IcanMakeit

For my son-in-law's birthday, we had dinner tonight at one of my favorite Indian cuisine restaurants. I made sure to keep my calories very low at Breakfast and lunch because I planned to have both birthday cake and wine. When I entered the whole meal into MFP, it totaled 600 calories. But my daily total was not over my maintenance allotment. This made me feel very hopeful for my long term success. I indulged in high calorie foods at a birthday dinner, but did not do any real damage. I enjoy eating good food with good company. I am annoyed when people say, "food is only fuel." It is not only fuel to me and I don't want it to be. Good food (and wine) is pleasurable and that should be ok. What I have to continue to learn is how to balance my needs with my desires. I acknowledge the fact that if I eat more calories than I need, I will gain weight. If I don't eat the nutrients my body needs, my health will suffer. This should not mean I have to become an ascetic. I also understand that if I did not still have a small stomach, the meal could have been more than 1200 calories. I would have been able to eat at least twice as much. So I'm not declaring victory yet. I will still have to control myself when my restriction is weaker. I don't think it's impossible. Thin people do it every day.

106 again today.

I have decided to get an activity tracker, but which one? My most consistent exercise actvities are walking and bike riding. I would like to track distance and speed. I'm also interested in user friendliness and easy integration with MyFitnessPal. So with those preferences, what do you all recommend? I was also thinking that maybe I should get one with a screen. I'm not good with cryptic symbols and indicator lights. Does anyone have any recommendations.

I know it's annoying, but almost everyone experiences short pauses in weight loss. Your body doesn't work like a simple calculator. It's not a simple calories in, calories out equation. To help boost your patience, try setting short term goals based on things that you can control, like exercise, Protein grams, maximum carb grams, etc. As far as the camping trip goes. It sounds like so much fun. Don't stress over it, just plan your meals and Snacks ahead of time. Also, do some challenging hikes while you're out there. Have a blast.

You guys can focus on the cool Jeep. I'll envy the rain. I'm in drought stricken California. We didn't plant a garden this year because we have to conserve water. I miss my fresh tomatoes.

Maybe it's time to see a new endocrinologist and a different surgeon. Fresh eyes may be helpful.

I am sorry that so far your results have been so much less than you hoped. I think you might need a better support team. Maybe you should try to find a good endocrinologist who can help you with your hypothyroidism. It sounds like that might be your biggest hindrance to losing weight. I don't know a lot about it, but you need someone who is better at diagnosing and treating this condition than the average primary care doc. If you haven't already, you should also find a good nutritionist who has a lot of experience working with WLS patients. Good luck.

I am sorry for the loss of your mother. I hope time will help you find ways to cope with your grief. You should focus on yourself now. A good way to get motivated is to set and achieve small goals. The large, long term goals are daunting and can be discouraging when you don't achieve them in the time that you hoped. Set small goals based on things you can control, like go 10 days without eating an unplanned snack, or go 7 days without skipping exercise. Then give yourself little rewards for your accomplishments. These rewards should be actvities and things that lift your mood. Maybe something like long baths with aromatic soaps and candles, or pretty lingerie (that's my current favorite).

You don't look too thin to me. You look wonderful! I wouldn't recommend trying to gain weight. It's probably time to work on maintenance, though.

@@Elode, I applaud your candidness. I'm hiding my loose tummy skin from the world as best I can. (Which is not actually working too well. In most of my outfits I look like a 61-year old pregnant woman.) But I'll take loose skin over obesity and ill health any day.

I second @Elode. The Atkins Dark Chocolate Royale shake was my go to when I needed something sinful-tasting but permissible. Now that I'm eating much more and relying on supplements a lot less, I'm missing my Atkins shakes.

I hate commercials and avoid them whenever possible. The one that irks me is where an extremely beautiful young model eats this huge burger that's way too big for her mouth. It's shot like a porn film (or how I think they are filmed). There is no way that skinny model eats those burgers on the regular! I think it's supposed to be funny, but it doesn't hit me that way.

I experienced something similar back in the 80's when I was a commercial weight loss program. My intake was about 800 calories per day, I exercised regularly and I had an infant and a toddler to take care of. My weight stayed at around 165 lbs for a couple of months. (I am only 5' 3".) When I talked to a doctor about it, he disbelieved my report. I was eating only the foods provided by the program, but his only explanation for my long stall was that I was cheating, which I was not. Since it actually happened to me, I get really impatient with people who claim that it's impossible to eat so few calories and still not lose weight. After two months, I got totally discouraged and quit dieting altogether. My weight then began to climb rapidly and I ended up becoming morbidly obese. Looking back on it, I now realize that 1) the diet I was following was totally inadequate nutrition-wise and my body reacted by holding onto every ounce and, 2) giving up was the absolutely wrong reaction. I suggest that you talk to a nutritionist about your diet to make sure you are really getting the calories/nutrients that your body needs. The 900-1000 calorie range you report seems reasonable, but you need to make sure that it is accurate and adequate for your body. Good luck.

Your fears are extremely common. I can remember having the exact same thoughts. I agree that the fear of failure is a powerful motivator as long as it does not become an obsession or a self fulfilling prophecy. Just keep going in the right direction and eventually you'll get to where you want to go.

I had intended to follow a plan similar to VSGAnn2014's, but when my weight loss slowed down too much around 6 months post-op, I chickened out and reduced my calories back down to the 800 range. Now I am just where I hoped I wouldn't be: maintaining on less than 1200 calories per day. I also weigh much less than I originally intended, but I'm kind of enjoying the novelty of actually being thin.

106 this morning.

@@brandnewme2015 Congratulations on your great results. You're still in an early phase and your weight is not too low for your height, so in your shoes, I'd keep cruising along on the program. Getting too thin is usually a temporary problem that takes care of itself. Most people regain some weight after the initial period of loss. If you don't push all the way to goal, your long term outcome may be compromised.

My hunger never really went away although the intensity of it changed. In the beginning, my stomach was delicate and even when hungry, I ate sparingly and carefully. Now at 14 months, I get hungry about every 2 to 3 hours, depending on how dense the protein in my previous meal. So far, my capacity continues to be greatly reduced and my hunger is more manageable than before.

I reached my surgeon's goal weight at 7 months, and my personal goal at just over 8 months. I now, at 14 months, have finally (I believe) stabilized at 18 pounds below my personal goal. The rate of weight loss is highly individual. You can't really make projections based on others' experiences. For instance, my 7 months to surgeon's goal was aided by the fact that I lost 42 pounds before getting WLS.

You guys are lucky. Around here, you don't get the senior discount unless you ask for it, no matter how old you are (or look).

I know I'm supposed to be tut tutting, but this thread is making me hungry. It's a good thing my meals for the day are already planned. Some of these gastronomic excesses sound pretty good at this moment.

You shouldn't have to put off the surgery. At 10 weeks out most people are feeling pretty normal. You probably won't be able to try very much of the cuisine (or any of the alcohol) offered in the all inclusive package, but I'll bet you'll be having so much fun otherwise, you won't miss it.