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...

Diva, do you burn 1,000 calories a day? I'd love to do that. How long does it take you?

@Lila, yes when I'm being a very very good girl, I can burn 1,000 calories in a day - no problem. I've already burned 750, so with tonights workout I will exceed that. I have to do my Wednesday Callanetics which doesn't burn much so I might have to settle on a little extra 15 minute burner on the stationary bike. For me to do my 1k burns I have to log about 2-2.5 hours workout in a day. :wink1:

• So here I am, back in the Forum, still one Slow A** Loser =P. It is the sweets that have gotten me, specifically the sweet carbs. I have been known in the past 6 months to eat a Payday bar, a snickers, a doughnut!!!! Certainly this hasn't helped matters but, I have always been a slow loser, just never this slow. I don't do much cardio even though I move a LOT - yoga, pilates, TRX, tango.
  

So, how to frickin lose my last 40?!! GAH!! Obviously, stop it with the junk food, increase my Water, change up my work out to include more/better cardio. But what about my calories? I have always been low cal, 850 or less. The one thing I've never done is go high cal for a concerted period of time, say 1200 for a week. I'm afraid to go that high. WHY have I had to fight for every ***ing pound, since day one?! F***!!!! I'm just so tired of being fat. 18 months later and I'm STILL. FAT.

Hey Globetrotter... why don't you try 1000 cals a day? What harm can it do? As you move about a lot, your body might be holding on to every pound? If I go below 1000, which is rare, I feel like crap! Headache, grumpy and mega tired...

Since the New Year, so over a mth now, I have gone back to my pre op routine... 3 meals a day, sometimes a good snack if I am low on cals, plenty of water and movement as much as I can. Ok, so I am not rocking the world but I am back to my 2lb bounce of 166lb... I did go to 170lb, my lowest 164lb so at least I am going in the right direction - I even put the weight gain on my ticker cos it wasn't shifting!

I find the food and exercise thing pretty easy to be honest... the water is tougher but I am aware and trying my best. The hardest is staying positive and motivated. I've started tracking too, and finding that it helps keep an eye on things, then when I feel I need a rest from it, I take the weekend off tracking but still keep in mind what I am doing...

Rest assured, I and others on this thread, know exactly how you feel... how can we not shed weight when eating like we do and exercise like we do? Some might think we are kidding ourselves and 'cheating' but I can promise you that I am honest here and honest with myself. If I make a cock up , I will fess up!

Oh, and for the record, you ain't fat!!! Like I said before, 18mths later you are 130lbs smaller, lighter, fitter... that is a ****ing MASSIVE achievement. In saying that I also appreciate how fat 'feels' as I have fat days and not so fat days.

Use this thread to spur you on, vent, celebrate... whatever, knowing that you aren't alone... hugs from across the pond and remember, we are in this together... x

Aww, thanks for the cheerleading Coops! =) I know that here, amongst my people, I am not fat but out in the "real" world, for my height, yes I am overweight. BMI still has me as fat, and even surgeon's goal (150) will still have me as "overweight"!

I have already created a new food plan for tomorrow in my tracker for 1070 calories, yikes! I arrived at that number using a BMR calculator. When you are eating good foods it is tricky getting in all those calories, yet staying in the right range of carbs v protein. Tonight I have TRX and BodyFlow (combination tai chi, yoga, & pilates) and will have some greek yogurt for dinner. I have a friend that just today offered to show me how to run properly so I may be incorporating that as well.

Saying no to my tastebuds is going to be difficult, I think there may be some psychology involved there, fear of deprivation? Stimulating my tastebuds in lieu of something else I really want but aren't getting? Hmm.

Funny Coops, I too have hit 164! After some horrific gallbladder attacks that left me wrung out of all bodily fluids, I hit 164.4 and am currently about 165 something.

It is time to go back to my roots and banish these white-flour carbs and starches, kick out the white sugar that has crept in, start weighing everything again, and drink that water!!!! I am going to stay on the 1000+ calories for seven days (starting tomorrow), I will weigh myself tomorrow morning and then not again until day seven, and see what happens!

YEY... globetrotter, I am loving that plan!! You sound soooo positive and I really think that helps us 'slow uns' ...lol!!

Funny how our weight is soooo close, and our height! I am 5 2! So I am still obese, just a few pounds off overweight! My surgeon's goal is 154, so even they are on a similar wave length and like you I don't want to be overweight...

The running will certainly help things along. When I do it, which hasn't been much just lately cos of a groin/back problem, I love it. Just getting in that zone, and losing myself there for a while... in work I have a picture of the scrummy Robbie Williams, and when I started out I used to pretend that I was running to him ...lol ... I know, I know, I am weird. Can you imagine if that was true... me all sweating, red faced and gasping for air! He would probably **** himself - unless of course, he likes chubby, red faced welsh women...lol!

Bascially, do what you gotta do my friend...and remember to come on here and let me know how you are getting on... xx

Coops, you DO look so skinny in that pic! Way to go girl!

Globetrotter, nice to "meet" you, and I'm wondering something that probably sounds pretty stupid--do you think all your exercise--and you do a ton of it--has really developed your muscle tone to the point that you're always going to be heavy for your height? I mean weight-wise--not fat-wise. For instance, Diva exercises like a fiend. She's a size 0-2. But she's fairly heavy for her size. I am SO DEFINITELY not meaning that in any way other than she's just totally in shape and muscled from lots of physical activity---muscle weighs a lot. So, Globe, like Diva, are you basically in shape but just the weight picture is not quite aligned? (I think this is part of Coops' issue, too!) Y'all exercise like crazy people, in a great way, and I'm totally jealous and envious of your fitness, but I think maybe the scale is where it is because you're building muscle or have built muscle. Does that make sense?

Now, if your measurements aren't changing, either, that's something else. But I wonder if you've been dropping sizes--I know Coops has, and Diva--and if so, I'm going to be bold and suggest that you might not ever hit "goal," because your body is just going to be muscular and strong and is going to be heavy for your height. What do you think? I'm just trying to problem solve here. I know y'all are compliant with your diets and you definitely exercise a lot, so I'm trying to figure out what the deal might be. :-)

Diva, thank you for the answer! I have been watching "Biggest Loser" and getting inspired to do longer and harder workouts. Those people are working out 6+ hours a day! Amazing! Anyway, I think I'll up my workout hours and see what happens. I'll keep you posted!

Globetrotter, it's good to see you! I agree with Coops--you are doing so well, and I'm looking forward to seeing how these changes work for you. I think I am gong to have to lower my carbs again, so I'm right there with you! I also have about 40 lbs to lose, so I am right there with you on that one, too! Let's knock these last 40 lbs outta the park!

@ MeginNOLA - I have wondered that, but there is still definite pudge on my body, not just muscle and skin but real fat, around my gut, my chest, my thighs, all over. I know that I do have and will have plenty of skin and tissue that will need to be removed through total body contouring which is why I am perfectly fine with a goal weight of 130 +/- lbs, since I know I will lose an additional 10 lbs in skin easily.

@ Coops - day one and I've had an Oikos with walnuts & stevia, 4 oz of deli sliced lunch meat smeared with fat free cream cheese and rolled up, and .... a handful of cinnamon M&M's =( =( =( I don't know WHY I ate them, I just WANTED the sugar/chocolate/crunch/sweet. =(

Did the double work out last night, doing yoga & tango back to back tonight, gotta push the Water, have only drunk 1 cup of tea so far =/

My food for the rest of the day would have included; a Protein bullet, a serving of pumpkin seeds, an apple, a chicken breast & brussel sprouts, but now I will have to cut out the apple and the protein bullet because of those effing M&M's =( I was really looking forward to that apple. =( Oh well, tomorrow. Now, water water water water!!!!

...cinnamon M&M's...

:arf:

Oh my sweet lord. Seriously?? Those sound SO GOOD. I can't believe the yumminess they come up with these days. Purely to torment us poor dieters!! LOL. I thought I died when I heard of pretzel M&Ms, but cinnamon ones sound heavenly. Wowsa.

oh yeah, I'm also going to bring back a post-op behavior that I have not done in nearly a year, not drinking while eating and waiting 30 min after eating to drink, to get maximum fullness and time-in-stomach for the food I eat.

For a sweet treat with less calories, I like a cup of Soymilk with some sugarfree syrup in it. My fav is the 8th Continent Original Soy Milk with a teaspoon or two of sugar free caramel syrup. It's 80 calories and 8 grams of Protein. I drink that at night when I want something sweet.

I am having a hard time with sweets too. And I like salty Snacks too. Grrr.

lynda

Hey Swizzly and Meg,

The out of breath thing sounds horrible? Hope you are both ok... please let me know if you find out what is causing it because it would freak me out... thinking of you both! x

Lila, glad you are hitting the gym hard, I like the sound of the buddies... looks like you guys spur each other on... that has to be good. I prefer to work in a group, that is why I like the boxing gym... I make sure I keep up the the skinny ones there!

Diva...Bloody hell... 1000 cals burned a day! That is some going my friend... super fit or what! I seriously haven't got the time or energy for 2-2 1/2 work out so fair play to you. That is what I call dedication!

Hope everyone else is doing well too...

Thanks, all, for the support and concern regarding the shortness of breath. :-) I'm fine--it only kicks in when I'm working hard physically. And I have some albuterol, but it doesn't really cut it. I'll definitely keep everyone posted, especially if it's some kind of post-surgical thing--it didn't start happening until I had the surgery, so....

I've had a chest x-ray that didn't show any sort of abnormality, but my insurance declined a physician-requested CT scan (don't get me started). So now we have to go through more hoops in order to demonstrate medical necessity for that test. Meanwhile, I think I'm eligible for the cardiopulmonary stress test, where I will ride a recumbent bike until the symptoms kick in--I'll be wired for both cardiac and pulmonary function during the test, so they'll be able to tell exactly what's happening when I begin to feel the symptoms--which is what I've been asking for from the beginning, but the "standard practice" doesn't do things that way....

Anyway, all's well today, and I know what to do when I get the symptoms. It's just frustrating and kind of hurts, and more than that, it keeps me from doing the stuff I want to do (I'm curbing my physical exertion during rehearsal, and exercise is out!). I'll keep y'all posted.

Meanwhile, sounds like y'all are doing great--but WHO IN THE WORLD invented cinnamon M&M's??? As if regular and peanut ones weren't addictive enough!!!

Meg, I'll be thinking of you and watching to see what is said. It's so hard to tell what is caused by the operation and what is something that just occurs after and would have hit anyway.

Coops: Your newer profile pic is fabulous! Looks like those last 13 lbs. will have to come out of your foot :-)

Diva: Haha. That amount of workout time explains A LOT. I weigh less than you but I'm in a much bigger size. I average 45 minutes of light to moderate exercise 5 days a week. And I have to talk myself into that!

On the weight front, I'm really struggling with the snacking. I think it is the first week I will have to post a gain since the surgery, but maybe the scale will be kind to me tomorrow a.m. Ugh. Snacking go away!

Lynda

Checking in over here, I haven't been keeping up on much going on over here, as I went back to work part-time and suddenly I'm having to schedule my time more effectively. I'm also freaking out because I am used to working out EVERY single day so with my new work schedule, I'm missing out on my workouts, so I am hoping to get a handle on that soon.

I actually lost -6lbs in Jan. and I was SOOOOOO happy! I'm 15 months post-op and have had several months where I didn't show any loss at ALL, so this was huge for me to lose -6lbs in one month! It has been a huge confidence booster to know that just because the "honeymoon is over" doesn't mean that I can't still keep losing.

Like Coops said I'm so happy about this thread because we all "get it" as far as the fact that we are working our arses off to lose and working for each and every pound lost.

So just wanted to pop in over here and say hello...Meg, keep us posted on the breathing issues....that sounds scary! I hope you can the get the testing you need so you can find some answers.