tonya66

I'm 2 years out, and all the agony I went thru pre-band, and the liquid diet afterwards, was so worth it. Hang in there.

Well, its been a bit since I've journaled. So, back to journeling......

Still doing weight watchers and I weigh in tonight - I'm hoping I have lost!

Exercise lately has been hit or miss, mostly miss. But eating has been right on!

Well said!

Thanks AJ - I appreciate your support!

oh you are so right! I have taken many pics- in a bikini too, just so I can compare my progress. Maybe some day when I'm brave enough, I will share...lol. I do the BFL challenge and they encourage the pics....

Thanks so much fitblab - I know, I've been reading up on this thing, and I know that building muscle is important and its leaner than fat. I know that I am losing fat, and gaining muscle. I just wish the scale would cooperate a little more. lol.

I think I'm going to take my measurements tonight and compare them with where I was 6 weeks ago.....I think that will help me realize I am losing, and eventually the scale has to move, right?

Thats right, I am doing so great in the exercise department. I worked out so hard for 6 days last week. I mean really hard, where sweat is dripping off me and my shirt looks like someone dumped a bucket of water over me. I am so proud of myself for getting back to the gym and making NO EXCUSES!

I almost blew it off last night, I was so tired and I worked all day with my husband in garage, so I was telling myself, I already had a workout. But as the night grew closer, I started feeling guilty, so I headed to the gym and did a gruelling cardio and lower body workout! My face was beat red, I think some of the people around me thought I was going to pass out. LOL. They were all looking at me like "is she okay". One guy even said to me "your serious about this stuff aren't you". uhhhh, hello, Heck yes I'm serious!

So, I jump on the scale this morning and AGAIN, no loss. I've eaten good all week, really I've eaten good for the past two weeks and I've exercised 6 days a week for the past two weeks, you would think the scale would be a little nicer to me. Heck no, the scale likes to treat me like the red headed step child!

Okay, I can't focus on numbers, I just can't. I feel good, I look good, and my clothes are fitting better. So no matter what the scales say to me, I know its working!

Today's menu

Bfast

1/2 cup bran fiber one cereal - 1 pt

1/2 cup skim milk - 1 pt

mixed fruit added in (Strawberries & blueberries) - 1 pt

Snack

1 apple and WW cheese - 2 pts

Lunch

3 0z of chicken breast - 3 pts

1 whole wheat, lc tortilia - 1 pt

salsa - 0 pts

cilantro - 0 pts

snack

1/2 cup cottage cheese, sliced peaches - 3 pts

Dinner

1 cup lean chili - 6 pts

ww cheese - 2 pts

20 pts total

Exercise - 30 min elliptical

Upper Body workout at gym - 15 min of cool down time on elliptical

Wt - AM naked on scales at home - 164.6

(yesterday was 163.4) grrrrrr:cursing:

NOTES - tonight is my WW meeting and for the past 3 weeks I have weighed exactly the same - 167.6 with my clothes on ofcourse, so we'll see what tonight brings.

Menu -

Bfast

1 cup fiber one cereal - 3 pts

1 cup of skim milk - 2 pts

1 bannana - 2 pts

1 pc WW candy - 1 pt

Lunch

WW Quesadia (sp?) - 4 pts

100 cal strawberry cake - 1 pt

Snack

sliced strawberries - 1 pt

Dinner

3 oz of chicken breast - 3 pts

green beans

WW yogurt 1 pt

Low on points today, but will probably add more, just need 2 more.

Exercise

10:00 am - 15 min on elliptical

3:00 pm - 20 min on elliptical

8:00 - gym - 1 hour, missed my gym last night, so will be doing circuit training and doing upperbody work along with cardio.

Wt - didn't weigh today.....

9 FREAKEN pounds and I will be at a healthy weight! 9 freaken pounds - and it is taking me FOREVER to lose them. Its the hardest 9 pounds I have ever tried to lose. Did you guys hear me, 9 FREAKEN POUNDS and I will be at a healthy weight. It feels like a dream to even type those words. I never thought I would be this close to being healthy. Oh, I dreamt it, but its really coming true.

I sometimes focus on how long it is taking me, but if I really stop and think about it. Its taken me less time to lose it then it did to put it on. It took me 20 years to get up to 248 lbs, so I shouldn't be so upset at taking 2+ years to reach my goal weight with the band, right?

I was thinking this morning as I glanced at one of my pictures on my desk with my kids, and made me think how far I've come. To know I will never ever ever be 248 lbs again, thats something to be happy about. So, I'm trying to stay positive, and focus on the weight I've lost and not the weight I need to lose.

Speaking of my picture, my new boss was over at my desk the other day and he asked me if that was my sister, I told him it was me. His jaw dropped down to the floor, he tried not to act so shocked, but I could see it in his face. I said "well, I've lost a few pounds since then" His reply "you think?". lol. I love to see peoples reaction when they see the new me. Its the best reward of all.

Plan today:

Exercise - 10:00 am - 6 min on recumbant bike - 15 min on elliptical

3:00 pm - 20 min on elliptical

6:00 - dinner with some old high school buddies, planning our 25 year reunion -

9:30 - Gym - 40 min on elliptical and upper body training

11:30 - BED

Menu

Breakfast -

yogurt mixed with granola - 5 pts

Lunch

Fish Taco (Wheat tortilia, WW cheese, Talapia, Cilantro, salsa, fresh squeezed lime) = 4 pts

Snack - 1 orange, string cheese - 2 pts

Dinner

1 chicken taco - 5 pts

beans - 3 pts

Few chips and salsa (6 chips only = 1.5 pts)

20 pts total

Wt - 7:30 am naked - 164.6 (up .3 from yesterday)

Well in my previous post, I said I was not going to exercise today, I was taking the day off. I lied. Couldn't stay away from the gym. I only did a quick cardio blast, 30 min on the Elliptical, but hey, at least I did something today, right?

I think I'm becoming a gym addict again, I used to be one, then got hurt and had to have knee surgery and ever since then, I just haven't been into the gym like I used to be.

I'm really noticing a difference in the past week. I'm wearing a Junior size 9 Cruel girl jeans today, and Dang, they look good, and feel good! Even though I'm just a few pounds lighter, the fat is shifting or something because they sure feel and fit better than they did when I bought them!

LOL, my husband fears I'll be arrested after next week's weigh in. lol.

Well, I hope for the sake of the little skinny receptionist that the scales are kinder, or I tell ya, someone is getting beotch slapped!

Last night was my weight watchers meeting and guess what the freaken scales said, NOTTA, nothing, NO LOSS AT ALL. I weighed exactly the same as last week. 167.6! What the heck? I exercised 6 days last week, I ate pretty darn good and I didn't lose 1 freaken ounce? What the *&$%#!!!!!

Okay, so the scales say I didn't lose but my clothes say differently, they are looser, fit so much better and some of my jeans, I must wear a belt! So am I worried - NOPE, am I upset, well, a little. I really wanted to see some movement. According to my scales, I've lost, but according to the WW scales, I haven't. We'll see what next week says. All I can say is if they tell me I didn't lose next week, someone is getting slapt. Thats right, I'm jumping over the counter and slapping one of those skinny little receptionist.

The old me would have come home and just ate and said "what the use", but the new me can see the changes that my body is making and feel the changes that my body is making and I like it. So, do I care what the scales say? Well, a little, but I know they are liars so I am going to keep plugging away doing what I am doing because I know that changes are happening!

Last night after dinner, I headed to the gym and did a very hard workout! I did cardio plus upper body strength training.

Todays menu:

Breakfast

1 cup of sliced strawberries - 1 pt

1/2 container of WW yogurt mixes with granoloa - 5 pts

Lunch

4 oz talapia - baked - 3 pts

salsa, cilantro - 0 pts

2 Whole wheat tortia - 4 pts

(fish tacos - yum)

Snack

1 mandarian orange - 1 pt

Dinner - WW meal - 6 pts

Exercise - tonight is my night off, none tonight.

Wt - Naked on my scales in AM 164.3

WW Scales - 167.6

Best wishes to you. I kept mine a secret too. Still haven't told people - however, people will speculate on how you've lost weight, but who cares.

Its the best decision I have ever made and done for myself.

Okay, I'm doing it. No more excuses is working. I've been to the gym 6 times!

3/18 - cardio

3/19 - cardio

3/20 - cardio and strength training

3/21 - 1hr and 15 min doing 40 min of cardio and the rest strength training

3/22 - 35 min on recumbant bike

3/23 - Have only done 15 min so far of cardio, but plan on doing another 30 min before I leave work, then hitting the gym tonight!

Eating has been right on! I had a bad night Tuesday (overdosed on girl scout cookies), but since then, I've done GREAT!

Tonight is weigh in at Weight Watchers so we'll see how I've done! My scales show I'm down, but who knows what I will weigh wearing jeans and a sweater like I am today. I wish they had private rooms where I could just strip down naked - that always makes me go down a few pounds.

I started tanning on Friday, got to get me a little color before my Cancun trip next month, I'm so white and pale looking. Got me a new haircut on Friday, cut about 3" off and I feel so much better, the hair looks so much healthier. Got my nails done on Friday too, I had a me day!

My menu today:

Bfast

1 cup of Fiber One Cereal - 3 pts

1 cup of skim milk - 2 pts

1 banana cut up - 2 pts

Lunch

3 oz of chicken breast - baked - 3 pts

asparagus 1/2 cup - 0 pts

brocoli 1/2 cup - o pts

few grape tomatoes - 0 pts

FF salsa over my chicken - 0 pts

Snacks

4 large strawberries - 1 pts

1 mandarian orange - 1 pt

Dinner

Turkey meatloaf - 4 pts

1/2 baked potatoe - 1 pt

green beans - 0 pts

WW ice cream bar - 1 pt

18 pts total - I get 21, but I lowered it down to 20 this week.

Patti - good for you with the dancing with your son. That sounds like fun exercise! Zumba is a little faced paced and I feel like a clown at times because most of the ladies know all steps, but I really don't care. I'm moving and sweating and having fun, so I like it. I really don't care that I can't do it exactly like some of the ladies who have the move down - they also have the flat bellies and can really move the hips like your supposed to, lol. But hey, the point is I'm moving even if I do look a little akward at times.

Its not hard, its just a little fast when your trying to learn the movements, but it is fun.

ahhhh, I just typed the same thing in my journal....not exactly but the same mind frame. I decided no more excuses for me, its time to just do it.

I'm tired of all my excuses, ....too tire, my knee hurts, blah blah blah. Its time to JUST DO IT! Just get my butt to the gym and exercise. That is how I lost 70 lbs the first year, EXERCISE!

So - last night, I had me a good dinner, turkey and 1/2 cup of stuffing (not so good - but only ate a little), and some green beans. I waiting for about an hour, and then got ready and headed to the gym. I only did about 35 min on the elliptical,

As I was doing the elliptical I concentrated on how great I feel when I exercise, it really makes me feel and look good. So why do I blow it off? Anyhow, thats when I decided, no more, no more excuses, its time to just do it!

Today, at 10, went down to our gym at work and did 15 min on the elliptical, just to get my matabolism going. I'm going to do it again at 3. Then tonight, going to an abs, abs, abs class at 6:15 to 6:30, doing ZUMBA class at 6:30 to 7:30. Its time to fake it until I make it. No more excuses. I want to reach my goal - by gawd, I am going to reach my goal. Its time to dig down deep and pull that determination out!

Menu today

Bfast

1 cup of fiber one ceral with 1 cup of skim milk

1/2 cup of diced peaches on my ceral

3/4 cup of protein shake - 10:30ish

Lunch

tossed salad with turkey chopped up, salsa for dressing

Snack - later in afternoon - 1 apple

Dinner

1 chicken taco filled with mixed greens - no cheese

Exercise

1. 10 am - 15 min on elliptical

2. 3pm - 15 min on elliptical

3. 6:15 pm - abs class

4. 6:30 pm - Zumba class - latin dance aerobics.

5 - Maybe some lower body strength training, not sure if I can do with all the other cardio......we'll see.

I went to my WW meeting last night and didn't lose anything. The good news, I didn't gain anything either. I went over my points for the week and I did bad for three days in a row. So I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't gain anything, and so happy about it too.

This week is going to be better! I'm already down a bit according to my scales.

This week, I'm focussing on exercise! Oh - its on this week! I'm going to kick some butt in the exercise department! Oh yes, next week, I can't wait to step on the scales because I'm going to see a 2 lb loss. Thats right, 2 lbs! Me and the scale, we are going head to head and I'm going to win! Its on baby!

Wt - my scales, naked in the am 164.9

WW scales - fully clothed in the afternoon - 167.6

Okay, its Tuesday and a lot better day today!

Went to WW meeting last night and lost 1.4 lbs since last week. Making it a total loss since joing WW of 4 lbs. I told myself that if I could lose just 1 lbs a week, I would be happy. So losing a total of 4 lbs averages out to 1 lb a week. Its been 4 weeks since joining.

I made a great low point/low cal pizza last night and I will be having it for lunch.

Whole wheat with Flax Flat-out bread - 100 cal - 1 pt

3 oz of baked chicken breast (diced up) - 3 pts

Rago, no added sugar pasta sauce - 50 cal - 0 pts

2 tbs of olives - 27 cal - 1 pt

handfull of mushrooms - 0 pts

diced onion - 0 pts

1/3 cup of WW Mexican Cheese - 2 pts

Total point value 7 pts

Lay out the flat bread, spread 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce over it. Place the chicken, olives,mushrooms, onions on the pizza then cover with the cheese.

Bake in preheated oven at 425 (I bake it on my stone pan from pampered chef) for 5 to 7 min or until cheese is melted.

It was very very filling and healthy. I had a craving for pizza so I just made my own. :wink_smile:

Todays menu

Breakfast

fiber bar - 2 pts

coffee with cream - 1 pt

snack

orange - 1 pt

Lunch

Pizza - 7 pts

snack

yogurt - 1 pt

Grapes - 1 pt

Dinner

meatloaf (made with 1/2 turkey breast and lean beef)- 4 pts

green beans - 0 pts

Snack (while watching the Biggest Loser)

WW dessert - 4 pts

Wt - naked first thing in am 165.1

WW weigh in weight (evening time fully clothed) - 167.6

the 6 mos will be up before you know it. I totally understand how you must feel. I was lucky and my insurance (at the time) did not require it. I'm hearing from a few in my office who are trying to do WLS that they require a 6 mos plan now. Hang in there, we can't wait to see you on the other side!

Okay, Mondays.......I just hate them. I always feel so disorganized on Mondays. I'm always tired (partied too hard on the weekend - not beer drinking partying, just a lot of running and errands kind of partying), I am always lacking my sleep on Mondays, and it seems everything goes wrong. Can we start a petition to outlaw Mondays?

My DH wakes me up this morning at 7:30 "honey, what time do you have to be at work today". uhhhh "the same time I've worked for the past 10 years dear". He said "it's 7:30", I fly out of the bed without even touching the floor "Oh, crap, I have to be at work in 30 min". NOw mind you, my driving time is 30 minutes alone. I throw on something that doesn't need to be ironed, brush my teeth, and head out the door. Oh crap, back into the house I go, I grab my lunch, and head back out the door. Okay, I glance at the clock, I'll only be about 10 minutes late I think. I'm cruising down the highway at a nice 65 mph, and all of a sudden, screech, uuuurk, I slam on my brakes. I am sitting at a complete stop for 15 minutes. Finally on the radio they announce a 5 car pile up on the highway I'm on. Oh, I tell you, I knew from that moment, it was going to be a bad day!

I get to work, FINALLY, 1 hour later, looking thru my purse 5 times and still I could not find my badge. I have to go thru a long check in process with Security. So after getting in thru the security (which acts like we are the freaken white house and wants to check all your credentials, along with almost taking your fingerprints and everything else you might have) I get to my desk, to realize I had a conference call at 8:30 this moring that I missed.

I go pour me a cup of coffee, I need the caffiene this morning! So I'm sipping my coffee, and oops, there goes the coffee, all over my pants, all over my floor and splashes on my new purse which I paid big bucks for, So I run to get a paper towel, and we are out of paper towels in the kitchen. I finally get some out of the bathroom. I get the coffee cleaned up and then go unlock my desk, and I can't find my desk keys. I'm looking thru my pruse, but and they are no where. But as I'm looking thru my purse, I find my badge. grrrr, I couldve saved myself the long Security check in after all!

I have a big call this afternoon and I need my keys! So now I have to drive home (25 miles) at lunch and get my keys!

Now, this is the kind of stuff that happens to me EVERY MONDAY, so with that being said, lets all ban together and OUTLAW MONDAYS!

Okay, I need to start thinking positive or I will be a complet Beotch the entire day.

I missed my workout this moring - overslept - so I have a backup plan, going tonight after my weight watchers meeting.

I have done pretty good this week on WW plan. Had a slip here and there, but I think I did pretty good. I weighed this morning and my scale shows not a big loss, maybe not even a loss. I will find out tonight when I go the meeting and they weigh me.

Well, since I am so far behind today, getting to work late and all, I better sign off and get back to work.

BG - I used Fitday.com. When I enter a food, I put the sugar in with the carbs. The fiber is entered separtely, however, the sugar fits in with the carbs - so just enter your total carbs.

Its a pain in the you know what to enter your custum food, but I eat pretty much the same thing. So once I got the majority of the stuff I ate entered, it was a lot easier.

Okay, I stepped on the scale this morning, and up again. What the hell?

Anyhow, I felt smaller, not sure why the scales are up AGAIN. But......I have these jeans I bought about a month ago and they were too tight. I decided to try them on today just for the heck of it. I didn't think they would fit, I just wanted to see if they were any looser, well, hot filley dough, color me happy, they fit!:cursing: I'm wearing them today! Jr's size 10! Love 'em. So, whenever the scales say your fat, just try on a pair of skinny jeans and you'll feel better!

It just made me realize that the scale is a big fat liar! I mean, he really is. He says I'm gaining weight, but my jeans and my body are telling me, Hey girl, your looking good and getting smaller and can fit into a Jr.'s size 10 jeans. So I am excited, no matter what that freak of a scale says!

It all gets down to, are you eating right? Are you exercising? Are you getting smaller? Yes, yes and yes! So the scale is playing with my head these days and trying to convince me that I'm gaining weight, but he failed! I know that I'm not! :cursing:

Okay, its Friday, its payday, and I'm wearing my skinny jeans today, and its suposed to be in the 80's today. Its absolutely a beautiful day today, so I'm a happy camper. Very good mood. Plus I get off work at 11:00 am today (only working 4 hours) yay! Life is good.

Below is an article I've kept for quite some time, I read it from time to time when I'm feeling down about the scales, so I thought I would post it again. Even though it is talking about deiting with Low carb, which I try to do. Or I eat the healthy carbs (like fruit) I think the article applies to all types of eating.

Wt - naked first thing in am (168.9)

Here we go again...

How the hell does your body hold onto weight and still manage to get smaller while you are on your chosen low carb diet?!? You know the scenario: You are on Induction for two weeks, and you haven't cheated even once. You notice that your clothes fit better, that you are stepping a little livelier, and as far as you're concerned, all's right with the world.

But then you step on that evil construction of the Devil himself, the bathroom scale, and you instantly feel betrayed. The stupid thing insists that you have done nothing! Sometimes, it even states you have done less than nothing; it accuses you of cheating because it tells that you haven't lost any weight! Well, there area couple of simple explanations to help you get through this trying time.

First of all, if it is at all possible for you to do so, throw that insipid Monster Scale in the trash. Or at least put it up somewhere that it is really, REALLY inconvenient to get to so that you won't be tempted to ask it's opinion every single day of your life. Face it. If you are feeling better and your clothes are looser, do you really need the scale to tell you that you're on the right track? No! You don't! Why do you think you do it, then? I'll tell you why. The low fat diet demons have a tenacious hold on your brain. That's right, you've been brainwashed. All your life they have told you through doctors, dietitians, newspaper and magazine articles, surgeon generals and the like, that you give up X calories per day and you will lose a pound of fat. They even go on to tell you how much fat you should lose each week. In the process, they've made you dependent on the Monster Scale to gauge your progress!

What a big lie!

Even on the diets that "they" advocate, the Monster Scale does not often cooperate. You go back to the Diet Demons and demand to know why the scale does not reflect the torture you have put yourself through for a month. They immediately start backpedaling on the "give up X calories and lose a pound of fat" story, and start talking to you about water retention and muscle buildup. Sometimes, they even blame it on you with questions like, "Are you sure you counted the calories in everything you ate?" (This is delivered with a knowing little smile that makes you want to rip their knowing little face off.) Being the type that is given to blaming things on yourself, anyway, you cooperate with an answer like, "Well….." They pounce on this with "Ahhhh, well.." Then, they launch into one of their scoldings/lash/encouragement speeches.

So, get off their bandwagon, already!

Then, there's the competitive spirit. You hear about what other people have done on your chosen diet. Yes, Brian went on Atkins a year ago and lost over a hundred pounds. Yes, a hundred pounds in a year is over eight pounds a month, or 2 pounds a week, or .0119 pounds per hour….but, "Hello? You ain't Brian!" And, did Brian ever say that he lost .0119 pounds per hour? No! He said a hundred pounds in a year. This only proves he got on the scale twice; a year ago, and yesterday. Take a hint from Brian. Stay off the scale!

The second solution is to understand what is going on in your body in light of the current state of human affairs. Today, all a person has to have to eat every day is money and transportation to a grocery store or, better yet, a nice restaurant. However, your body's survival instincts have not matured in a million years. Your body still thinks you are a hunter-gatherer. Yes, in spite of a million years of evolution, your body still thinks you are going to have to go out and kill a mammoth to eat. The survival instincts with which you are going to have to come to terms are read-only memory. You can't overwrite them. Deal with it.

That said, let me tell you what happens when you lose a pound of fat. Your body has been saving this fat for that long hunting expedition you're going to have to go on to track, kill, dress and retrieve that huge animal. It keeps the fat in little pillows distributed throughout your body. When you start losing fat, it doesn't trust you to continue whatever insane path you have chosen that is causing the fat to dissipate. So, when the fat comes out of the pillow, it injects water as a "place holder." Sometimes that water actually replaces the weight of the fat it lost. Sometimes it replaces the volume.

Water weighs more than fat just like lead sinkers weigh more than feathers. If you stuff a pillow with a pound of feathers, you'll have a nice big pillow. If you stuff a pillow with a pound of lead sinkers, you'll have a nice (but rather hard and uncomfortable), small pillow. Now, let's say your body removes a pound of fat and replaces the weight with a pound of water. Your weight will stay the same, but you will be smaller. But, if your body decides to replace the lost fat by volume, that is a quite different story. Remember the great big feather pillow as compared to the tiny lead sinker pillow? Well, now think of a gallon of feathers and a gallon of lead sinkers. Try to pick up the gallon of feathers. Piece of (you'll pardon the expression) cake. Now, try to pick up the gallon of lead sinkers. Sucker's heavy, ain't it? So, you will be smaller, but you will have gained weight.

Eventually, your body makes the executive decision that you are not going to replace the fat you lost, and it lets go of the water. In the words of Danny Skaist: "When your body accepts the fact that they are no longer needed, the water will be expelled and the cells closed. This is known as the "whoosh."

What makes your body decide to replace by weight or replace by volume? I dunno. But I do know that it does not seem consistent to the casual observer. What makes your body decide that you are seriously not going to replace the fat you lost? I dunno. But now you know why it's so important to drink your water, huh? Loss of fat is inextricably related to water intake. It's more than a little foolish to go on a diet that facilitates the removal of fat and then refuse to give your body the tools it needs to do so.

Bottom Line: Stop getting on the scale and drink your water. If you stick to your plan and wait for the "whoosh," it will come.

BG - thanks for your support. When I was in the 240's, I used to dream of being 160's again. Now that I'm there, I want more. lol. I guess the old saying is true - "people are just never happy". lol.