Embarassed to admitting this...

I want to ask you all something...please don't chew me out for it. I realize that I'm pretty much at the bottom of the totem pole concerning weight loss. There is a reason for that, embarassing as it is to admit. Even though I do not eat much at ALL, I do NOT get in 64 oz. of water a day, I do not exercise at all because I simply don't have the gumption after I get off work in private care and I do not get hardly get any protein drink in. I realize these are alllll excuses, not legitimate to my well being, but my question is this: Of all those three things (exercise, water and protein), which do you feel personally is the most vital to your weight loss? Believe me, I beat myself over these issues on a daily basis...at night...when I'm about to fall asleep and all the shoulda, woulda, couldas come flooding my mind. Anyway, what's do you feel your best practice to lose is??? Thanks for listening. Kelly

I think all the are so important. I could not pick one over the other they are all three importan****er and protein are before excercise. But dont get me wrong excercise is very important as well. At night I drink 8 ounces of sugar free hot choclate and hot tea. after lunch I eat a I drink a isopure protein drink. a 20 ounce drink. I drink 2 large waters. and mornings I drink a cup of coffee and a protein shake. My hot chocolate i put a scoop of non flavored protein in that. I am now use to it. and love it every night. I eat twice a day. I think you will benifit from getting these three important rules in for wls. They are also so important to your health. I understand it is hard for you to find time. Maybe try a curves 3 times a week or walk when it is nice out. The water and protein is a must. Happpy holidays Barb

Kelly, First, we are not going to chew you out! Try to help you, most definitely. Admitting, that you think there's a problem with your post-op behaviors is the first step, and takes a lot of courage. Can you think of the reasons why you had the surgey? Ask yourself why you're not committed to that now. I really think you need to do a lot of soul searching. There are so many emotions that go a long with being a chronic overeater, and obese. It's scarry to think you would actually be thin someday. Don't get caught up in comparing yourself to others. I've done that my whole life, it will just leave you feeling miserable. When I look at your stats, you're averaging, 2.9 pounds per week. Have you ever been able to do that before? Plus, you have lost over 10% of your body weight, that alone significantly improves your over all health. Find the joy in that...leave the negativity behind you, with the 34.5 pounds that are gone forever. I emailed Mike about this earlier today about the stats. I was looking over the data, and I was wondering what's the correlation between weight lost, and the % of weight lost, to the total calories consumed, protein consumption, and exercise? I have my own hypothesis about this, but I wonder if I'm right,here it is... *Under 1000 cal a day equals a slower weight loss. *Not hitting the protein intake target equals slower weight loss. *No aerobic exercise (getting your heart rate in the target zone) or toning/weight lifting equals slower weight loss. Consumption of less than 1000 calorie a day will send the body into "hibernation" mode, thus reducing weight loss. We know this, since during times of famine or starvation, the body becomes extremely efficient at storing fat and calories. It's how man has survived over the centuries. Some would argue that caloric intake, and exercise is a simple math equation, energy in/energy out, but I would disagree. Our bodies are amazing machines, and will maintain a balance at all costs. Protein intake is essential for maintaining muscle mass. Many post-ops have multiple issues with the effects of protein malnutrition, brittle nails, dry skin, hair loss, and slowed weight loss. Adequate protein intake is essential for sustained weight loss. Check out Gina's web site. She has a ton of excellent info about appropriate protein intake. http://headbattles.com Exercise at least 3 times a week is a must. I don't mean walking around the block; I mean true aerobic exercise, like the "demonic" cross trainer for 30 mins, getting your heart rate up, and sweating a bit! Then weight training. I know that weigh training will increase ones metabolic rate for up to 24 hours. I hope this helps. Be good to yourself! Linda R

Oh gosh, Thank you both so much for responding. I was waiting! Okay, I've decided I am for SURE going to meet my kids at the Y after they get out of school at LEAST 3 days a week. We've discussed it and they think it's a good idea. Also, I will try harder to get in my protein. I have 3 different types of protein powder and a few instant cans to boot! Crazy. I have tried the non-flavored powder in the s.f. hot chocolate..not bad! Concerning the water, I think this will be the least challenging but I'll make a conscious effort to drink at least 64 oz. a day if not more. I've noticed that the skin on my face is getting dryer and I DON'T want to start out being thin with a bunch of wrinkles! Again, your advice was much needed and so appreciated. I've dealt with the guilt of my actions for quite a while now and I hope and pray I can make the right choices to increase my weight loss. Bless ya, Kelly

Linda, I love reading your posts! You have a ton of information. Now, why don't you have a picture so we can see your lovely face -- and more importantly, why isn't your profile filled in!! I want to know more about you. You are an awesome lady and I learn so much from you. (I'm a lurker and don't post that much!!) donna

Donna, Thanks for your kind words. I'm getting to the picture...and the profile. I guess I was a little shy, up until this point. I too have been a lurker for a few months now. I consider it to be part of my orientation to the world of weight loss surgery! You can thank Mike, our statistician, for inspiring me to get posting. I was so intrigued his spread sheet, and by the variations in weight loss across the September board. I'm really interested in learning more about what motivates people after surgery, what's successful, and what's not. I'm glad that you were able get something from my posts. I will let you know when I have a picture, and a profile. Linda R

It's funny, I was just thinking about posting the same question ! My weight loss has slowed and I think it is because I haven't been getting as much protein in as I should. I have to go to the store and pick some more up. My exercise is just about nil. I watch my grandson (10 months old) and he is a handful. He is starting to walk so I am chasing him all over the place. I also have been forgetting to post on fitday so I need to do that again. Sandy

I think you can rate these three things, and here they are in MY Opinion, and why. The first is water. Without proper hydration, you body just won't work right. Being properly hydrated is the easiest way to get more energy and being dehydrated is the quickest way to have you energy sapped and to get sick. Before anything else, get in your water. Protien is next. Without proper protien, something we WLS people have a hard time getting, you will not be able to heal, and even if properly hydrated you energy level will be low. You can't get a "boost" from carbs, so you'll HAVE to get the long, slow energy burn from protein. If you can find a protien drink you like, you can knock out two birds with one stone. Exercise is last, on your list of concerns anyway. Exercising when not properly hydrated is hard and painful and less than perfect. In fact, you could cause yourself harm. Exercise without proper protien is potentially harmful as well, as your body has neither the energy or the rebuilding potential to repair the minute damage exercising causes. Remember, in exercising you are burning fat and slightly damaging muscle, causing the repair to be more than it was before. To do the repair, you must be hydrated and have the energy stores and building blocks to make the repairs... I'd concentrate on the water first, protein second and exercise third.

Kelly, I'm glad that you're inspired to do what's right for you! After I read your post, I was thinking about how I've changed some of my pre-op behaviors. First of all, I am nowhere near perfect. I still eat too fast, or don't drink enough water, or don't get to the gym as I should, but I forgive myself those little slip-ups. I'm human; this journey is an evolution, not a revolution. It's going to take time. Learning to be patient will add to our success. These are some of things I do to stay on track. I drink 3-20oz bottle of water a day. One on my way to work, one after breakfast, and one after lunch. I also drink crystal light, so I get well over the 64oz fluid, but I have to plan for it. If I don't drink enough, I get a headache. For my protein, I start the day with a protein shake, it feel it wakes up my stomach. Since I don't do coffee any longer, it gives me something to sip in the mornings with my husband. I did a lot of taste testing before I found a protein shake that worked for me. It starts my day off with 23 grams of protein. I eat three meals a day, and two snacks. Then I make sure I eat protein at each meal. I end the day with an average of 90-100 grams of protein, and 1150 cals. I log everything I eat on to www.fitday.com It helps to keep me focused, and on track. For exercise, I go to the YMCA. I do the cross trainer, or treadmill for 30 mins. At first I could only do 10 mins, it was pure torture. Over time, I've increased to 30 mins, it's still hard, but it's supposed to be. Then I do weights. I am completely sold on the weight portion of the exercise, the trainer I met with when I joined the Y gave me a great article about how it increase your metabolic rate. I hope this helps. Keep us posted on how you're doing. Linda R

Hi there everyone, I really am glad I posted this "admission of guilt" now. It makes me feel better to have it out in the open and now I am getting equipped with knowledge to do something about it! Sandy, I'm glad I'm not in this alone. I have plenty of protein on hand, but seem to be more ready to grab the pre-made cans of l.c. Slim-Fast or the like. LAZY? No, not as much as it is blended and taste better than some. I found some Atkins protein drinks the other day for 50 cents each at a new store in town. Cheaper than some of them. Chasing a grandchild should count for SOMEthing for ya!! Michael, what you say makes a lot of sense and I never really thought about it in that way. Here I went for the first time in a LONG time to the YMCA and was probably damaging muscle!! Oh well, live and learn. I have been concentrating on getting in the liquids, but since I get so full so fast (ave. probably 500-600 cal. daily), there doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day for a large amount of water. However, Linda, your routine is valid. Thanks. I will try and keep a 20 oz. water bottle with me and get in at least 3 a day. I have been drinking protein the last couple of days, but only 20 grams in one drink. The rest is from food...which comes to another quandry. I have read alot about Gina over at headbattles.com . She is truly inspirational! She has a huge amount of info on all this stuff. My question is this~ She says from her studies and the graduate boards at yahoo, etc. that you can no longer digest protein like someone without gastric bypass. For that reason, the only was to get most of your protein is from pre-digested proteins, i.e. Protein shakes. She is adament about it and believes you need at least 90 g. a day, if I understand her correctly. What is your or your doctors opinion on this?? Do you or they feel that we can get protein from regular foods??? Maybe some of you can check out her site and get back with me. Okay, enough blabbing. Thanks so much for being here guys. I appreciate it!