LilMissDiva Irene

I have recently heard some not so flattering things about Splenda. I'm am cutting down my consumption of it by a lot. It is said that anything more than 7 packets per day is detrimental in the long term and can cause cancer. I highly encourage all veggies and legumes/beans. This Starting Over plan is only meant to be in the very short term and I do not personally recommend anything more than 5 full days. I believe 100% that we should eat a well balanced diet. HTH!!

STOP dieting... START living. Permanent weight loss is exactly that, permanent. There is no end! There will never be an easy way out, unless you think eating healthy and working out is simple. I'm changing my attitude today! I'm going to start enjoying nourishing my body with good foods and sweating with a smile on my face. =)

What were you doing when the Twin Towers, Pentagon and Flight 93 were attacked? I remember it like it was yesterday. I had just barely awoken to grab some coffee and watch a little news as always. That day would never see the same in me again. If anything I learned a valuable lesson that day, on exactly what hate can do. "In memory of all we lost this day 11 years ago. Praying for all of us that we especially consider what hate can do. Staying positive and respectful to all living things, and hoping someday for peace. "Imagine" ~John Lennon" My status for today 9.11.2012

Got it thanks!

Awesome!! All of you have fantastic goals. The main goal though should be to continue to work hard during the Holidays. We have so many reasons to give excuses on why we should have a little bit of this or that. However, it's best to avoid making those excuses. Especially if you are pre-op or less than 6 months post-op. Trying to lose as much as you can in that amount of time will prove to be beneficial and in time all of you will find out why. Good luck to all!!! I'm working on mine! My husband and I just completed a 5K yesterday. The Run to Remember honoring Firefighters and Law Enforcement and in Remembrance of 9/11. It was a great time! I was far ahead of my Husband throughout the whole race, but I got sidetracked and he ended up racing at the end and beat me by about 10 second... LMAO!! Funny thing is that was his first 5K event ever! I did some jogging and walking. We both finished under 47 Minutes, and really for me that's not bad considering I haven't ran in awhile. I pushed myself big time. My Husband told me I have a lot of power though and he did struggle a lot to overcome me. I'm extremely proud of him though. We are going to start over with the Couch to 5K because as I told him, the next event we do, we are going to Run it.

toya, if you are on Facebook or My Fitness Pal - send me a friend request (links in my signature line). I'm there far more than I am here. S, I lurrrve you girlie!!! whits, I'm wishing your the best! So Wednesday it is? Just remember, stay positive and walk, rest, sip & repeat!!

Amen!! You're doing the right thing. Going into this journey you will really need to be free from any distractions, especially ones that might have been seen as co-dependent. Obesity and over eating is an addiction, and until we all realize this for ourselves we will always fall back into bad habits. You're already starting out on the right foot. You're going to do wonders with your Sleeve!

Hi everyone! I definitely am far more active at My Fitness Pal and at Facebook. Send me a friend request at either. Click the links in my signature line and they will take you directly to my profile pages.

Hey Tina, congrats lady!! You're doing great and no matter what the NSV is, I'm happy to hear of it. Woot!!

Hi there Well I hate to bust your bubble... but 40 Lbs in 5 weeks? That's pretty darn incredible. Here's what I think you should do: Give yourself a break. Be more kind to yourself. You have the rest of your life to lose the rest of the weight. When it comes to WLS the best view is seeing the glass half full and having your rose colored shades on.

Healing prayers and well wishes and thoughts going out to you! I hope everything turns out for the better and that you do not have a leak! Please keep us updated.

Heya frodobaggins... btw I love your handle! I can't wait until December when The Hobbit comes out. Two things, the closer you get to your ideal weight = the harder it will be to get there. Your body's metabolism is slowing down greatly. It doesn't require nearly as many calories to run as it did when you were over weight. To lose from here I suggest logging your food diligently, down to every bite. If you can lower your carbs for awhile that might help too. Try for a Maximim of 30g and see if that helps. Try that for about a week, and one last thing... how much Water are you getting in? I was drinking a minimum of 84 Oz of water but stayed around 100-124 Oz when I was losing weight. HTH!!

Hi Heather! Absolutely yes. To be honest what you are experiencing is far more common than you may think. Most just aren't as keen to want to admit this out in the public. Just know you are doing yourself a big favor by doing this though. Whatever you do, do NOT beat yourself up. That's the quickest way to fall off the wagon. Feeling sorry for ourselves gives us an out to continue with our bad habits. Instead, pick your chin up and start doing the right thing RIGHT NOW! Don't wait until tomorrow or "Monday". I think you know what I mean. Log on to www.myfitnesspal.com and start logging your food. When I was in my losing mode I was at about 80-100g P; 60g Carbs and about 30% of my total calories came from fats. Send me a friend request, I'll be happy to follow your progress. The link to my profile is in my signature line. All the best to you!

Hi Metallialady I'm so very sorry to hear your husband isn't more supportive of your efforts. Having this surgery is so difficult let alone having someone seeming to sabotage your efforts can make it so much worse. The only thing I can really suggest to you in regards to this is telling him you will fill your own plate. As it is, each of us is really responsible for ourselves, aren't we? If he doesn't like it, well that's probably just going to have to be too bad. Don't allow others to make decisions for your, especially when it comes to your eating. It can be made into an excuse to continue on with bad habits, and being fresh out of surgery this is the very best time to break them. Good luck!

Hey there! Try this: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/28139-the-basics-boot-camp/ Good luck!

Eating should not be seen as a necessary Evil. We need sustenance to live and stay alive. It's WHAT we put into our bodies that make the difference. Having a good relationship with food does not mean being able to avoid it, rather it entails making changes to ensure we are nourishing ourselves with proper nutrition.

Note to self: It IS possible to be supportive and kind at the same time. Most people respond better to soft criticism rather than abrasive opinions.

Choose to be FiT or choose to be FaT. One choice takes a great deal of hard work, persistence and patience. One is hard to get the other is easy to forget. If you've made it to the FiT side... be especially sure to NEVER forget what life is like on the FaT side. Those who do not learn from their mistakes are very easily going to make them again.

Plan your successes one tiny step at a time. If you had a long road trip, wouldn't you want to create a few stops in between? Make little promises and gifts to yourself as well. Don't pleasure yourself with food, or you will find yourself punishing you with it as well. Make your big goals with big gifts.. and small goals with a little pampering. Whatever you do, always keep your head up and your eyes on the prize!!