Hello fellow sleevers,

just thought I would start a thread for all those who want to get to goal in 2012, regardless of where we are in the process.

I posted it the 'Slow Loser' thread, because that is what I am!! (I am not complaining by the way, just pleased to be a loser...lol)

For me to get there, I know that at 18mths out I need to be strict, accountable and have support from those in the same 'place', who understand that the sleeve isn't a miracle but a tool.

I have done well so far, but the weight hasn't 'melted' off me and since 6mths post op I have had to fight for each and every pound. At first it made me a little bitter, frustrated and I started to get into a 'dark place' about it, now the scale victory tastes sooooo sweet!

I have taken the month of December 'off'... I needed to rest from the constant worry of food, cals, water, carbs and protein... my head was spinning and I was starting to feel very frustrated and overwhelmed at not being at goal again. I needed time out!

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas period and I have eaten what I wanted and when I wanted it; this includes ALL foods, no food was off limit and I let my sleeve do its job! The quantity was low but I still enjoyed every mouthful. Interestingly, I found that my cravings were satisified very quickly... 1 or 2 biscuits/sweets, and so on, hit the spot, instead of 5,6,7,... you get the picture. Subconscious damage limitation? I don't know but I like it!

I have learnt a lot by doing this. I now know that I can eat a little more if I 'try'... I know that I can enjoy food again without feeling guilty and I know that food doesn't have to be the enemy. So, with all that, what was the outcome? Yep, I have gained 2lbs above my personal bounce! Oops!

I am not, in the slightest, worried about this because I KNOW what is the cause... sugar and salt! And this time, I am sure it will come off as quick as it went on!

So, what is the plan?

Per my surgeon's instructions: I am going back to basics... yep that ole one...lol

• 3 meals a day - no snacking.
  
• Weighing my meals between 6-8oz depending on what is on the plate.
  
• Protein first, followed by veggies.
  
• Plenty of water.
  
• A limit of 1000 cals a day.
  
• Continue with my exercise - boxing twice a week, gym in work 1-2 times a week (depending on work load) and walking my dog (just over a 2 mile circuit). The exercise is the only thing that I have stuck to in December... I actually enjoy it now!!
  

As a side note, and I ain't sure if my American friends can get this, but here in the Uk, on SKY there are a few fitness channels. I have recorded some aerobic workouts that are really good... they're free and can be done at home... this is saving me some money on classes and DVDs and if I don't like the workout I can delete and look for another!! Bonus!!

Ok, who is ready to join me on the final stretch to goal... hope on board and enjoy the ride my friends...

Meg: CONGRATS! I'm so excited to hear that you are at goal!

Meg... what can I say, you are my hero!!! What an achievement... now, get to that gym and work your new body! I promise you, after the initial shock, you will love it! =] And yes to a new goal pic...

Hey! Congrats, Meg!!! That's awesome!!

Woohoo Meg!!! Awesome!!!

Ok ladies, I'm done dinkin' around. I've been about the same weight, give or take 5 (or umm.... 10) pounds since the end of FEBRUARY! And I know darn well it's because I haven't been working it. The exercise comes and goes. The eating swings wildly off track, and then gets reined in, only to swing wildly off track again. But no more. I draw the line here. Makin' no excuses, takin' no prisoners.

I'd love to hit my dream goal before the end of the year, and while it's only 11 pounds and that should be utterly doable, I'm going to focus on doing what I know I need to do and see where it takes me. I can't control what my body decides to do, but I can control what I eat, how much I eat, and the exercise I'm getting.

I'm posting here, because apparently I need some accountability in my life, and I know you all will understand!

So, here are the promises I'm making to myself:

(1) Do my exercise, and do it regularly! Let that personal trainer kick my butt, and get at least 3 additional cardio sessions in during the week.

(2) No more eating crap. It turns into a week-long free-for-all, makes me feel terrible, and I spend weeks trying to lose the pounds I gain doing it.

(3) Back to basics - eat more slowly, pay attention to my food as I'm consuming it, and stop when you're satisfied dang it!!

Rant over, thanks for listening!! :ph34r:

Hey Escape Pod, I'm still working on some of those myself! I'll join you--especially the "no more eating crap" and the "eat more slowly and pay attention to my food as I'm eating it" parts. Even though I dropped the last pesky pound, I don't feel as energetic as I did a few weeks ago, and I know it's because I'm eating fewer fruits/veggies and am instead occasionally making some pretty poor nutritional choices. My goal for this week: Take some food to work instead of relying on what I can get there. Even though I definitely CAN get healthy food at work, I get tired of the same thing every day, and I find myself "branching out" into less healthy options. I have food here that's not difficult to pack and carry, so I'm going to do that.

Let's make it a point to post every weekend with our goals for that week and a review of how we did with those goals last week. I have a ways to go with the healthy eating thing, that's for sure. We don't keep junk in the house, but that doesn't seem to stop me from buying it when I'm at work.

Ladies, I like this...

my eating is pretty good, but I can definitely 'clean' it up a little, so that is my first one. The seond one is going to be get more Water in. I won't make an exercise goal this week cos I am still struggling with a chest infection that started out as a cold, but I might try the gym in work and see how it goes!

I'm back down to my lowest bounce now and that feels a little better - emotionally if not physically!

As a side note, I had a little clear out yesterday and found some 'big' clothes that I had saved and forgot about. I managed to put both of my legs into one of the jean legs...lol... I've seen others do it (at goal) but never thought I would be able to do it. My daughter was sooooo impressed! She thought it was amazing and kinda admitted that I 'used to be fat' ...lol. My son, well he just said 'WHOAH, MAM!!!!!' That was a good feeling!

Coops, you're such an inspiration to me, I think you stay on track with your eating so much better than I do, and you have an awesome attitude!

I'm going to add a goal for the coming week - no weigh-ins. Ugh, I hate to even think about it, but I know that I let the scale dictate my mood and my behavior way too much, and I don't want it nudging me off track this week. I've lost the easy "dropping carbs" pounds over the past few days, which is incredibly motivating when I get on the scale each morning, but that's about to come to an end I know. Next weigh-in, next Sunday. There, I've said it.

Meg, if you've got the bad foods out of your house, you're doing so much better than I am. My husband can pretty much eat whatever, and when I get off track, I help myself to some of his goodies. And, I've got practically a year's supply of protein bars, protein pudding, low-carb rice crispy treats, and other "healthy" snacks that really have no place in my food plan at the moment. They've been a problem for me for some time now. One low-carb biscotti might be fine at 15 calories, but it's not so fine if you eat 6 ... or 8 ... or.....

And then there's the peanut butter obsession....

Today's day 4 of being back on plan though, so I know I've gotten through the worst part. Now the goal is to keep myself on track for longer than a week!

escape pod... there is no way can I be an inspiration to you... look at where you are! I would give anything to have the same BMI as you do... OMG!! What a compliment... phew!

I have to stay on track with my eating... there is NO WAY am I ever gonna get big again, I didn't pay this much money for me to get fat again! To be honest, if this is how I have to eat for ever - and that is a long time - then I am more than happy and satisfied. I now realise that my sleeve is a good boy! If I choose to have a 'treat' I know that I can only tolerate a little... that makes it taste so much better and it stops my cravings - not that I get that many!

I suppose my adherence to the 'plan' is why I get frustrated that the scale isn't moving.... I am sooo compliant!! Still, I am in a better place with my weight than I was 3 yrs ago, so that has to be good...right?!

So I think it's time to get back to business for me. Been up on the Mountain and eating horribly! Still proteins with some extra carbs. So after reading the previous posts from Meg, Escape_pod, and Coops, I am inspired to get back on track. Today I was looking at my lower stomach and pelvic region (with my cloths on) and I realized that if i didn't have this excess skin, I would be wearing a size 6 pants or small and be really comfy. So, I am going to start my challenge with increasing my exercise by going to the gym and doing weights, drinking more water, and worst of all, working on my head hunger stuff because I eat when I'm not hungry and that's pretty darn stupid for me to do that. Thank you guys for the inspiration.

escape pod... there is no way can I be an inspiration to you... look at where you are! I would give anything to have the same BMI as you do... OMG!! What a compliment... phew!

Heh... well, I'm flattered right back at 'ya, but you all STILL look skinnier than me! I have to admit, that's one of my biggest frustrations. I see some totally skinny chick in her "after" photo, and she's the same height as me, and weighs MORE than me. What the heck is that about?? Skinny jeans aren't EVER gonna fit this girl. Sigh...

I'm definitely working on my Zen - stress / emotional eating is my biggest issue. Surprisingly, I'm finding 5-HTP actually helps (who knew? I never bought into that naturopathic supplements stuff... but one in the morning and one at night actually seems to make me a bit calmer, at least at the moment), and I'm reading Savor - it's sort of a combination Buddhism / nutrionist / mindful eating approach. Anything to keep me from stuffing my face any time I'm alone in the house for 5 minutes. Still figuring out how much of that is physical reaction to too many carbs, and how much of it is mind games.

Unfortunately, when it comes to treats I can tolerate a whole lot, and at this point nothing stops me from eating past the point where it makes me feel like crap and still having trouble stopping. Yep, 100% confirmed binge eater here in the house. But I'd sure as heck rather be working on that issue without having to battle physical hunger on top of it. I knew sleeve surgery wouldn't be a magic wand for me, but it's worth every penny I paid for how far it's gotten me. If nothing else, the self confidence I have at this weight is a huge leg up in the battle against stress eating. I know I can conquer this, look what I've accomplished already! With all of you inspiring the heck out of me too, I've got goal in my sights!! Watch out Meg, I'm chasin' you! (And, by the way, when do we get to see a photo of gorgeous skinny you at GOAL?!? )

Escape_Pod, I am so glad you posted this stuff. I'm finding myself struggling with eating mindfully and savoring the food. It is so automatic at times. I have been slowing down so that is an improvement. But I'm always thinking about food. If I see food, I want to eat it. this is going to be hard work for me, but I am going to do it. I love my skinny body and am so afraid of gaining the weight back. so I am refusing to do this dance with food.

Ms Skinniness, I so hear you, this IS hard. But I try to remind myself that it's also hard going to bed with a stomach ache and a sugar hangover, feeling like crap physically, and feeling like I'm going to FAIL at this and gain a bunch of weight back. I SO wanted to be one of those people who gleefully called GOAL, and then kept losing. And if I'm perfectly honest with myself, I really think I could have been if I hadn't gotten so far off track. And that's hard too.

I'm ready for a change in hard. And when I have a great day, on track and doing what I'm supposed to, I feel pretty awesome about myself. That's one of the reasons I've put the scale away - I'm letting it dictate my moods and be my whole measure of success. But eating right and getting my workouts in, and the pride that comes along with those habits, is pretty darned rewarding in itself. I've decided it's not worth the potential of letting myself get derailed if the scale isn't singing my praises when I want it to.

For some reason, one of my biggest challenges is stopping eating. I try to manage portions so I don't end up overeating just because there's too much on my plate, but sometimes I do get to the point where I'm comfortably full before it's all gone, and I have the darnedest time not wanting to finish my portion anyway. Last night I had half a Protein bar after dinner as a sort of dessert (another bad habit I'm working on!), even though I wasn't really hungry, but I hadn't met my protein goals for the day and my calorie count was a bit on the low side. I'm not entirely sorry I did, because I woke up HUNGRY this morning, but I know it's a bad habit eating when I'm not really hungry. Sigh...

I'm gonna rock this month and see where it takes me!

I'm with you on all these. I'm weighing myself one time per week and today I was going to weight in and I totally forgot. I wanted so bad to be one of those that got to goal and kept on losing. But I'm not so I am working on being happy with by body shape now. In fact, if i had my excess skin removed, I'd be past my goal and into the small's. I have veins in my forehead now and I'm not sure that's normal bc I've never seen them before so i will be seeing my PCP really soon.

Anyways, thank you so much for your support and sharing your struggles with us. I think most of us are having these struggles and this is our learning curve.

Heh... well' date=' I'm flattered right back at 'ya, but you all STILL look skinnier than me! I have to admit, that's one of my biggest frustrations. I see some totally skinny chick in her "after" photo, and she's the same height as me, and weighs MORE than me. What the heck is that about?? Skinny jeans aren't EVER gonna fit this girl. Sigh...

I'm definitely working on my Zen - stress / emotional eating is my biggest issue. Surprisingly, I'm finding 5-HTP actually helps (who knew? I never bought into that naturopathic supplements stuff... but one in the morning and one at night actually seems to make me a bit calmer, at least at the moment), and I'm reading Savor - it's sort of a combination Buddhism / nutrionist / mindful eating approach. Anything to keep me from stuffing my face any time I'm alone in the house for 5 minutes. Still figuring out how much of that is physical reaction to too many carbs, and how much of it is mind games.

Unfortunately, when it comes to treats I can tolerate a whole lot, and at this point nothing stops me from eating past the point where it makes me feel like crap and still having trouble stopping. Yep, 100% confirmed binge eater here in the house. But I'd sure as heck rather be working on that issue without having to battle physical hunger on top of it. I knew sleeve surgery wouldn't be a magic wand for me, but it's worth every penny I paid for how far it's gotten me. If nothing else, the self confidence I have at this weight is a huge leg up in the battle against stress eating. I know I can conquer this, look what I've accomplished already! With all of you inspiring the heck out of me too, I've got goal in my sights!! Watch out Meg, I'm chasin' you! (And, by the way, when do we get to see a photo of gorgeous skinny you at GOAL?!? )[/quote']

I'm a huge emotional/stress eater. I work 2 jobs and I'm a single of a special needs daughter, so I need some of that 5-HTP stuff. What is it and where can I find it?