*Lexie*

Actual weight today - 153

This is a good post. I followed most rules from the beginning and others I have gotten better at over time. The only one I actively break is drinking diet soda. I never drink during my meals or for a while after. But I will get sick if I do so that's an easy rule for me to follow. I will admit that I had a problem with grazing. I was a snacker before surgery and my bad habit carried over. More recently I started working to give it up and stick to 3 meals and 1 snack per day. Let me tell you, the weight started dropping like crazy. My habits have completely changed from a year ago but it all didn't happen overnight. Maybe I'm just a slow learner.

I have officially lost 100 pounds! I was giddy this morning when I weighed myself. I really wanted to hit the 100 lb mark before my 1 year surgiversary and I did it with a week to spare. I'm so excited!!

A few months maybe, it doesn't take that long. I can drink normally as long as there is no food in my stomach.

Postponed is not the same as never going to happen. You busted your behind for what, you ask? For your health. To change your life. You don't lose that progress just because your surgery is delayed. Try to stay positive, soon you'll be on the other side. :-)

@@Kristin Irvine Yes, my suggestion is to do the best you can and stay focused on your Protein. You'll get there. We all have trouble right after surgery. You've lost a lot in just a short time. I still have days where I can't hit 70g of protein.

Thank you for posting this thread. I have not had Botox but I'm planning to get it soon and I'm excited for it. It was one of my weight loss rewards. I'm looking forward to getting rid of the eye wrinkles. It's nice to read others describe what it feels like and how long until you see results.

Great post! I have discovered that I have a cycle of losing really well for around 2 weeks and then 2 weeks or so of no weight loss. I have had to remind myself a few times to take a deep breath and just keep doing what I'm doing and not go crazy and try something radical to get the weight loss going again. It all evens out. And I'd rather have a stall than a gain any day. :-)

Hey, it was a piece of cake and not a whole cake. I agree with @@Babbs that being at a healthier weight can help you. Chemo has come a long way, do what you need to do and focus on your diet as a distraction.

Hi, I got back into running after surgery and I'm training for a marathon right now. I started out signing up for a 5K. I started with walking and then would add a few intervals of jogging for a minute or two. Then I would just increase the number of intervals and the amount of time I jogged. Last year before surgery, I would get tired walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes. Last Saturday, I ran 14 miles. All you have to do is start.

It's all part of the process. We didn't build these bad habits overnight so we're not going to get rid of them that easily. It's good that you recognize what is triggering the eating. Now you need to find another way to deal with those emotions that doesn't involve eating them. I am a few pounds from goal and feel like I'm still fighting the emotional eating. I just keep picking myself up and brushing off the crumbs and getting back on track.

@@Babbs I swear, getting dressed is sometimes the hardest part. Starting the workout is the hardest. :-)

Here's the thing, they can't talk you out of it after you have it. The longer you wait, the harder they'll try. But once it's over, they'll come around. As for the easy way out comment, I would encourage others to have their root canal (insert any painful procedure here) without numbing medication because after all, isn't that taking the easy way out??

Good idea! I think I got the 6 month itch too. For me, I started eating too many carbs. Then I got my blood work back and the nutritionist told me I was malnourished because I wasn't getting enough Protein. That was my wake up call to get back on the wagon. Amazingly, my weight loss increased as soon as I made that change. Those people know what they're talking about, who knew??!!

I think around 50lbs is the magic number. I've read previous posts on the subject and people started noticing mine around 50lbs or so. Hang in there, soon you won't stop hearing about it.

If you feel weak, add Protein shakes between meals if your doctor allows that. You are going to feel to weak the first month but I don't think you'll faint. To me, that seems like a lot of food for 3 weeks out.

Hi, I was required to lose 10% of my excess weight prior to surgery which I did but then went up a few pounds during the pre-op diet (which I sucked at sticking with) and weighed in a few pounds higher on surgery day. They didn't say a word. Signed, Fellow Colts Fan

Oh honey, every meal was a food funeral for me. Don't be so hard on yourself. I was at my highest weight ever when I started the process and now I'm at the lowest I've been since college. Just start fresh right now and don't worry about what happened in the past. You got this!

For me, exercise has to be goal oriented. If I feel like a hamster on a wheel, I will find all sorts of excuses not to do it. I have had a lot of success with signing up for runs and then working toward a deadline. I signed up for a 5K earlier this year and spent months getting in shape for it. I have a half marathon in a few weeks and a full marathon in 3 months. If I feel like skipping a workout, I remind myself that I'm putting myself behind the training schedule and it could make the run that much harder for me. It's worked very well for me. But for the record, I will never sign up for another full marathon... Maybe just 5Ks next year.

Definitely understand your frustration and I felt the same way. Try to find a balance. Don't throw in the towel completely because you'll gain and that's more pounds you'll have to lose post op. But don't beat yourself up either. I've never been a fan of drinking my calories so when I want to drop weight (even post op), I go to full lean Protein. chicken breast for all three meals. Keeps calories low but actually gives you a satisfied feeling. If you can stick to something like this most of the time, then when you want to have some of those food funerals, you won't end up 20lbs heavier on surgery day.

Starting weight today is 160

Completely normal and most of us felt the same way. Just remember that surgery is just one day (a few hours really) and then you can start the rest of your life. It's totally worth it.

Yes, you can have Peanut Butter and pudding. I don't eat peanut butter for the same reason I don't eat salad anymore, it's a good way for me to ingest a lot of calories with a small amount of food. (my salads are not very healthy) Personally, I don't like the Slim Fast Protein shakes, too much sugar, not enough protein. I like Premier Protein, 30g of protein for 160 calories. But each person finds what they like. Your nutritionist is a good person to ask for recommendations on protein shakes.

Wow, congratulations! You were inspiring to me a year ago when I was getting started. And you're still inspiring to me now. You look so much younger and happier.

It's hard to realize right now but you are going to feel completely normal again. When that happens varies by person. For me it happened in stages but I felt a lot better after the first week and then I didn't feel weak anymore after 3 weeks or so. And then the first few months of real food caused me some emotional discomfort because I couldn't eat the volume and types of food I wanted. But now I don't really feel like I can't eat that much (even though I still can't eat that much at all), I guess it's a matter of what you get used to.