Ive actucally put myself more on track lately... I still have 23lbs to goal and I am trying to stay extremely focused to get there... they are proving very hard to get off!! Im going to keep trying but am wondering if this is where my body is happy and only PS will get off the rest of this flab I have!!! I didnt get too far off track but was getting lazy with the exercise and was eating more bread/grain carbs then I should... I still was doing great on the protein thou! I went back to using fitday.com and signed up with a trainer a few weeks ago to help get me to my goal. Definately easy to get off track thou... I am a huge fan of pizza and was eating it at least 2-3 times a week!! Im now only allowing myself 1 slice with the girls on friday for lunch (we always meet at the same place.. its the best!!). I definately eat a thousand times better than before but there is always room for improvement!!

Okay, lately as I have subcombed to the carb monster time and time again, it occurs to me that I need to revisit the idea of quick, easy protein ideas -- ones that I can carry in my purse or put in the frig at work to keep me from being tempted to hit the vending machines. So, I'm looking for your input - what protein ideas do you use that help you get through the day or are great when you are running from place to place with no time to stop and prepare a meal. My ideas are: Cheese sticks and cubes (getting a little tired of the mozz) soy chips boiled eggs (have lots from Easter) beef jerkey (which I'm not terribly fond of but it's edible) What are your ideas? Another good thing I've found which - although a carb - is great on the run. McDonald's sells Little Dippers for $1. It's a bag of apple slices with a tiny tub of carmel sauce. Wonderful when you need just a little something but don't have time for more than the drive-thru. Sometimes I have the carmel, sometimes not.

Hi Mari! I am reading your post as I sit here eating popcorn! hehe Popcorn is my favorite snack! I think we have all "strayed" from the recommended diet at times. I am usually really good with eating - beside the occasional baked or mashed potato, I do not eat any carbs (bread, pastas) and I usually eat a lot of salads, veggies and meats and eggs. I am so much more aware of what I am eating now and how much I am eating. I think that new found freedom of food will stay with me forever. I know where I was before surgery and how unhealthy I was and I know I would not do anything to get back there. So, yes, I have snacked. I eat popcorn some and lately I have noticed that, at least once a week, I eat a small piece of choclate. Usually really small - like a mint or hersheys kiss. It is always just one small piece but it makes me wonder if that means I am failing? Then I think about the progress I have made and I feel better. I realize that only eating one hershey kiss a week as opposed to a whole bag a day before surgery is a huge accomplishment. This surgery is supposed to be a lifestyle change and I can honestly say it has changed my lifestyle and my food choices. I do not think of me being on a diet since it is a lifestye. And if you think to yourself that you are on a diet and can Never enjoy something you want or variety ever - then your mind plays tricks on you and makes you want to eat, eat, eat. So, if I "cheat" by eating pocorn once in a while or a baked potato or even one hersheys kiss, then I do not consider myself going back down the road of bad habits since I am eating healthy 95% of the time as opposed to 15-20% healthy eating before surgery. I am sure you are doing fine (you have lost 100#s). Just keep in mind how far you have come. You can use fitday.com to track your food everyday if you are worried about your intake. You may notice that you are on track with where you need to be and do not beat yourself up about the occasional "slips". Congrats on your weight loss! Misty

Awesome, when was the last time you could say you wanted to lose only 20 pounds? Lori

Awesome! Congratulations on -100!! ~Michelle