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...

Hey Skinny,

sounds like you had a really good chat...and you're, it does put things into perspective. Perhaps the 'new' style of eating will help you get rid of that last 7 lbs... good luck and let us know how you get on x

... do you think I should lower my intake or just keep doing what I am doing and call it a job done?

At this point I am open to all suggestions!

I wish I was one of these sleevers who come on her saying that they can't stop losing weight and NEED to eat!!

*sighs*

Im just saying, what you are doing now is maintaining where you are at. If you want to continue what you are doing now, then you might just say you are in maintenance, and all is good. If you want to lose more, than experimentation might be in order. Im looking at the same kind of thing too, except I need to get back to maintenance level after .... trying to lose what I have gained... and find out what it takes to stay there. Best of luck! You have done so well.

So I have been using fitday.com for years. Maybe 5 years. I just tried one day on myfitnesspal.com... to see how it would go and it is SOOOO much better than fitday, I can't tell you how much I love it! I know some of you guys have talked about using it, but I had no idea how much better it was. I can find the foods I eat by brand most of the time, and the economy of moves it takes to log is great... also a good iphone app as well. It is making it so much easier to log. It has actually made getting back on plan exciting again! Go figure.

just a quick update...thought I would give swizzly's idea a go and I've been trying to follow the primal blue print style of eating... I'd say, that I am 80% there! No bread Pasta and rice - cut out all cereals and grains. Not so good with the sugar, but I am weaning off that. Eating lots of good meats, veggies, nuts oils and some dairy. Feeling good but not showing on the scales. I am 2 lbs above my highest bounce.

I am also really constipated - my second bad bout in a mth... this is starting to worry me a little as I had sorted this problem out! I'm taking flax and chai seeds and some benefibre in my drinks.... any ideas??? I've had to take laxatives several times!

Oh and was like this before I changed my diet... blurghhhh.

Fingers crossed the new way of eating will start things going again... if no movement over the next two weeks, I will start logging my food!

How are you all doing?

Hey coops -- good luck!! I know that there is a period of serious adjustment to that style of eating, so wait a couple of weeks and see how it goes. Might not be your cup of tea in the end, but it's worth a go I think. The constipation should also be temporary -- cutting DOWN on Fiber helps me a lot with this one (sounds odd, I know -- read Fiber Menace for a wacky but somewhat convincing take on it...). I'm guessing you're just retaining Water right now, but keep me posted, I'm cheering for you!!

https://www.marksdailyapple.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-fat-adapted/ -- also a good read, along with the entire "Success Stories" section.

Hey swizzly ... spooky but I read that last night!! Very interesting!

Yea, I have to give it at least a month... hubby has already lost 5lbs doing it with me! It is not that different to how I was eating before xmas, but I have to work on reducing the sugar and milk... that is my target for this week! I do feel better in myself, defo not so bloated even with the constipation. No foggy head either at the moment... that might change but I will stick with it.

A lot of my friends have started slimming clubs and they are doing my head in with points this and sins that....arghhh! I hate slimming clubs and the whole psychology of them - and I bought in to it for way tooooo many years!

I will have a look at the fiber menace too.

Hope you are well...

Thanks, I'm doing pretty good. I've been off wheat entirely for at least two months now -- and I am not even attempting to give up dairy, I love it and eat loooooads of it. I also still eat too much sugar. But just giving up grains has been great, I've lost about 2kg from that, and my husband has lost 6kg from it! He also has a few autoimmune issues and migraines, both of which have gotten SOOOO much better since he gave up wheat. It's a weird thing, I never would have guessed it would have such an impact.

Yes, I also dislike clubs, points, calorie counting -- all of that. I am too easily obsessed by that sort of thing, so much better for me to stay out of it in the first place.

I have been looking at this.... Eating to your TDEE (total Daily energy expenditure)This means for most of us eating more. Maybe LOTS more. Here are some vids that talk about parts of it....Myfitnesspal has lots of info on the forums and a link to a calculator to figure out how much you should be eating. Mine said I should be eating 1886 cals a day to lose. (at the exercise level I am at)

http://www.youtube.com/user/EatMore2WeighLess?feature=mhee

Here is my worksheet, but you can FILE> NEW(on the top of the spreadsheet page) and fill in your own to find out what they say for you. I hear you need to have a google account to use this spreadsheet...

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtVTTxJc1RRhdHVqQkdkNjhOLVY4QzBYYzNOQllEQUE#gid=14

FYE - that is interesting! Thanks for the linky. I've been eating a lot more calories than most here, all along. My BMR was 1890 before surgery, my doctor reckons it's about 250 less than that now. But with my activity level, I'm burning about 2200 per day (without the gym specifically factored in), so I eat 1800-2000-ish most of the time. And I still lose a bit from time to time on that, so I reckon if I dropped to 1500 per day, I'd lose more -- not sure I want to though.

I know people always say calories in/calories out, but that has not always been the case for me. Some calories seem to be 'worse' for me than others, so if I don't eat any wheat/grains, I lose much easier overall even when I eat loads of fat and meat (and veg of course . So, I find this topic fascinating.

I'm DETERMINED to get to goal this year, which means dragging my butt kicking and screaming back on track. I've been dinking around for 9 months without making any progress, and it's ALL my fault. If I'd stayed on track, I'm pretty convinced I would have been at goal last MARCH. My binge eating habit reared its ugly head, the carbs crept back in, and my 5 pound bounce range turned into 10, and by Christmas I was 20 (ouch!) pounds above my lowest weight.

But I'm here this morning to shout out a WOOHOO! I've been back on track for 10 days now, eating right, and getting my exercise in again, and I've dropped 11 of those pounds. I know most of them were water retention - I see some serious carb bloating when I indulge in chocolate or popcorn. But, I'm celebrating anyway, and I'm determined to keep up the momentum. This is gonna be my year. I've got a bunch of cute (short, or at least short for me!) skirts I'm going to be fitting into again this Spring, and I'm determined to get to shout out GOAL. I feel like I'm finally making progress working on my sugar / carb addiction, and I really want to get back to running this Spring. I've been in physical therapy since November with what I thought was a minor neck issue, but turns out to be pretty major alignment problem, so I haven't run in a couple of months, but I know I'll get back to it this year. My two year surgiversary is the end of June, and I have eleven pounds to go. I can totally do this! Wish me luck?

You have totally got this escape_pod! You will get to goal really soon. I seem to get off track a lot lately. I know that I hate the feeling of ketosis and have adjusted my diet to a few more healthy carbs like veggies. but this last week I had the darn Flamin Hot Cheetos...... My NUT told me that what we call sliders, know as carbs, go right through our stomachs to our intestines. But getting back on track today. Am taking L-Glutamine that you suggested too.... I do need to lose about 7 lbs but can't get past 144 and my bounces. I know that we can do this. Look where we are today...

I don't know about you, but I find there are foods I can simply drop, and foods I need to find a substitute for. I have a real love for popcorn, but it's a trigger food for me, I can't eat a reasonable amount and it leads to more snacking on other things. I found that soy crisps are salty and have much the same texture and give me a bit of protein. They're still a bit high in carbs for my targets, so I try not to eat them too much, but most of the time they'll keep me away from the popcorn. If I want something salty, the seaweed snacks will often do it for me too.

I also have always had a MASSIVE weakness for anything chocolate and peanut butter. Peanut butter's practically dangerous for me to have in the house. I'm making the switch though to Atkins PB Cups, or the new Quest Cravings PB cups. Now, nobody would mistake them for a Reeses in real life, so it's not exactly a party for my taste buds, but I'd bet that if I stick with it long enough they'll make me perfectly happy and the Reeses will be too sweet for me.

You can do this too! Look how far you've come, you can totally smash through those last 7 pounds. Hope the Glutamine helps!

I have a go to of nuts, really salty nuts is what I'm craving lately. Oh and the Heat peanuts too. They have sugar in them but not a lot. Mostly protein. Haven't gotten too into the popcorn, I hate when stuff gets stuck in my gums and teeth.... LOL I really love popcorn with a lot of butter.

Oh well, I am doing well with keeping the carbs down though. Going further and becoming a food snob! Reading all labels and cutting everything out that has corn products. Only healthy stuff for me. Oh and trying to stay away from the restaurants, their foods are packed with sugars, fats, and salt.... Have to make really healthy choices now. I'm also working on getting more organized and packing my own foods. this is gonna be a chore for me! But I can do this. Look at us now......

You go Ms Skinniness! I'll race ya to the finish line!

Escape_Pod it's on! Just got back from renewing my membership at the gym and did some weight lifting....

Me and DH are going to Hawaii in August and need to build up my stamina and stuff...

Gonna leave him in the dust.... LOL

This is gonna be fun.....

How about if we weight in tomorrow morning and post....

See what we can do....

Anyone want to join us?