Georgia

Did you watch the video, Globe? He specifically said 500 for women and 600 men. Works for me and I eat nowhere near that amount of calories per day normally ( unless I have fallen off the wagon and ate junk food all day!). I read the book too but guess I missed the formula. Got to tell you, for me, it's making me REALLY more conscious of choices and portions. I weighed this morning after 3 normal days and I have lost another 2 pounds! It's so weird. BUT I am exercising somewhat more (30 mins or so)and completely cut out junk except for PB filled pretzels and SF angel food cake! But it's all PORTIONED. I know it's the first week and it will all change but it has sure lifted my spirits and willpower to get moving again! Happy Monday (or whatever) to all! Good luck!

Welcome, Ms Skinniness!

That's string cheese although if you like strong cheese! ????

I'm just doing my own taking ideas from book. I usually do oatmeal in morning with a strong cheese snack a couple hrs later. I don't eat til around 10 to 10:30 on fast day. Then I eat around 6:30 to 7. Chicken tenderloin with green beans and fresh veggies like bell pepper, cucumbers etc. and some strawberries or cantaloupe. One day I had an apple as snack. Also light babybel cheese or 2-3 slices of turkey thin slices. I also bought a food scale to make sure of portions so that I wouldn't go over the 500 but have only used once so far. ????

BTW, 4:23 PM

U. A. state of Arkansas!!

Yes, Globetrotter. I'm eating 500.

FYI, never been sporty either! Walking is about as sporty as I get although, I as bike riding til my tire went flat ???? and it got cold so gone drag out the old bike and get started again. I will be 60 in 6 mos too!

Laura-Ben, I have never eaten 2000 calories a day, I try to stick at around 1300 and eating healthy that's seems to be good. I'm Tlingit, really, you just don't want to eat as much the next day. Also, to about spreading your meals out, they recommend that your body have at least one12 hour stretch in the day

By cricky, don't take THAT away from me. Lol

FYI, this is actually what I saw when I got the 5:2 inspiration. Then I purchased the book on Kindle and read it through. Was going to start it. Was trying to low carb at the time and didn't. Fell off the wagon, so to speak, and then got inspired again last week to try it You know, it's like we've all said. We are human. We will have good and bad weeks. FYI, it's what you said very well. We have to have joy in life and find something that will take our focuses OFF just our weight because we really did the Sleeve for that reason. I'm hoping this will be FINALLY a lifestyle for me that's sustainable. Other sleevers have found their way to real maintenance other ways so its just trial and error on our parts. Life is short!! I don't want it to pass me by while I worry about weight!!!!!! ????

Coops, I have ALWAYS been a huge drinker. Whether it was diet coke (3 liter a day habit) which ended with Sleeve or anything else. I always drink an average of (4) 44 oz cups of Water with half a crystal light packet in each. I have never been able to drink STRAIGHT water for some reason. But I will tell you, I def think on this plan the liquid makes the difference. I am really keeping the seat hot tinkling! Lol. And BTW, yesterday was normal day and I still are only about 1200 calories which included eating out! Something about this plan makes me Want To eat less on other days and eat healthy because I am afraid the day befores loss will come back! Lol. BUT weighed today and STILL six pounds down after 6 days! I'm sure it will change next week and slow down but I LIKE this mindset 5:2. Some do alternate fast days if they REALLY need large weight loss just don't like the not having a SET schedule that way. Oregondaisy, I know how you feel. My little size 8 skirts are not fitting and now it's mostly 10/12. ???? And I tell myself, "Hey, it's a size 10/12 you WERE a 20!" But if I don't get a real maintenance plan in place and hopefully, lose the extra 15 next year at this time will I be telling myself size 14 isn't so bad? ❤❤❤ We can do this! We HAVE done this and we WILL do this! Love. Happy weekend!.

LOL at the shag comment!

Um that's BABY not Albany! Spell Checker. Grr

Which to me, Coops, means sorta like when (if) we had babies. I always gained weight but ate healthier and after the Albany was born weighed LESS than pre-pregnancy! I think that is what is happening with you. As Dr said, you will probably have swelling off and on for months as your body gets back to normal but your true SIZE is shrinking! Yaay! And as to 5:2, the funny thing is now I really don't get so hungry on the fast day (500 cal) because I know that it's REAL hunger wen I feel it and can eat normal tomorrow. Also, today is a normal and I've only eaten a cup of SF oats and its 10:30! Makes you kinda hate to eat more the day after fast. At least so far! Lol.

Well, weighed this morning day four 5:2, down two more so that would be 6 lbs from Mon weight. Really hard to believe. I know it won't continue or hold but sure works better than anything else I've done over last year so far. And it really seems truly lifestyle doable. Of I can get back to original goal then maintenance would seem much more manageable with this concept. We will see if I can keep it up. Choices. Determination. Health. Got to! ????

Hey, thought I'd share for those who are interested in yet ANOTHER venture to lose the regain. (smile) I told ya'll (yes, I'm southern!) about alternate fast days and that I started this week. Well, I ate normal Monday, Fast (500 calories) Tues, Normal Wed and today fast. After the first fast day, I weighed 4 pounds less! Yep, exciting but figured it was just Fluid ('cause truthfully something about this has me tinkling a lot more!). So after my Normal Wednesday, I weighed this morning - the four pounds is still gone! SHOUT! And I've found kinda a cycle that I think will work - I don't eat until around 10:30-11 ish for breakfast/lunch - So far what I've found that works (and there are lots of combos but its what i have on hand at work right now) is one packet of SF oatmeal - 110 calories and then about hour later 1 WW String cheese - 50 calories. Later, midafternoon I have some cantalope chunks or fresh fruit (around 30 calories). So going into dinner tonight (somewhere around 6:30-7pm) I'll have a big 330 calories to work with!!! Last time had grilled chicken tenderloin, green Beans (a lot cause they only have 20 calories for 1/2 cup) and fresh veggies salad (cukes, red, orange and yellow bell pepper with little lemon juice and olive oil/herbs) for basically 20-30 calories. I was HUNGRY and it tasted good but I could only finish about 1/2 the plate so Sleeve kicked in and I was good! Surprising part of this all food tasted great and I am enjoying being HUNGRY because it's real hunger! lol And knowing, TOMORROW is normal, it's all good! (By normal I mean don't pig out and eat mostly healthy. I'll let you know how it continues but I'm pleased with the last three days. http://thefastdiet.co.uk/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9480451/The-52-diet-can-it-help-you-lose-weight-and-live-longer.html http://www.fivetwofastdiet.com/ Of course, it's like everything else, it works if you do it right. Enjoy!

Congrats!!!! That's huge! As for me, at 100 lbs, I posted it on FB and went on my merry way! lol I say "to each his/her own!"

Dear Sleeve Evangelist, thanks for the wonderful info! I can really understand this info and have read through some (and will finish more later since I am at Work! lol). To me this makes much more sense and hopefully, gives us more hope. I, personally, just started FastDiet (dont get alarmed at the word diet) which is alternate fast days (500 calories). One fast day under my belt (at first VERY hungry but as day went on I found myself actually enjoying the REAL hunger pain and GOOD food tasted really yummy!) 3 pounds down this morning. I know a lot is probably Water but knowing today I eat "normal" (and that will be within 1300 calories) I have regained my sense of hope and determination. Let's be honest with ourselves, we knew going in that the sleeve was a tool. That tool really works well and most of us reached goal or pretty doggone near it pretty quickly. Maintenance in any area of life is the tough part. But with two and three, and some more than that, years out we have "maintained" pretty well. I have regained about 15 pounds but I'm basically the SAME weight I was 4 months out from surgery - 80 lbs down!!!! It's life as we know it now. And we are all winners!!!!!!!

Agree with weigh-in. 2 C-sections and a hysto. NOTHING like those! I had virtually no pain, lost 17 lbs in the first week and was back at work half day the next week with full days the next. Only issue was extreme fatigue and lightheadedness. Good luck!

Oh, I'm with you, Coops! lol The scales ARE moving for me but um, the wrong way. Ha! But!!! Today is my first "fast" day with 500 calories. Going to try the FastDiet plan which was started by man in the UK. Alternate Fast Days is what it is composed of - 2 (or more) 500 calorie days. I can't say I haven't been hungry (ate SF oatmeal (110 cal) and a WW String cheese (50 cal) and will have dinner later tonight with around 325 calories or so. Then tomorrow I will eat normal. And so forth. I am hungry but then again I KNEW I would since I've been overindulging in more sugar/junk foods. All in all, just knowing I can eat normal tomorrow makes the "hunger" pains easier and according to everything I've read this becomes lifestyle which is what I NEED! Good luck with Curves! Its a good program and maybe it will get you down those fourteen pounds!!! Still waiting for a pic too. (smile)

sounds really good!!

FYI, is this from myfitnesspal? Is your goal really 196 carbs daily? I know that I am grabbing just to be eating at times now seemingly wanting to EAT or have something constantly now. At work I can, most of time, curb it and eat Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack but THEN I go home and sit and snack all night. Everyday I tell myself I'm going to stop and "eat clean" but, alas, I do it again!!! Yep, I know it's up to me! I seriously think constantly that I've got to do better so, once again, I've got to try to figure out ME and change ME. I think I'll do a modified 5 day re-set and get the sugar cravings under control again. Then I'm going to try something new, alternate fast days, knowing that I can look forward to every other day of "normal" but within reason. First thing I've got to do is get rid of all the junk in my house I've allowed. With two little girls "Grands" here every weekend, I end up with stuff that they want and then I eat! I also know I've GOT to make myself exercise which I don't. I've been trying to walk but even that I can talk myself out of. NEVER been big on exercise and I cant see myself changing at 59 1/2 but I CAN increase the amount of days I walk and add some low impact stuff. Yes, I know, (truly I do) that it's going to be ultimately my choice. I loved the fact that the sleeve allowed me a new life and ability to lose quickly and safely with little work. NOW 3 years out, its finally hit home that this "tool" is just that. Not a magic bullet. Thanks for listening! You are truly my "go to" place. And realistically, when I hear myself saying I need to lose this TWENTY POUNDS! Holy cow, it's 20 POUNDS. Where it was 100 POUNDS! And I think that is the problem - I'm rationalizing that it IS only 20 lbs. But at three years out, unless I change it now, it will be 35 next year!!! Again, thanks for being my sounding board and I know we are truly a "family" of sorts. I feel my strength gaining!!! This time next week, I'm gonna be better and hopefully, LEANER!

I had read one of those (the shorter one) but the full blown study report was interesting. I took note that they felt "continued support beyond year three" increased the likelihood of lower regain. Anybody, vet wise, beyond their 3rd year yet? And if so, do you continue to have "support"? To be truthful, I've had no support basically except a once a year followup from my surgeon. Haven't had any problems up to now but knowing that I am losing the battle with junk food, etc, whether or not I can find some support group that would help. I know talking to VSG members helps but truly one on one seems like it would be much better. I know CA has some great groups. Not sure about AR.

You look great!!! You know what I always notice first? NECK AND SHOULDER BONES!!!!! lol We've never had them visible before!!!! Keep it up!!!