Need to lose weight

     I don't have a weight problem but my oldest daughter did.  She lost a lot of weight by eating a lot of protein and not so many carbs.  She works full time and doesn't feel like cooking when she gets home, so she stocks up on Healthy Choice steamers.  I'm not big on tv dinners but did try them and they are delicious!  She works out faithfully in a gym but, then again, she doesn't have an ostomy like we do.  If you are able, walk, walk and walk some more.  The weight will come off, but be patient.

     It's going to be hard with the holiday season .

MacGirl, my husband and I had a lot of success counting calories with thedailyplate.com. Now it's part of livestrong.com. It sounds like a lot of work but it isn't at all. They have a database that has just about every food under the sun and most restaurant meals are on there as well. Once you've eaten something one time it's in your system so all you have to do is click on it if you eat it again. It would take me about 20 seconds to log a meal. What I like most about it is nothing is off limits you just need to try and stay within your calorie limits. So if I felt like having a blizzard, I would just have low-cal foods the rest of the day. That's why I think a lot of diets fail because people can't live with the thought of never having their favorite foods again. I have a major sweet tooth so that would never work for me. When you sign up - it's free - you input your height, weight and how much you want to lose a week and then it tells you your calorie goal. If you exercise you will get extra calories for that day. Plus, they have a really supportive forum for its users to share. There is a thread somewhere in there and it has a ton of before and after pictures - it's amazing and very inspiring. Once I finish with my last surgery and get in the swing of things again I plan on following it again. Good luck!

Thanks for all your advice. I have always believed that the key is to cut back on what you eat and exercise (and to stay off prednisone.) Not into the fad diet things. I do believe programs like Weight Watchers have proven the test of time and do work because they do not limit what you can eat. A friend of mine does it and has lost a lot. She lucky. Her employer pays for it and a gym membership. (My employer pays for my gym membership if I go 20 times a month.) I've tried South Beach in the past but it always seem to irritate my color with the high fiber grains and veggies.

Scrap Girl- I checked out thedailyplate.com today and tracked my calorie intake. Did pretty good. I still have 100 calories I could eat if I get hungry tonight. Haven't done any exercise so far today so I didn't get to try that option. It reminds me of sparkpeople.com. It may be a little simpler though. I liked it. I'm gonna see if they have an iPhone app.

Summerstorm-What does your insanity workout include? I'm not ready for anything too strenuous but I would like to know for future reference. I'm sticking to walking an Nintendo Wii for right now.

Macgirl, first of all you need to not expect too many results until you get off the prednisone. I have lost 62 pounds since May 7th. Started with cutting out soda and tea, I only drink water during the day and coffee in the mornings and also watch portion sizes. I started with walking and using the 3 pound free weights while walking. After 13 weeks, I joined the gym. The machines are great, don't get me wrong, but the free weights are just so much better and seem to provide so many more results. Also, the confusion technique is awesome. Never repeat the same routine from day to day. Constantly switch it up and you will be on the right track. Take your time healing though. Don't over do it. Good luck!!!

Pred weight is different and time is the answer there...you are only a month post op so it's really important you don't do too much too soon! A daily walk will definitely help, even at this stage of recovery, but with any successful weight loss program you have to increase activity and decrease caloric intake.

'Tap and Track' is a really good calorie tracking app for the iphone...and I think it's free too!

Renee-

We seem to have the same height and weight. And I am a foodie too. The main problem I seem to be having with the bag is that the fat around my stoma seems to be indented. My stoma looks like it is in a bowl. I have started having some problems with the wafer sticking because it is flat and does not bend inward. I am trying some different things though. Someone suggested I try a convex wafer. I am waiting on a sample from Hollister. I think that might be what I need.

Cathy,

I wish I could send some of my weight your way. I'm sorry your gastic bypass went out of hand. Can it be reversed?

My grandmother was super skinny. She never weighed anything. She was 5'8" and weighed anywhere between 80 and 90lbs. I don't think she ever got up to 100 the 12 years I knew her. She was geneticly thin and she didn't eat when she started getting sick in her older years. Her doctors tried everything to get her to gain. So I know that being too thin is just as bad and being too fat.

I do hope you can find a way to put on some lbs. I'll try to upload some to the forum for you to take. LOL. Good luck.

tina