Do you have any tips that work the best for you... maybe you could share them here so we can all learn from them.

#1 - I love doritos with dip... also it's weird but they go down the band too easy. So instead of given them up for good I buy a regular size bag and divide them into 13 single size packages so I know not to over eat them. It works for me to get a serving and it's better then the old days when I'd be depressed that I couldn't have more. I'm actually satisfied with just one serving.

#2 - I used to get soooo thirsty at resturants and it was hard to not drink. Now I get an iced tea or something delicious or just Water and drink it all before my meal. It normally takes so long for the meal to come that I have time to let my 15 minutes prior go by and then I don't get as thirsty during the meal. I always tell the waitress not to fill up my glass after my meal comes.

#3 - I eat Fiber one or raisin bran for Breakfast and it keeps me "regular"

The best tip I am happy to share is from a fellow bandster but I can't remember who! Someone said ' instead of trying to eat as much as you can (me)!, 'try to eat as little as you can' in order to be satisfied. It may sound simple but it has powerfully helped me over the last week. In fact, this week was my best week yet - almost 3lbs. I also am exercising 3/week and started taking chromium picolinate on the advice of my doc's nutritionist. in fact, i need to change my ticker to reflect 164.8 but I'm gonna wait a few days to see how things settle.

mary

My tips:

I have been working very hard on brainwashing myself to think differently about the aroma of foods that used to trigger "hunger". Much like when we smell beautiful spring flowers along side of the road.. we enjoy the aroma but we don't stop and get out to graze on the flowers. I think I am succeeding. When we drive by a steakhouse, donut shop, chinese restaurant, or burger joint and those smells come drifting into the car I just take in a big deep breath and focus on how pleasing they smell, tell myself that was the end of the experience and go on. I rarely carry cravings with me after such encounters now.

This is funny since i used to love the smell of Krispy Kreme donoughts and I was at place where I could smell them recently and they totally turned my stomach. I thougth I was going to puke from the sicken sweet smell.... I love that side effect...

I also love the fact that I can have treats and not over induldge. To me it's a lifestyle change that I can live with forever. If I totally eliminate all junk from my life I can do it for awhile but this way it's not really a temptation since i know I can have some once in awhile in limited quantites. It's what works for me. I didn't give up suger or bread or junk but I'm happy to say I'm not very interested in having any of them very much. In fact I used to be a sweet junkie and now Doritos are what temps me and I'm totally happy with a few chips!

I might be in the honeymoon phase also... but I love this band today! I love to have the choice of what I eat...

Wow-tips are really helpful - I had no idea (in my liquid phase) that chips might be in my future.:faint: