Hi all... offically delurking....

Hi. I posted under the Jumpstart your weight loss post, but though I would give my little ditto here. I had the AGB (adjustable Gastric Band) on July 16, 2004. My highest weight in 2004 was 360 pounds or so and my lowest was 315. Today I was 327.6... I was as high as 330 middle of last week. It has been a hard hard christmas season with the food and my eating out of control. It was another crash and burn day today for my carb level... but now that the festivites are over tommorow I start again with my atkins and try for under 30 net carbs a day.... I know I can do it if I try. There is lots of turkey left in the fridge to munch on and I will just have to have one of my low carb marinades on the meat instead of gravey. So here is my eating for the day: Total (approx) : Calories : 1200 Fat : 40 Carbs : 130 Protein : 90 Morning: vitamin pill and medication. 3 cups water 2 cups tea and 4 tbsp skim milk 4 oz. orange juice mid morning: 2 cups water 1 cups tea and 2 tbsp skim milk 3 oz. chicken breast cooked and marinated with carb options italian marinade ----- ate to fast and suffered for a while..... drank 4 oz of orange juice to get the last few uncarefully eaten bits down . medication and vitamin pill 2 - 12 oz glasses of water afternoon snack: 6 minature chocolate kiss like christmas bells 1 Life brand Pralines and Creme protein bar (Net 3 carbs) taste of turkey -- 1/2 oz. 2 - 12 oz glasses of water Dinner: 2 oz of turkey eaten while putting dinner out 3 oz of turkey eaten at table 1/4 cup stuffing eaten at table 1/3 cup gravey from pan juices, some fat removed made with flour ---- 2-12 oz glasses of water 4 oz of orange juice cup of coffee with 3 tbsp of milk... not a usual beverage for me anymore, a special treat.... Evening snack: taste of holiday cake... shame on me... 1/4 cup of stuffing... Nope didn't learn from dinner time. Evening medication and 4 oz of orange juice.... I use orange juice with my pills as I crush many of the pills I take and the orange juice makes them a bit more palatable.... I bought some crystal Light today to see if that works starting tommorow. C Moen

Hi Christy - I'm glad you decided to 'de-lurk' !! As you can tell, lots of us are struggling to get back on track after the holidays. I have found that the more carbs and sweets I eat, the more I crave them. I've been away from them for a few days now, and don't find myself looking for them anymore. I had also gotten away from exercise, and after a few days of forcing myself to either walk outside (depending on the weather) or do the Walk Away the Pounds tape, I find myself looking forward to the exercise. Do you log your meals onto fitday.com? I do and it really helps me be aware of what I'm putting into myself. I'm trying to keep my carbs below 30g per day and my protein above 70g. I also try and keep my calories between 600 - 800. That is just me - everyone needs to follow their doctor's guidlelines. It seems you drink a lot of OJ - did you realize that every 8 oz has 26 carbs!?!? I hope the crystal lite is a good alternative for you. I have a problem drinking plain water, so I add about 4 oz. of Fruit Refreshers Lemonade (sweetened with Splenda) to each 16 oz. bottle of water and that makes it easier for me to drink. I also try and keep stuff that is tempting to me out of the house. I tried cashew nuts and found myself eating 1/2 a can a day - so I deep-sixed the rest of the can and will not buy them any more, and during the holidays I found Cool Whip and had to get rid of that too. There is a lot of support here and most everyone has had their struggles - especially as we come out of our 6 month 'you'll lose weight no matter what' period. I hope you'll continue to be active on the board - I think it really helps a lot. Finally, please don't take any of this as criticism, because it is in no way meant to be. From your post, I think you know exactly where you're going wrong and what you need to do to fix it. Please know that we'll be there with support when it gets tough and with praise and woo-hoo's when the weight starts dropping off!! Hugs, Nancy -84

Being honest with yourself about how much you are eating is the first place to start when getting yourself back on track. Of course, it's also the hardest! Nancy is right, using fitday is a great place to keep track of your meals. Of course, if you don't have time to log on every time you eat, pen and paper works just as well. Now that the holidays are behind us, it's time to move forward! Pamela stuck at -74