feedyoureye

I'm thursday too. decaf and an ESA carb control over ice. Its going to get to 111 here in a couple of days! 98 today. Salad with Brussels sprouts and cucumbers (hows that for weird!?) Then the other half calories for dinner. It must be hard being out... We work so hard to stay in the groove, being out of the cumfort zone makes that hard. However traveling to new places is all about being out of your comfort zone. The Toboggan ride looks so fun! I did one of those before I lost weight while in New Zealand... it was a blast. Have a great time.

Cowgirl, love your adventure photos! Way to go Jane! Life is change and you have seen a lot of change for sure. Best of luck on your new adventures and relationships!

Looking good Tink! I think Alex posted 6 months and over 100 posts, but behind the scenes people were suggesting over a year to qualify as a vet. Some big changes happen after the "honeymoon" is over that a 6 monther has not experienced yet. You will soon enough!

How long are you gone for? One day fast is used for maintenance, so you might be able to stay the same...?

You will be back from vacation soon enough! Just enjoy, and do the best you can. If all goes well, there is a chance I will be going on an adventure for 3-4 days this weekend... classic car road trip from Flagstaff to Sacramento.... 59 T-Bird route 40 and 66...Grand canyon and Vegas stop overs..... I plan on packing my 59 cargirl cloths! Its road houses and casinos all the way... I plan on packing some snacks, but I doubt I will be able to pull off a fast day... I may be one or two days late with my fast... but I will l do it the first day I get back. Ill post pics if I pull it off!

Sometimes I don't care if I eat the cake. I'll have seconds, Ill take the rest of the cake home and eat it the next day. I will even say to myself "Are you sure you want to eat the cake? Do you see that you are in that mood where it doesn't matter the consequences? And I still eat the cake. The things I do to try to keep this from happening are: Write down everything I eat, including 2 pieces of cake. I try to make up the calories the same day, and If I cant, I try to make them up the next day. Sometimes I take a long walk. I try to look and see whats up. Eating carbs for a while and having a carb attack? Try to really feel how rotten it makes me feel physically, while feeling rotten, throw out leftovers or give them away, Have some go-to substitute desert that is closer to plan, sugar free in the wings. I write down what I am going to eat for the day, at least some kind of an outline that can be tweaked if needed. I am following the 5:2 right now, and that seems to minimize the dastardly carb cravings. I have spent quite a bit of time thinking about what I love to do, and what I would love to learn... I have taken up several activities I can be passionate about... that include body awareness, exercise/movement, art, self expression, skill development that I love (dancing, nature walks, photography, bird watching....) When I do these things I change WHO I AM. In a healthy way... my mind is on something new, that doesn't rely on the food drug to be enjoyable and rewarding. I have met people who may not even know I was ever fat. They think I'm sporty and involved with the world around me. This IS the new me I am building. I think that from this new me, I might stand a better chance to act in a way that will help maintain better health....and I have the sleeve, and you guys. This helps too!

There were not as many around... the sleeve was still new 3 years ago when I came here. There were barely any 3 year studies yet(and they said that people would keep off 57% after three years average...), and many insurance companies would not do the surgery because it was still experimental. At my hospital, all the literature was for RNY or the lapband. There had not been many sleeves done before mine (I asked one of the head of departments surgery assistant, and he said he was involved in 4 VSG at that point) This is a major University teaching hospital with lots of research going on.... ) I think this newness, lack of insurance funding, and people slinking into the background if they had problems fed into the look of "This 25 pounds is gone forever" posts all over the place. More people with the surgery, more time has passed... and here we are. My doc did warn me of this early on. I really did not want to believe him. I am different (I hope I hope). There ya go. I'm sure there are perhaps lots of people just living life after surgery, who don't have this regain problem... but maybe not..... just don't know. When I went in for my last check up at the Bariatric office, my nurse was surprised I liked the surgery, she said half the people that had it complained allot about not liking it and wished they had gotten RNY. I did not ask what they did not like....My Doc actually thought I had asked for RNY and I had to set him straight. This is an evolving journey for sure.

Cute!Cute!Cute!Cute!Cute! I hate to tell you this Coops, but you look like a real normal cute lady! Sassy, and curvy! You may want to lose a few more, but you don't have to to look great! You already do.

Thanks for posting this. This kind of frank and revealing post sets a stage for success, not failure. This group of later stage VSG'rs are a force to be reckoned with. If there is a way or 100 ways to get to goal and maintain, they won't be found by being shy and fearful. Don't forget to enjoy life, and do come join us here on the Vets forum. Losts of great support and mature problem solving.

Down another 1/2 pound. The day after fast it seems like I'm eating so much! Love it.

Its working great for me... Im 60 as well... never got to goal.... have lost half of my regain in the last two weeks. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/83317-the-52-diet/ also "want to get to goal?" thread has some posts about it.

coconut and mint!! That would have been the end of me! I did eat about 60 over... but it was all pretty good, and I walked 2 miles today, so I think I'm golden.

Thanks!

Here is his story: http://www.leangains.com/p/my-transformation.html

For Breakfast I have been mixing a esa low carb Protein Drink with a 16 cup of decaf coffee. I then pour it over ice, and that makes about three cold coffees. It really keeps me busy drinking this. It lasts for a couple of hours of sipping and working. By lunch Im ready for my cut up veggies and laughing cow cheese. I like eating with my hands, it keeps me busy too... which helps me keep my mind off of any hunger I might be feeling (not much). Cooking dinner keeps me busy too, chopping veg and layering up with sauce and cheese etc. And I feel full after I eat this meal. When I get feeling "peckish" is later in the evening. I find a tall ice tea with peach Torani hits the spot, along with the "There is always tomorrow" thought. The idea is keep what I eat low carb before dinner. (even dinner is pretty low) to keep the fat burning going.

One day a week will improve longevity stats in the maintenance phase according to the 5:2 book. I have also seen reference to exercising on fast days before dinner (it assumes you are not eating before exercising on those days) to help get super lean body fat numbers. If I see the information again I will post here.

also.... most of us (at least I know I am) eating low cal (less than TDEE OR BMR- 1200-1600 depending on exercise) on feast days...just eating normally for me. I think this may be one reason I am losing faster than 1 pound a week as predicted by the plan. I believe the 500 comes from the general daily recommended intake for women of 2000 a day. I sure as heck am not going to eat less than I already am!

There is some flexibility with timing on this plan. Roughly, you have your last meal on your feast day, and on your fast day you can spread out the calories, or stick to one or two meals. Eat low glycemic foods, try to get 50 gms protein, lots of veggies, and lots of water, and tea or black coffee if you wish. when you finish your 500, you are finished for the day and until after you finish your next sleep. The is called the "36" hour plan or the "two sleep plan", where you only eat 500 (or 600) cals in 36 hours. Some say the more time you are not eating, the better it is, others say spreading your calories out to 2 meals or including snacks from your 500 works fine too. One of the authors ate breakfast and dinner, the other just dinner on fast/rest day. I am eating protein drink throughout the morning, cheese and raw veggies for lunch and a 265 cal dinner.

Vicki! so sorry to hear this. Best of luck getting is sorted out the next time. When I asked my doc what size bougie he used to size my sleeve, he told me he made the pylorus end wider than the rest... not sure how much wider... I have had trouble losing all my weight, but I don't get the feeling that my stomach is still getting bigger. He told me that people with more room at the pylorus end have less problems with keeping food down.... have read about Bezoars! Don't want one of those!

Just read this, a little Med. speak, but VERY interesting. Calorie restriction appears better than exercise at slowing primary aging. We are almost all calorie restricting here.....! Learn more: http://www.naturalne...l#ixzz2X0BoUS2Q and Periodic fasting increases fat burning and reduces the risk of disease Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032212_fasting_disease_prevention.html#ixzz2X0DpQLIg http://www.naturalnews.com/032212_fasting_disease_prevention.html

surgery 1-19-11- down 73.1 pounds today. high of 259, now at 185. Still not at goal, but heading there. I am 16 pounds away.

5 pounds- started on june 11....11days

Down another pound. edit: Oops I already said that. Excited much?

Wow. This device keeps working. In the past I have reduced my daily calories, upped my exercise..., with miles of plateaus and little loss..with this plan I actually am dropping pounds weekly... so far. Yesterday, I had to skip the gym because of my knee thing, did go for a mile walk, but did not have my usual extra exercise calories to add to my days intake.... I was hungry. So I made the executive decision to add about 150 calories to my intake. This was a regular day, not a rest/fast day. This morning I still lost a pound. I know Im still 16 pounds till goal, and a lot can slow down and stop before then... but I have hope WITH results for the first time in over a year. I dare to fantasize that I might slide into goal yet! ...and as a maintenance tool, this might just work too.

I was a little hungry in the pm too, my DH begged me to cook him dinner... so I did, and had to taste test... but I managed to eat about 3 pinto beans, and about a t spoon of rice. Not to bad considering the circumstances! Yaay me too!