Hi to us who've made it!! Officially post op and feeling great!

I invite you all to stop the insanity! And join this challenge....

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/336755-attention-scale-users-a-new-challenge/#entry3798703

Well I'm happy you had the confidence to go without a scale and just wing it. I do not have that discipline in my life. I like the scale. Even if it does not move they way I want it to. I do not rely on just the inches off my body. I have set a goal for myself and need to see it through, otherwise for me I have wasted the time and money to get my surgery. I'm jealous of those who just can go on their weight loss journey and just wing it. I can't wing it. I need my food scale, my body scale, my food journal and whatever other tool I can use. I tried doing it without those tools before and I ended up at 310. I don't have any health problems except for diabetes and I've had that since before I was even remotely overweight so I can't even go based on that alone. I'm definitely not obsessed with my scale any more but until I'm more comfortable with my new lifestyle that scale and me are going to be friends! Thank you Kindle for giving us the insight though as to how liberating it can feel though. I hope I can wake up one day and just say eh I feel good and don't need to know the number! That will be something I need to work to.

@@Veronica Page. I wish you all the best in your journey. I'm glad you've found what works for you, and you should continue if it makes you successful. And I'm not saying the scale is necessarily a bad thing, but for those that let it control their emotions, it is certainly not a good thing. There are plenty of people that use the scale as a tool for accountability and to make adjustments to their diet but realize it's normal for the numbers to go up and down and even stay still for long periods. It just makes me sad to see how unhappy some people let those numbers make them.

I also like the scale. It gives me momentum when it goes down and when it stays the same it gives me something to conquer and keep me eating and exercising right. And most days, even if it doesn't go down I smile and start my day happy because I at least get to see how far I've come.

However, the longest stall I've had is a week, perhaps my time will change if I enter a longer stall. But that scale continues to provide inspiration to work harder and achieve more.

What works for me may not work for others. I can see ditching the scale for some, but to each his/her own.

I'm experiencing extreme dizziness while working out. Is anyone else getting this. Today with my trainer I passed out and felt really sick. He thinks it is lack of food and what not but I'm not really sure. I'm going to see my Nut on Friday and will talk about it with her but until then was just looking for a lil insight! I dont want that to happen again.

@@Veronica Page are you on any blood pressure meds? If so you may need an adjustment. The only other times this happened to me I was dehydrated.

Are you giving yourself any downtime from your workouts? I know you hit it pretty hard.

Veronica, if you do some searches on this site there are quite a few threads on the topic of dizziness/fainting. I've gotten light headed a couple times, but that's about it. Good luck and let us know what your Nut says.

Thanks for the insight. I actually saw my NUT and my doctor today cause I had a session with my trainer and almost passed out again. My doctor said it is from a imbalance with my salts. Since I had WLS I completely revamped my diet and gave up most sodium and 90% of drinks with any caloric value cause I don't want to waste calories on it. I don't take any medications expect insulin so I'm ok otherwise. I had full blood work and I will get that back Friday but mostly they think it is due to lack of certain minerals and Vitamins and the natural sodium my body needs for a healthy work out. So both suggested that I eat up to 900-1000 calories a day if possible since I work out about 2-3 hours a day 4 days a week and when I'm not working out just stay within the range of about 600-700. It should help with my issue along with drinking a gatorade or an electrolyte drink before, during and after workout!

Good to hear it's easy to take car of. For biking there are some tablets or powders that have all the electrolytes but no sugar and are low calorie (about ten per serving I think) the brands I have used are Nunn, Fizz and Skraitch. Just add it to the Water and that could help.

Two days ago I went on my toughest ride so far, biked 54miles including over 7000 feet of elevation to clime to the top of Mt. lemon while on vacation in Arizona. I put Fizz in each of the four 20oz bottles of water I drank and it really helped.

Edited April 11, 201511 yr by Eli Alexander

@@Veronica Page I'm glad you're feeling better and the information you provided is helpful.

So many of us have fallen off the thread. I'm hoping we are still be diligent and have a support system. I love all you guys and want to tell you that even if I don't know you personally you have helped me way more then I could of imagined. Ok enough gushing....enjoy your weekend!

@@Veronica Page - thanks for giving us all a good reminder! I do keep up with the thread but struggle to have time to post things, etc. life does move on.

As you stated, I HOPE everyone here has a support system in place. Its so vital to this journey.

I started running this week! RUNNING!!!!? It's a whole new world almost 60lbs lighter, lemme tell ya. I feel amazing! Had my 3 month post op with my surgeon on Thursday and he's thrilled with my results so far. One reminder ( if your not tracking already...) is your body fat percentage! It's important to see that number going down. True indicator of fat loss instead of muscle, bone, etc.

I'll don't have one single regret for making this change in my life. My weight was my Everest and I'm in control and climbing to the top! It's the most powerful feeling I've ever experienced. I'm still ME but so much more confidant, healthy and happy. Cheers to us all. We are doing the hard yards now, but it's paying off.

Anyone interested in posting weekly weigh ins? We could start Monday? More accountability, just remember everyone has their own journey and pace. Encouragement is the best motivator.

Enjoy a great weekend everybody!

Stalls are so weird....I know when I'm going to hit a stall cause I gain two lbs and and then stall out for two weeks and then go back down again. Every 10 lbs like clock work. Its so annoying but at least now I can tell when I'm going to hit on and just not get all emotional about it. I would of NEVER lost this much weight without my surgery so I don't even worry about the stalls or lack of food anymore. I hope everyone had a productive weekend!

Question

With only eating about 650 calories a day, is it best to have one day every now and then to prevent starvation mode or a stall?

Heard that cycling can help prevent stalls but haven't tried it and I'm losing but very slowly!

I don't show if you should or shouldn't have cheat days, but I know I do with regards to what I eat, but I still make sure to not eat too frequently. It works for me, but that could be just me. Also, if I'm going to "cheat" I just try and make sure to work out extra both that day and the next. When I'm doing vigorous cycling I might even need to eat an extra 600 calories just to get me through a five hour ride. But I always lose weight when I do those long rids, even if I end the day over 1500 calories. Today I went on just a 2 hour ride but according to myfitnesspal that's over 1600 calories and I doubt I'll eat over 900 for the day.

This is not a diet, it's a way of life. Change those old ways of thinking about dieting that led to yo yo cycles of weight gain. If you want something, earn it, and enjoy it. No guilt required. That's my two cents.