I think sometimes we allow the scale fluctuations to frustrate us...sometimes to the point of cheating out of frustration...even when the longer term progress is pretty evident.

I track everything I eat in fitday.com and record my weight on a daily. Looking back at the graph from the last month was enlightening. The lines bobble up and down and up and down like a kiddie roller coaster...but the slope is definitely downward and totals a whopping 10 lb loss over the last month! Not bad for being 16 months postop and usually averaging only 4 lb or less a month.

10lbs a month is great!! I remember those good days, haha. My weight-loss has too been up and down, finally down this week. Glad to see you don't let the scale bother you too much. Wanna share some of that wisdom?

That is great progress. Congrats!

I too weigh every day, even tho most of the 'experts' say to only weigh once/week. I've been doing it so long that the minor fluctuations no longer bother me. I'm still a 'before', but the loss is steady... about 3 pounds/month. Its still exiting to me each time that scale hits a new low..

Glad to see you don't let the scale bother you too much. Wanna share some of that wisdom?

I think the biggest difference over the last month is that I *completely* eliminated starches, gluten, and grains. I did it mainly because they have a dramatic, immediate impact on my insulin and, even though I've been off all my insulin since December, my numbers would still climb into the 110 and 120 range after eating something like rice (even brown rice), even the smallest amount of flour, etc....even though they were small enough amounts to fit into my under 30gm carb daily limit. I gave up on fruit a long time ago because they're so high in natural sugar that my blood sugar sky rockets. So...the last month's changes came about as an effort to reduce and/control my blood sugar...and I'm having the added benefit of dropping more weight!

A month ago when I started my diet was typically Atkins - low carb (under 30gm), moderate Protein (30-40%), high fat (60-70%) with calories coming in around 1000-1200 depending on whether or not I added cream to my coffee or fats to my vegies. This is what my menu looked like for probably the first two weeks:

B: 2 eggs cooked in .2 oz butter, .5 oz bacon (weighed after cooking...about 2 slices)

L: Chefs salad with 1.5 cups boston/bibb/romaine lettuce with 1 chopped hard boiled egg, 1/2 oz shredded cheese, 1/2 oz crumbled bacon, 1 oz diced ham or turkey with 2 Tbs homemade blue cheese dressing *OR* 3 oz protein and 1 cup vegies

D: Same as lunch

Snack: SF Jello with 5 grams whipped cream or 1 square of 70% Lindt chocolate (4 squares was a serving but I just had one)

The only thing I'm doing different the last two weeks is I no longer eat bacon for Breakfast and I'm not putting 1 oz diced ham or turkey in my salad. Also, I rarely have a snack in the evening because I just don't want it. I've gone completely to tea and dropped my decaf coffee (which required 1/2 oz of half and half as creamer). What this has essentially done is dropped my calories to around 900, carbs to <15 and fats to 49%. I know I can safely take them up to 60% but I'm not going to forcefeed myself fats.

The only other thing I do is make sure to drink a 12 oz mug of decaf tea before breakfast (a habit I got into when I had to try and loosen my band in the morning) and a 20 oz bottle of Water (or sugar free crystal lite, coffee, etc.) between lunch, between dinner and another hot mug of tea/coffee/etc. in the evening.

To be honest I haven't exercised this last month because I'm in the middle of my 'end of winter' doldrums but my energy level is high. It's not even spring and my house has been thoroughly spring cleaned over the last month. Now if it would just get warm enough so I can go out and walk in the fresh air!

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I think the biggest difference over the last month is that I *completely* eliminated starches, gluten, and grains. I did it mainly because they have a dramatic, immediate impact on my insulin and, even though I've been off all my insulin since December, my numbers would still climb into the 110 and 120 range after eating something like rice (even brown rice), even the smallest amount of flour, etc....even though they were small enough amounts to fit into my under 30gm carb daily limit. I gave up on fruit a long time ago because they're so high in natural sugar that my blood sugar sky rockets. So...the last month's changes came about as an effort to reduce and/control my blood sugar...and I'm having the added benefit of dropping more weight!

A month ago when I started my diet was typically Atkins - low carb (under 30gm), moderate Protein (30-40%), high fat (60-70%) with calories coming in around 1000-1200 depending on whether or not I added cream to my coffee or fats to my vegies. This is what my menu looked like for probably the first two weeks:

B: 2 eggs cooked in .2 oz butter, .5 oz bacon (weighed after cooking...about 2 slices)

L: Chefs salad with 1.5 cups boston/bibb/romaine lettuce with 1 chopped hard boiled egg, 1/2 oz shredded cheese, 1/2 oz crumbled bacon, 1 oz diced ham or turkey with 2 Tbs homemade blue cheese dressing *OR* 3 oz protein and 1 cup vegies

D: Same as lunch

Snack: SF Jello with 5 grams whipped cream or 1 square of 70% Lindt chocolate (4 squares was a serving but I just had one)

The only thing I'm doing different the last two weeks is I no longer eat bacon for breakfast and I'm not putting 1 oz diced ham or turkey in my salad. Also, I rarely have a snack in the evening because I just don't want it. I've gone completely to tea and dropped my decaf coffee (which required 1/2 oz of half and half as creamer). What this has essentially done is dropped my calories to around 900, carbs to <15 and fats to 49%. I know I can safely take them up to 60% but I'm not going to forcefeed myself fats.

The only other thing I do is make sure to drink a 12 oz mug of decaf tea before breakfast (a habit I got into when I had to try and loosen my band in the morning) and a 20 oz bottle of Water (or sugar free crystal lite, coffee, etc.) between lunch, between dinner and another hot mug of tea/coffee/etc. in the evening.

To be honest I haven't exercised this last month because I'm in the middle of my 'end of winter' doldrums but my energy level is high. It's not even spring and my house has been thoroughly spring cleaned over the last month. Now if it would just get warm enough so I can go out and walk in the fresh air!

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Nice. I started off eating like that, pretty low carb but I've tried to let that go even though the scale was moving fine, I had never felt so winded and drained after working out as I did when doing low carb. For me it's not possible to workout for nearly 2 hours a day with only 20-30 carbs, I was burning out quick. But I will say that low carb WORKS flawlessly. I had no cravings just like you, ate very minimal grains, etc. I did low carb for about 7-8 months and lost most of my weight then.

I'm glad it's working for you. Looks like you're doing awesome It just goes to show we're all different and we all have different nutritional needs that work for us.

It just goes to show we're all different and we all have different nutritional needs that work for us.

I wish everyone understood this. Too many people have the 'one diet fits all' mentality.

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I wish everyone understood this. Too many people have the 'one diet fits all' mentality.

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Exactly! I'm guilty of just that, especially in the beginning, but I've learned that I can't eat what you eat and expect the same results and vice versa. Yes it helps to know what others are eating and to get ideas, but I think everyone should understand that one person's diet isn't going to work the same for everyone else.

Thank you both for your success stories. I helped a lot. I am beginning to get discouraged

Keep up the good wrork

Thank you both for your success stories. I helped a lot. I am beginning to get discouraged

Keep up the good wrork

Ahh don't get discouraged. That's ironic coming from me, seeing as how these last few weeks I've been discouraged because of the scale, but do your best to think positive!! You've lost 18lbs and that is great! That's 18lbs gone and 18lbs closer to your goal. If you're not losing, try switching your food up along with your exercise and your calories.

Good luck!