livvsmum

I'm definitely in again too! These challenges always keep me motivated. I also like having the weigh in days on a weekend or Monday because it "keeps me honest" over the weekend. I'm a lot more motivated to hit my daily nutrition goals when I have a weigh-in looming the next day or so. :-)

I would say YES to all of the statements in the original post! Lol. I just posted my 6 month post op update on my blog (linked in my signature) and I talked about just that....all the wonderful ways my life has changed. And an added bonus is that I keep being told I look 10 years younger :-)

Once per day, first thing in the morning

I can't say the 2nd 50 was any harder than the first. Honestly what has worked for me is sticking to "the basics"..... no more than 40 carbs, at least 60g protein, and at least 64 oz of water. No big secret other than those :-)

My final weigh in is 178.2. I missed my goal by .8 of a pound, BUT I did reach 100 pounds lost, so that is a WIN!!!

So I have a pretty bad cold, swollen glands, runny eyes, the whole 9 yards. I feel really crappy, but don't want to get out of the routine of going to the gym. My friend mentioned that working out when you're sick can sometimes weaken the immune system and make it harder to get over it. What do you all think? Do you work out when you are not feeling great, or take some time off to rest up?

You really do like like a different person! Congrats!

It's a small world! Lol. I'm pretty boring as far as food goes. I've found things that work & stick with them. Breakfast is usually a Protein shake, lunch is usually chicken salad, or some version of protein (lean), dinner is more chicken/fish/occasionally a red meat & maybe a little veggie. Snacks usually include Greek yogurt (my favorite), a fat free cheese stick, or a 1/2 serving oh peanuts. I try to always stick to my numbers (no more than 40g carbs, at least 65 protein, and try for 100 oz of water). Those are the magic numbers for me :-) I don't worry too much about calories at this point. I average 500-600 on a high day. As for exercise, like I said above I am training for a 5k so interval training for 60 minutes 3 times a week...nothing too major :-) You can also friend request me in myfitnesspal if you want. I track every single thing. That has been huge for me. My name on there is livvsmum

I'm glad I can help! I do have a little excess skin, but I haven't started toning yet. It's totally worth it though!! My starting weight was 278.4

Thank you! I'm glad I could help! Right now I'm training for a 5k so I do 60 minutes of cardio 3x a week.

livvsmum awwwwwww come on girlfriend are you kidding me????? i agree with Teachamy rest, sleep, drink plenty of fluids oh no!!!! i sound like my mother the eliptical, treadmill and weights will still be their when you feel better you are realllllly close to to enterring the century club i'm holding the door open for you i don't want you coming in sneezing and coughing feel better kathy You are too funny. I think that is part of what bugs me the most. Now I'm stuck at 1 pound away from 100 lost and normally I would head to the gym and work that pound off ....lol. This was not perfect timing. :-)

Haha. NO! I would have died first! I'm still not that thrilled with my stomach, but, hey.... it's a heck of a lot better! :-)

Thank you all, you're sweet. :-) That's too funny that you say that about my kids. I've had a couple people tell me that I look a lot younger now, not knowing that I had surgery. I guess that is an unexpected benefit! :-)

This is great! congrats!

I've only been doing cardio - training for a 5k - because I have had a similar concern. I've decided that after my 5K I will start some toning, and hopefully it won't affect weight loss too much.

I do remember you! I hope that everything with the insurance goes quickly and smoothly! I know how hard that can be to wait through all of that. It sounds like you might regret waiting a little bit, but honestly, it was probably a good thing. Now you know with 100% certainty that you are making the absolute best decision for yourself. Good luck!

So happy to hear how well you are doing! Good luck going back to work! I went back after 2 weeks as well. The first week back was really hard mainly because of how exhausting it was (and I have primarily a desk job....lol). Just know if you do feel exhausted, that it will get better!

MOM works like a charm for me. Colace really didn't help me much

Olive Garden has this great tiny plate menu. I think you're supposed to mix & match but I just order 1 chicken skewer and it's perfect. Texas Roadhouse also has a shrimp skewer appetizer that works perfectly. I hate ordering full sized meals for me...it just feels like a waste. I'll try to order appetizers, but healthy ones are rare. One thing we do is my husband will order a chicken Caesar salad & I'll eat the chicken & he eats the salad :-). Be creative!

I tried weighing myself weekly, and it didn't even last one week. lol. I'm a scale addict. I own it. You just have to make sure that you don't let it affect you. I try my hardest not to get discouraged if I don't see a loss that particular day. Sometimes I try and go back through my day and see what might have caused that, or sometimes, I just shake it off and move on. :-)

Everyone's story is so different. I would not make a decision one way or the other based on personal testimonies alone. Read up, read as much as you can - research, statistics, success rates, etc. Participate in a pre-op program - I did one for 9 mos with my surgeons office before my surgery. Take part in support groups, etc. to make sure you are ready for the changes. If through all of that you still feel it's for you, then regardless of what comes, you will know you made the best decision for you. But to answer your question, yes, for me it was totally worth it 100 times over. I'm six months post op, down 98.4 pounds, 35 to go, working out daily, happier, healthier and only regretting not doing it sooner.

I think you definitely have to prepare as much as possible. Read up, go to support group meetings, do a pre-op program with your physician. The more prepared you can be, the better. It definitely IS possible to prepare. HOWEVER, there are somethings that you just won't completely be able to prepare for me. I felt that I was REALLY prepared. I did a 9-month pre-op program, read books, did behavioral change modules, therapy, etc. I knew what to expect and how to behave after. However, I don't think the literature or the programs prepare you adequately for the emotional part of the experience. I literally had to grieve the loss of food because it had been my comforter for so many years. That was tough. But, all the other tools helped me find some healthy coping mechanisms to replace that loss. Emotionally it is tough at the very beginning. Cognitively, though, it's totally possible to prepare.

I've been doing it for a couple weeks now. Just completed week 3 day 3 today. I love it & have discovered an "inner runner" in the process. I'm registered for a 5k in June and I find myself wondering....is this program REALLY going to have me ready by the end? I mean, i hear about tons of people "starting" the program, but I don't know if I've seen anyone who actually went from not running to completing the program & running a 5k. Grated I didn't read all 120 pages of this thread...lol. I guess I'll just trust the process.