feedyoureye

Oh for heavens sake woman! You have almost lost half of your weight! You are sooo successfull! Congratulations!

I swore off "diets" at one point. To me that meant not paying attention to what I ate or how much I exercised. I went to India, ate whatever I wanted and lost 35 pounds in 6 months. When I got back to the states I continued to eat whatever I wanted, and gained 50 pounds in a couple of months. Its almost like I woke up one day 50 pounds heaver. It was a terrible battle after that. Its like my body just wanted to weigh 50 pounds more... permanently... lose a few, gain them back, repeat. Part of that was NO COUNTING CALORIES! Well, humbled...learning... I have found that counting calories, staying conscious of input and output, even when I'm not eating well, or moving much, is a good tool along with the sleeve to lose, and then maintain to some degree. I still am learning new tools to be successful at being healthy. One of them is I am seperating my feelings of hate from the hallmarks of dieting, and replacing it with excitement and determination with getting healthy and learning about my body and reaching and maintaining my goals. I have also learned not to get all bummed out OR too excited by the numbers on the scale. Its just a tool, information, not ME. Doing what it takes to remain conscious about diet and health is not failing, its succeeding.

looked up the menu, lunch size eggplant Parm for 620 might do the trick. Ministroni is only 100 as well...

There are so many temptations in life! I lost another pound... Yeah! But have a birthday party out at Olive Garden tonight....and Im a vegetarian, so no chicken breast choices for me... most likely salad and ?(cake!) I have taken the position that I go out to dinner for company, not the food, but it is disappointing where there is nothing I can eat that is on my plan. Makes it that much harder. Maybe soup? I will have to go on line and look at the menu. Usually in a place like that the veg choices are pasta. Well, I do have fast day tomorrow, so that will pull things back in soon! Hope I can keep that one pound off!

27.3- I'm closer to obese than normal. And I look great! (pats self on back) So do you Coops and Cheri! Don't you forget it!

Nothing stays the same. Don't be upset when things change. Just stick with your plan, drink lots of water, apply new nail polish to your toenails, hug someone (really, hug yourself!) ....fake it till you make it. Deep breath girls! ...and coop, Wheres your picture!? MIss it....

Fast days, no sugar or junk. Normal days, I eat everything in moderation. Always have. I make sugar free low fat chocolate pudding from scratch most normal days, with regular peanut butter and chocolate chips on top. No kidding. I add it to my eating plan first thing in the morning, because I want to make sure it is something I can look forward to and not be tempted by anything else during the day that has less protein and that I have less control over the ingredients. As long as I cook most of my meals, Im OK. Its the boxed cookies, donuts, potato chips that get me in trouble. If I could just eat a single serving I might be ok, but its a slippery slope. I make my own granola, mug cakes and pancakes and the like, and I control all the ingredients and keep it mostly sugar free, low fat and whole grain. Maybe this is one reason I have been such a slow loser, but Im still in the game, and eating in a way I can live with. The 5:2 is a refreshing and short break. I have lost about .1 pounds this week, but was on vacation and eating out most of that time, and only did one day fast this week. We will see how it goes in the long run. I went out and walked 3 miles today in some wetlands near by, took pictures, and the heat was not that bad, I have to say losing weight has made it so much easier to tolerate heat! Love that.

Read this post, it really explains a lot. The "Fast/rest" days are reduced calories, not no calories, the recommended calories for protein is 50 gms for the fast days, the other 5 days a week are protein first / regular eating for most of us. This plan is for those who after following their Drs plans for years have not gotten to goal, or have started gaining, or are having trouble staying at goal after a year or more. We do not recommend it to those who are just slow losers or not past a year or more. Everyone here is all about the health and long term success.

On fast days mfp says I will be at goal in 5 weeks... I have never gotten to the number it has given me following their formula. TEASE! But really, it gives me hope anyway. Made it through "rest" day, sipping on a decaf ice tea with peach Torani...

Welcome back and happy 3rdaversary!

How many pounds do you have to lose? The weight loss does slow down the further out you are. I would just stick with his plan, and see how it goes. After 12 months, come check out the Vets forum, we are a bunch of folks who have had the sleeve longer than 12 months, some up to 4 years. Some of us have not lost all our weight yet, but are working on some solid changes that are getting some of us some movement on the scale after months and years of gaining, and stalls...

Freudians! Somethings just demand we keep our eye on the prize! I just think that if you love your life, who cares if you need to organize to support your goals!? May things stay effortless for you! That would be bloody fantastic if they did! I don't blame anyone who has had an effortless time maintaining for leaving the boards. Its just not the case for some of us. Still changing, still learning. You know where we are if you need us.

Laura, I'm taking a break from feasting today as well. I had a great eating experience on my trip . (I hope it all tasted good to you too!) I enjoyed it. I will do it again sometime., but now I am happy to be eating well and less today. There is always tomorrow to eat a little more then today and enjoy that as well. So true. Do turkeys have chins? Im kind of working on one of those! I have to say though, that exercise really has helped the shape of my neck.

Hi ladies, I'm back from my nature trip to Point Reyes on the North Coast above SF. It is so beautiful there! I ended going with an "eating buddy" of mine, so good restaurants and bakeries all along the way. I decided not to get too crazy with my weight watching... I skipped a fast day and decided to make it a "maintenance week" with only one fast day... on the 4th. I will weigh in the morning and see the damage. My computer could not get on the internet at the hotel, so when I got home I tried to fill in everything I ate to the best of my ability. I was over by 200-400 a day, with one day under. I exercised a ton! I hiked every day... including a 6.3 mile hike, a 5.3 mile hike and a couple of 4 mile days. My calfs are sore! So we will see how it goes. ...I just went in and weighed (it is the PM... so will see the actual results in the AM) and I only gained .3 pounds! awesome! I am looking forward to fasting day tomorrow, and really had some lovely gourmet food and drinks (half servings most of the time) on the trip. What a relief! My friend was worried that I would not be a good eating friend, and she said it was still fun to be with me, and she was only a little worried that she was a bad influence on me. I am glad this thread was moved to the Vets forum, at least it has some context here. I tried to move it, I have some moderator status, but apparently not moving threads. Hey! Where is Globetrotter!? MIA... Hope you are doing OK girl, where ever you are!

My husband was in Moab yesterday, he drove over 700 miles straight through to Sacramento! Crazy mofo! Anyway, hot as h*ll all the way. 108 today. Drink lots of aqua girl!

Ms.S, I do a lot of my own cooking. My husband cooks for himself most of the time because we eat so differently, and I cook for him once in a while. Cooking can be fun, and you don't have to make a big meal or sometimes I make enough to have left overs for lunch or dinner the next day. (Then I dont have to cook then!) I make stir fry, non pasta lasagnas (using stips of yellow squash). When its hot, I just make it on the stovetop in an iron skillet... in winter I turn on the oven. It tastes so good! I am a vegetarian, and really, if your not eating a lot of pasta, bread and carbs, then it makes it hard to eat out or get stuff to go. I have to cook if its going to be healthy, at least most of the time. I have found a couple of websites and cook books that get me going in the right direction, and really, I make the same things for weeks on end, then switch to something else if I get tired of it. Salads, soups, stir fry, layered skillet casserols, crock pot dishes....oatmeal based dishes (sweet or savory) I also have snacks around that wont kill my diet... walnuts, genisoy crackers and a variety of cheeses... pickles... I just made Yuba (soy skin) BBQ ribs... they are pretty dry, like jerkey, and high in protein, veggie, and a great snack. They are as close to junk food as you can get without being junky! I just pop them in a lidded jar and have one when I really want something not so good for me. Even if you just cook once a week, and eat from that, with planing it really works well. Make it fun, a new hobby!

Cutie pies!

OD, there is some flexibility, but mostly people "fast/rest" on Monday and Ths... but whatever days work best for you.. NIght before, when you get done with dinner (the earlier the better, but I dont always eat early...) finish up and just consume water, tea, flavor waters... sleep.... fast day- no more than 500 calories regular exercise if you have a routine, you can eat a small breakfast or skip it, small lunch or skip it... the rest of the calories for dinner, then only drinks, sleep. Next day (feast day) eat regularly. The plan calls for TDEE, but most here are eating like they would regularlay... 1200+ a day. Regular exercise(if you do it) until you get to your next fast/rest day, and repeat. It is supposed to be good to do exercise during the fast, then eat after. I have a protein drink mixed in a decaf over ice on fast days, veggies and maybe a laughing cow for lunch/snack and a 260 cal dinner, heavy on the veggies. Keep it low glycemic index on fast days. Try to get in 50 gms of protein on fast days. More on regular days. The best tool in this box is "I can have what I want tomorrow" If your hungry. This is called the two sleep or 36 hours fast.(aproximately 500 cals between when you stop eating on regular day and start eating the next regular day-36 hours) Making time for long stretches of non eating/resting/repair is the key....as well as the reduced calories. You can plan a more strict plan where you only eat in a small window later in the day on fast day, and only have liquid the rest of the time. There is some thought that non sweetened whey drinks are fine (do not break the fast) during fast time... especially after exercising, but count the calories. Hope that helps! Do read the links and such, it helps alot, and I may be full of s*it on one part or the other!

I figured if I was out, who cares, as long as they get the job done right!

You have done so well T! It may take a while to figure out maintenance, and even that may change in the future, just don't panic, even if maintenance is harder than losing, its still a HUGE accomplishment, and you can beat the next phase too!

If you are back where you were on June 11th, you can start over again... but really, If you hadn't done this, you would be higher than June 11. You are a winner! Vacations are for cutting loose a little. If its salt weight, it will be back off in a couple of days. My meeting up with my hubby is not going to happen this time, but I still took time off from work and am going to the coast for some wetland and beach time, take the dog, and a girlfriend who wants to talk philosophy, Sounds great to me! We have a history of eating/cooking, and eating some more, so I will try and fast the morning before she gets here (Sunday so a day early) and keep it moderate for dinner, then let the wind blow where it may until I get back, only a couple of days.

woohoo! I had bounced up two pounds (can you spell salty mexican food?) , now down to 1/2 pound over my lowest this year... so can't complain!

Sounds good BBBarbie, you are doing great! Just let the sleeve work for you at this point. If you need this 5:2 after a year or so, we will be here with the lowdown on doing it for a while. We are your guinea pigs! Most of us here have never reached goal, or reached it then started gaining and needed something to get back on track. I never reached goal at 2 1/2 years, so that is why I jumped into this and it has gotten things moving. Come back when you really need it, you are doing fantastic now! Time will fly and you will be at a year sooner than you think!

for those who want to know about the 5:2 but don't have the book

The British Journal of Diabetes and Vascular Disease Intermittent Fasting A Dietary Intervention for Prevention of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease? http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/803740_1