What's on your Super Bowl Sunday menu RNY'ers!!

Hi there Amy and weekend menu crew! Late post but i'm taking break from unpacking. I am not a big sports person but I did make my donations to to the Super Bowl pool; someone will let me know if I win. I haven't even gone to a SB Party since they started releasing all the commercials on tv beforehand, lol.

QOTD - I am not well versed in this but I definitely came out of the holidays a bit off track. I finally feel like I"m back in control, planning what I eat and eating what I plan; for me it was a lot of white knuckling through it.

Accountability - good; I did have a burger out with friends but just the burger and cheese and it was a nice small patty.

Menu today is incredibly boring to look at I am sure but tasty to me!

Coffee + half and half, water, tea

B - 1.9 oz deli turkey breast (last of this, it was very dry, will not purchase again); 2.1 oz ever roast deli chicken

L - 4 oz ever roast deli chicken, 1 cheese stick

AS - Lemon Elli Quark

D - 4 oz ever roast deli chicken

ES - L&F greek

No exercise but I definitely feel all the lifting, bending, dragging in the unpacking process counts as a work out!

Have a great rest of the sunday.

Unpacking counts as exercise!!!! Hell, I'm counting packing too!

Evening All!

Our researcher is still here. He's tentatively going back to his rented room Wed or Thurs. I know he would rather stay here, but he's afraid he's "disturbing" us. He's not disturbing us, and I told him so, but I do get pretty exhausted hosting people - even family members - after four or five days. So I think this Wed/Thurs plan is fine. We'll see how it goes. If he's really not happy there, he'll look for another room or apt. Or maybe we can discuss the possibility of him staying here longer - although I'm not sure I want someone staying here for a year (and I'm sure DH doesn't). But we'll see how it goes. Now that he'll be working full-time in his lab and he's over his jetlag, he might be OK.

QOTD: cold turkey. I fortunately can consume enough calories that I can eat comfortably and feel satisfied as long as I'm careful. I'd have a really hard time if I was one of those folks who maintains on 1000 calories. yikes.

3 years 8 months out:

B: Greek yogurt with blueberry sauce, very small Turkish spinach/feta borek (similar to spanokopita), coffee with half & half

MS: protein shake, two protein chocolate peanut butter balls

L: 1/2 a Frontega chicken sandwich at Panera

D: 1/2 C oatmeal, 1/2 C whipped sweetened cottage cheese, 10 raspberries

Super Bowl party tonight. Raw veggies for me (hope they have lots!). I'll bring a couple bottles of Bai, too

ex: we walked forever today showing this guy all over campus and trying to figure out what bus(es) he should take. My feet are killing me!

Although I have not actually tested the calorie level for maintenance, I'm quite sure that since I have to be under 600 to lose, that I will be that one who can only eat 800 to maintain. I hope that isn't true, but I would not be surprised.

First Amy, let me congratulate you on the Patriots winning the Superbowl!

I haven't figured out my maintenance calories yet either. I'm back in the 120s, thankfully, but am going to keep my intake low for another few pounds - say until I hit 125, to which I am close. Based upon my up and then back down experience over the last couple of weeks, it doesn't seem like I'll be able to eat 1250 calories every day without gaining. I was hopeful I could have 10 calories per pound in maintenance, but doubt now that that will work. I will carefully experiment. I really am ok with sticking with my diet almost all of the time - I'm so happy that I am slimmer and feel so, so much better than before. This good feeling is always with me, buoying me up, kind of exciting me, and helping me to stay true to my goals. However, when I am frightened about survival and feeling under extreme existential pressure, it becomes much more difficult not to use extra food to calm my anxiety. Thank goodness, that sort of feeling is not a common state for me.

I don't really know the answer other than to think of and really feel the beauty of your goals. We have come such an incredibly long way from where we began. That fact motivates me too: I have lost and regained so many times. I had this surgery with the awareness that it was my last and most extreme shot at normalizing my weight. I had insurance to cover my surgery. If I fail, it will not be covered again, nor, I believe, would my results be as strong. No. This is it for me. So I don't want to blow this incredible chance for health and happiness! Tea helps; keeping a restricted, lean kitchen helps; prepping meals helps; high protein, low-cal, filling food helps. I know you can do this Amy! You've come so far! But I definitely do know it's much more of a challenge during times of great stress. Sending you love!

It's late, in fact just saw that the game is over and your Pats won again, Amy, but wanted to give my 2 cents to your question. I agree that cold turkey seems to work better than other plans for me. Measuring, logging and journaling about my goals, thoughts, feelings and struggles really help sometimes. In the end, focusing on dense protein (plus eggs) and pushing super amounts of fluids (especially plain water and large mugs of herbal tea) has helped thus far. And since it sounds like alot of your eating is stress related, talking to friends to vent and find support and being super good to yourself may help. Hang in there and keep logging in and keeping it honest.

It looks like you have lost a lot of weight ... so obviously, you know how to do it ... smarten up and get back at it. Do you want to end up where you started?

... OK, that was some tough love.

Just pick yourself up and start again, every day if you have to. You can do this.

Kathy

You are right Kathy, I do need to smarten up! I've been struggling to be the machine I once was. I remember thinking that my food choices were a simple decision rather than this emotional struggle I've allowed them to be these last few months.... that is where I have gone wrong. I'm figuring it out. Work in progress, but I will never ever give up.

Thanks for the tough love!