I'm a Rebel... (long)

I decided something today...I'm gonna be a rebel for 11 days... Okay, let me back up. My boss (who is the bomb) took me and one of my best friends out for a late lunch and told us "Well, you know, your timecard's already approved..." wink wink, nudge nudge... So, we went to a wonderful local seafood restaraunt, had a glass of wine, a DELICIOUS meal and then to top it off, he gave us both $50 gift certificates to said restaraunt... Did I say he was the bomb? Anyway, I digress. Maybe it was the wine... Maybe it was my meal... I was trying to decide how I was going to log it in Fitday.. I had lemon sole (very lightly breaded, baked sole in a lemon sauce with hollandaise broccoli...) Oops, digressing again... I decided "You know what, I'm not going to log it. In fact, my Christmas present to myself is I'm not going to log my food for the entire break. Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving myself license to eat crap. I'm just telling myself that for the next 11 days, it's okay to not obsess over whether my daily caloric intake is absolutely perfect in the protien:carb:fat ratio. I'm going to do a shake every day to insure I get my protein levels, and like I said, I'm not going to eat crap, but I'm going to allow myself not to twitch over every morsel of food. I have no idea what this will result in. The other part of it is, I'm not going to weigh myself, either. I haven't gone more than 2 days without weighing in 7 months, but I swear I'm not going to do it until the Monday after New Years. I may gain a couple of pounds, hopefully I won't - hopefully I'll lose, but I know I'm going to enjoy the next week and a half and not obsess over it. What do you guys think? Am I'm setting myself up for screwing up or do you think it might be an experiment that works?

Hi Becky, I think that it will be a good test to see if your past 7 months of behavioral changes have indeed sunk in. If so, you'll find yourself naturally making healthy choices day in and day out, without the accountability. You do want to get to place in life where you can just live, and not have to count every calorie and weigh each piece of meat, etc.... At least I know I do. Good luck to you. I hope you have a wonderful break. Happy Holidays! Deanna

Becky...I'm thinking that it may work...and I applaud you. I am also staying off of the scale til Next Week. And can I just mention that your boss is the BOMB!

Becky, I say go for it. You never know what you can do til you try, right? I think in 7 months you've gotten some excellent habits and routines. Believe me 11 days without obssessing sounds grand. For me, the holidays are a big button for me. Part of it, of course, because it is usually a food orgy. The bigger part is what happened in 2003. From March to December...I went from 279 lbs to 215 lbs by low-carbing. I hadn't been that low in years. I did this while separating from my husband and moving out on my own - no small feat. I focused alot on myself. Where I went wrong was saying "oh what harm can a few carbs do...I'll ALLOW myself to have carbs just over the holiday". Well, I ended up on a carb eating rollercoaster of cravings. I managed to get back up to 276 amazingly fast...probably faster than it took to lose the weight. So, admit, the holidays scare the beejeebers out of me. I should say that I do not eat no-carbs now. I do allow myself some now - no sugar though (I pretty sure I dump and I'm not gonna go there). I have some tortilla chips or crackers and an occassional bite of potatoes or rice. Usually it is when we eat out on weekends. Anyway, starchy carbs are not part of my everyday routine. I'm really trying hard to figure out how to work this. I have no idea of the menu for Christmas eve or day. I assume that Christmas day will be turkey, ham, etc. That I can deal with. Good choices in there for me. Christmas eve is harder. Normally that is over my sister's house but because she was away it'll be my sister's SIL's house. Last year, it was there too because SIL's mother had been ill so it was planned to be there (she passed away right before the holiday). Anyway, I think last year Christmas eve was turkey and such and Christmas day was brunch with many sugary casseroles including the one made with Krispy Kremes - argh! Rich wasn't able to eat most of it. I felt a bit bad. He did have some eggy thing. It is really going to take alot of effort to keep focused. I know sugar won't be an issue...it is the other stuff that I'm concerned about. I think I'm just going to say that I'm going to avoid starchy carbs PERIOD for the whole time we are away. I've just packed protein in baggies - ready to mix. I assume we'll go to the deli and buy some cold cuts to have in the fridge at my sister's house - that'll work for breakfast each day. Kathy (with much trepidation...)

My biggest thing is making sure that my protein is over 70 grams and make up no less than 1/3 of my calories for a day. And fat and carbs can be no more than 1/3... It really bugs me, to the point that if I'm "off", I'll supplement another protein drink in the evenings just to balance my diet for the day, even if I don't need the extra protein... Even today, in the back of my head, there's some nagging because I didn't track it. I do know that I had a Nectar shake (23 g protien) and a latte (11 g protein), oatmeal (7 g protein) and fish and some steak, so I know I'm well over the 70g mark but not knowing the other stuff is really bugging me... As for eating at holiday meals where you're not in control - something I've picked up just these last few months - if I'm going to someone else's for a holiday dinner, I stop by the store and buy a shrimp-****tail ring. It's usually frozen, can be thawed under running water in about 15 minutes, has the ****tail sauce and everything. I love shrimp ****tail and I know it's a healthy protein-packed alternative. Plus, it's not something you see multiple people bringing so you're safe in assuming there won't be 3-4 varieties of shrimp ****tail. I did this for Thanksgiving (both families) and a Christmas party and will be doing it Monday at my dad's too.

Be the rebel you are! I was thinking man, I hope she doesnt' post that on THE message board. Someone posted something similar on the main board and man the gal got slammed! I felt sorry for her because she was looking for support. I'm with you Becky. Do what you think will work for you. Obviously, if you gain weight you know it's not a good thing to do. But if you maintain or better yet, lose then you know you made smart choice (can you imagine the choices we'd all make a year ago during this time...man oh man!). I actually pretty much do what you say you're going to do. I concentrate on proteins but I allow myself treats whether they be a little sugar or extra carbs. I get in my water and my vitamins and things are fine. My losing has slowed down quite a bit but I'm 11 pounds from goal so that must makes sense to me. Since I started running my nut said those extra calories I pop in my mouth will get burned and she reminded me that our tummies don't absorb everything. I think you'll find yourself making some really good choices. Part of this surgery is that it's all helped us slow down, appreciate what goes in our mouths and enjoy every morsel rather than wolfing everything in site until we can't expand any longer. This is a great tool. You've done well and I know you'll continue to do so. Good luck! Ana