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Notes on saggy skin:

1. Both my children love my arms, they say they are so soft and squishy, and my youngest likes how they flap when she pats them!

2. Don't ever do a plank in a loose shirt that you can look down, you will be terrified!

I plan on getting plastics the moment I have the funds. I would get plastics tomorrow if I could. I have been heavy since Kindergarten, my skin didn't have a chance. I have also had 2 children and one of them was a c-section, so I even have some weird areas because of that.

I am working on not being my own worst critic. I am horrible and Skinniness, you talked about the lense. That is where I am struggling at the moment. I tend to pick out everything that is wrong without considering the good.

This is what I am trying to tell myself. I have put this poor body through a lot of things, not just weight gain/loss, but accidents, and stress. And this body has also given me 2 beautiful children. Despite what I have done to it, I am still healthy (even healthier now!) and I wouldn't be me if I didn't have this body. I am really working on giving myself just a little more compassion, I think not only does my body deserve it, but my mind and my heart as well.

Some great points everyone! I think when we all start out, we think of goal as the finish line. But like a few have said (Georgia, Cheri), there is no finish line here. Getting to goal does not give us permission to go back to eating the way we were before surgery. I think that is where a lot of people get into trouble. That is why I think it is imperative to make life-long changes that you can maintain, whether you want to call it a diet or diligence, its all in the wording.

When I got surgery, I took the mindset of making changes I knew I could live with for a lifetime. I never went low carb, or tracked calories, but I made a major revamp of what I ate. And even though I still slip up, overall, the habits that I laid down in the beginning are still sticking. But it has taken a long time and it has taken a lot of repetition. And there are days that old habits want to rear their ugly head. Some days they win, most days they don't. And I am working very hard on learning to be a little more forgiving of myself. The worst for me was the guilt/binge cycle and that is what I have worked very hard to get over. The guilt over eating almost anything has been the cause of so many failures for me.

I know I will have to be forever diligent, but I have accepted that. There are days that it does make me a little sad that I won't ever be able to be a little more relaxed about my eating, but I am happier where I am now, being thin and "dieting" than being fat and "dieting".

Yeah, I just can't with the plain Water. To this day, it still makes my tummy upset a lot of the time, and sometimes it still tastes weird. I am going to stick to my artificial sweeteners for now! I do sort of feel still like natural sweeteners might be a better way to go, but who the hell really knows! Stupid research sometimes, going and bursting my bubble!

I know there was some discussion on Artificial Sweeteners on here. I was doing some searching and found a couple of alternatives. Unfortunately for me, they are almost impossible to get in Canada, but hopefully soon!

True Lemon now has a new line of other drink mixes like Black Cherry Limeade, Raspberry Lemonade, and Lemon Iced Tea. All sweetened with Stevia and 5 calories per package.

http://www.truelemon.com/products.html

The other one is called Stur. It has zero calories and also sweetened with Stevia. It only has 3 flavors at the moment, but the site says they are working on more!

http://www.sturdrinks.com/Cart.aspx

Both are also available on Amazon.com (which won't ship to me ). Anyways, if you are looking for alternatives, there are some to try!

Ah, yes, that would make sense. Basically you would end up on an alternate weekly schedule, one week 3 days, one week 4 days. Keep us posted!

I survived my fast day yesterday! Oh, it was a tough one. But I came in at 492 calories. Weight didn't really change much, but I am no to worried at the moment since its around TOM. I am looking forward to a couple weeks from now when I usually see my losses.

Have a good day all you Tuesday Fasters! And enjoy your feed day everyone else!

I hear "please just go to hell" at least 10 times a day myself!

Really, you can't complain, at least there is a please thrown in there!!!

I don't think there is really anyway around us looking deflated. So many of us have lost over a 100 lbs, what is our poor skin suppose to do.

I hate my saggy skin, but I always take comfort in the fact that I looked pretty good dressed, and no one sees me naked except me (and maybe my husband, but that is a very rare occasion that is for sure...and usually by accident!)

Ugh, today is not going well. My brain is not in it and all I want to do is stuff my face. I checked my calendar and it looks although I might be starting to PMS...could explain the super bi***y mood I am in today too...my poor kids

I am already at 305 calories and I am only half way through the day (I made hard-boiled eggs and have eaten 4 whites...I don't like egg yolks)...they are only 17 calories a piece, but 4 of them is almost 80 calories that I usually don't have on a fast day. Gotta keep drinking, and maybe leave the house for a while....

Hope everyone else is having a better day than me.

I forgot to attach it, so here it is.....

I think you look fabulous, in your 40's for sure, not 57!

Congratulations Coops, you really are inspirational and a true testament being successful with the sleeve (even if you feel otherwise). Success is not only the number on the scale, and you have proved it! Everyone is so happy and proud of you!

As a man who is married to a perimenopausal woman, I agree....it's ALL about the hormones. Oh Gawd the hormones. I have seen my wife do everything under the sun from a sensible diet, Atkins, extreme fasting, running marathons....the scale simply won't move for her.

Awe, whatever do you mean. Our hormones make us glowing rays of sunshine, don't they??

I am not sure I believe in "calorie math" at all. In otherwords, there is something genetic, something efficient about some of our systems that we just glean more nutrition from food or we seriously just don't need as much as "normal". It is the "famine gene" or something like that because it simply defies logic otherwise.

I also agree. I really do think genetics have a large roll. Many of us come from families that also struggle with weight, even if they eat healthy. I have an uncle that the second he stops being super diligent, he starts gaining weight.

And I was always one that (in my humble opinion) had to work harder than many to just lose the weight. Before I had my son, I was trying to lose because I knew it was healthier for pregnancy. I worked out 1-2 hrs 5-6 days a week and restricted my calories. Sure, I lost, but slowly, taking me 2 years to lose 70 lbs and I actually became exhausted and had to cut back. Then I read stories of some people (not all, obviously) just starting to walk around the block and losing weight easily. There are truly people out there that eat what they want and never gain, and I honestly think they are just genetically blessed!

I have to say, I am pretty lucky. My husband has always been very supportive. He has watched me struggle to lose every pound in the past, working out to exhaustion, and just being miserable. Before I had my son, I had managed to lose 70lbs and had changed how both of us ate. I do almost all the cooking, so he eats what I make. And we never have junk in the house because I have no will power. There is the odd day that he is a little bummed because he really wants a snack, but it is just not there. I have been honest with him and tell him that I just cannot have it in the house. And he is the type that he can eat anything without gaining weight! And he has suffered through endless talks about weight, diet, surgery, VST, you name it!

There have been a couple of times that I told him, oh just remind me not to eat something. Then he does when I go to eat it, and he almost gets his head chewed off in the process (no one is going to tell me what I can and cannot eat). Now if I say anything, he just says "No Way, I have learned not to listen to you when you ask me to tell you not to eat something!". Poor guy, just setting him up hey!!

So I guess I am lucky that I don't have to worry about him fighting with me about meals or anything like that. I do all the shopping and all the cooking. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't eat! But I have never seen him skip a supper that I have made!!

The 5:2 sounds like a great option for him...maybe set the seed more by mentioning you can eat what you want on non-fast days (of course, for real success, you can't go crazy, but he doesn't have to really know that right now). And maybe if he starts seeing quick results, he might be more encouraged.

I don't think I could manage it! There are weeks where it feels like 2 days is 2 too many!! I also read right on the Fasting Diet webpage I think that the weight loss between fasting 2 days vs 3 days is negligible. But I have thought of doing the 16:8 method on my non-fast days (I tried it one day, it was ok, so I will see if I try it again). You eat your normal amount of calories, but only within an 8 hour period and the rest of the 16 hours is fasting (so ex: you would eat all your calories between 12:00pm and 8:00pm and then nothing until 12:00pm the next day again). No calories restrictions either with the 8 hour diet, but just like the 5:2 you would still have to be mindful.

Low calorie is relative, when I think low calorie I always think, "lowest possible calorie level with highest possible Protein content that are also the most filling", which means that technically they probably aren't the lowest possible calories. So my faves are plain greek yogurt, salad with homemade mustard vinaigrette, devilled eggs made without mayo, and my new super favorite, sent to me by Fiddleman & Phoenix, high Protein salami sticks, with only 80 cals per huge stick, tons of flavor, and 15g protein, woot!

Nice to see you on here! What is the name of those salami sticks?? I live in Canada, so I am not sure it is something I can get here or not. And I would love your recipe for mustard vinaigrette!

I always eat greek yogurt on my fast days, with berries. Lots of Protein and Fiber. I don't "snack" on fast days either, I only eat lunch and supper or I would feel like I am getting out of control (the more often I eat, the more hungry I feel!).

I have a scale that "supposedly" measures it, but I am not sure of the accuracy of it. This morning it said I had a % of 29.5%, average for my age, but sounds depressing that I am 30% fat still! Oh well!

I actually agree with FYE and Globe though. I think lip, Tummy Tuck, etc would make a difference as we have all the extra skin with extra fat cells "hanging" around. My tummy along is terrible and cannot wait to get rid of it someday....sigh....

I'm in my ninth week now? Is anyone keeping track? LOL...

So am I the only one who hasn't lost ANY weight doing this? I was, this morning, back up to my highest weight since originally getting to goal (72kg). I'm still keeping on, but wha...?? I have had a few social occasions that were full of food and wine, but I've also been tracking non-fast days and most of them have been quite reasonable 1600-1800 days as usual.

I'm trippin...

Edit: My fast days have ALL been in the 500-cal range and I've never (yet) had to ditch one cos of eating instead. So I've had legit fast days in the double-digits now.

OK, maybe I will just throw this out there, but maybe you don't need to really lose anymore, maybe your body likes where it is. I don't have any other explanation Swizzly (I can't remember how much you wanted to lose, sorry about that). Because it sounds like you are doing everything else right.

All I can say is you have determination! I hope it starts turning around. I did read somewhere (do not ask me where though) that sometimes it can take a long time for your body to adjust to the fasting and you do not lose in the beginning. Maybe?? Also FYE had a good point about body fat. It does say that fasting is more effective at burning body fat. Maybe you have lost inches??

Today is a fast day again, and I am not feeling it. I think it might be a hard one this week, but I am going to stick with it! It is only 9am and I already am wanting to eat. I can be strong though!

Have a great day everyone!

Thanks for your reply (and Coops and Laura-Ven too!) I mention this mostly because my 12 yo has been feeling "fat" and she is mostly taller and larger than other girls her age. She is very athletic and she is the kind of kid who eats enough at one sitting (like a full 'adult' size meal) and then totally forgets about food for hours! My 11 yo is quite a bit shorter (not quite 5' yet, in fact I think she is about 4'9") and she is my grazer. She has horrible eating habits and we definitely have to remind her about sugar intake, etc. But she eats a tiny little amount (still can't finish a kid size meal in one sitting) and then an hour later she is looking for food again. Sigh. So I just don't want them thinking that 500 cals a day is NORMAL. They know all about my surgery (they were 8 and 9 when I had it) and my youngest even gives me a hard time sometimes because I can be the "food police" and she calls my stomach my bananna or my "squirrel" stomach. Hahah.

It is so hard, especially with daughters. Mine is young still, but I am always worried she will end up like me. I am trying to teach her good habits, but the fear is always there. And on the other hand, I want her to grow up confident and proud of who she is! It is hard to find that balance between teaching them healthy eating and making them feel bad for what they are eating. You always know parenting will be tough, but some days, in this society we live in, I find it extra tough!

You oldest daughter sounds like she is maturing faster than the other girls. And even though she is a healthy weight for her height, I can see how it would be hard for her. I hope she can remain confident in herself, I know it must be hard to hear her say she feels "fat".

Fiddle...I'm in the camp that calories in vs. calories out is only half the story. It DOES matter what types of foods you eat, and I'm not just talking about sweets. There isn't much difference between a twinkie and mashed potatoes once you eat them. The insulin response is still the same. And in some people it's vastly different than others. If you're insulin resistant, eating high GI foods will increase the insulin response which among other things, prohibits fat burning and encourages fat storage. So 100 calories of potato has a totally different effect than 100 calories of turkey on weight and body composition. And the more insulin resistant you are, the more profound the difference.

Additionally, I have a healthy skepticism about TDEE calculators. Most of them do not consider the fact that a person may have lost 100 pounds or more which does have a profound affect on metabolism. Unless you are a heavy exerciser...especially resistance training, it can change the caloric requirements drastically.

Then there is the whole theory of setpoints. Whether you believe in those or not...not sure I do....but the body may indeed be looking for a point of homeostasis and fight to get there. And that point may be a few pounds above where you want it to be. And let's face it, everyone here has a body that likes to hold onto weight...otherwise we wouldn't be here right?

Alright...end of thread hijack.

Really great points BTB! You always have such great insight! I especially agree with not all calories are equal and our bodies respond differently to different fuels.

And I also want to add, and maybe not all will agree, but if you notice a lot of the people struggling with weight gain, or gain weight easily are women. It is true and it is just plain crappy. It is harder for us to lose weight and easier for us to gain weight. And our hormones have a role as well. Not only as we age, but from month to month. Hormonal cravings are very real and not just a "sweet tooth", and bloating and Water retention are common in almost all of us.

I can gain weight very easily, within a week if I do not watch what I am eating. That being said, could I always gain so easily. Probably, but I just never paid as close attention and just quit weighing in the past if I started gaining (I actually did not even own a scale for a long time).

And like Puja said, it is too easy to gain weight, and it is very scary. But it is reality.

And Puja, you are beautiful, you really need an after gallery at least!! Congratulations!

LOL! Yup not healthy

Trash sounds like a good place... I mean it's not like its a yummy cheesecake or Oreo Cookies that would be sacrilegious

Non fast day for me but I'm trying to have some control because I really haven't lost anything this week...

I wish I was one of the sleeve patients that says, oh they don't like sweets anymore, they just don't taste as good! HA! HAHA! Everything still tastes as good to me and I still enjoy food!! I am glad you do too!! I can't keep Oreo anywhere near my house (I think my children feel I am the meanest mom ever for never buying them!)

I threw a half gallon of no sugar added blue bunny ice cream down the sink the other day. That felt good.

Good for you!!

Sometimes it feels so hard in the moment because a) its yummy and you spent money on it. But I have learned it is just not worth it and feel more proud of myself for throwing it away! Hubby threw the rest of the puffed wheat away! Hooray for supportive partners!

I can relate to the guilt/binge cycle. It is something I struggled with before surgery and sometimes still struggle with, although I have made leaps and bounds over the last 2.5 years. I have realized that it isn't the odd indulgence that made me gain weight, it was indulging all the time.

And even though we can not rely on others to affirm us, it certainly doesn't hurt when you get a once over from someone else!! I know it definitely gives me a little boost!

I also weigh daily to keep myself accountable. I am loving reading that so many of us, especially us old timers, are being very conscious about it. Before, I would have just hid the scale and been in denial, slowly feeling all my clothes get tighter and tighter, but pretending like nothing was happening. I would say I typically have a 3-4 lbs bounce range, mostly because my weight fluctuates a lot with my cycle. And I have always been fine with that. This last Christmas my weight jumped up slightly because I let myself over-indulge, but once I was back to my regular routine and watching what I ate, the weight came off over the course of a few weeks. My last gain was related to medication. The bad, I gained 7 lbs in 3 weeks. The good...it stopped at 7 lbs, I didn't hide my scale and I didn't give up and I am slowly working it back off!

Congratulations on getting it back off! That is the key, being conscious of it before it gets out of control!