Input would be lovely.

Hi Friends

Alright, my period is gone so I can restart my diet.  I didn't fall off the wagon while I had my period but my weight meant nothing to me because so much of it was water.  I can pay attention again.  Yay me!!

I'm a pound up from my 4 pound loss (as of this morning).  I'll take it.  I'm not up 2 pounds, so I'll quit my *****ing.  I need to focus and I'll be alright.

I've been eating really healthy lately.  Loads of fruit (grapes, melon, banana's, etc), fish and small portions of starch.  Lately, my diet has been:

B: 1 or 2 Jimmy Dean Delite Sandwiches (260 calories a piece and they're SO good)
L: Sandwich on Double Fiber whole wheat bread with light cheese and mustard (350 calories-ish)
S: 3 cups of grapes (180 calories)
D: 3 ounces of fish or chicken (non breaded, marinated) (150 calories)
     Veggies mixed in with pasta in a light sauce (300 calories)
S: Fiber One Bar (140 calories)

Total calories a day: 1540 at the most

But... because it's been slow at my job in the mornings, I was goofing around on the internet and found this website: http://walking.about.com/cs/calories/l/blcalcalc.htm

It says I should be eating over 2,500 calories a day to maintain my weight.  To lose weight, you should knock your calories down by 500 a day.  So I don't know if I'm eating enough.  It seems (either out of science or luck) that when ever I have a week with a "bad day", I lose weight.  And when I have a "perfect week", I either stay the same or lose very little. 

Think I should bump up my calories?  What do you think?  1,800?

I bought these low fat cheese blocks from Costco by Cabot.  They're 50 calories a piece.  Think I should throw a few of those in my day?  Maybe between Breakfast and Lunch? 

A friend of mine also suggested I try 1800 calories.It seems like a lot of calories for me, but I am going to try it.Yes, gve it a shot..bump up your calories, if it wirks great, if not, hten reduce them again. Those cheese blocks sound delicious! Addd them into your diet! Good luck and let us know what you decide to do. Remember take your weight loss a pound at a time! God bless and Good luck!

Thanks Chicky - I think I will.  I'm going to experiment for a week and see how I do. 

I would increase your activity and see if that bumps up the weight loss. Sedentary folks (who work out 1-2 times a week for 30 min. ea. time) have very low calorie expenditure per pound of weight. Most Americans are sedentary, and overestimate their activity level by a bit. You might want to try walking briskly for 30 minutes, 3X week. That's how I started, slow and steady. It will help your heart health, too! And by building muscle, you will be increasing the overall number of calories you can eat without gaining weight.

Looking at your diet, it seems like 520 calories for breakfast might be spending a bit much of your daily allottment on foods that don't provide very dense nutrition. I would totally meet with a nutritionist to find out what they have to say about it, and get suggestions straight from a professional. I also don't see much roughage in your day; do you ever buy those pre-washed bags of salad mix? They are fairly inexpensive, low cal, and a great way to fill up and stay regular, too.

Drinking my 64 ounces of fluid a day is the biggest challenge I have, right now! How about you?

Hey Lady,

When I used that little calculator, I did set myself up as sedentary, so that number (2,570 cal per day) is the lowest I can get.  I'm honest with my lack of activity.  I'm lazy, I know it.

Yeah, I definitely need to bump up my activity level.  I just get severe anxiety about going to the gym.  Even though I doubt it happens, I feel like everyone will point at me and scoff because I'll be the fattest girl in the gym.  I just don't want to feel like that, so I don't go.  I don't live in a neighborhood where blocks are normal (it's hard to explain how my block is set up, but you've either got a tiny block to walk around or a block that's three miles to walk around and those are your only options.)  I can go to a park near my house and walk but the walkways are dirt, so mud is a problem.  However, I am planning on going tonight and doing a little bit.  Maybe 20 minutes or so.  Maybe I'll grow a set and head to the gym.  Either way, I want to do something tonight. 

Breakfast is actually dense protein.  They're egg whites, turkey sausage, and low fat cheese on a croissant.  I'd suggest them to anybody.  They're awessome.  And I don't have 2 every day.  Only when I'm starving.  I usually stick to 1.

Salad - sore subject.  I have a lap band and salad and I don't get along very well.  I have to cut the salad up really tiny and load it with dressing so it slides through the band without problems.  I just try to avoid it and bulk up on veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, string beans, spinach, whatever I've got in the house.

Water - another rough one for me.  I probably get in 48 ounces, so I'm usually 1 bottle shy of my 64ounces a day.  I gotta step that up too.

Thanks!!!!

Hey Janese,

For one I think it's too early to "knock" your other amount of calorie intake.  I've read it takes a good six weeks to settle into any kind of routine to see how it's going to effect your weight loss (I'm the one to talk...new diet every Monday eh?).  BUT, I know you've been there, done that, etc., so if you want to increase your calorie intake and see how that works I don't see why not!  What could you lose?? Nothing! 

Just be ready to go down in calories if it doesn't work, AND be ready to not be mad at yourself if it doesn't work!!   Think *we* tend to forget that every way of dieting doesn't work for all even though we want it too! :)

Good luck!

Yeah, I'm ready to do whatever I've gotta do to get some weight off me.  If I need to go up, down, left, right, I don't care. 

Thanks honeybuns!!

It's frustrating, isn't it - you've done so well up until now and this is only a temporary slowdown. So keep up the goodwork and I hope you figure out what works best for you.

My diet is so different from yours and I don't have a lap band either. It does seem that you are eating a lot of refined foods which means extra fat, sugar and salt in your diet. The fat and sugars could be replaced with calories of food that have more nutrition and be more filling while the salt may cause you to hold extra fluid which could show up as extra pounds on the scale.

The problem with counting calories is that it is a very inaccurate measurement - everything is estimated and can easily be off as much as 30% which is a lot. Then there is serving size and the fact that manufacturers are deceptive in how they manipulate the calories etc. by how they label a serving so they can call something 0 when there may actually be calories. For example that stick free cooking spray has 0 calories but it's 100% fat - but the serving is a 3 second spritz which the government says they can call 0 even though it has a few calories - the problem is no one can get such a small spritz and when the spray their pan they are actually using a lot more calories than they think - very tricky but legal.

I drive to a mall to walk inside so I'm not bothered by the weather. I can't walk where I live, well I could, but the streets are very steep and I'm just not in good enough shape to go up and down these hills - but I do enjoy the view LOL.

Skylar

The only problem with me walking in a mall is that I'm a shopaholic.  I'll pass a bath and body works store and walk out with $50 worth of unnecessary body lotion.

I think I'll stick to the park near my house for the week since we're supposed to have good weather in my neighborhood all week.

Janina, many if not ALL of us on this weight loss journey are terrified of being judged and looked at and talked about. I am 148 pounds, down from 292. I am a size 8. I ran 6 miles in 60 minutes today, burning 700 calories, and I STILL had occasional worries about what the person on the treadmill behind me thought of my ass and my excess skin jiggling.

It gets easier and easier to move forward--just start out with a single step, and say,"Screw the excuses! I'm gonna walk a mile, three days this week!" Reasonably accurate pedometers are about $8 to $10, at Target, RiteAid, and other drugstores. Even if the blocks in your neighborhood are uneven, just go by how far your pedometer says. You just have to ignore everything around you but meeting your goal for the day.

As for salad, I have a RNY and have to chew everything very, very well. I am sure if you chew each bite of salad until it is practically liquid, it will go through your stomach opening. Ask your bariatric physician about it.

Best wishes on continuing the weight loss. I know that it's a tough row to hoe, but the important thing is making the decision every day to advance your goals toward a healthier lifestyle. We're here to support you!