I've gotten lazy and I've started picking up bad habits. It ends today.

My band is a gift. I am so lucky that my insurance has paid for this valuable tool and I have not been making the most of it.

I've been on a plateau too long, and it's my fault. Goodbye Halloween candy, poptarts, and 9 PM popcorn. I'm going back to the bandster rules. The rules that I have been ignoring.

I haven't been posting lately because I know that I have been sliding. I need for you guys to help me stick to this. Remind me that I'm not alone and that others have "re-started" this process after falling off the wagon. Tell me that I can still succeed.

Thanks in advance for you support.

Hey girl are we twins ??!?! you described me EXACTLY> I have been "off the wagon" of rules too and slack in applying all the rules that I know will help me, I too have been on a plateau about 5 months now, but all my own fault. Thanks for your post, we will encourage each other and suffer through the halloween candy together. I am resolved to giving all my extra trick or treat candy away and if any left it is going to my kids at church. I have been horrible and need accountability myself What you say we post on here daily what we eat (every little bite) and what water and exercise we do? I also needed to hear from others who fell off the wagon, but let us remember we can fall off the wagon, but just don't get run over by it! ha ha

Today's food so far:

1 glass of crystal light

1 small bowl of cheerios w/ skim milk

10 oz of Water

coffee w/ splenda

but it's not noon yet and I'm about to go to lunch!

I have turned my nose up to a tootsie roll though...and that's an accomplishment. My co-worker just offered me one!

You go girl! Don't let that tootsie roll have control!

Intake for me so far today:

Breakfast - 1 can Low carb SlimFast chocolate shake

Snack -15 slices turkey pepparoni low fat, high Protein

lunch - Half corn tortilla shell rolled with light miracle whip, 2 slices turkey 1 sice cheese

Will let you know later about the rest of the day....my problem time is at night watching TV!

You have been doing so good! every one falls off the wagon at some point" you just have to climb back on and if your going to eat (" Eat healthy food")

AND WATCH YOUR food INTAKE YOU WILL BE FINE. tAKE CARE BEST OF LUCK!

REMEMBER WEIGHT LOSS TAKE'S TIME.

EACH DAY WILL BRING A NEW CHALLENGE AND YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DO IT AND FRIEND'S LIKE US THAT WILL HELP!

You go girl you go!!!

Nicole, I have started logging all my food intake at www.fitday.com and here is the link to my daily log.

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=BEFAIN

I made it public so I would feel like I was being watched (sill little trick I play on myself to make me stick to it) The use is free if you are interested. You don't have to make your food journal public, there is an option to just let you see it.

Good luck and YOU CAN DO THIS! You have done great thusfar and you will succeed!

Good job on ignorning the candy. It's so hard to do at this time of year, and I commend you for it.

Also, please be gentle with yourself. You've experienced a trauma, and it can take a while to move past that. I actually gained a TON of weight after losing my first, and you are so fortunate that you have the band to keep you from doing that.

Keep up the great work, and just holler my way if you need me.

((((((HUGS))))))

YOU CAN GET BACK ON - You have a lifelong ticket.......

Just admitting it was your first step - now just remember that we will be watching for an update from you in a couple of days to let us know how your resolve is going. We are here for support - let us know - we all understand and go through it also.

You can be strong....look how strong you were in the first place to make the decision and take the step of having surgery in the first place. We all had to be strong to do that.

Good wishes coming your way and loads of support - I know you can do it...you have the tools!

Nancy

Believe it or not, plateaus are a good thing! Being on a plateau has nothing to do with "failure" - in fact, being on a plateau helps ensure success.

Why?!?! I thought you'd never ask...

I've been meaning to make a post about my hypnotherapy session last week, and life has just been too crazed at the moment - I will still make one to chronicle the sessions, but a little bit here, for the moment.

Did you know that our bodies use something called "neurolinquistics"? This is basically our psyches embedding/associating meanings for certain words. More on this later. In addition to internalizing certain word meanings, our bodies have an energy field that it "imprints" upon itself. This "imprint" makes us feel like "ourselves". You have all heard of people losing lots of weight, and STILL not recognizing themselves in the mirror? Their energy imprint has not yet caught up with their new body size. They still FEEL like a "fat" person.

So... Plateaus give us TIME. Time for our new size to make an imprint on our energy field. Time for us to recognize the "new" us. Time to adjust physically and mentally to our new size and shape. WITHOUT this time to adjust, subconsciously the body keeps trying to recapture its remembered "imprint" - which for most of us is larger than where we are today.

PLATEAUS give our bodies a chance to reset our image imprint - to remember our current size, to identify with it. A lower setpoint, if you will.

A word on neurolinquistics:

LOSE

What does the word lose/loss mean to us, deep down inside??? Who lost their purse a week or so ago? Wasn't she FRANTIC??? Wasn't she searching high and low??? Didn't she spend a lot of time and effort REPLACING what she lost??? You bet.

GAIN

What does the word gain/gaining mean to us, deep down inside??? Don't we GAIN status, GAIN power, GAIN insight, GAIN understanding, GAIN respect, RE-GAINing what we've lost??? GAIN is a powerful word.

So what do these two words have to do with body fat? When we think of losing weight, there is a real sense of loss - half the person I used to be, a shadow of my former self. These images imply a loss of power, a loss of standing. Subconsciously we try to regain what was lost, return to the status quo. See if you can change your thoughts about body fat to "letting go" "getting rid of" "releasing" - change your mindset so you aren't "losing" something that you will subconsciously try to find again.

And as always, be gentle with yourself. Our self-programming tapes play themsleves 1500 times a SECOND! That's a lot of programming to re-do! Consciously create the thought that you are a success, you are releasing weight, everything is going according to plan - eventually your tapes will catch up, but you have to be vigilant about the reprogramming.

Your public service announcement for the day...

Donali, I could not agree with you more. I was on a plateau for 3 months when I'd lost 50 lbs. Toward the end of it, I finally started seeing the difference. I could see the places that had changed, and what places looked better. All in all, I think that being stuck at the time was good for me (as much as I hate to admit it)... I just hope that in a few months I fell that way about my CURRENT stupid plateau.

Thanks Donali

New word for the week: neurolinquistics

Nicole, you've taken steps. You will succeed, one day at a time.

Nicole, Keep journaling your food, it works.

It makes oyu more accountable and you definately make better choices, write down everything, even those bites here and there we do not think matter all day long. I journaled and m,y plateau broke after 6 months. In 1 month of journaling I have lost 8 lbs. Get back to basics, you can do this

It looks like you are off to a great start!

DaisyDoodle, how ya doing today? Started a food journal.... well to finish up my food intake for yesterday

snack: 1/2 cup low fat sugarfree chocolate pudding with 4 tbsp light coolwhip

supper: 1/2 cup pinto Beans with 1/2 corn muffin

snack: 1 sugarfree klondike icecream bar

snack: 8 pringles potato chips.

Today so far:

24 oz hot tea with splenda

Breakfast - two sausage patties with one slice of cheeze

snack: 2 rice cakes plain.

Keep me posted....