What are you doing/eating today? Monday!

Monkey,
That is why I'm here at 6 years out, scale creep-up. Be glad you've got the sense to ask at only 20 lbs. up! Good for you! Go back to basics. Protein first, 5 or six small meals a day. Lots of water and exercise. Vitamins! You are past your "honeymoon" period and it becomes a struggle if you don't stay on top of it.

I have started being involved here to try and do a better job of accountability and staying in the mindset of someone who has had WLS.

Good luck! You can do it!

Nik - you can be angry with God, you can even be angry with your mom. It doesn't make you bad and neither of them will think less of you. You are hurting and hurt manifests itself in anger.
I know this time has to be sooo hard for you - losing your mom, Mother's Day coming up, moving, dealing with furniture, etc. Be gentle with yourself and love on your divas. You are very loved.

I had a pretty good night's sleep last night - 8hrs! I could get used to this!
This morning I fed the horses, chickens and rabbits. It is hot here so I have water bottles I freeze and then put in the rabbit cages (they are sensitive to heat), and I sprayed my old horse with the hose to cool her off.
A friend is coming over and bringing me a box of clothes - I am excited because she gave me some a long time ago and she buys nice clothes! LOL
Planned rest from exercise today. Work 9hrs tonight. Counseling appointment this evening (unless he is feeling bad, I asked him to cancel if he needs to -he was sick with a fever all weekend).

B - mint cookie protein /skim milk
L - shrimp / scrambled eggs/ cheese /pepper
S - hopefully my quest comes today!!
D - no idea... maybe tilapia with cheese and onions, some veggie
S - cottage cheese w/ SF jello and fruit

 Sorry to hear that you're in a funky mood.  Hopefully your day/week gets better.

Breakfast- 1 egg, over easy w/ 1/4 cup white beans and 1/4 cup steamed squash and cauliflower

Snack- Sugar Free Grande Soy Latte

Lunch- 4 slices deli turkey, 2 slices 2% american cheese, 1/4 cup white beans and 1 tablespoon hummus

Snack- 1/2 cup 0% Greek w/ 1 tablespoon sugar free strawberry preserves

Dinner- probably a protein shake

I am incorporating snacks into my diet now.  I've noticed that since I;ve been stepping it up a notch at the gym I have been feeling hungry in the afternoons.

So, I'm not alone in my dislike of Mothers' Day.  My mother passed away on May 7, 1968 so every year that anniversary is close to MD.  I've always been envious of people that still have their moms around.

I saw my doctor today and I have acid reflux.  Haven't had that since my RNY.  Along with heartburn, I have a really annoying dry cough so I was pretty sure I had acid reflux.  I told her I eat healthy but she said it could be dairy, tomator products, coffee or stress.  She gave a med to take for a month.

Eats today:

Glucerna 80 calorie bar
Click Frapp with Nectar Cappucino
Greek yogurt
Nik's Mexican Casserole
Protein shake

Not sure what else.

I'm sorry you're having a cruddy day, Nik. I hope it gets better.

I haven't had breakfast yet. I don't like to run on a tummy full of food, so my gym days always get a late breakfast.

I went to the gym and ran intervals today, but after taking most of the week off last week, it was rough. I did 2:2 intervals for about 20 minutes, and then 1:3 for the rest. Pathetic, but at least I was doing something.

Came home to a new low on the scale. 197. I am officially halfway to my goal weight. 47 lbs down, 47 to go! (and then we'll see if I keep going after that)

I had a cup of coffee after the gym. Breakfast will likely be half a can of chicken soup with some mashed potatoes blended in. My new favorite meal. I feel like I'm regressing back to mushies with all the soup, cottage cheese, and yogurt I eat.

Lunch will be...um, something. Maybe a gardenburger piled with tomato and horseradish.

Dinner will be the guts of a chicken pot pie I'm making for the kids. Yum!

Please tell me you eat SOMETHING before the gym. Don't make me give you "the speech."

The short version of that is that if you dont eat before the gym, your body will not burn calories as effectively as you've not yet broken your fast (BREAKfast). So basically your body is still in starvation mode and burning slowly despite all the good effort you put in. Eating even a little something helps.

This is something my dietician always told me but I actually substantiated it with my BodyMedia Fit. Did morning workout without breakfast and then same workout (and same daily routine) with breakfast. I burned a full 250 MORE calories the entire day on the day with breakfast.

But I KNOW what you meant is that you don't eat a full breakfast...right????

 Nope. I could lie and say, "Of COURSE that's what I meant!"  But it's not. 

About 60% of the time, I'll grab a protein bar before I hit the gym, but sometimes it's a rush in the morning to get the Kid's chores finished, breakfast on the table, bookbags packed, babies dressed, dogs let out and fed... that by the time I run out the door, I'm not thinking about breakfast. 

I'll start keeping protein bars in my car so I can grab one while I'm on the go. :)

 I do a protein shake on the way to the gym... sometimes would put 1/2 a banana in it, but now bananas bother me.  At night I put my powder in my drink bottle so all I have to do is splash in some skim milk and shake it on my way out the door.

Don't cross Nik!  lol

 I have a tough time with fluids in the morning.  I don't usually drink much until noon or so.  I'm not sure what it is, but my stoma feels really tight, and when I drink, I can feel it sitting here before it gurgles through. It's not a problem if I'm lifting weights or swimming, but when I run, it feels sloshy, like it's about to come back up. (I have to admit, I have an almost pathological fear of vomiting in the gym) 

I think just having an easy-to-grab stash of bars in my car will help tremendously. 
I also need to be observant that I don't fall back into the self-negligent habits of taking care of everyone else before myself. So I promise I'll do better on that front. :)

 Well kudos for your honesty. It's something!

Yes, even just a bite or two will kick start that metabolism. You don't want to do all that work for small returns!