FluffyChix

You got this girl!!! Bear down with us until Friday and you will be back inside your window!!! It's No Crap Monday!!!! YAY!!!!! Go Tracy Go!!! Go Tracy GO!!!!

Gosh so sorry to be MIA! I continue to be so inspired by each one of you and this thread always brings a smile to my face, no matter how difficult the day may be!!! You all look GORGEOUS!!!! And love the fashion inspiration! Took some pics for a meeting last week. Here's the latest. 20.5mo PO RNY. 130.2lbs Maintenance. My body may have decided to defend a lower set point rather than the 135lbs that I thought it was happy at. I have lost and gained the same 2-5lbs from 130-135lbs for a while now. Just last week I briefly saw 129lbs. Now after a big weekend of fun and frivolity, I came back at only 130.2lbs--which means I may be 2lbs lighter by Friday. I'm not hatin' on that--honestly. I have wanted to reach my super triple top secret BDG Goal since I started this process. But when it didn't look like I would ever hit my 130lbs goal, I kinda released that into the ether and called maintenance at 135lbs revised goal. Then I hit 130lbs and revised the revised goal back to 130lbs. But now it looks as if I might actually make 125lbs (super triple top secret Barbie Dream Girl Goal). I'm pretty thrilled at this weight and I love how I look in clothes these days (or at least I'm moving in that direction). My gigantor turkey thighs are slightly less pronounced now. And I asked Mr. F. if he thought I looked too thin or sickly. He said that I didn't. He's very honest and objective, so I know I can go to him as a touchstone with reality. I bought 3 pairs of size 8 skinny jeans from goodwill this weekend. And I'm actually in between a 6 and an 8--oddly so. The legs fit, but the the little bit of belleh skin doesn't let me fasten them. Wah. Oh well. I saw my plastics dude last Friday. A bit of a buzz kill. He told me my insurance wouldn't cover the saggy droopy booty, even though it was giving me significant issues. He did say that I have very very little excess fat on my body - as he was looking at me totes nekkidy and that he didn't want me to lose any more. Of course I lied and said, "Swearsies! I'm not plannin' on it!" (wink wink nudge nudge saynomore...) He still says that I need to wait on my capular contractures in the reconstructed foobs. But he wants me to consider getting nerp tats so I look more like a real gingerbread girl--and less like a Skipper Doll (Barbie's younger annoying kid sister--anotomically incorrect and lacking a kung fu grip). Still chewing on that one. Don't know what to do with that information yet. Sorry for the book!!!

Ok, yesterday was a feast day for me. So weird. After being hung up in the 135-140lbs range for so long, my body is deciding on a new set point and moving down to 130ish area "semi-permanently". My week in maintenance looks like this: M-F 750-800 ish cals per day and not eating until lunch--so roughly either a 16:8 or an 18:6 TRE. I "ralk" in the mornings for 30minutes to an hour every day--at least 3X per week, I do a solid 60minutes at one go. On the weekends I allow myself whatever sounds good within reason. I still try to maintain some semblance of sanity. But if I want a bite of Mr. F's grits, or a bite of a friend's mashed potatoes and avocado/rice casserole, then ok...So weekends are usually in the area of 1200-1400cals. Today I'm back to being my goal weight: 130.2lbs. That's pretty significant cuz after a weekend of food frills (bites add up) and some wine, I'm not bloated and up in weight. That means I can expect to be down a couple of pounds by Friday. Sunday Menu Nov. 3, Maintenance, 5'4" F, 20.5mo PO RNY / 130.2lbs B-4oz Premier Prot + decaff coffees L-1/2 grilled chicken salad (tomatoes, romaine, rbp, ro, cabbage, yellow cheese, avocado, chicken, blue cheese dressing) AS-2 glasses cabernet + celery/carrots/ranch + grilled chicken breast l/o D-1/3 almond crusted catfish + 1/2 dinner salad w/blue cheese dressing + 1 bite mashed potatoes + 1 bite rice/avocado/cheese casserole + 3 bites yeast roll with butter BS-1 slice Longhorn cheese smeared with a teaspoon of creamy peanut butter. Here's how the day shook out. Everything beyond the PP is an estimate of size/weight. I tried to be overly generous with logging my "bites" in order to try to get closer to real consumed cals/macros. 1335 Cals; 69g Protein; 66g Fat; 68g Carbs; 11g Fiber; 57g Net Carbs Today it's back with my nose to the grindstone. Healthy habits. No Crap Mondays.

WOW!!! Soooo many things all at once! I would be a huge crank, too!!!! Don't forget to hug yourself and give yourself huge proppahs for being hellah strong! You are doing this girl!!! Running and deep breathing will become your best friends!!! When craving bad, deep breathe. If that doesn't work, get moving outside in very brisk fresh air. Run fast, fast fast!!!! Drink lots o water today. Will help your brain come off of everything. Part of your bloat is period. That's also part of your cravings I bet?!! Also without the alcohol, the body wants sugar/carbs - hence the candied nuts as well. ((hugs)) Hang in there. You're a rockstar!!

Ditto. Sorry you're struggling, but average weight loss is 2-4lbs per week. Sounds like you are doing average? Hang in there.

Yeah, it's the quitting smoking thing. Nuts are deadly unless as you said somewhere else, you're actively trying to gain. They are so easy to over consume. Especially the candied kinds or the pre-made cocoa nuts (have sugar mixed with the cocoa). You are better off eating raw nuts with dark chocolate and real raspberries just until you get the monkey off your back. ((hugs))

IKR?!!!

Congrats and welcome to the losers' bench! You're gonna be a rockstar at this! Keep those kidneys healthy. I had a similar experience as you. I had no probs meeting my 64oz-100oz per day from about day 4. Take it as slowly as you can.

All I know, is that this journey took 100% commitment for me to change my behaviors with food. Because of my personality, there really isn't such a thing as "everything in moderation." Even in maintenance, where I give myself the weekend to be semi-indulgent, I find it's much easier to do my normal daily thing that I do through the week, then have a small indulgent dinner. But that's in maintenance--not during WLM. When I was in WLM, I did have to keep my cals in the 600-750 range for losing. I concentrated on eating super nutritionally dense, low calorie, low fat, low carb foods and eating lean dense protein forward, with very low glycemic veggies on the end of the meal. I would seriously suggest working with a bariatric counselor to work on your food issues. Sorry you're struggling. You might start by filling out your stats so we can see how far you've come and what operation you had at a glance.

Johnson grass? We would smoke (or try to) smoke Johnson grass behind the garage. LOL.

Oh cinnamon sticks!!!! Yes, fabulous!!! I'd forgotten about those!!!! I loved them! It was awesome to inhale down the hole they made. Probably wasn't the best thing for your lungs, but still. What a great idea!!! You should totes do that @ms.sss!!

Hi y'all. Sorry to be MIA. Serious work schedule. Ok, so here's yesterday. Don't have any numbers though. Trying to move a storage unit, so didn't get to eat much yesterday, then was too pooped and fell asleep before I could eat more. Saturday, Maintenance 5'4" / 20.5mo PO RNY / 131.0 lbs B-4oz Premier Prot + decaff coffees L-none D-1/3c fried cheese curds with jalapeno cilantro dressing 2 chicken wings nekkid fried + garlic parmesan sauce 3 sticks celery + 4 baby carrots + blue cheese dressing 1 tequila shot with lime wedge no salt 1 miller lite with lime wedge Here's how the day shook out. Everything beyond the PP is an estimate of size/weight. I'm sure I probably had more cals/macros. I forgot to add the lime wedges. LOL. Sue me.

Former smoker here as well. 19 years ago, September 19. LOL. Exact much? I no longer crave cigs but it took years to get to that point. I do think it would be easy to pick them back up though. I really loved the ritual of the behavior and how calming it was because of sitting doing nothing and deep breathing. Research four square breathing. Also look for a "finger pacifier" - something shaped about the size of cig that you can play with between your fingers while you get still and deep breathe 5-10 times. Very relaxing. I used cocktail stirrers or coffee stirrers/straws cut to length of cigs, pens, etc. ((hugs)) Glad you're seizing control of the palace again!

Congrats! What exciting news!!!

I think some of what you're going through is a natural part of this process. I also think thin people have been unconsciously doing this their entire lives. This was a fascinating documentary on the habits of naturally thin people. I think I watched it on Youtube or Netflix. I don't know if this is the right trailer. The show is actually, HORIZON: Why Are Thin People Not Fat?

I would respond more but my keyboard quit working... *drool* China Syndrome everyone...

Wow!!! Huge congrats!!!!! So happy for you both. Y'all rock!!

Yep. I included avocado from the beginning. And later grape tomatoes. They are my "treat" after protein and veg is done. But even now, I limit them to 1oz each by weight on a scale. They are total slider foods and measure about 1/4c by volume. At first I only did 1/2oz avocado. You def need to make it fit within your calorie window. I used it as my fat for the meal.

You are not ready for IF, or even TRE. You need to let your tool work for you and follow your doc's plan. You won't be ready for this until at least 7-9months out and only then if you are freely able to satisfy your protein requirements with real foods and can also get in your daily water amounts. Congrats on surgery. At 7 weeks, you just need to concentrate on getting your protein and water in each day and taking your vitamins.

BTW! Welcome to the group and congrats on your maintenance!!! Woooot!!! Congrats on making goal!!!

I don't thing you are. And I'm not picking nits. But I honestly am wondering like, "So what if it isn't sustainable..." Cuz you know, what's the alternative? If it's not sustainable and a person gains at 900, 1000, or at 1100 where you are. Then what are the choices? Just wondering out loud. Truly not trying to disagree. It's a philosophical question. Right? I told my PCP, that I didn't want to be one of those people who only maintain at 900cals. And that I didn't want to eat only 900 cals per day. He told me, that right now, that's my reality. If I want to change that, I have to do something differently. I can choose to eat higher and gain. I can choose to start building more active muscle to try to raise my metabolic rate and have more calorie burning muscle (and be hungrier from the workouts), I can do more cardio (which might not work cuz of the whole CICO/hormone thing)...or I can do what my body is telling me and figure out a way to be happy on an average of 900cals/day. Right? Or is there another option I should consider?

What's the alternative? If she's truly at 850 calories and not losing or gaining...then isn't that maintenance for her? I don't post this very much anymore, but my maintenance looks like about 2-3 days per week around 1200-ish then 4-5 solid days between 750-800cals. Just to maintain. But I'm happy with it. I pack a lot of food into those 850cals. And I'm satisfied. But I certainly realize and respect that isn't anyone else's reality. I know it's maintenance for me, cuz when I try to go up to 1100 or 1200cals daily, I gain. I suspect she's tried that same thing?

You are crushing it, dude!!

I think you're doing great! You are conquering your fears of unmanageable rampant regain, you're tracking, weighing, exercising, doing it all right. When you see an area of concern you explore it and see if something needs changing. I know you can affect change when you dip below your comfort range, and no doubts you can get back to TCB if you see your weight spiral up suddenly out of your comfort range. Congrats!! You inspire me!!!

Oh good times! Cannot WAIT to hear back about your visit. Congrats!!! You r a rockstar, lady!!!