katesuccess

Hey, that's great @s_suther!! So happy for you. Nice work. Mine just got bumped up from 75 to 80, since I'm still losing at these macros, albeit slowly. Since betting to the 170s my rate of loss is more like one pound a week it seems, give or take a half. I"m feeling okay about that, and it helps me live into the mindset that this is not a short term goal. Also that i'm pretty happy with how I feel and look and what I can do even now with still 25 lbs to go! I notice you're the same height I am, and close to same weight lost. I forget if you've already said what your goal weight is, or are you doing it more by feel? I'm off to our teeny cabin for a couple days, and back to work Saturday night. Can't believe how much stuff I have to prep and pack up food-wise to do this sort of thing. Sheesh. It'll be worth it, I hope. Have a good weekend! Kate

It most definitely is about the taste! I love good beer too, and since nearly all wine upsets my stomach, I enjoyed self-permission while traveling in England to have a glass of local beer at dinner--each time asking "What do the locals drink (especially on payday!)?" It tasted some marvelous brews I have to say. Often the bartender got so excited telling me about what people liked he'd draw tastes of several of his own faves too--it was marvelous. Since I was a tourist walking all day long, the calories didn't weigh too heavily either. I think your plan for enjoying an IPA or sour after a run is a great idea! Enjoy!!

I'm rooting for you too @Oak Park Lorena ! Last summer I gained 25-30 pounds by eating my old favorites, and it was hard and frustrating to get back on plan and back to losing. Like Alex says - it was slower coming off for me this time too. Sounds like you enjoy good beer the way I enjoy good chocolate! If I cut it out it's almost a stronger compulsion to want it, and then I've made it something off-plan and am susceptible to the "all or nothing" mentality. Never good for me, since going for "all" is how I gained. I now enjoy some chocolate every day, guilt free. Some types/forms I know I can't keep in the house, but I found ones I can and enjoyment of them helps this be a forever plan instead of one more diet. Anyway, for me getting back to losing was about small manageable steps, and ones that didn't feel arduous. You'll know what they are for you--and sounds like you already do. Mainly, just know lots of us on this forum understand something about where you are and how hard you're working to do what you're wanting to do. Good going for taking this on--I'm one more here cheering for you! Kate

Great idea @LipstickLady! Sorry to be late to the party as well--I'll look for the new forum. Presently about the only ones I read (2+ years out and still working on losing) are Veterans and Rants/Raves. I like the 18 months, and the read only until then idea. Nice.

Got to say, as long as she's making big money for the show and getting lots of attention, ain't nothing going to change unless it's a medical crisis I think. And (while I"m on the "rants" thread!) having big viewership encourages the makers of the show to keep it going as she is.

I totally get this one! Good analogy for hubby too. And great that you named what you need (even if repeatedly!) and stood firm. I've gradually made separate spaces in the frig and pantry for 'my stuff' and hubby has learned I get pretty mean if I go looking for my Choc Mint Quest bar and it's gone, lol. Of course you could always replace his chips with Kale chips...nah. That's be harsh. My go-to for a chip fix now is Trader Joe's Wasabi Seaweed Snacks. OMG - they're great, I eat a half package at a time and they have a satisfying crunch too. And trust me, no one but NO ONE fights me for them.

Hey everyone - it's been crazy busy here, so I've been off this site for a bit. I'm glad you're having a run of on-plan days @s_suther ! Good going!! Since you asked -- Honestly, I'd think about doubling that Protein (given how your body has adjusted to losing and depending on that protein, it seems unlikely your're converting it to sugar - but I'm no nutritionist!). If so, try to spread it out through the day. It looks like that's not much to run on. (I like adding chocolate Protein powder to nonfat Greek yogurt, sometimes with a bit of SF caramel flavor--it's wonderful! I also like deli sliced Boars' Head Golden chicken as a go-to protein snack with almost no fat or carbs, and since it's moister than turkey it goes down better for me.) My calories are about the same as before, but my nut/trainer is upping carbs slowly as long as I'm still losing. I do 75 carbs, 58 fat, 170 protein and calories end up between 1450 and 1540 most days. A few more carbs might make you feel a little better energy-wise or satiety-wise, but if you're staying keto that may not work. One thing I'd definately say helps is staying very close to the same macros every day. I tried doing that "Staying under X gms" idea, and the fluctuations in carbs caused my body to hold onto fat because it couldn't trust I'd consistently give it all the food it needed as fuel. Maybe try staying right on your 45 g carb goal? I lost a few pounds this month, which is good since a had a week were I had to do dinner meetings four in a row! About killed me, and even though I was careful and planned ahead, and restaurants were nice to tell me portion size, etc., how they cook it varies enough that I know i was way off. Anyway, I popped up to 174, and now am back to 171, so pleased at that today. I've been working my way back down from a vacation gain last year when I just ate whatever junk I wanted for too long (SO not worth it!). I"m still 3 pounds away from being back to my lowest last summer, but I did my measurements today, and they're way better than back then--Hooray! More muscle and less fat. My waist and hips are the biggest areas of loss, which is just fine with me. Good luck breaking your stall, @thecamiraye and glad you're 'accountability-ing' with us. Nice job breaking YOUR stall, @RockinRobin59 ! Funny how our bodies sometimes respond, eh? Hope everyone's doing well this Monday morning. Good to be back on! Kate

@@taracutch - my hiatal hernia was causing painful hiccups and food coming back up, and both of those stopped afterwards. I'd had severe anemia for years and though I'd gone to several specialists they couldn't find where I was losing blood. No active ulcers or Gi track bleeds, etc. what they couldn't see was that fat deposits in my hiatal hernia (which created a pouch) where blocking the cameras from seeing striations which would actively bleed like an ulcer, causing the anemia. Fat deposit removed, striations repaired, hernia repaired to prevent recurrence, and no more anemia for me. Such a happy thing!!

Until my pill-swallowing got better (which it did) I sued Celebrate chocolate calcium citrate Chews - they're wonderful! There's other ones, but check dosage - these are 500 mg each, 90 to a bag.

Agree with other posters, rest, fluids, Protein and more rest! But also do something physical a couple times a day, like a very short walk. I think it helped to keep my internal system moving and helped keep my body feeling more Fluid, so as energy returned it didn't feel like "rehab" just to walk to the corner. For what it's worth, I think my energy began to kick in after about 4 weeks - which is also just a bit longer than it takes to get all of the anesthetic out of your system. I swear I felt like my whole body was having to re-learn how to digest, walk, climb stairs and eat.drink slowly that first month. Good luck to you both, and take heart - it WILL get better! Kate PS I suggest a few journal notes on what you're feeling and doing, so you can look back on how you felt in a few days. Sometimes it's hard to perceive slight differences from within one's own skin.

Good insight @@Womanvsmirror ! SO glad it's going well for you. Mine turned out beautifully, and even an unexpected huge benefit from the hiatal hernia repair. It's been the best thing I ever did for myself, and I've had ZERO complicatoins or problems. Sure i've gotten frustrated these past two years about an occasional stall, but now i have that in better perspective and don't let it rattle me. That Water thing is hard, and heaven help me, even after two years I have to constantly remind myself. I'm glad at least that smaller bites and portions and not drinking with meals are all now firmly in the 'habit' part of my life. off to get another freaking glass of water now---

Nothing so far gives me those issues, but I can no longer eat canned tuna or deli turkey. They just provoke a gag response for some reason and won't go down! Got to say, if I had to give up my rare-as-heck-now glass of scotch I'm be really pissed!

Such great general-life rants, I almost hate to add a weight-loss related one! But I will anyway. Why do I have round firm full 'saddlebags' and flat droopy saggy boobs after all this weight loss?

Even without the red edits/additions I can't see why on earth anyone would be offended. Personally I"m a fan of so much of what you post, these only make me like you more! And btw, @@LipstickLady, you've been inspiring me for the past two years, so thank you!

I told them when I had a date, which was about four weeks ahead of time. This also helped shift the focus to managing in my absence and what needed oversight, rather than people asking so many questions about what sort of surgery. (Which I was pretty oblique about, since it's no one else's business!)

Do a search for the thread - but there was one a while back where everyone posted their favorite workout songs, and it was great. I'm liking some Elle King (Ex's and Ohs) and a couple of Mghan Trainer (Bang dem sticks), also just downloaded some great rock oldies - Blondie's Call Me was a hoot to workout to last night! Oh - and Goldfrapp's Ooh La La is good too.

Best thread ever! My rants (so far!) are: People on beautiful idyllic birdsong-filled trails listening to their crappy tinny music on their phones ON SPEAKER while they hike! People who take dogs on trails without leashes when it's a posted requirement, and they're ALWAYS the dogs that aggressively come charging up to my timid formerly-abused Golden Retriever. "There's a leash rule here" "Oh, I have one in my pocket, but my dog doesn't like them." Sheesh. Family members and friends who know you're pre-planning all meals, and yet refuse to let you know what's on the menu ahead of time when they're hosting (I always ask), AND then get pissed when you don't eat the rediculously over-rich over-large nutritionally-bereft food they serve. People who act irritated that you're not wanting to imbibe or overeat to keep them company.

I had one too - but a larger one, and had bouts of awful hiccups for years when eating too fast or certain foods. After the surgeon repaired it during my VSG it all stopped! Felt like a miracle to me!!

I'm so impressed to see you able to put your thoughts and feelings and fears into words on this post, @jessi29 ! It's hard work doing this while with an SO, especially when you are both working on weight loss. And yes, it tanks that he's losing faster and feeling better while you're having the experience you're having. My heart goes out to you! I have to say my initial loss was slow, and at 3 weeks I felt kind of depressed at lack of progress and at how little energy I felt and how freaking hard it seemed I was working for too little outcome. You have every right to feel the way you do. Also remember the things that pushed you to want to make this courageous decision and what gave you the strength to say you were ready to make this change. Lots of us had slow starts, and have watched people lose fast and wished it was like that for us, myself included. Now two years out I've lost 120 lbs (about 25 yet to go) and I still am glad I did this. Lots of stalls and bumps in the road, and plenty of them about my SO too. Keep looking into your heart and knowing you're doing this for you - not to compete and not to compare. Pat yourself on the back for every single thing you do to help yourself--instead of counting pounds and inches right now. "Yay! for you!" for every glass of Water, for every day you hit your Protein goals, for every Peanut Butter cup you pass up (okay, that's my nemesis!), for every extra step or block you walk, and for every time you do something to care for yourself. Yes, even for putting on firming moisturizer! Hang on, lean on the great people at this site, and know we're all cheering for you! Kate

Hi folks - sounds like such good encouragement on this thread - I agree! Good job on your recent loss @s_suther ! And sorry for the struggles you folks have had, and yet how wonderful to hear you're working on getting to where you want to be @Leisha249 and @RockinRobin59! Today is my weigh in day, and I'm at the same weight as last week, but had fully expected that since we upped my macros last Monday. I'd been losing steadily and then it slowed, so my trainer said to up my fats and Protein again to bump my metabolism up. Last time she said that it worked (after a 2 week readjustment period) so I figure it will this time too. Also my measurements dropped even though my weight didn't, so i'm happy! @@s_suther my macros now are: 70 g carbs (I don't 'net' just total it all) 58 g fat 170 g protein Which all usually adds up to between 1450 and 1525 calories, but I don't count those really. My current weight is 174, and I'm 5'4" and 54 years old.

Gosh, hard as all this sounds, and I'm sure it was NOT easy---I'm absolutely green with envy that you got this! Good for you!! I'd love to get things done like this, but am not so bad that it's medically necessary, and definitely not something in the budget. I'm so happy for you! Hope the itching stops and you get to enjoy the new look as it emerges from bandages and swelling.

I"m doing well - still losing slowly and happy to see the progress at little incremental points. Got to wear a suit today I'd bought when it was too tight -- now it's too loose! I love that, but sad I'll have to either alter it or take it to a consignment store. Love having that be the problem! So sorry you're at a plateau place! I hate that. When I upped calories to where I am now I stayed at the same weight for a solid three weeks, then miraculously started losing...finally! Okay, feels miraculous to me because I've never lost weight eating this much, lol. I hope you find what works to break the plateau - maybe for now concentrate on working out or exercising, so even if weight stays the same your measurements will change.

Most of the questions I'm asked get a variation of one of these two responses: 1) Thanks! I feel great - now tell me about YOU. (and they always do!) 2) Why on earth would you ask that? (accompanied by eyebrow raise suggesting the questions in inappropriately invasive)

SO smart @Peggy D! I know I can get attached to a challenge, and my doc's goal for me was even worded as a challenge! He set a goal of 145 because it would put me just inside of a normal BMI, --which I know for me would likely not be healthy (I'm 53 years old, presently 177 at 5'4"). My personal goal has been 150 during this road, but I'm thinking that staying around 155 or under 160 is a more realistic goal. I know maintenance will take work, but I think maintaining at that low a body fat I'd be fighting my body almost hourly, lol.

Oh my gosh yes! It makes me nuts!! We all know it's absurd, since two people with radically different body fat ratios but the same weight are the same BMI, and health doesn't enter into it. What gets me is how it is still used as a measure for so many things in medicine and health-related industries. Sheesh.