Close to goal... new to push to get there...

I'm up a couple of pounds which is normal for me but I usually count my weight as my lowest which was 167 for 4 days last week so I know my weight will bounce back down there shortly. Fickle, the scale is. LOL! Anyway, at 167... I'm 6 lbs from a normal BMI and 7 lbs from my personal goal that I sent more than a year ago. Don't really know what my doctor's goal is. He never said. I never asked. I know he knows that I'm fairly happy where I am. That all being said... I'm losing 2-2.5 lbs a month. That's it. At that rate it'll take me another 3-4 months to reach goal. I would like to reach goal by my one year anniversary which is 2 months and 6 days away. 7 lbs in 2 months is not alot to expect but since I've been losing less than that for the past 3 months in a row... I want to shake things up to try to get to goal BEFORE my one year anniversary. Not sure what I need to do. I think my first change will be to give up SF candy and sugar alcohols. Demon spawn that they are. LOL! I think that is a step in the right direction. I've been going to the gym 5-6 days a week so I'm not sure what to change there. I do 40 minutes a workout mixing cardio with weights. This past weekend, Rich and I did a cardio workout day and I think I'll keep that as a regular weekend thing. Do one full hour of cardio. This past Sunday, it was 20 minutes treadmill, 20 minutes cycling and 20 minutes Cybex arc trainer. I've also started walking around the building at lunch time now that the weather is warmer. I just do 2 laps around the far reaches of the parking lot but still - it is something to add to my day. I may also try to go back to my couple of trips up and down the stairs during my workday. I'm doing well with protein with 3 shakes a day to the tune of 100 grams of protein a day. I'm doing decently with water. I think I could work on getting more water in during the evenings and weekends. Other suggestions for spicing things up? Anyone else in the same boat? Or anyone have a goal that is probably within reach by their one year? Want to jump on the bandwagon? Kathy

I think you're doing great, especially considering you just had thyroid surgery. But, I understand wanting to get to your goal by 1 year. If you look at the post-op planner, you'll see that things *really* slow down at about 10 months. I recently switched to having oatmeal for brekky, which is high fiber and filling. I have posted about some of my other changes which helped me get off a long plateau. I upped my exercise to 60-minutes per day (gosh, what an ordeal!!). I added in a protein drink (Advant Edge) in the morning. I started eating a lot of fish and shrimp. I started eating McDonald's Cobb salad for lunch (1/2 per sitting). Eileen

Kathy, my goal is 140, but I don't think that I will make it by May 2. I am currently 175-178 (u know how that goes) and I would love to lose 100 pounds by my anniversary. And depending on how I look, I might just revise my original goal. So count me in, I'm stepping things up a notch as well! Good Luck!

Only you can determine your ultimate goal, Aliya! BMI charts and Metropolitan weight charts all be derned! Pick a weight that you are comfortable with. Perhaps you'll know when you get there rather than just having it an arbitrary number. Okay - let's have a push til May! Go, Aliya, go! Kathy

Eileen, Luckily my parathyroid and thyroid both rebounded on their own very quickly and at a week post-op my blood levels were right on target. I'm glad I'm not having to fight with abnormal thyroid values though my doc would have put me on meds for it right away. Whew! I was moving right along with the post-op planner pretty well but it has finally surpassed me. Oh well! Kathy

Sounds like you're doing great to me! I feel like I'm pretty much in the same boat. The only difference is, I'm not exercising and I hate it... I just can't make myself fit it into my day. Here's my regular schedule these days: 4am - Wake up - drink some coffee, do some laundry, dishes, homework, catch up on the boards 5am - shower, dress, get ready for work, pack lunch, etc 6am - get Livvie up, pottied, dressed, and out the door. 6:45 - 4ish - Work 5pm - home after picking up Liv (if I'm lucky and didn't have any additional running) *Mondays and Thursdays, 5:15 - take off for school, get home at 9pm, dinner, bed* 5-7pm - play with Liv, help Holden with homework, laundry, dishes, homework, dinner, errands, etc. 7-8 - Liv bath and bed 8-8:30 - wait for Liv to go to sleep 8:30 or 9 - bed... The weekends, obviously, aren't like that, but it feels like on the weekends all I want to do is recover from the week... That and do all the other stuff I didn't get done. Just looking at that schedule, I know I could fit in the exercise if I really, truly wanted to. I keep telling myself "If only...." If only it were warm out, I could walk in the mornings or evenings... If only Aaron didn't have a screwy schedule now, I could fit in a trip to the gym and not feel bad about leaving him home with the baby... If only I were more of a morning person I could get a couple of those workout videos and do something in the basement before I get moving for the day. If only, if only, if only.... Aside from the lack of motivation on the exercise wagon, I'm pretty pleased with myself. Like you, I'm losing just a couple of pounds a month and would like to get to "normal", whichi is another 3-5 pounds, depending on the day, before my 1 year anniversary. I think I can... I THINK I can... I THINK I can... I'm babbling, sorry, it's early... My brain is on autodrive...

I think you're doing all the right things, Kathy. You WILL get to goal. It may or may not be by your anniversary date, but you will get there soon after that. I would love to be 170 pounds by 5/24, but right now, I'm bouncing between 180 and 182, so I don't know. I am giving myself until March 2, 2007 (my birthday) to reach my overall goal of 135. I'll be 22 months out by then.

Your goal sounds very sensible, Tracy! Good for you! I won't beat myself up if I don't get to goal by my anniversary. It was one of those 'it would be nice' things. I will reach my goal whether it is by May 20th or November 18th (my birthday). Thanks! Kathy

Kathy, You'll get there. I stopped having any significant weight loss about three months ago, at just over seven months out. In that three months I have lost only 8 pounds, which got me to a normal BMI. I have found my pattern is to bounce up and down a few pounds, until my period is over then I'll drop a few, then the cycle continues with a net loss. I hate to admit it publically, but I do not exercise other than walking when I shop, lol. But I do shop often, lol. I have also found that when I increase both the protein shakes and lean protein in the diet that I tend to lose more steadily or at least maintain rather than bounce up and down those couple of pounds. I am excellent at getting in all of my fluids, but seem to do better if I increase those as well. You will be at goal in no time! Sonja