Blood work

Well finally - I'm just 2 years out but this is the first time in years my liver counts have been normal! That is what I had WLS for in the first place! It gives me the boost I needed to get going and get this last 20 pounds off (again)!

Take care!

Diona

That's wonderful!!! Keep us posted on your progress!

That's great news!!! Congratulations!!!!

Diona... That's awesome!  I love hearing these things...It makes me realize too how lucky we are to have a second chance at our health...and to look even more fabulous than we did 5-10 years ago...You'll get those 20 off...Chase around those grandbabies and that'll do it...I wish we could bottle their energy and mix it in our protein drinks in the morning!  LOL Hugs Anita

Boy you hit that one on the head - energy - it's the one thing that aludes me. I have to force myself into doing anything I do. I don't do caffiene so that is out. Any ideas out there?  Diona

I start with a hearty breakfast with some good carbs to get me moving....It really does give me energy to get thru the day with no trouble. I have made my own powerhouse hot cereal... I mixed together steel cut oats, wheat germ, rolled barley, ground flax seed and some whole just for fiber...thin sliced almonds, crushed large green pumpkin seeds (15 of these puppies has 10-17 g of protein)  After I microwave in water...I add some soymilk and a half scoop of vanilla protein powder for the sweetness and extra protein...and sometimes a little honey or powder honey.  Fresh or dried blueberries/strawberries/ bananas...are nice too. You can change the flavor from day to day adding cinnamon and apples and walnuts. This keeps me full all morning...and give me the carbs needed for some energy...while being a super protein powerhouse!  It is loaded with all kinds of good things. You can microwave it for a good 3 minutes (steel cut oats take a bit longer to cook than quaker oats, but you can modify for you own recipe) Just an idea.. Anita

Hello , Can you please tell me what good carbs are.I eat a bagel every morning and at night a whole bag of microwave popcorn, but I think these are bad carbs. Am I right? Ive gained about 7lbs in a couple of months. I had my surgery in May of '06 , and I lost 150 lbs. I dont drink water and I dont really get protein in. I only get my protein in from my dinners when I eat meat. I get so confused on what to eat and what to watch for when reading labels. I ve been told so many different things regarding fats,carbs and sugars. Which do you look at first? I dont know when I shop which one I should keep the lowest. Im sorry I picked you to pour my guts out to, but  you just caught my eye. Thanks for anything you can do.

Good carbs are vegetables and fruit, grains, etc.  Just my opinion, the bagel is not a good balanced breakfast, you might try something different like oatmeal, eggs, bacon, cottage cheese in the morning and add protein powder to increase your protein. Popcorn is also not the best snack choice, an occassional serving won't hurt but if you are eating it often you could jeopardize your weight loss. When I look at labels, my first concern is "how much protein", if I like it then it's checking carbs, then fat (I focus allot on saturated fat.  My main concern is low carb, high protein.

Are apples and grapes ok? What do you eat at dinner? I usually eat whatever I am making for the family. Chicken, Pork or whatever. I bake everything not fried. But I do eat pasta and potatoes. I dont know if I can really give up my bagel and popcorn. Its like my addiction. I never knew that carbs were the most important. What do you consider high fat? Thanks for all of your help.

Yes an apple or a serving of grapes are fine......have you ever logged your intake to see how many calories, carbs, fat, protein grams you are getting in a day......I use fitday (www.fitday.com) it's free and gives you the ability to customize your foods also. My family eats lots of chicken, pork loin, shrimp and beef....I try to make it the leaner cuts of beef and pork......rarely have I eaten fried post-op (some but not often), we usually grill or bake sometimes we put it in a stew or gravy.  I eat potatoes occassionally (a weakness so I limit), rice (another like, was eating to much hence a 6 lb gain), and pasta rarely (never ate allot pre-op either).  I don't do bread easily so very limited there.  I ate way to many bagels pre-op, love them, I've eaten about 1/2 of the bottom half of a bagel in 3 years.   Maybe I mis-stated earlier the most important is protein, the 2nd thing I watch for is less carbs. High fat:  mayonaise, butter, bacon, pork sausage.....thing greasy. My daily plan is for protein to be 40-50% of total calories, fat - 35 or so %, carbs 15-25%.