Happy New Year everyone! Hello Everyone UPDATE

Hi everyone I have been very busy working and I am taking a little time to post I am my stats are as follows

hw 279 sw 254 cw 215 I am SO HAPPY I can't believe that it is working for me but it is God is so good he makes all things possible.  My only regret is i'm not losing very fast because i'm not eating right.  I know I am messing up but I am trying to steer towards more healthy stuff but while working they aren't as readily available.  I really need to buckle down and buy a great protein shake and go for it.  I know I can do it I am going to talk to my doctor and see if I can get myself back on track.  Down fall to not following my plan is I am not getting my protein and my hair is falling out so if word of advise to everyone get your protein if you want to keep your hair.  I'll post some pictures later on.

So sorry you are having trouble keeping to plan.  I find I need to make a  strong effort to cook and have tasty alternatives on hand, or I go astray as well.  I also need to keep my carbs very low or I'll have food cravings that will overwhelm me. 

Some easy food ideas

1. Rotissary chicken from the supermarket - I use them in diferent kinds of casseroles, or just eat it plain with a side of veggies. 
2. meatballs - I shape them about one ounce each, cook them up.  Put them is a gallon zip lock bag in the freezer, and then I can pop three or 4 out of the freezer,  add a little cheese or a sauce and I have a quick meal.
3. there are lots of crock pot meals where you just dump a few ingredients in a crock pot and come back hours later to a healthy meal.  Pulled pork, balsamic chicken,  pesto chicken,  thai peanut chicken are a few that come to mind.  Again you can cook once and eat it for days.
4. Veggie salads are great for snacking without blowing the diet.  I make a broccoli salad with trader joe broccoli slaw, cranberries and pecans.  I make a dressing from plain greek yogurt, balsamic vinegar and artificial sweetener.  Its sweet and crunchy and low cal and low carb. 

If you put some creative energy into your food plans, you will find a way to eat well and stay on plan.  And its so worth it.

best wishes,

Carol

One other point.  Eating protein doesn't help with hair loss.  I wi**** did!    Hair loss  happens as a body reaction to the stress of surgery. The hair goes thru a normal cycle of growing, stopping, falling out, and being replaced.  the stress of surgery just causes the hair loss to synchronize so it all happens at once.  But the hair grows back.  Its not fun, but this too shall pass!

Carol 

Protein shakes are an easy source to get protein in, however that sin't the only way. I try and consume all my protein by actual food. It helps to keep me full and I feel more satisfied. Just because its breakfast time it doesn't mean you can't have your leftover dinner from the night before! Consider cottage cheese and the greek yogurt too. There are a lot of outside the box options. 

If you chose the protein shake route I would consider premier protein. They don't taste to bad and they are loaded with protein.

I'm so happy to hear from you!!  I've been thinking about you and wondering how you are doing.

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling a bit.  PLEASE listen to the advice already given to help you get back on track.  Also, PUT YOURSELF FIRST and take the time to make yourself nutritious on-plan meals and snacks.  It is really time consuming and difficult at first (I'm still learning) but it pays off when you find a great recipes and snack ideas that work for you.  

I usually spend most of the day Sunday shopping and cooking for the week.  I've tried to turn it into a fun thing since I don't like cooking.  And I'm not hard on myself if I try a recipe and hate it and it ends up in the trash.  I won't know until I try it.

I've made a promise to myself that because I get to put so little into my mouth (and new tummy), that I will only put DELICIOUS things in and won't force myself to choke down something I don't like.  I am developing quite an array of yummy on-plan foods though.  

C'mon girl...you can do this! 

If you can also find a support group near you, I find our local support group very helpful. Also, someone on OH suggested Dr. Duc Vuong's book "Ultimate Gastric Sleeve Success" and its now my go-to book. He goes into great detail on the anatomy of our sleeve surgery and helps put everything into perspective. Got me back on track too. I will share the protein I finally found that worked for me. I think I must have tried at least 20 different protein powders and everyone on OH have their own preferences on protein. I'm now using Magnum Quattro (Vanilla Ice Cream), 30 grams Protein Isolate. I mix this with Almond Milk and a hand full of frozen strawberries. Its really YUMMY!  They have different flavors and I buy this at my local Nutrition store but you can purchase on amazon.com. Hang-in-there, you can do this. Christine