Stacy_wls

I'm heading out of town for the week, so I need to post early. Today I weighed in at 190.2. 1.2 more lbs and I reach the goal I'll be on vacation, but I'm pretty confident that I can do it! I hope everyone has great weigh ins and a great weekend!

Early I didn't get any crunch. Now I have nuts all the time. You might be SOL unless you want to add carbs in. In a few weeks you should be able to have some nuts -- they are my go to salty / crunchy craving crusher

I wont be able to weigh tomorrow, so posting today. I'm 192 today. Things continue to move down. I hope it keeps going -- I'm working for it, but it is nice when the scale responds!

194.2. Woohoo!

I can't weigh in tomorrow, so I'm a day early. 198.9. Very small move, but it was a tough week.

I had a weird relationship w/ the Quest bars. First I tried one and hated it (brownie). Then I gave them another shot and fell in love (cookie dough & Cookies & creme). Then I ordered a couple boxes of them. Having boxes in my cupboard was a real problem. I could eat them and eat them - 2 in a row w/o a problem. For me these offer no restriction and are like candy bars. I will likely have them on occasion for a treat (better than a snickers), but I can not keep them in any quantity in my house. I dropped all of my bars in the mail to a fellow VSGer rather than eat myself silly. If you can stay on plan with these, the fiber and Protein are great! And I think they are delicious, but beware they can be a trigger for some.

I do lower carb not exactly low carb. In incorporate fruits, vegetables, sweet potatoes and Beans. I avoid breads, rice, Pasta etc. My surgeon did mention that things like cream of wheat and oatmeal could be rough on your stomach because they expand in the gut. I would definitely talk to you doctor and see what they think is best.

I have been lifting heavy since about 6 weeks out. I also do cardio. I keep my calories between about 800-900 (not the past week b/c I've made some off choices, but in general. I have been consistently dropping weight & body fat %. I am careful to get lots of Protein -- I have a whey shake every morning, and cottage cheese at night. Cottage cheese is great for at night b/c it has lots of Casein protein in it which is a slow release protein. This helps feed your muscles all night long. My weekly workout schedule is usually something like this: Sunday: 2 mile run & yoga Monday: spinning Tue: Longer run Wed: full body lift (60-90 mins) Thu: ice hockey Friday: 2 mile run & yoga Saturday: full body lift & HIIT I think the combo of lifting and cardio is great! Plus I get a hit of endorphins most days!

I wish I could handle the strategy you have used. Several of the people in my support group have successfully used the same strategy. Unfortunately as a food addict, I can not trust myself to rely on moderation. My tool isn't enough. I am not perfect, but I do need to track consistently and continually keep my diet in mind. I say whatever works for you is great!

Oh yes! I'm totally in. I'm 199.3 today (I may not have access to a scale tomorrow). My goal is 189 -- this is a bit aggressive, but I'm going for it!

199.3 this morning!!!! WOOOOHOOOOO!

Thanks guys! I sent this to my sister and she was like OMG -- you look like me! That was pretty cool. When I look side by side, I see the big change in my face.

Hi all -- I am 4 months out and thought I would share a mid-journey update. It becomes harder and harder to see the progress, so comparing a picture from this morning to "before" helps me see it before: this morning (ggr not sure how to straiten photo):

I travel ALOT for work. Right now I'm on a project where I'm with the same people for the next 14 weeks Mon - Thurs. I opt out of meals often -- even bring my own food. Since I am spending so much time w/ these people, they are well aware that I am on a health kick. I don't even mention food - aside from - ugh I don't want to go there b/c there is nothing healthy. Lots of people are health conscious these days. I think it is very acceptable, and no reason to mention the surgery. People often end up working out with me or eating better b/c they see how consistent I can be even while traveling.

I am struggling with how many calories to eat. My nutritionist will not give me a number -- arg! I have been losing weight pretty consistently at about 800 calories / day. I work out a lot! (5-10 hours / week) and very intensely. I have started to feel weaker and more dizzy lately. During workouts I have also started to feel not as strong. My therapist is very concerned about my calorie intake. She actually made me promise to up my calories to at least 900 for the next couple of week. I'm going to reach out to my nutritionist and see what she says -- maybe she will give me a number or something. I really think this is a personal thing -- someone who is 5' will not need the same calories as someone who is 5'10 and ditto for someone who walks or elipticals a few times a week vs. weight training and HIIT. I think this is why my NUT wont give a number, she knows it is different for everyone.

I echo what a bunch of other people have said. Most people do not notice. We are just much more aware of our activities than others. If people do notice and question you, just say you are being very careful with your diet. I work 12-14 hours a day out of state with a very close team. They haven't said anything, but I'm sure they notice that I am hardcore with the gym, and never go out to eat with them -- in fact I bring food on the plan with me, so that I have good options. They don't have any idea about the surgery, but for sure know that I am on a health kick.

202.1 this morning. Finally started moving again. Onderland is making me work for it, but it's coming

I had my first regain (eek) due to lots of travel and a bit of over-indulging. Today I am 205.7. Hoping to be back on the way down next week!

Thanks everyone

I just got home from vacation and dropped over 6 lbs while I was gone. This officially put me in the overweight bmi category . Woohoo. I haven't been here in 10 years!

Today is 204.8 (officially overweight) . I had a stomach bug so there could be some bounce back.

I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow, so I'm not sure if i will be able to get on here tomorrow. I'm going to weigh in early just in case. SW: 211.9 GW: 199 --- this is a big one!

I am in for this Challenge!

I buy these leotard type things (with a clasp between your legs) from target. I think it was like 20 bucks and it works well. It goes under my bra, so that you don't need to worry about bra size. I am wearing an XL and currently a size 14-18 depending on style.