgery in costa rica i dont have a DR goal) My personal goal is 145 i am currently 168. I know you guys are saying ok jules what the flippin question already... So as i am reading posting and resarch on the internet i thinking... Am i not getting enough protien and water? i dunno i dont keep track but they say that protien and water promote weightloss...now dont get me wrong i am ok with how i am not stressing about it. i work out and im totally cool but here is where i freak out most people go down real low then regain a lil....im good right here i dotnwanna regain so if i need to lose more so i can regain to this ..lol (the logic right) how do i sign up for that? I know there are a few things i should not eat. ok the french fries...i know geeze but its not alot and i dont eat everyday but on the whole i eat really well. i eat my protien first then veggies all the right things..but not sure if i am getting enough protien and water and to be honest....i just dont have time to be counting all that with two jobs ya know. So today i broke out a the protien shake lol...now i do drink one in the am and i have bars i eat when i am on the go but listen thinking about it i think i only get about TOPS 50 grams in and according to my resaerch i should get in 120....i know best case. and thinking abou****er i am getting the min amount in if that. So i guess my question is if i work real hard to UP my proiten and water ya think my stall will UNSTALL? so i can go lower to allow regaining lol im a crazy person. and if i drink a protien drink with water can i double dip? use it as both proiten and water? lol WHAT AM I A NEWBIE???? Like i said i am happy at 168lbs and wearing a 7-8....BUT WHAT IF...i bounce up a lil? Thanks for listening...what do you guys think? J

OH I FORGOT.....i also...feel guilty whe i am full so i try to stop eating right before i get full....is this just me? feeling full makes me feel like i ate to much even though i know i didnt...am i a crazy person? J

I'm worried about the dreaded bounce back too. My surgeon talked to me about it earlier this month. He said it's normal and to be expected. He said it can be a little or a lot depending on your eating habits. Well, I want mine to be a little! I think you can break the stall by upping the protein/water AND cutting down on the BAD carbs. I had hit a bad stall in December. And, made myself star****ching my food/water/carbs after Christmas and I've lost 8 lbs in January. I HATE protein shakes that you mix yourself. Give me the ready to drink stuffy any old day! I drink 3 ready to drinks a day and eat 2 protein bars to suppliment my protein. Since I exercise a lot, my protein goal is 120-130 g each day. I almost always make it. And, NO, you can't count the protein drinks as your fluids. You can count all low cal non caffeine drinks. So, I count my crystal light and even my caffeine free diet soda. Yes, I drink diet soda. I found a GREAT site to track calories/goals/exercise. It's called sparkpeople.com. My trainer at the Y has me doing something interesting in regard to calories. I eat normal for 3 days, then up them about 200-300 calories for a day, then go back to normal for 3 days, then up them a day, and run in cycles like that. He said that mixing it up like that will keep my body from going into starvation mode. I'm adding carbs back into my diet. But, it's good carbs like grains, fruits & veggies. I try to keep total carbs under 100. I found that if I eat a lot of bad carbs like bread/pasta, then I crave more carbs and my loss stalls. Another thing I do is I have 3 meals and 3 protein based PLANNED snacks every day. I eat about every 3 hours. I find that I'm never hungry and never overeat because I'm not hungry. My snacks are either protein bars, protein chips, or even protein drinks. On the days I increase my calories, I add a cup of yogurt to my normal snack.

Julie, I want you to know before you read the rest of this, I'm really proud of the weight you've lost, and you've done a fantastic job. I also want to state for the record (if there is an offical record) that I didn't have the same surgery as you so our long term issues will be slightly different, although some will remain the same. Now for the BUT...lol BUTTTTTTTT..... If you want to be a successful weight loss surgery patient, you really need to track your protein intake for the rest of your life, and watch your simple carb intake. From what I've gathered (floating on the main forum), the most successful RNY patients long term (post op 5 years and over), all have adapted several habits that make them successful. The first habit is that they do not return back to their old eating habits. They consistantly eat protein first, then veggies, and then limited amounts of carbs. Most of them track their eating (some by memory, and others by using fitday or some other type of program), and long term they keep on top of their weight by weighing themselves regularly and adjusting their diet if they gain a lb or two, before it turns into 3 or 10. The second most noticable habit of the successful RNYers seems to be that they exercise on a regular basis. The 3rd habit is that they have regular blood work and medical follow up to make sure everything is ok. So with that said, I'd highly recommend you start mentally tracking your food and protein intake, or using fitday.com. I don't use fitday anymore, but i keep a running tally of my protein intake, and carb intake. Again we have had different surgeries, so I don't need to track my calories or fat intake, but that might be something you want to do. Have you had recent blood work done? Thats the best way to tell if you are low in protein (prealbium levels and blood protein levels etc). You should be getting one year follow up blood work in the next month or so, your pcp can order the blood work since your surgeons are out of country. As for breaking stalls, I'd highly recommend going on the main forum (or maybe someone can post it here), and start the "plateau buster diet". It's just a weeks worth of low carb eating, but it really works for some people, and starts the scale moving in the downward direction again. Scott

I agree with everything that's been said, EXCEPT [sorry Terri] I believe that fluids are fluids unless they are caffeine or alcohol. The fluids in a protein shake do count towards your daily intake, as do the fluids in an orange - because each will hydrate you and your insides. Now I don't know how one would measure the fluids in an orange AFTER you ate it, but if I remember right, FitDay does a good job measuring fluids [the on line tracking does it in metric, though, if you spring for the downloadable version it's ounces]. It's probably a lot easier to aim for no less than 64 ounces in actual water [or other non-calorie beverage]. Here's a link to a hydration calculator that does it by weight: http://www.ballygowanmineralwater.ie/lifesource_calculator.asp Most anything other than water is CALORIES so with protein shakes, flavored water, [or in the case of actual food;)] you do want to make sure you're not going overboard and getting calorie laden fluids. Here's an interesting article on water needs:http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/NU/00283.html Being post WLS we're not eating as much food so we're not getting as much hydration from actual food. Water is important to help your body rid itself of waste and can help keep you satisfied [pouch rules]. Also, stay SAFELY hydrated, don't drink all tha****er at once or it can deplete your electrolytes and cause all sorts of problems, even death. Sip regularly thru the day [again, pouch rules - NOT with meals] and you'll be surprised how much you can drink. I think it's a good idea to take the time out for a day or so and really measure your intake. Only then can you decide if you are getting enough protein and hydration. Learning about all of this stuff is easy - it's actually doing the right thing that will make you a continued success! xosm