Chimera

5 lbs a month is a reasonable and healthy goal - I'll take it over gaining more any day of the week The posts on eating more fats reminded me of an old favorite - fat guacamole devils (the name is almost as good as the recipe is) - these are delicious! http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fat-guacamole-devils/#axzz3fPnnqf3N Denise - I hope this new surgery will help - sending healing thoughts your way!

I would give it a try Florinda - I don't usually worry about fats and as long as my carbs are very much in control I will lose - that and I need to drink oceans of liquid. Hydration is my number one problem and always seems to have been. I am a slow loser as well - aside from the fist month after surgery, I lost about 5 lbs a month when I was eating the way I was supposed to - I would be happy to get back to that again. I think it can really do a number on our self esteem - not getting or maintaining a weight goal. I think you should applaud yourself for your diligence in taking steps to keep at it. The easy choice is to let it all go and return to our bad habits. I know how frustrating the regain is - but you are working at taking good care of yourself now - that is worth a lot!

I only read this thread and rarely check the rest of the board - other than you guys most of the folks I knew from our RL support group meetings have not posted in a long time (fiddleman and his wife, Steph, etc.) I have no idea how folks know about this little group or why they want to be in it so much especially if we are not really about 5:2 exclusively. I am totally fine with keeping it our same small group - with that said I am making an effort to post more and mot be such a lurker - which must come off as very rude, which is/was never my intention.

I'll say the same vote for me as well.

I really have to watch the carbs as well - I kick myself to think of how well I was doing with curbing the sugar monster and re-calibrating my blood chemistry and metabolism in that golden happy rainbow year and a half after surgery. Ah well, no worries, just get back up on that horse and keep trying to make healthy choices. When I think back on the last year - I was really, really unhappy over ethical stuff with my job (the administration that came in and forced so many professors to retire - it was just cruel and horrible) and the next crappy gig that it is no wonder I have struggled, as food has always been my solace - my place to drown basically. I don't think I will ever cure it like I managed to do with quitting smoking after 3 decades - I think I am better at abstaining than being moderate with food - better to just not have any than have even a bit of something that doesn't fit within our post op rules. Hang in there Florinda - I know exactly how you feel, the carbs in spinach and broccoli can stop my WL in its tracks

Here are a couple of snaps from the trip I never have found an easy way to add pics to a post.

Hi ladies! Once again apologies for posting so rarely, I think I too have little to say on a daily basis but I am much better at reading My weight is up a bit as well - enough that I have been scared to step on the scale - so I haven't, which is usually a huge red flag - meaning everything just goes out the window and eating becomes a free for all once again. The last year was very, very stressful and I got in a lot of healthy exercise all through last summer - then started a job from hell in the fall which lasted until spring - when I decided to start a new business venture of my own. Then, we decided to move in May - which all came about suddenly (mainly to be closer to our youngest starting college in the fall) - for those of you who are in the greater Seattle area, we have moved from living on the beach in West Seattle, to the foothills of Mt. Rainier in Puyallup, much more of a commute for hubby (who is at the main Boeing plant downtown) - but a house that is much more spacious, that is less money, and my mom is only 5 minutes away. I am an only child, she is not in the best of health so it feels good to be closer - we have gotten to see her more in the last month than we have in the last decade I think. At the start of June my oldest step daughter came for a 3 week visit and she wanted to learn to paint in oil so I created a little curriculum for her and we had great fun making all sorts of little paintings. We also just returned from Cancun - we met up with my husbands sister and her husband - so we were 6 and had a fine time - none of us got burned (and that sun down there is no joke!) There was mostly swimming and lounging at the pool with cocktails everyday - which was a silly treat as none of us really are drinkers. There were more carbs than I should have had but it could have been much worse. My sister-in-law was actually the inspiration for my hubby and I to get our WL surgeries - so there were 3 of us who had bariatric surgery on the trip - two sleeves and a RNY - she is a few years ahead of us and has gained a bit back but is hanging in there. We had a little BBQ for the 4th, and there is still some pie hanging around but we are committed to a dietary reset after the food is gone. Mom will eat some again today - she is coming over to watch the US world cup match finals. I have been reading up on a program you guys may have heard about - you guys always seem to be in the know with great resources online. Not sure if you guys are familiar with Whole 30 but I am going to give it a go in an effort to break my sugar addiction - the more I feed it the bigger it seems to get (like some giant, scary dust bunny haha!) - a lot of the foods are similar to other anti-inflammatory diet protocols such as Abascal - which is something a girlfriend did and she lost a significant amount of weight and seemed to feel much better. I can make some truly crappy choices with food and hubby and I will end up right back where we started if we don't get serious and regulate. http://whole30.com/ I like the idea of committing to a summer of healthy choices that will last all year round - September is when things usually start falling apart - all of our birthdays, holidays, etc.

I totally know that little gallery - used to drive by it every day. I know what you mean about the varying quality of the work up at times - but I suppose that every gallery/museum/home/coffee shop has work that might not be to ones taste. I am a munchy, munchy mouth right now - perimenopause and I feel like my sleeve is totally broken, but I know it isnt when I eat what I should lol.

I just hate that we dont get update messages for our group anymore! Said it before and saying it again.

Haha Florinda sounds like some of the folks I used to work with And Kim is right about copyright - in fact, original works are protected under copyright the moment they are completed - technically you don't even need the symbol on the work. You can file your work officially with the US Copyright office - I know one used to be able to lump up to 30 works under a single filing (great for big series lol) for around $30. Again this is not necessary - the greatest protection it can afford is giving you more leverage if you want to sue someone for using your work without permission. This used to happen to me fairly regularly - a cease and desist letter is usually plenty What gallery are you walking by on your way to work? You work right across the street from my former employer (Cornish College of the Arts).

Hi ladies! Checking in - I think it took me about 20 minutes to find the thread! Why don't we get notifications any longer I wonder - is that some new 'premium feature'? I am up as well and its all in my lower tummy, thighs and rump - we went to whistler and it was agony on the knees. There was little snow so those bunny slopes where at the top of the mountain, which is just a bit steeper than the true baby slopes. Lets just say I didn't do too much skiing. Then I got some gastro-intestinal bug that had me vomiting and feverish for 3 days (isn't it sick when we are happy that we cant keep anything down lol). We are going to Mexico in a couple of months and I am dreading it a bit - its so funny how perception influences our feelings - when I was on the way down, this weight had me elated - now that it is a bit higher than that lowest low - I think myself a miserable failure. Ah well - need to take the advice from my own signature Hope you are all well - I too though I need a revision - feel like my sleeve is broken lol.

Sheryl, I am going on a trip to Whistler skiing next month - what kind of knee brace are you thinking? I have bad osteo-arthritis and am very nervous about aggravating it - a lot of biking last summer was pretty painful. I should just go back and find the miracle brace that was mentioned.

Sorry you had such a miserable time at that support group meeting - I have only attended the meetings that my surgeon's office hold. I had not gone in a long time due to my new schedule, as well as the topics which were geared more towards early pre and post-ops. I had a great time at the last meeting and I felt re-energized at the last one I attended. My docs office seems to be very interested in those of us who are further and further out from surgery - as we know this is where the rubber meets the road We used to have a few folks from here that attended, (Fiddleman and his wife, Steph, and a few others) but I have not seen those folks in quite a while. The cookie monster seems to still come around and the poo is still green and blue! I must have the world's slowest GI system of my insides are permanently stained from that Seahawks cupcake frosting - maybe the Patriots tainted it so I will have it forever lol. (JK New England fans). I am so sorry you are going through such an ordeal with your infection Denise - I hope some relief comes soon, hang in there! Kim hope you have decent weather for your bird watching trip! Sheryl, I think you have a great attitude about the weight you are at now - I am always thrying to get to a place where I feel okay with my weight - not sure I ever have had that, even when I was under 120 lbs about a thousand years ago

Bah just lost my post - trying again I am up post - Superbowl which is no surprise. As my father in law would say I have "Plumpinosis". I am working my way back down towards those lower calorie days which make me feel better in every area, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. The cookie monster showed up at our house for the big game bearing football shaped cookies and green and blue frosted cupcakes - these little gems has had myself and my family pooing fluorescent colors ever since, which leads me to beleive that they are not something I should ever eat again lol. We will have to deal with this madness for the rest of our lives - Florinda, please don't be too hard on yourself, I can absolutely relate to how you are feeling and reacting right now. It is so easy to get into the mode of beating ourselves up when we feel that we have somehow failed - but you haven't! If you can make a little list of 3 things that make you feel good about yourself and try and do those things each day - I find it can go a long way towards helping self-esteem. Writing down our food, water, vitamins for the day, crossing some simple chores of the list, doing a load of laundry, etc. When it gets bad just take it a minute at a time. It is just fine that we aren't perfect - we should never expect that from ourselves. We just need to do the best we can on any given day - and often times, being kind to ourselves is both the hardest thing to learn, as well as the most challenging - I know it has been and continues to be for me. Hang in there guys - love ya and today is another chance for us to feel better about ourselves!

Hi ladies! I agree that the refreshed mindset is important - I found myself stymied at my wight gain over the past few months...well I put the sleeve to the test and sure enough, just like everyone tells you - you will gain your weight back if you don't eat within the nutrition guidelines set out. Last year was ridiculous with the stress - and I think I let the hopelessness over issues I could not control at work spill over into my personal life in terms of identity and taking good care of myself. I am one that tends to isolate, hibernate, and eat to soothe - and that is just what I did. At least now, I seem to be able to get back on the horse much more quickly. Much of what has helped is the accounting taken along the way - journaling daily food intake and exercise, more personal journaling about the journey and happiness that had come from shedding so much weight, the pride that came from success. I am still working on reaching out and being part of a community - like with this group here. I mentioned it before on this board - I felt and still feel a lot of shame over back-sliding and gaining weight back. But the reality is that it looks like most of us who have the surgery have the same experience - I am not sure if I have read updates from any member who has not had a little or large weight gain bounce up after that first year or two. I saw 190 on the scale for a moment in December - like my lowest ticker weight I also saw only once - so I am calling those numbers the non-stickers lol. The weight on the scale this morning was 183.6 - and I have set a very doable goal of 4 lbs a month for the entire year until I hit that damned healthy BMI that for me lives at and under 140 lbs. Gonna do my best to stay positive and keep at it! I was really inspired by the 5:2 thread about hunger that I think it was Kim who posted - it looks like a lot of the ladies on that thread did 4:3 to lose and 5:2 to maintain - I was thinking of trying the same thing. I was having a great fast day on monday until late I was under 500 and then hubby shared a low carb tortilla with turkey with me - I suppose it could be worse - I will take being 7 down of the 27 bounce up I seem to be able to do okay with around 600 cals - 500 and under can be rough - how do you guys do it and what do you eat? Florinda - I looked at a lot of Amazon gigs as well went I resigned from my last gig. Decided against it after reading a few of the job descriptions - a few of which seemed to rival my masters thesis in wordiness lol. Want simple and happy and kind the older I get. Peace to all who are struggling. Keep up the good fight.

And I don't think I know A sleeve4me - I rarely visit the rest of the board anymore - just our group. I am fine with new folks if everyone else is.

I have not heard of the instant pot myself - I will have to check it out. Sheryl - I was looking for parties for SB49, I know Jimmy's on First is a pretty hopping spot - as is FX McRory's in Pioneer Square. I looked on the Stranger and here is a link to a list of just about every sports bar around heh - we had a party last year but are just hanging with family this year. http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/LocationSearch?locationSection=2115789&barCategory=179049 Doing well with food still - hubby bought pizzas last night for the teenagers and had only a wee bit - which is a triumph for me I need to get my butt in gear and get with moving more - I was really active all summer and it was the new job, stopping all planned exercise, and carbs and candy that did me in - 80% of regain happened October and November. I wasn't tracking food at all either - just proves to me that the statistic is true - those who track their food have the greatest success at keeping weight off long term. Guess I am a nut who needs to relearn the same lesson over and over lol.

Hi gals! As Sheryl mentioned - Seahawks are off to the Superbowl again and I am a rabid, rabid fan so I have been in a blue/green haze since Sunday I have had two great days with food - trying to reign in the carb/sugar monster and I already feel better. Hubby has brought home more bags of candy which I will do my best to ignore. I have Greek yogurt and Premier Protein Peanut Butter protein bars - both of those are foods that have a sweet taste but I do not abuse (as in this is fine but its not so good I will eat until I make myself sick). I am not sure what type of an eater I am so I should take the quiz - when I was a heavy smoker I took a quiz to see what kind of a smoker I was and I was off the charts in all areas - its still my shining achievement that I was able to quit after almost 30 years of 1-2 packs a day. Any type of manner in which I can abuse food I seem to be able to pull off - being scared is what has helped get me back on track - remembering just how good I feel when I am taking proper care of myself and not eating mindlessly is helping. If I dont get mindful fast I will be right back where I started, once again. I haven't gotten a fasting 500 calorie day in - but yesterday I was at 790 cals, 62 g protein, 92 g carb, 20 g fat - today so far I am at 500 calories, 28 g protein, 50 g carb, 17 fat. Really trying to focus on liquids and upping those - my own version of a 5 day pouch test I guess. I see a new doc at the beginning of March so I hope that I will be down a wee bit before then. I am so sorry to hear about folks passing, and the stress of caring for our older loved ones. I am on only child and my mom is 75 this year - she seems to be doing well, a few issues here and there but generally okay so far (knock wood) - our family trends to just drop dead out of the blue from stroke or heart attack though. I hope it will be that way for myself and all of my loved ones - poof My thoughts and prayers are with you guys who cant get the time to move more, or that it hurts, and especially Denise with the wound - I hope you are better soon! I read this from a post on FB last night and thought it was lovely - comforting with aging and passing. Brain Pickings is a pretty good site. http://www.brainpickings.org/2015/01/20/mary-oliver-molly-malone-cook-our-world/

Hi gang! The whole family has been really sick for weeks - I got sick on December 20th and I am finally starting to feel better today. Have been to the doc twice and they say its pneumonia, a round of antibiotics seemed to do absolutely nothing so I am guessing it was more viral than anything. I think the same virus has wiped out most of West Seattle. I am back on track as well - I too am up 20ish, which is what it has been for a little while, so looks like I am in good company Got into a bad habit the last couple of weeks and that is TOP RAMEN! Seemed like it was the only thing I wanted to eat when I was feeling like hell - good thing it is gone now. As soon as my lungs stop feeling like I have been squeezed in a vice I will get back to moving a bit more - I have some new Jillian Michaels tapes I want to try out, I have heard good things about them. We are off too a good start this year ladies - woohoo!

Maybe I am just re-living past dieting failures but this last week I have been feeling nervous that I suddenly won't lose another pound from where I am right now, no matter what I do. I journal, get plenty of Protein, do my best to get all of that Water in and havent had any bad carbs in months, do my best with activity as well though I am a bit limited at the moment with arthritis - Do you guys ever feel like this? Or folks who are a long way out - did you have that feeling too? I think I am just freaking myself out lol. I want it so bad but I guess I've felt like such a failure with taking care of myself for so long that I still am thinking that a healthy BMI will be forever out of reach for me.

Oh no Cathy! I am so sorry about the leak - what a nightmare. And glad that no one was hurt! One salon I used to own downtown had section 8 housing above us - in an old building from the turn of the century. I guess some sleepy junkie went to have a swim in his tub and forgot to turn the water off - a huge chunk of plaster about 4 feet across crashed down between hairdressers - it was crazy - again no one hurt thank goodness, but what a mess.

Glad you are feeling better! When you mentioned septic I was very worried - glad to hear you are feeling better. I usually always say yes to everyone being part of the group - Lisa's Hope was a member of this group but did not come around much - think she may have only posted a few times. She and I had our surgeries on the same day and we became Facebook friends. I know she has been through a tremendous amount of heartbreak recently - she lost her husband to an aggressive form of cancer. I feel immense compassion for her and what she has had to go through - that being said, her posts on FB caused me to eventually unfriend her. We all have a right to our own opinions and beliefs - but I found many of the things she posted on social media to be extremely offensive and at odds with my own beliefs. She is a very right-wing, conservative, deeply born-again christian type who finally posted one too many anti-democrat, "Obama is the anti-christ" memes and frankly I was sick of looking at this simple minded pap in my feed. I'll just say this - please delete this thread if she is invited - or I guess I too will join the ranks of those called heathen lol.