lekanto

The best exercise is the one you will stick with. I was so disappointed recently when I looked up calories in alcohol and found that most liquor is about 70 calories per ounce. One ounce! Not counting mixers! Not fair. I had just discovered the joys of spiced rum, too.

I have a peanut butter sandwich (on a whole wheat sandwich thin bun) most days. 300 calories, easy to make ahead of time and eat in the car, and cheaper than breakfast bars.

I used to think I wouldn't be able to run because I was fat with big boobs and bad feet. Once I learned about the Couch to 5K concept, I decided to give it a try. Running actually makes my feet feel better! My tip: Enell sports bras are the greatest. They are expensive, but totally worth it. One thing I love is tracking my runs with Map My Run. I run down random streets exploring the neighborhood, then look at my route map to see where I went.

Look up 100 Pushups. There's a website and there are apps. Even if you can't do one good pushup right now, you will be surprised by your progress.

Don't be afraid of the free weights! A lot of women stay away from them, but I recommend giving them a try. They make me feel pretty bad-ass, which is helpful in staying motivated.

I picked 135. I am 5'5". That would be a BMI of 22.5, and 5-10 lbs lighter than I was before I got fat. I plan to get my body fat percentage measured once I get under 150 lbs so I can adjust my goal if needed.

Background: I am female, 40, and 5'5". I got up to my high weight of 260 last spring. I was 245 when I started my pre-op liquid diet on Nov. 8, 2012, and something like 237 on Nov. 14, 2012 when I had my surgery. I currently weigh 195 lbs. With my last fill on April 22, I got up to 6.1cc in my 10cc band. I had only lost 3 lbs in the 6 weeks before that, and I have lost 6 lbs since. I think I may have hit the Green Zone this time. It's not that I feel a sense of restriction, it's more that I feel ok with stopping when I have finished the amount of food that I have allotted for my meal. I could still easily eat more if I didn't have my food planned out. I still have to use some willpower to keep from snacking out of boredom, but it's not a big struggle. I kind of feel like a normal person. Stuff that is working for me, in case it helps anyone: As much as I don't want to measure and count everything for the rest of my life, I have realized that I will need to do it at least for as long as I am in weight loss mode. To that end, I got the myfitnesspal app on my phone. Every bite is documented. I shoot for 1200 calories a day. I love my food scale. It's easier to use than measuring cups and measuring spoons. No way am I going to measure Peanut Butter in a spoon and then scrape it out when I can make my sandwich directly on the scale. I don't do diet desserts/sweets. I keep my sweets few and far between, but I get the good stuff! I eat 4-5 times a day. I usually have a pretty small Breakfast, especially if I have to eat early, so I will have some calories left for later. I eat the hell out of sardines. Most days, I take a can of sardines and an apple to work for lunch. I keep a big container of almonds in my car so I can eat a handful between work and the gym (and yes, I have measured my handful!). Screw the rules. I drink diet soft drinks and I drink with meals! I sip slowly while I am eating and immediately afterward. It works for me. I can't always drink at work when I'm not on a break. I try to exercise every day, alternating weightlifting at the gym with walking/jogging/biking in my neighborhood. I am very fortunate to have a 24-hr gym between home and work and a nice neighborhood to jog in. I use the mapmyrun app to see my routes and compare them. Can you tell I just got a smart phone? I am also starting the 100 Pushups program (again), for which there is also an app. When I realized that part of the reason I was on a plateau was that all the change was freaking me out, I decided to change a few other comfortable things just to prove to myself that I could. I got a short haircut and three new ear piercings! That made me feel pretty fierce. I am working very hard on patience. It doesn't matter if the scale goes up one day or holds steady for a few more. If I keep doing what I'm doing, it is physically impossible for my body to maintain its current weight.

Background: I am female, 40, and 5'5". I got up to my high weight of 260 last spring. I was 245 when I started my pre-op liquid diet on Nov. 8, 2012, and something like 237 on Nov. 14, 2012 when I had my surgery. I currently weigh 195 lbs. With my last fill on April 22, I got up to 6.1cc in my 10cc band. I had only lost 3 lbs in the 6 weeks before that, and I have lost 6 lbs since. I think I may have hit the Green Zone this time. It's not that I feel a sense of restriction, it's more that I feel ok with stopping when I have finished the amount of food that I have allotted for my meal. I could still easily eat more if I didn't have my food planned out. I still have to use some willpower to keep from snacking out of boredom, but it's not a big struggle. I kind of feel like a normal person. Stuff that is working for me, in case it helps anyone: As much as I don't want to measure and count everything for the rest of my life, I have realized that I will need to do it at least for as long as I am in weight loss mode. To that end, I got the myfitnesspal app on my phone. Every bite is documented. I shoot for 1200 calories a day. I love my food scale. It's easier to use than measuring cups and measuring spoons. No way am I going to measure peanut butter in a spoon and then scrape it out when I can make my sandwich directly on the scale. I don't do diet desserts/sweets. I keep my sweets few and far between, but I get the good stuff! I eat 4-5 times a day. I usually have a pretty small breakfast, especially if I have to eat early, so I will have some calories left for later. I eat the hell out of sardines. Most days, I take a can of sardines and an apple to work for lunch. I keep a big container of almonds in my car so I can eat a handful between work and the gym (and yes, I have measured my handful!). Screw the rules. I drink diet soft drinks and I drink with meals! I sip slowly while I am eating and immediately afterward. It works for me. I can't always drink at work when I'm not on a break. I try to exercise every day, alternating weightlifting at the gym with walking/jogging/biking in my neighborhood. I am very fortunate to have a 24-hr gym between home and work and a nice neighborhood to jog in. I use the mapmyrun app to see my routes and compare them. Can you tell I just got a smart phone? I am also starting the 100 Pushups program (again), for which there is also an app. When I realized that part of the reason I was on a plateau was that all the change was freaking me out, I decided to change a few other comfortable things just to prove to myself that I could. I got a short haircut and three new ear piercings! That made me feel pretty fierce. I am working very hard on patience. It doesn't matter if the scale goes up one day or holds steady for a few more. If I keep doing what I'm doing, it is physically impossible for my body to maintain its current weight.

I like PB2 (I buy it at Kroger) for mixing into things or sprinkling on apple slices. For sandwiches, I like Smucker's all-natural peanut butter. 2 tbsp on a Kroger whole wheat sandwich slim bun is a 290 cal breakfast that I can eat in the car.

I had my surgery on a Wednesday and went back to work the following Monday. It sucked. I wished I had taken a couple more days off.

I don't have any advice for that because I don't think there's really much to be done about serious amounts of loose skin other than surgery. I just want to tell you that whenever I see someone with the telltale signs of significant weight loss, I secretly think that that person is awesome.

I'm 4 1/2 months out and I think I'm starting to get a handle on head hunger. Sometimes it helps me to chew a piece of gum after a meal. It is a cue that I am done, and it keeps me from putting anything else in my mouth.

I have been the same way. Other than my Red Zone week, I have been able to eat anything and certainly well over a cup (though I wasn't told to keep to one cup- I was told that I should be satisfied with 8-12 oz). I am 4 months out and had my last fill 6 days ago. I feel like I have turned a corner in the past couple of days. I am finding that, although I can fit more food in my stomach, I don't want to. If I am busy doing other things, I can forget about food. I hope this means I am getting into the Green Zone. Getting back to work tomorrow will be the test. Every day I find myself watching the clock, counting down to my next meal or snack.

Same here.