BonnieMcC

grrrrrrr...I have not been hungry or had cravings since I started low carbing it 3 weeks ago until yesterday. I seriously could have ate everything in sight...but I didn't! I resisted! Even last night my family ordered pizza and as good as it smelled I had a chicken breast! I was so proud of myself...so whats my reward for resisting temptation... A gain of one flippin pound!!! What is up with that??? I know, our weight changes all the time (especially if there is pms involved--which could be I got deppo shot 3 months ago and i have had no visit from Aunt Flo since the shot until a couple of days ago when her dog "Spots" came to visit--haha) So anyway, I am not going to get too down about it...but I am NOT changing my ticker to gain a pound either....so there! I know I shouldn't weigh myself everyday, but its an obsession and it really keeps me on track. Still in moderate ketosis...

I usually burn only 250 calories in 30 minutes during walk/run and my heart rate is between 165-173...whats up with that. I burn a lot more calories on the elliptical for doing a less strenuous workout. I will never understand that! I am dying on the treadmill but on the elliptical--not at all! I don't know what my resting heart rate is..I have a hard time finding and keeping track of my pulse.

Thanks for the heart rate info Amanda. Very helpful!

I did week one again...my heart rate was in the 170s during my run so I am glad I didn't push it even harder! It felt great...awesome workout! great job renewedhope on week 2 day 1 congrats to you, whosya for completing 10k! Everyone is doing so good. Its wonderful to have great support here!

My story isn't exactly the same but since my pregnancy 7.5 years ago I have been eating at night. Sometimes not aware at all and sometimes aware but felt like I was in a trance. It was always the same food, Peanut Butter. I would have to keep it in the house for the kids (and hubby) but there were times I would put it out in the garage so I wouldn't get it (and sometimes would still go out there to find it while mostly asleep) I turned the doorknob backwards on my pantry so it would lock on the inside...it didn't matter, I would pick the lock in my sleep. It was bad! I would eat anywhere from a teaspoon to half a small jar in a night. Some nights I would become very restless until I had my "fix" I don't know if there was something I was missing during the day that my body was craving at night or what?!?!? I tried sleeping pills and it would only get worse..sometimes eating other foods as well. I would wake up several times a night while on sleeping pills. Finally I tried melatonin. I hadn't taken it before because I thought other pills would be far more powerful than some natural Vitamin. WRONG! I took melatonin for a week and results got better and better with each night and within a week I was sleeping through the night. I haven't had a LICK of peanut butter in 3 weeks! It was weird too, the day I started low-carbing it is the night I slept through the night! So I don't know if it was the melatonin or the low carb/exercise plan, but it worked and I can't believe how I suffered for all of those years and now no more! Congrats on stopping your sleep eating! That is a terrible problem to have and its great to see that you have stopped!

Your story is an inspiration to me. I went to Cedar Point 2 years ago with some of my girlfriends and I squeezed into every coaster with barely enough room to breathe. Then we went to ride Top Thrill Dragster. I am a rollercoaster NUT and couldn't wait to get on. While waiting they were having trouble getting this bigger lady out of the seat. She had just rode and the shoulder bar needed to be pushed down to unlock and come open. They had two people pushing as hard as they could to unlock her. I felt so bad for her and was thinking "Im so glad I am not that big...that would be embarrassing" and then I got into the seat. I could not get the shoulder bar to lock! I couldn't ride! I was too fat to ride. My girlfriends were sad for me and I told them to go ahead. I wanted to cry. You would have thought that would have been my turning point, but after two more years of yo-yo dieting I have made a committment and by next year I WILL be riding coasters again...look for me in the front seat! Congrats on all your success!!!

oooh that voice! When I decided that I was going to go to the first consultation and I scheduled my appointment I felt like I NEEDED the lapband and it was the only thing that could change my life. I was desperate for it. I am a big time yo-yo dieter and getting bigger everytime. I keep losing 50 pounds and gaining more back that I lost..and I have done that several times! Even my husband wonders why if I can stick with long enough to lose the first 50 pounds, why can't I stick with it to lose the last 50 pounds? And why do I let myself gain it all back??? So a week before I went to my counsultation I got tired of the voice in my head saying I HAD to have lap-band or I would continue to be a failure. I decided that I was going to lose this weight WITH or WITHOUT the band. I am tired of spending my life obese. I hate what its done to me physically, mentally and emotionally. Obesity has destroyed the last 10 years of my life...and with every year it gets worse! I am not going to let it take any more joy away from me. So now it will be three weeks tomorrow since I made that choice and I have lost 16 pounds on my own. I feel like mentally I have made a change that I never had before when I lost weight. Any other time I have been "on a diet" I felt like things were being taken away from me. This time I feel like I am GIVING myself more things. If I don't have fries I used to think "Sheesh, not fair, everyone else gets fries but me" but now i think "I don't want these fries because I WANT to ride rollercoasters or wear a smaller size or want to lose x amt of weight this month" With saying these things in my mind everytime I am confronted with a bad food choice I make good choices everytime! Now to get back to your question...sorry I rambled too much...now that I have lost 16 pounds in 3 weeks and have made this major attitude adjustment I keep thinking "Do I still need the band?" Sure I have over 90 pounds to lose...and that is a long journey. I worry that this new change will not last me through the holidays when I have always given in (and gained every thing back!) and that's why I feel like I still want the band. I have been through it too many times before. I am not doing self-pay though...so my depends on insurance. Hubby and I talked about self-pay if insurance doesn't cover it (waiting on approval now) but I know in my mind that one way or another I will lose it this time...for the last time! I know this didn't really answer your question, but start trying to lose weight on your own. I still battle with the voice in my head about to do it or not to do it everyday, but I keep moving forward. My surgeon is booked 3-4 months in advance and if I wait to lose weight until then, I could end up weighing a lot more than I do now (because I would be eating everything thinking "this is the last time I can have this") instead, I would like to go into the office weighing 40 pounds less than I do now and have a lot less to lose after the surgery. These are just some of my random thoughts! Good luck with any decisions that your make and keep coming back here. The support here is amazing!

Amanda, I have been doing the podrunner iTune that is previously mentioned in another post. When the songs are over--my workout is over. The first week is about 25 minutes and I end up going a little more than a mile and a half. I believe it is meant to work UP to 3.1 miles. I know at this point I could not do the intervals for a whole hour and the rate I am going to be able to get the 3.1 miles in. Btw, I am repeating week one this week. I think I will probably repeat each week twice (or more if nessesary). I am in no hurry to complete the program and I want to enjoy it. I KNOW me...if I go to hard to fast I will get burned out and quit. I know that my body is not ready to move onto next level. Good luck to everyone this week!

Thursday I didn't do any "intentional exercise" I just walked all over the city for hours...almost all day!!! Friday I hit the treadmill for 5k training. I slowed down my run from 5.0 to a 4.0 because the belt on the crappy treadmill kept slipping. Besides 5.0 was too fast for me. I still walked atleast half the day through the city. I really enjoyed the walk through the city. This morning I got up and instead of using the crappy treadmills in the fitness room I hit the pavement. I did the podrunner but I know I didn't run and a fast enough pace...since I just did it yesterday I didn't want to overdo it. I did my walk/run up and down michigan ave (the magnificent mile) while window shopping and looking at all the skinny clothes I would love to buy! It was 7am so the only people out of the street were runners and walkers. It was nice because by 9am that street will be packed with people!!! Have a great weekend!

Im still in chicago but I thought I would check in and let you know about my diet in the Windy City. For the most part I was able to low carb it for the last 2 days. On Thurs I did have one slice of Chicago style pizza but I didn't eat the outside crust (I did eat the underneath crust though) That was the only carbs I had on Thursday. Friday I did great for all 3 meals until we ordered the volcano bday cake for my son at the rainforest cafe. I had one skinny small piece of choc cake and 1/4 cup (maybe even smaller) of vanilla ice cream. That was my first REAL sugar in 3 weeks. I got on the scales this morning and I was up half a pound!!! I wasn't beating myself up too much. I just kept thinking about how much I WOULD have eaten a month ago before low-carb diet. I think I did pretty well. Now we are going to a place called Ed DeBevicks for lunch today. This has me worried. I was the one who talked my family into it because of the atmosphere. If you are ever in Chicago you have to go there. Its a 50's themed greasy spoon restaurant where the employees dress up as 50's stars or in clothing from that era. There is graffitti all over the walls (atleast thats what it looked like when I went there 15 years ago) and the staff is really off the wall rude in a fun way. If you don't know that before you get there, you could easily get offended. They have no problem pointing out mullets over the intercom and calling you out in front of everyone. They also give out prizes for having certain things in your purse or wallet. A lot of loud music and attitude. I love it! Im taking my kids (ages 7 and 12) and my hubby (who is from Brooklyn, NY) and says that he can out rude any waiter from chicago...his sarcasm is hillarious. We will have a great time! I just wonder what I will eat when I get there!?!? Maybe a burger with no bun? We will see!

awww...thanks...you are too sweet! I sooo want to wear that dress again. I have thrown away almost all my skinny clothes except for maybe 5 outfits---that dress is one of them!

I added 2 photo albums to my profile. One is inspiration for me...what I looked like before I gained 110 pounds. The other is what I look like now---my before pics---yikes!