Our Long Holiday Is OVER - It's TUESDAY - What's your plan????

Ok, Gang, our 3 (or 4) day weekend is over and it's time to get back to reality. What have you done today to get back to a normal routine and what are you going to do the rest of the week to undo any damage you think you did over the long weekend? Planning is essential. We need to plan our exercise, our rest and, of course, our meals and snacks. One thing we can do is track our eating by writing down every bite we take. I intend to have a little notebook in several areas (including my purse) so that I can write it down RIGHT AWAY. Now, even if we plan, there are those times when we are out longer than we thought and we buy a small bag of nuts or a yogurt to tide us over and we sometimes forget to write that down. So, pay attention!! When we are writing down the food, we can also make a note how we were feeling when we chose that food. And, we need to ask ourselves whether or not we are actually hungry. More and more often lately I am NOT hungry when I'm standing in front of the fridge! How about you? For breakfast I had an old standby - yogurt mixed with 1/2 banana and a scoop of Any Whey unflavored protein powder. Lunch was cottage cheese mixed with Splenda, protein powder and watermelon!!!! I LOVE watermelon but had never mixed it with cottage cheese before last week. I dared to try it and it's good! Normally I mix cottage cheese with just about every other kind of fruit but I'm glad I tried watermelon with it! Dinner will be a spinach salad with chicken salad over top. It's leftover from my lunch out yesterday. When my salad came to the table, I asked for a box and divided it right then. My snacks will be watermelon and maybe another yogurt with protein. If I get an urge for something more "sinful" I may have a no sugar added Klondike Bar (the one with the crunchy outside)instead of the yogurt! Yum! What's happening on the Exercise Front for you these days? With the weather better, those fun things we can do with the family count as exercise! We walked the dogs several times in the park and I saw people canoeing and boating. I told my husband we need to do that soon. I think he fears I will turn us over in the middle of the lake! We also went for a very long bike ride through the neighborhood and into the park and all through the park's trails. That was fun! This morning I didn't have to teach but went to the gym and took 2 classes. The first was an Interval class and the second was Spinning. In between I did weights and walked. I've gotten in my exercise for the day! Hubby left very, very early this morning to catch a 6 AM flight. He'll be back Thursday! Wish Wanda and I lived closer to each other. If Randy is gone this week, we could shop and party!!! I've also noticed that VERY few people have checked in on the Weigh In. Just a reminder, you do NOT have to post a weight. Just let us know how you are doing, your successes, your challenges, whatever! Please be thinking about Susan's Mother and Susan and read her post. I want to hear from Valerie too. Did you EVER get moved into your "old" place?! Hope so! Please don't let our board die out! I know everyone is busy and I know we are no longer obssessed with checking the board every 5 minutes like we were in the early stages but, as I've said lately, we are heading into a new phase in our journey and we all know it is going to be challenging. We need the support of all our members to help cope and overcome these challenges. So, don't let yourself or us down, keep checking in and letting us know how you are holding on!!! CeCe

CeCe - I need to start writing mine down again so I'm with you. I use a program on my palm pilot and I love it so I'm with you. My old stand by breakfast is a protein drink (Preferrably Achieve One) and then mid morning a Kroger Carb Smart Yogurt (12 grams of protein) and 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch. Makes a great snack. I haven't been faithful about bringing my lunch - something else I need to do so I'm committing to you to do it. My allergies have been acting up something horrible. I have even had asthma attacks the last couple of days. I almost didn't find an inhaler and then I had to rinse it because it would puff. Before my surgery I was on a daily preventative. Since my surgery - I've maybe had three attacks - usually brought on by smoke. On Friday I wrote about some of my frustrations and someone responded back soothing me and encouraging me not to eat. Hmmm.... I hadn't even thought of eating about the problems. I wrote about them instead. BAMMMM This is huge guys I mean. My first response to a difficult emotional issue wasn't to eat over it. Yippee! Happy Happy Joy Joy ... lets celebrate with...NOT eating. When I realized this I was overjoyed. I know it is small but ... to me it is so big. My first instinct to deal with a difficult emotional time was to write about it. Oh my go**** is like he actually did do the surgery on my head! I am not saying I don't obsess anymore or that one of my reactions is eating but it is a major step in the right direction and it is huge that I recognized it. Ok --- My arm is hurting from patting myself on the back so much. I had lunch today with a friend who had baritric surgery about 7 months ago - I have forgiven her for going to someone other than Dr. W. It is amazing her lack of support. When I saw her about a month after surgery she wasn't keeping any protein down. She was already loosing her hair. I gave her suggestions of what I use. One of them worked for her. Doing better now. It is almost like she doesn't talk to others who are going or have gone through the same thing. That said it sure made me appreciate you all. Someone I know recommended me for a job. This is the type of job that I have wanted. I was called and asked if I would be interested in interviewing. - You know even if I don't get it- it is a great feeling. I hate to hope about it. It is the position that I have wanted. It is closer to my family. On the down side - it is moving and making my high school age son change schools. I dread trying to sell a house right now - particularly in Olney Texas. God has a plan Trudy - shut up and trust Him.

Trudy, Ahhh, it was good to read such a nice long post from you, Trudy! And, you deserve all the pats on the back for not eating and writing instead! Too often I fail in that department. I like the Kroger yogurt too but I also buy the Dannon Fit and Lite and the Weigh****cher one that comes 4 to a pack. I love lemon flavored stuff and they make one! I know if I worked full time anymore, I would have a hard time taking my lunch. It's too easy to go out - just to get away, if nothing else! Still, with planning, you can do it and even use part of your lunch break to walk or something. I guess you have to do that before it gets TOO hot in Texas! Sorry about your allergies and the asthma acting up! I talked to my daughter tonight and she said she had a migraine over the weekend. I think the weather has a lot to do with suffering this time of year. Knock on wood, my sinuses still aren't bad. Does your friend use OH to help with support? Has she checked out her surgery month support group? Thank goodness she has you to help her out. You know, I never lost any hair following WLS or even the plastic surgeries. I have very thick hair and wonder if that had anything to do with it? In my face lift literature, it said the hair can be very limp and unhealthy after the PS but I haven't had a second's problem! Just lucky, I guess! Please keep up updated on your exciting job possibility. We'll keep our fingers crossed for you! I'll bet you are worried about selling a house in this market but maybe it will all work out. If not, could you possibly rent it for a while until things improve? Again, it's GREAT to read such a nice post! I've missed you! CeCe

My plan is to stick with the low carb deal again this week. I'm staying under 30 grams right now which is what my surgeon originally had me do before surgery and was really successful for me then. It also actually makes me eat less without feeling hungry which is good. And definitely writing everything down. I just love fitday.com because it literally tracks everything, carbs, fiber, protien, fat, vitamins, minerals. Plus you can track your exercise which is great too. I'm planning on doing three days of cardio and three days of weights two of them upper body and one lower body focused. I've been following this program for about 8 weeks now and it really works for me. I do my workouts in the morning before work. It's super hard to drag myself out of bed everyday but I have a wonderful boyfriend who is very encouraging and gets up with me to feed/walk the dog (my dog) and make coffee even though he doesn't have to get up that early at all. I think perhaps my biggest mental plan should be to stay away from the scale this week. I've been getting on everyday and I know it's messing with my brain that it won't move. So I'll keep tracking my food and exercising and just see what happens. Hope everyone has a great week!! Corinna Q

Corinna, You are on a definite roll! Great job!!! I agree that curbing the carbs keeps us less hungry and more satisfied but I always have a hard time keeping the carbs at 30! Good job! I like Fitday too but have used LifeForm for years and it's comfortable for me. It does about the same thing as Fitday. Your "new" boyfriend is a WINNER! I knw he's not new to you but since we just heard about him, he's new to us and we like him, don't we, gang? WOW! He's very supportive! Your workout schedule is very sound and I know it will get all the results you want too! OH, I too wish I could stay away from the Scale Monster!!! A friend of mine does weigh every day but she averages the 7 weights for a weekly weight and then averages those for a monthly weight so she can watch her progress. She and I lost over 100 pounds together (online!) but I ended up regaining almost 60 and having WLS. She's kept off almost all her weight (she's regained 15 but is battling mightily to get it back off) and tracks her food every day. She's amazing! Keep up the good work, Corinna! CeCe

Well guys, it is Wednesday now and I just had a second to check in. We have gotten moved in to the new "old" house but we are still working every day to get things in order. We have done all of the major things such as paint, carpet and cleaning but still have lots to do to make the place seen like a home. It is so hard moving backward in life. I know it is only temporary but it is still hard. We didn't have a grand house before but it was WAY better than this one. Anyway, DH and I are working hard to make it into the best it can be. D.J. is happy as he can be. He loves his new room and big boy bed. I have seen improvement in his behavior in the past couple of days. I think he really needed more stability than we had at our friends home. So, old and small as it may be, it is home for now and it is what we needed even if not what we WANT. As far as my plan for me: I plan on sticking to my 1200 cal max days I plan on bringing my lunch and snacks to work daily so that I am not tempted by the vending machine I plan on working each evening at the house, unpacking and re-organizing to the point that I feel like I have had a work out. I plan on taking a walk with D.J. this eveing. I plan on getting things done so that I can get back to the gym 3 days next week. I think that is about all I can handle this week. Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday. Hugs, Valorie

Valorie, I'm so happy to hear that you've moved into the new "old" house! I know that will help DJ feel more secure and his behavior will continue to improve. How hard it must have been for them these past weeks. At least he has a "new" room that he can decorate. Is there any news on the insurance front? What are the plans for rebuilding? Has anything whatsoever been decided yet? MAN, I admire you keeping those calories low. I tell you what, I'm having a tough time keeping it around 1200. I just took the time to add up what I've had so far today and I was shocked that I've already taken in just over 1000. I thought I had barely eaten today! I ate dinner very early because hubby isn't here but I know I'll be hungry, hungry, hungry later. I may be eating raw cauliflower all night!!! You have a great plan for the week and I wish you all the strength and perseverance to follow through with that plan! I know you don't feel totally at home right now but I'm sure it's a BIG relief to at least have some privacy and breathing room. I hope things will only continue to get better and better for you. CeCe