I Am Enough!

Congrats on your successes! I've totally been MIA as life and work have consumed me. I'm almost down 85 pounds. The weight loss has slowed down significantly. I find that I get tired more easily even though I have more energy. I was able to keep my hair, I didn't have a lot of loss. But I definitely have saghing skin all over me. My feet too have gone down in sizes. I started as a size 3x at Maurices and now I wear a large. Even though I still want to lose another 40 pounds, my body is exciting to look in refections and mirrors again. I'm dalling in love with me again 😊

Yeah stalls are a bummer, but I just keep looking at how my clothes are falling off. That I'm not gaining. I try to increase my movement, but I've been sick with Covid and it has totally sucked the lifeforce outta me. But I'm getter better! I didn't eat the best I could have over the holidays. The sugar made my joints get inflamed and it was painful to move. After eliminating the sugar and the crackers, breads, cinnamon rolls, and crap from my diet again, it finally dropped. I'm at the halfway point! it's all downhill from here

I have found the stalls necessary for your body to adjust to all the changes. However, I have found that by going back to some of the basics for water, protein, protein shakes, and then adding much more movement has been helping to kick the stalls faster. Good luck with pushing through to your goal!!

Today was a non-scale victory today! All of my pants are falling off of me and it feels great! I went to a consignment shop and I was able to comfortably wear size 18 pants! I think I could have squeezed into the 16 size, but I have worn tight clothes for waaaaay too long and not by choice. I was really pleased to learn I have dropped from a 24 to an 18 Another NSV I experienced was the bath tub water draining out around me. I no longer dam up the back of the tub without moving because of the inches I've lost from around my hips when I sit!

I'm good with an accountability check-in on Sundays. I have a different workout program that I complete that also includes yoga, VR Super Natural workouts, snow side-walk shoveling (LOL!), and personal trainer time. I think each person should write out what works for them and then hold themselves accountable on our Sunday posts. Did I TRULY make 10K steps for six days? Maybe not, but how many days did I reach my goal? We want this to be positive and uplifting as opposed to listing out what I did not get done. Being kind to ourselves is the utmost importance! So perhaps my routine could look something like this: Sunday - Rest day Monday Goal - 15 min treadmill, Body Groove Dancing 30 min, 15 min yoga stretch, mindful meditation Tuesday Goal - 15 min treadmill, Personal Trainer (1 hour), 35 min treadmill, mindful meditation Wednesday Goal - 10 min Les Mills upper body stretch, 30 min VR workout, Svelte workout, mindful meditation Thursday Goal - 15 min treadmill, Personal Trainer (1 hour), 35 min treadmill, mindful meditation Friday Goal - 15 min yoga stretch, Body Groove Dancing 30 min, QiQuong Yoga, mindful meditation Saturday Goal - 30 min bike, Body Groove Dancing 30 min, 10 min Les Mills upper body stretch, mindful meditation Each one of us will have a different plan for what we want to accomplish, and we can check in on Sunday and review what we were able to get accomplished!

Hmmm.... seems like none of us have a similar fitness tracker or app that we use. Perhaps it is where we choose a day once a week to add our exercise minutes and share what we are doing in our workouts. Everyone is at a different stage and will be doing different kinds of challenges. Some prefer walking, others want to do strength training. Maybe we can create an accountability group and check in here on this forum instead. Totally open to other suggestions!

Hey August Buddies! I'm looking to see if anyone is interested in being an Exercise Accountability Buddy. I have been exercising but not enough to be consistent, and I need more motivation. Does anyone have the FitBit app and might want to try sharing fitness and exercise plans?

I really enjoy Body Groove! They have a lot of different options to choose from depending on how you're feeling that day. Some days I just need to get moving and get the oil flowing in my joints and then other days, I can tackle a full 30 minutes. In the 30 minute sessions, there are breaks between the dances and several of them will have HIIT exercises built into them. It's a great program and you can stream it from an app on your smart TV! So convenient!

Yep! This is totally me too. I'll stall and then drop. My surgery team says not only is this normal but very healthy for our bodies. It gives it time to adjust and catch up. So I am not worrying about these little stalls anymore and know that slow and steady is WINNING the race! One thing I have added to my week are green smoothies with a really good veggie powder. There's no possible way I could eat all the veggies I need to meet nutrient requirements, so a good veggie powder in my smoothie has helped me a lot. I try to eat a salad at lunchtime with oil and balsamic vinegar. Another thing I have been doing is 18:6 intermittent fasting to help keep insulin spikes down. I try to get all my eating done within the six-hour window, and I'm finding I'm not hungry and doing really well on it. Fasting is also very good for helping loose skin through autophagy, I recently got Covid and that hasn't been helpful, but it makes you less hungry for a few days. 🤣

Howdy! I've heard of Marine collagen and it is supposed to be very good as well. The product I get is from New Zealand and they might be able to ship directly. Here is a link to their blog - https://antlerfarms.com/blogs/articles/antler-farms-new-zealand-collagen The Dr. Berg vitamin C is a chewable tablet so works looks just fine. The other supplements are standard-sized capsules. You could break them open and mix them into a pudding. I did that before I was able to swallow them again. Some companies are coming out with sugar-free gummies, which is great, but it has not caught on for quite a few manufacturers. So until then, I want to stay with the sugarless options. I hope this helps you

I don't use the collagen gummies because they have too many carbs in them for me. But I will write out what I have been doing for my hair and its making a huge difference in keeping it. My hair dresser is pretty amazed and I'm happy about it I'll add it to another post!

Hey August Buddies! I finally broke through my last stall - I hovered at 203 forever... but it finally broke through with more exercise. I have been doing a regular regimen for my hair and **knock-on-wood** it's working. So I wanted to share with you what I'm doing. 1. Daily take high-quality grass-fed collagen in my water. This is what I currently use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074T8HKGF It has no flavor and dissolves great! 2. Collagen works best with a REAL FOOD vitamin C. It helps the body absorb and utilize collagen better. Not just a regular Vitamin C Ascorbic acid. Here is the link to what I use, and I swear by it. Here is the link: https://shop.drberg.com/vitamin-c-complex 3. I take 2 supplements a day of Dr. Bergs hair supplements. Here is the link: https://shop.drberg.com/hair-formula-capsules 4. Three times a week I massage my head to bring blood flow to the roots of my hair. Even pull and tug on my hair to give it circulation. 5. I use Morrocan oil on my hair after a shower. I try to only wash my hair twice a week to help keep its moisture. So overall, I am trying to hydrate from the inside and from the outside, and so far it's working!! I've seen a little increase in hair loss, but nothing compared to when I was on Keto full-time. I'm also doing intermittent fasting for 16:8. I eat for 8 hours a day and then I'm done for 16. It really helped me get over my stall too. Hope this helps!

I have joined Body Groove and it is awesome! You can't do it wrong! If you have a smart TV you can find the app or they advertise on FB I believe. Super easy and not expensive. I have really enjoyed just getting back in touch with my body and moving. It is low impact and I'm really enjoying the benefits

Howdy! I've been so busy enjoying this new freedom called get up and MOVE! I have joined a fun dance group called Body Groove and it is a fantastic way of getting up and get moving with low impact. It's an app you can download on your TV and dance along. Overall I have been able to resume normal eating, but the raw food are still kinda iffy. I think I'll wait awhile before introducing salads. I need to stay focused on protein and hydration. With my morning protein drink (coffee replacement) and adding liquid protein to my water, I haven't had any issues with meeting my protein requirements. I find more than anything is that I'm tired. I was successfully able to give blood and my iron count was 13.5 so I know my nutrients and supplements are absorbing. I go for my 3 month checkup soon and they'll be analyzing my blood labs a bit closer. Constipation is a real issue. even though I take a Dulcolax chew about once a week, I think I'm gonna have to up it to every other day. Suppositories work real well, but I hate when it has had to get that far. I also started drinking a green smoothie most days to get in my trace minerals in wheat grass powder, veggies, and adaptogens from mushrooms. Anyone else try Ka'Chava? I really like it My weight stalled around 207/208 for about three weeks but I dropped a considerable amount of inches. So far I am staying within the healthy weight loss bracket. I'm anxious to post my Onederland scale picture soon!!

I have been planning for this stage for a long time. I daily drink one of my 32 ounces with a grass-fed collagen and take a real food vitamin C with it. The vitamin helps to get the best benefit from the collagen. My massage therapist has been massage my scalp and stimulate the hair roots to keep a good blood flow supply. So far, so good, I have not loss much of my hair. When I was on strict keto several years ago, I lost a lot of hair then and it regrew. I did a lot of research and am hoping these extra actions will help curb some of the lost this time around.

I use this chart and it helps me tremendously. Stay focused on the protein and water and the scale will move again

Hi Suzi! Sorry to hear you are feeling so low. What I have found when I'm like that is I'm dehydrated. I know it sounds like a broken record, but I have truly been adding a lot of electrolytes high in potassium and it makes the world seem like a better place. I have also learned that I cannot eat first thing in the morning. In order to get in my dailies, I drink my protein drink warmed ( like a cuppa joe) then set a timer for every four minutes to get down 32 ounces of electrolyte water before I can eat anything. Taking the vitamins daily seems to help a ton too. Ar you getting any B12, B1 and D3? Hope you feel better soon!

Always best to weigh AFTER your 😎 Makes a BIG difference!

Hey team! I wanted to share this chart I found. It shows the natural progression of wright loss after surgery based on your starting weight. I thought I wasn't losing enough, but come to find out, I'm within the healthy range of wright loss as scheduled. Hope this helps provide a guide 😊

I also had those kinds of pain and after discussing it with my surgery team it was decided that I was not taking the heartburn/ gas medicine they had prescribed to me. After taking that those pains went away! You can also supplement with regular antacids, but I would definitely check with your doctor again if the pains are still persistent! Please do not take my word or any one else's word as your surgical team should give you the best advice to handle what be specific to you

It's pretty amazing when you calculate the numbers! even though when I look in the mirror and I KNOW I've lost over 50Lbs so far AND my measurements tell me I have lost 17 inches off my body, it's still hard to believe. I look for more non-scale victories than the scale. The scale is only but ONE metric in my arsenal. I actually had a person I don't see very often stop me in the grocery store and looked me up and down and asked if I was sick! I said no, do I look sick? She said no, you don;t, but you look really different. I then said, well I decided to get healthy and went on a diet and have lost quite a bit of weight. I didn't feel the need to tell her anything about my surgery, because she's a busybody. But the encounter made me feel good despite her weirdness and approach. Trust the process, call your nutritionist if you have questions. Just smile at yourself everyday and know YOU ARE AWESOME!!

Hi Sam! Yes, those first few weeks are the hardest to endure, but I promise you it DOES get better! Be kind and safe with your new tummy. My diet during that time was everything needs to be real moist. I ate a lot of babyfood. I know that bothers some folks, but there is a wonderful selection of pureed babyfoods that a super gentle on the tummy. Amazon and Walmart carry quite a few varieties and many are organic too. I ate recipes such as grits and eggs with instant grits. Highly processed oatmeal, like the babyfood variety. Malt-o-meal. These were really good go to staples. Plus I would make SF pudding with my protein drink and add a little almond milk. Then my pudding had a protein base. I hope you feel better soon!

SO I've had a couple of NSVs lately and couple of learning how to eat episodes too. I'll be 1-month post-op on the 18th and this is what I've seen. Clothes that I haven't been able to wear in over 6 years are fitting me again. I've had people come up to me in the grocery store telling me how much different I look than the last time they saw me. And I've had to remove a link out of my watch band about my wrist! I've also learned that I need to drink my protein drink in the morning before food otherwise everything is just too dry all the way down. It's kinda weird. but starting the day with liquids helps everything else to follow. I had an episode where I overate because I was not paying attention. I'll NEVER do that again! It ruined the whole day and hurt like hell!! So no matter what, set your timers, eat slow, chew, chew, chew, and pay attention to how you feel after every bite! I've recently begun to start having family meals again no one makes comments or says anything unkind as to how little I'm eating. I tell them that I get dinner twice because I can eat the rest later on I'm so full that only one bite of dessert goes over the lips because I'm completely satisfied. So far, it's working!

I have been taking cannabis at night to help me sleep. It was cleared by my surgeon and has been very helpful. However, I have been waking up in the middle of the night and just lying awake. I'm wondering if because we are losing weight we do not require as much sleep as we used to. I do however LOVE my sleepy time and I'm gonna hold onto every minute that I can! LOL

I thought I was going to lose my mind if I couldn't chew food soon. Thank the heavens and the gods above for real food once again! My go-to favs are chicken salad, grits and eggs with butter, and I've replaced the morning cuppa joe with a warmed-up protein drink with real whipped cream. Following much more of a clean keto/low carb diet now. really focusing on my protein and water. Life is much happier now