Fenton

All this advice is solid - and you know it! I think the fill advice is particularly good. I lost a lot of weight unfilled, then started coasting, and eating badly, and gaining. Then I stopped myself, kicked myself hard for losing sight of the prize, went to the MD and got a fill. Since then, I've learned the uncomfortable, ugly price of over-eating. It's been easy to deal with eating less - I eat what I like, avoiding certain foods, I just eat less. And I'm losing again. Just let the band work. If you really want to lose weight, get the fill - the band will control you when you cannot control yourself.

Wow, Scrappy! Nice work! I think you also have to update your tag line - you're MUCH more than half way there! The internet in my apartment will be activated in a week or so. McDonald's isn't that much of a threat, really - there's not much I want to eat here, so no real temptation. I eat the meat and vegetables in an "M" burger (a French McDonald's take on a burger, with good meat, aged Swiss cheese, special roll), and quarter of the bun. At Breakfast, I eat their meager Egg McMuffin, leaving one of the rolls. The ice cream parlour is more of a threat, but I have to go there, because their connection is more open, and I can download my favourite US TV programs as I miss them. I have one scoop of ice cream or sorbet, and it's manageable. And that's my menu for the day - late breakfast, early dinner, scoop of ice cream. And I'm being v. active - walked almost six miles yesterday. I know I'm losing weight - my clothes are rapidly becoming loose, my pants are threatening to fall off, and my belt is always needing to be tightened another notch. So I'm in the zone.

Yay, SUgar! We'll really have to start popping the champagne when you hit the "Overweight" category! Lynn, good on you for getting back to journaling! I'm doing OK here. My diet hasn't been v. healthy, but hasn't been bad calorie-wise, and I've been v. active. The problem is that I go online at free WiFi places - McDonald's and an ice cream parlour - so the options have been a bit tricky... But I'm doing OK. I think.

Hey, Sugar and Hope -- how are you guys feeling? Have things eased, or is it still pretty harsh? Amanda and Lynn - don't do what I did! Stop yourselves! Turn that horse and buggy around! Find a half a pumpkin pie and throw it out! I'm in Paris, where I have just consumed half of a delicious French dish they call "Le Filet o'Fish, avec sa sauce Tartare". Yes, I am in McDonald's, where I'm enduring wilding children and mediocre food (but better than in the US McDonald's) as the price of my free internet access. It's been a rough couple of days, running around trying to get everything set up in my apartment, buying appliances and trying to get my internet and phone service organized. They love their paperwork, these Frenchies! I've not been over-eating - my appetite always sags for a while when I cross time zones. But what I've been eating hasn't been particularly tasty. Plus I spilled tartare sauce on my beautiful scarf! Oh, gosh, I hope tomorrow's better... And Lynn! Amanda! Behave! Don't make me come up there!

Hey, all. Good to hear everything's going well. I'm off in a few hours - just had a weigh in. No loss, but no gain either, and my clothes are a lot looser. So I'm alright with that. I stocked up on iSopure powder, and Protein powder and all that, so I'm ready for whatever they throw at me. I wish I had a scales over there, but I'll just have to try to keep it real by myself. OK! I'll check in when I can! Have a lovely holiday season! xoJ

ALSO! If you we are Facebook friends, let's be discreet about how we met! I've been kind of private about my band - family, colleagues, a few friends - so I won't be all about saying things like "Buddy! How is your WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY thing going? How much have you lost???" and "I puked up a half-chewed porterhouse this morning at breakfast!!!"

BTW, I don't know if any of you are on Facebook, but feel free to Facefriend me, if you'd like. There are lots of Jonathan Hayeses, so the best way to find me is to search for "jonathan hayes precious blood", I think.

I hope Tess and Harley are back to feeling 100% - this is hardly the time of year to be feeling unwell! Well, it looks as if I was the one who let the team down T-day! I probably took in a good 2000 cals, but because of my weight, that was hardly the end of the world, and I have no doubt I lost on the day. I do have some restriction now, something I've been reminded of twice in the last couple of days. Friday I wolfed down a piece of leftover turkey with white bread and a bit of mayo - apparently not enough mayo because it got stuck and was rejected. And last night I was in Madison Square Park (a public garden, not an arena) and went to the shake Shack (a kind of trendy, high quality take-out place in the park) where I got a hot dog. Which also got stuck - luckily it was dark and cold, and no one saw me sending it back the other way into the garbage. I'm slowly coming to terms with this thing, and that I can't gulp stuff down like a gannet! I actually have to follow the guidelines if I want to continue to thrive. I'm losing weight - I had to tighten my belt another notch yesterday (small NSV!). I'll weigh in tomorrow morning at my office, then tomorrow night I get on a plane, and will be in Paris until Xmas day. And we shall just SEE how I do there. I think I'll do quite well - I mentioned I'd met someone online, and we're going to meet for the first time on the 26th or 27th, when she'll be visiting NYC. It'll be interesting to see which is stronger, the allure of the perfect pastry, or the possibility of love! I don't know how often I'll be on for the next few weeks - I haven't yet had internet service installed in my apartment. I have to finish writing this damn thing, and I didn't want to be distracted by anything. Now I'm thinking I don't want to be isolated over the holidays, so... we shall see!

Hey all - Happy Thanksgiving! Or rather: Happy Black Friday! Yesterday was a pretty indulgent Thanksgiving, but not nearly as indulgent as any past T-days. I had some of everything, but small portions. I must admit that I did have tastes of the apple, blueberry and the chocolate pecan pie, AND a taste of the pumpkin cheesecake, but overall it could've been a lot worse. Mostly, it was just great to see how lovely/handsome my nieces/nephews are, and what great little people. There were the usual family hysterics - several descents into shouted exchanges about political views - but this was a weeping-light holiday, for once. Today I shall see my mother for Breakfast - where I shall enjoy some of her mincemeat tartlets - then lunch with some of the clan, then home to NYC. Thank God! I hope you all had a lovely holiday.

Hey, Happy Thanksgiving, all. I wish you all as stress-free and happy a day as is possible, given the trying circumstances of most family gatherings. Got far too little sleep last night, and am not looking forward to the journey to Boston and beyond. Haven't seen my family in a long while; tragically, I think that the last time I saw them I was heading upwards on the scale, and was at about this weight, so I'm not expecting any "OMG! You look GREAT!" reactions. Like Ajoneen, I'm thankful to have you guys in my life, and I shall raise a glass to you at dinner. But unlike Ajoneen, I shall then salute you by belching the alphabet in your honour. Have a lovely day, y'all.

I don't know if this is a doinky idea or not, but I'm going to try and check in repeatedly tomorrow. Holiday eating is a tricky thing, and I want to keep this process - our way of eating, our goals - very much in the front of my mind. I'm hoping some other Shamrocks will share what they've been having and enjoying. I'll be with my family tomorrow, but I hope there'll also be some Hot Shamrock Action out here!

Yeah. My surgical scrubs now billow around me, but they feel really great, so I"m wearing the larger ones still. Occasionally, though, I do wear the tops that the techs had embroidered "J-DAWG" for me...

Yeah, that's more like it! Great! I think the "OMG this clothing suddenly FITS!" thing is one of the best things of all, because it's objective and true. Indeed, when I was going the other way, I knew it because clothing I'd slimmed down into was becoming tight again. Harley, I love that dress!

Y'know, looking at people's tickers here, I have to say that I'm really impressed - you guys have done a FANTASTIC job! I started from a much higher weight than you, and lost quickly at first, then backslid, but you guys have just held steady, losing the weight. You've done amazingly well - but I'm sure you know that. I want to hear more NSV stories! Why the heck isn't that item hopping, women???

Well, I weighed in again today, and am down another two pounds - don't know what explains that drop, but I'll take it! And now I'm feeling good, and a little hungry.

Yes! Slow and Steady wins the race! But bloody slowly sometimes! At my size I should be losing faster, I think. At least, I have in the past. So I'm either lying to myself about my intake, about my amount of exercise, or am retaining Water. Or maybe have a broken scales. But it's probably a good thing to hear just before Thanksgiving. One thing about restriction: I'm more careful with what I order. At lunch today I had grilled branzino, instead of the crispy chicken or hangar steak or more usual entree. I did have dessert, but left a good bit. Well, a bit.

A weigh-in day today, and a bit disappointing. I've been pretty good, and pretty active, and still only lost two pounds in six days. I expect more from myself! A lot more.

OMG! You've lost 60% of your target loss! That's GREAT! I'm looking forward to the day when I can travel in a standard coach seat without it killing me; since I'm tall, that's essentially never going to happen.

Where IS everyone??? I had a calorie splurge yesterday. I went with a friend, weepy because she'd been dumped, to Otto, which is a popular and noisy Italian/pizza joint. I didn't restrict myself, but ate a lot less than I've ever eaten there - a couple of slices (minus the edge crust) of superthin crust pizza with prosciutto and balsamic vinegar, a third of a tiny portion of linguine carbonara, some parmesan custard, some olive oil ice cream with lime curd and grapefruit bits. It wasn't as much food as it sounds, and I left some of everything behind - kind of a first. All told, I'm well under 2000 cals for the day, plus I walked a lot, so I'm pleased with how it all went down.

Excellent, Desdemona! That feeling after finishing a big project is SO satisfying! Everything's going well, I think. Certainly, all the signs are there - constipation and hair loss. Victory is mine!

Whoa! Sugar Bean! FANTASTIC!!! That is MAJOR! Congratulations! And ENVY!!!

Ha! You guys are great! Really, don't worry about me. I'm whining, and I'll find a way. It's a beautiful place to walk, and before Xmas it's at its most sparklingly beautiful, with lights and greenery. It's not as over-the-top and commercial as it is here in the US (but it's getting there!). I speak French, and know restaurants, so I'll be fine. I'll concentrate on fish, and eat steak tartare at least twice a week - who can turn up minced raw beef??? But I must tell you: there will be patisserie! I have my pedometer, and my apartment is in a really beautiful location, in the medieval center of the city, all narrow streets that you can barely squeeze a car through, let alone the pedestrians. So I'll certainly walk at least four miles a day. To be specific: 1.7 miles to the patisserie I love, and 1.7 miles back, plus 0.6 miles wherever! I kid. But really, I will be walking a lot. And I've restarted yoga, both shorter and longer DVD sessions, so, voila: exercise! It'll actually be good to be out of the office over the holidays, when it becomes a minefield of chocolates and home-baked goods and holiday parties...

Hmmm... A Magic BUllet is a good idea for traveling. How big are they? I'll stop whining. I'll be staying in my own place in Paris; I should just buy myself a blender there. The thing is, my new apartment is so tiny that even installing a blender is a big deal! It's more the hassle of trying to continue established practices in a new environment - in NYC, I know how to feed myself and where to get the stuff with which to feed myself - I like having access to things like Isopure Protein drinks. In Paris, I'll just have to set up new patterns. There HAVE to be health nut stores there, too. Just a question of finding them. I'm kind of blue at the prospect of restarting hair loss, though! Here, I mean.

Tess, you lost two pounds in the last month; I probably gained about eight. Y'see, as I like to say, it's not about perfection - it's about *progress*. Understand where I'm coming from?

Haha, Amanda. I'm one of those people, though, who finds eat easier to stick to a plan when all the tools are there. I'm more likely to eat right if I open the fridge and find Trader Joe's chicken strips in there, than if it's empty. And I'm familiar with Paris as a bit more than a tourist, but I"m not yet a native, so I don't know where to go to get the things I need. I'm certainly going to take a lot of stuff - Fibersure for sure, and, now that I think of it, some PB2. I've been trying to figure out whether or not I should buy a blender; there's a vegetarian joint a couple of streets over from me whcih I bet would have smoothies, and I guess I could bring my own powder if they didn't have any Protein Powder. I'll just have to nail down a new routine quickly, that's all. I've started yoga again, which is good.