NEED YOUR HELP THIS TIME

Dawn...remember when I was on a long stall and you gave me the riot act about our bodies adjusting...losing inches, blah, blah, you have heard it all...you are doing great...your body is saying hold on, hold on...i'm sure you are losing inches...up the protein, up the calories and and more protein...vitamins..try them...but you are not getting enough calories...take a protein drink in the morning and before you go to bed...I was stalled for three weeks and boom...I upped the calories and upped the protein and the weight came off like gang busters...down two pounds more then I expected for my month goal....you can do this..sorry you are tired...have your had your iron level checked...mine was low...and was put on iron and feeling great now...so see if the iron level is low... Dennis

IT WAS KINDA FUNNY ... EVEN BEFORE YOU POSTED, I GOT TO THINKING ABOUT JUST THAT ... SHRINKING DURING STALLS. SO, WHEN YOU POSTED, I WAS LAUGHING MY FOOL HEAD OFF THINKING, "DANG ... HE CAUGHT ME!" I DID HAVE A REALLY MAJOR SHRINK BETWEEN THE 1st & 2nd WEEKS BUT NEITHER NICK NOR I HAVE NOTICED ANY MORE CHANGES SINCE THEN. THERE COULD BE SOME THAT ARE JUST NOT AS NOTICABLE THOUGH. SOOOOO, KEEPING THAT IN MIND, I'M FOCUSING ON WHAT I CAN DO TO HELP THIS PROCESS ALONG ... &, YEP ... EVERYONE IS SAYING JUST ABOUT THE SAME THING AS YOU ... MORE PROTEIN, CALORIES, BETTER VITAMINS ... &, EXERCISE I KNOW IT WORKS CUZ LIKE YOU, OTHERS HAVE SAID THAT WHEN THEY DID THIS, THEY BROKE THEIR STALLS AS WELL ... I'M SOOOOOO APPRECIATIVE FOR ALLLL THE SUGGESTIONS & POSTS FROM SO MANY CONCERNED WLS FRIENDS! &, A GREAT BIG PAT ON THE BACK TO YOU ... SO GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU BEGAN LOSING WEIGHT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!! I'M CALLING DOC TOMORROW TO SEE IF HE CHECKED MY IRON DURING THE HOLIDAY WHEN HE DID MY LABS ... I JUST DON'T REMEMBER. THANKS AGAIN MR DENNIS ... KEEP ME HONEST & ON TRACK!!!! GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK

Hi there sweet lady!!! I'm soooooo sorry you're struggling. It breaks my heart cuz you deserve better. I have a quick question, are you taking iron? I started taking 6 Tender Iron chewables from bariatriceating.com and I can definitely tell a difference. AND they're suppose to be better on your system, not as constipating. If I can help with anything, please feel free to e-mail. If you're a Verizon customer, e-mail me and I'll give you my number and we can talk. Keep your chin up and trust this will work. Unless you're totally blowing it (and I know you're not) this thing will work. And B****rue stall is when you are not losing pounds AND inches. Are you losing inches still? If so, just keep doing what you're doing, shoot for more protein (which will increase you're energy if it's pre-digested protein shakes) and trust that God wouldn't lead you to this just to say "Nope, not for you!!!" He's NOT that cruel. I'm praying for you... Nancy

I'M CALLING MY DOC TOMORROW, MS NANCY ... TO SEE IF HE CHECKED MY IRON OVER THE HOLIDAYS WHEN HE DID MY LABS. THAT'S BEEN SUGGESTED SO MANY TIMES THAT IT MUST BE PRETTY COMMON TO BE LOW ON IRON. I DID GET & ORDER 2 DIFFERENT KINDS OF VITAMINS/MINERALS SPECIALLY MADE FOR GASTRIC BYPASS PATIENTS, AS I WAS STILL TAKING FLINTSTONES COMPLETE ... SO, THAT SHOULD HELP AS WELL. SORRY, NOT A VERIZON CUSTOMER ... BUT, THANK YOU FOR THE OFFER. I KNOWWWWWWWWW IT WILL WORK & NOW THAT EVERYONE HAS MADE SIMILAR SUGGESTIONS, I'M ENERGIZED TO GIVE IT EVEN A MORE FOCUSED TRY ... UPPING JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING. YEAH, MR DENNIS BROUGHT UP THE LOSING INCHES THING & I HAVEN'T LOST ANY OBVIOUS INCHES SINCE AROUND THE 1st/2nd WEEK WHEN I REALLY LOST BIG TIME IN MY HIPS & THIGHS. YEP, I'M REALLY FOCUSING ON THE PROTEIN PRODUCTS NOW & INCREASED CALORIES. OH, I KNOW IT'S NOT THE GOOD LORD; I NEEDED TO CHANGE SOME THINGS & IT BECAME SO CLEAR WHEN EVERYONE BEGAN SUGGESTING THE SAME THINGS! "THIS TOO SHALL PASS!" THANKS MS NANCY & GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK

I know what you are going through. I just came off of a 23 day stall. I upped my water, increased my protein (2 shakes a day) and increased my calories which are always between 900 and 1100. And....hate to say it, but I exercised. I went BACK to the gym that I had not been to since before the holidays. I HATE working out but I feel so good after I have accomplished that task. I just do 25 minutes on the treadmill and I start out slow. It was taking me 25 minutes to do a mile and now I do a mile and a quarter in 25 minutes. It's been two weeks and after the first 6 days, I dropped 5 lbs. So the tried and true does work; exercise, protein and water. I also started paying real close attention to my fat intake. I was told to not go over 45 a day. I started eating the Bocca Burgers (no bread) and that has helped. I can eat beef but I have a hard time with chicken, fish and sometimes pork. Given the fact that beef has a lot more fat than the other proteins I can't eat, I tried the Bocca Burgers and really like them. Of course I put a little sauteed onions on it as well as Reduced Fat Cheese and you think you're having a cheese burger. It's really pretty good and healthy. Hang in there cause I'm sure you are losing inches as your body is adjusting. Hugs, Loretta

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT EVERYONE IS TELLING ME, MS LORETTA. DAH-UHHH, YOU'D THINK I WOULD HAVE FIGURED IT OUT MYSELF, BUT I WAS SO FRUSTRATED, I COULDN'T SEE THE NOSE ON MY FACE! &, EVERYONE WHO HAS INCREASED THEIR CALORIES, PROTEIN & EXERCISE HAVE BROKEN THEIR STALLS ... NO ONE HAS SAID, "WELL, IT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME." SO, OFF I GOOOOOOO! WHAT'S A BOCCA BURGER & WHERE DO YOU GET THEM? I DO WELL ON FISH, SEAFOOD & CHICKEN/TUNA SALADS, BUT NOT ON STEAK & PORK. CHICKEN IF I USE SALAD DRESSING TO MOISTEN IT IS OK. NOT TO WORRY ... E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E WILL KNOW WHEN I BREAK THIS STALLLLLLLL! THANKS FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS ... SO MANY HAVE OFFERED WONDERFUL ADVICE ... WE HAVE THE BEST PEOPLE ON THIS BOARD! GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK

I don't know if this will help your energy, but before you spend a ton on vitamins from bariatriceating.com, I use a vitamin (chewable) called "Kal Enhanced Energy" that I bought at the Vitamin Shoppe for about $15, and I just found it on line (wanted to show you the bottle) for $9!! That's a two month supply too! I've never had a problem with energy, so maybe they help me, who knows? http://www.myvitanet.com/enenadch60co.html I too was on the stall from HELL for about 3 weeks and I started drinking more liquids (about 70-90 oz a day) and cut out most carbs (they disagree with me anyway) and upped my protein shakes to at least 2 a day. My stall finally broke 3 weeks ago and since then I've lost 18 lbs!! That's been quicker than it's been for months! As for exercise, if you're exhausted there is no way you are going to be able to do it, so get your energy back up first!! I haven't been able to work out much for the past 2 weeks because I fell on ice and hurt my knee and I still got off my stall, so I don't think exercise is the problem. Most people don't realize that with what little we eat right now, excercise is mainly good to build our cardio endurance (a wonderful thing!) and weight training is good for preventing muscle loss and to strengthen our bones BUT you must make sure you are getting plenty of protein! I honestly don't think that more exercise is the key right now, but that's just my opinion Lady! I know that your body definitely is asking you for something though and I hope you find out what it is!! HUGS, Vi

I WAS TOO QUICK FOR YOU! I GOT SOME OPTISOURCE & SOME VISTA VITAMINS ... JUST 30 DAYS EACH ... BUT HAVE PUT YOUR VITAMIN SITE IN MY FAVORITES. I DO THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION, MS VI. THAT IS FANTASTIC & JUST WHAT I'M DOING! SOUNDS SO ODD TO HAVE TO EAT MORE TO LOSE WEIGHT! BUT, EVERYONE IS SAYING THE SAME THING. 18 #s WOULD BE HEAVEN. I NEED TO LOSE 22 #s TO GET TO WHERE I WAS WHEN I MET NICK IN EARLY 2000 ... & 25 #s TO GET OUT OF THE 2s & INTO "ONDERLAND" SO ... HERE'S TO BREAKING THIS STALL! MAKES SENSE ABOUT GETTING MY ENERGY LEVEL UP ... HOPEFULLY WITH THE NEW VITAMINS/MINERALS & INCREASED PROTEINS, CALORIES & FLUIDS, THAT WILL COME NATURALLY! I THOUGHT YOU WERE OVER THAT KNEE INJURY; SORRY TO HEAR THAT IT IS STILL BOTHERING YOU. THANKS AGAIN, MS VI & IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU BACK ON THE BOARD. GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK

Sorry you're feeling so rundown. I take the evergy vitamin packs you get from Costco and they're fairly cheap. I just had my 3 month labs done and they were perfect, especially since the nurse *****ad them to me didn't know I'd had RNY. I guess that means that my labs are especially good for someone who's had RNY. My good cholesterol was a little low though. On a good note my bad cholesterol was excellent. Woo Hoo my TSH is now down to 1.245 which is the lowest it has been in 3 years. I quit shakes about a month and a half ago. I just eat a lot of beef jerky which gives me about 40g protien a day. I believe I get another 20 or so via lunch and dinner (don't eat breakfast). I also found that there is a liquid protien that gives 26g at Crusin Coffee. They just put it right in your coffee. That's going to be a life saver as I don't really eat anything except jerky until around 4pm.

THAT'S THE BEST NEWS OF ALL ... IF YOUR LABS HAVE IMPROVED THAT MUCH, THEN YOUR HEALTH HAS IMPROVED GREATLY!!! WE'RE SO PLEASED FOR YOU! GOOD HEALTH IS THE CAKE & LOSING THE WEIGHT IS THE ICING! I HAVEN'T TRIED BEEF JERKY ... MY POUCH DOESN'T HANDLE HIGHLY-TEXTURED FOODS LIKE STEAK OR PORK VERY WELL YET. BUT, I'M UP FOR ANYTHING WITH A LOT OF PROTEIN! SO, I'LL CHECK IT OUT AT MY NEXT GROCERY RUN ... THANKS FOR THE INFO, MS JENNIFER! NOW, THAT'S A GOOD AMOUNT OF PROTEIN IN JUST A CUP OF COFFEE. SO, YOU'RE UP AREOUND 85 + GRAMS OF PROTEIN A DAY ... GOOD DEAL! GOD BLESS & THANK YOU DAWN & NICK