Yes, I saw Catching Fire this weekend and loved it (I liked the books and think the movies so far are good!) but the title made me think about what I have been going through the last few days.

Okay, I am 2 years out and most of us have some return to hunger by now - mine came back I would say around 7-8 months post op but I have made peace with it and manage it well. I don't suffer, I just eat in a way that controls it well.

Anyway, Friday was a work Christmas potluck party which I was late to due to a meeting. By the time I got there, what was left was pretty much crackers and Desserts... oh boy, the carb train is leaving the station. Then, I went on a dinner date Friday night, did pretty good there, but, you know, there was a small slice of bread. Then, huge family Christmas party on Saturday where I ate carbs for about 9 continous hours. Sunday wasn't so bad, but, I was hungry and craving. I spent the day with my son and yes, more restaurant food but I made decent choices.

I was going to fast today but Tues/Thurs are my normal fast days and I decided to stick to my overall plan so I ate a normal low carb Protein Breakfast. It is 930... I am not starving yet, but I am telling you that the excesses of the eating season remind me that this is what my life used to be 24/7. Hungry and craving. What you eat, the way you eat, it really makes a difference in how well your hunger and cravings are managed.

My current challenge is exercise though. I think most of you know I was a very active exerciser - high intensity workouts 5-6 days a week plus an active lifestyle. Well, I had a bunch of plastic surgery procedures done at once in mid October and I am having a hard time getting back to exercise. There are various excuses, but the main ones is that I have alot of tingling nerves that are triggered by my heart rate going up and it feels weird. At some level, I worry I hurt myself but I am not. Anyway, surgeon is now scolding me that I MUST return to my normal exercise (slowly and progressively) and it is time to get moving. Damn. I may need to resort to getting a personal trainer or someone to yell at me in person...lol. I have never needed that before, but you know, when you deep inside are "protecting" yourself it is hard to get over that mindset.

Even so, i maintaining in the 147-150 range so hanging on okay during the holidays....

Would you consider easing back in with Couch to 5k? It might not be a challenge for you now but it is graduated, starts very easy and gives you 9 weeks worth of a plan. Whatcha think?

Or swimming? (If you're worried about weight bearing stuff...

I'm sorry you had a rough weekend.

Cowgirl....I started back by walking. Alot. And I hate walking. It seems like the biggest waste of time. But I made myself do it starting at about 1 month post op. I quickly worked up to 5-6 miles a day. At 7 weeks I started mixing in some light jogging. 2 weeks later I started swimming. I think the swimming did alot to loosen me up and get the upper body muscles working in ways they haven't worked before. Honestly I still haven't begun lifting weights again. It does make me nervous.

The worst part is that feeling of being in less than peak fitness when you first start back. There's no way around it. You just gotta tough it out. But I've been amazed at how fast my fitness has come back. After just 3 weeks released for full exercise my running is 90% back to where it was. And I'm swimming an hour at a time. Your fitness will come back very quickly and you have to trust that if you make it through those first couple of weeks the exercise will start to feel good again.

Thanks everyone. Between the plastic surgeons kicking me in the butt,knowing my sleeve 2 year follow up is this week combined with your support....I managed 30 minutes of spinning and some gentle easy light arm exercises. I needed a little nap,but I did it. One day at a time....

And don't forget Pilates! It was invented for injured ballerinas and although it is gentle (no jarring or joint strain etc) don't be fooled, you will be pouring in sweat!