I haven't been posting as much with the new forum, but just thinking about my friends on here. Wondering how you are doing, and honestly could use a pep talk, I am still losing, I am still doing mostly what I need to, but I can feel myself becoming more and more complacent and it scares me. Last week was my boyfriend and my best friend's birthday and I find myself using all these events as excuses to indulge, which is fine, but I can tell it makes the next day harder and I found myself having a full week of 1200 calorie days, and that is not where I want to be! A little advice or encouragement from you would mean a lot to me. My weight loss is much slower, I have been monitoring what I actually burn daily and as I weigh less, obviously I burn less (I only burn about 2000 calories daily.) I am getting scared. I know that statistically if we don't get to goal within the first 12 months, the likelihood of it happening rapidly decreases! And the last couple months I am only losing about 8 lbs.

Anna

I don't really know what to tell you. I am averaging just under 1,100 calories a day, exercising four times a week, and losing about a pound a week, and that has me on track to get to goal by my one-year surgiversary. For me, 1,000 to 1,200 feels very normal and not like a diet, and I didn't have this surgery so I could diet -- I had it so I could STOP dieting! But I know everybody is different, so maybe my experience isn't helpful to you.

One thing that really does throw me off, though, is too much "bad" stuff. I went through a phase where I was drinking wine several times a week, and eating sweets almost every day, and that really slowed down my weight loss. I have cut that out almost entirely and I can really see a difference on the scale, even though my total calories aren't that much different. Plus I find that eating "bad" carbs makes me crave more of the same. If I stick to good healthy food I do much better.

Other things that work for me: I have a Protein shake for Breakfast every morning -- 30 grams of proteiin in 160 calories, gives me a great jumpstart on my protein for the day. If I'm eating lunch in, I'm likely to have a Protein Bar for lunch. 20 grams protein, 180 calories. Then I have plenty of calories left for a decent dinner and maybe an evening snack. Or if I go out to lunch, I have a tiny dinner -- maybe a slice of cheese and an ounce of salami and call it a day. I'm also religious about taking my Multivitamin and my Calcium. I was having a hard time remembering, and then something as simple as moving the Vitamins from the kitchen into the bathroom solved my problem -- now I just take my vits right after I brush my teeth in the morning, and it's become automatic. And I swear it's helped my weight loss!

If you're not doing weight training, I really encourage you to start. It makes you feel great and builds muscle, which is great for all kinds of reasons. I splurged on twice-weekly sessions with a personal trainer and it's the best money I've spent since my surgery. I also take dance classes twice a week.

Hope this helps! Hang in there -- you are doing great!