Good morning :)

Today we have to take puppy #2 to get his ears checked -- I think he might have an infection or at least wax build up. He has very dark fur and I can't see in his ears very well.

Then I have a doctor's appointment. I want to ask about my ferritin. Most recently it came back at 13. I spoke with two people at the clinic (not my doctor though) who both said it was fine because the lab range is 5-272. I was under the impression that 13 would be considered quite low. All my other iron related numbers were fine though.

QOTD: what do you know about ferritin? Have you had any issues with it? This is the first time mine has been concerning to me.

Post-op four years and four months.

Breakfast - milk

Snack - leftover burger

Lunch - maybe a sandwich

Snack - cheese and fruit (I went a bit overboard buying fruit with all the delicious fruit on sale right now)

Dinner - chicken and Greek salad

Snack - SF pudding

All water and vits.

I do Optimum PC points too. Yesterday I went with DH to the grocery store. It was the first the first time in months. I held onto the cart and tried to make my strides longer. Small steps but it felt good to move.

Late poster but I'm here! Last night was a great night to walk so i did the extended version. Tonight is my first session with my personal trainer so that will be a little scary but I'm excited at the same time. HOT day for a swim Meg so I hope you are taking lots of sunscreen and a hat for the lil nugget.

QOTD: I too do the PC points and like that now you can get them at any Esso station on gas purchases.... that adds up pretty quick. I checked the other day when I bought something and noticed I have 360000 points so I'm going to use that on ME,,, perfume probably. ;)

B - greek yogurt

S - boiled egg

L - sauteed mushrooms, grilled chicken strips, few goldfish crackers

S - low-fat SF bran muffin

D - protein shake - heading to the gym

S - turkey pepperettes

I bought two - FiErst, Fresh Start Bariatric Cookbook (Sarah Kent)- and am REALLY happy with this one. It is a more down to earth cookbook with straightforward recipes- nothing super fancy - deals with from right after surgery through the gamut (i.e. early post-op foods to back to "normal" eating). Has a good introduction- goes into various things about the surgery,what to expect, gives a good breakdown of stages (full liquid to advance to general foods). Then chapters are from BReakfast, Vegetables, Dips and Sides, Vegetarian Dinners, Fish and Seafood Dinners, Poultry Dinners, Pork and Beef Dinners, Drinks and Desserts and Dressings, Sauces and Seasonsings (love this last one and using many of them on a regular basis now). Recipes are basic, easy and use ingredients most of us have in our kitchens - also provides healthy variations on old favourites.

The second I bought was Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery (Patt Levine and Michele Bontempo-Saray. Not crazy about it - but it comes down to prefrence. This second one has a lot of what I would term fancier recipes - lots of use of red and white wine in sauces, an emphasis (to my mind) on seafood/fish - which I hate both (am allergic to shellfish too). There are probably a few recipes I would use in this book and it is helpful that they give the various portions for the type of surgery and stage for each recipe - but not really my cup of tea.

Hi! What gym is it at and is it expensive? I'm looking for something affordable. I'm a single mom with 2 kids so always on a budget!? Want to fit in workout time right after work.