Posts by maskimxul

 As everyone has said, a scale is all that you make of it. It can be your best friend, or your biggest enemy.

 Stepping on that scale for the first time can be an eye opening experience for you. It was for me when I bought one as soon as I started my new "lifestyle". It really stung to see that big 275 sitting there on that scale. However, knowing that number and knowing that you need to get away from it is a GREAT motivation to really get your mind right.

 I used to weigh in every day as soon as I woke up. However, I'll have to admit that I went insane. Seeing the constant fluctuations day by day. Seeing a gain of 1 pound and then a drop of 2 just kinda killed my motivation. I now weigh in once a week (Thursdays) so I can keep a normal log.

 As of now, I'm sitting at 246 after 8 weeks (which is actually a little faster than I expected), but I can still keep track of my goals and stay in the mindset that I have to constantly strive to get in to the shape I want.

 Without the scale, my personal levels of motivation wouldnt have been anywhere near it is right now. So basically, my wall of text is to let you know, a scale was the best $30 i've spent in a long time and I hope it does the same for you.

I'm very anti milk in general (Tastes terrible to me and I'm also lactose intolerant), so I tend to stick with Vanilla Soy Milk in my cereal/protein shakes. Not to mention, the stuff has a shelf life of 2+ months :)

1 cup = 100 calories, 300mg potassium, 6g protein, 10g carbs, 3.5 grams of fat

 I've been there, so I really feel your pain on this one. I had my jaw wired shut for 8 months due to an accident. Half of my bottom jaw was seperated from my skull and had both sides wired shut to heal.

 I "lived" those 8 months only "eating" cans of Chicken Broth (with Tony's for flavoring) and cans of Slim Fast/Equate for at least SOME mild nutrition. Granted, this made me lose an insane amount of weight, I was consistantly and randomly passing out. I had NO energy. When the wires were finally removed, I gained all the weight back rapidly with interest.

 My advice? Be healthy about it. You may only be having the treatment for a few weeks on a liquid style diet, but don't get lazy about preparation of your meals. Prep time was (and still is) my biggest downfall when it comes to eating right. If your jaw is going to be wired on both sides, make sure not to eat anything too thick or chunky as it will clog the "braces". Make sure you prepare your food VERY thinly blended and remember, Smoothies are a god send if made right.

 Thank you all so much for all of this information. I can tell this is going to be quite the experience in both losing the weight, keeping it off, and also joining this community. Thank you all for your words of wisdom and good luck to all of you in your own personal endeavors.