How well do you know yourself?? And Operation 100% (LONG)

MY HISTORY:  I was always a fat child, teen, adult.  Probably over 300lbs by the time I was 20.  At my highest (mid 20's I weighed 345lbs.  I lost down to 300lbs and could never BREAK that number and I tried.  I'd go on a "diet", WW, Atkins, South Beach, Metabolife, etc etc and I could NEVER EVER stick to it for very long because I LITERALLY felt like I was STARVING to death.  For the next 10 years or so I bounced literally between 300 to 325, 300 to 320 (ironically my regain was 20lbs).  I worked out, did the treadmill, did 5ks you NAME it I tried it, but nothing ever really worked and I knew to much about RNY to ever go there.  Fast forward, my mom dies and I realize I must to do something, heard about the LapBand and thank God someone with my insurance was having the Sleeve.  WLS for ME is a God send, because when I eat healthy nutrition foods I CAN stay on my diet 100% - ie Operation 100%.  When I eat right I'm not PHYSICALLY hungry (not the post about head hunger lol) and I find it easy (not the post about this being the easy way out either).  I lost over 100lbs post WLS to MY goal with simply DIET, no EXERCISE.  

I say this all to say, unless your 12 or a teen ager, you have had DECADES to live and breath YOU.  If you have tried a diet and failed you pretty much know WHY right?  I mean I do, there's what I just said, there's the "diet to get to goal mentality" which is what lead to my 20lb regain, so I'm constantly reminding myself this is for LIFE, no return of bad habits etc etc.  So get in touch with yourself (no not touch yourself) and remember that you know yourself better then your doctor and everyone on this forum.  WE (including the doctor) will give you a TON of ADVICE and you will TRY it (**** it never hurts to TRY) but in the end, you'll see time and time again, it's what you already know about yourself that'll HELP aide in your success.  Like the Good Witch told Dorothy, the power was always within her, but she had help along the way to see it!  

OPERATION 100% was born after my weekend of crying over the frustration that ALL this working out isn't showing on the SCALE.  My kettlebells teacher and my PT don't understand as they are MEN, that I NEED to the scale to MOVE.  After I got over my frustration and having my PT say "ok we need to look closer at your diet" brought me to the decades BEFORE I had WLS.  I was working out and eating 75-90% on diet and NEVER lost.  I am GREAT at maintaining but lousy at losing.  THAT brought me to post WLS, where I was on point and on diet 100% of the time, I remember going out to a night club and knowing I was going to have ONE drink and bringing a vial of those protein shots (remember those) AND I wasn't working out.  I lost 130lbs purely doing the 1 thing I had never done before STAY on plan 100% of the time.  

There was my Ahh Haaa moment.  "Michellel, diet is KEY for YOU to lose weight.  While exercise IS beneficial it is NOT what helps YOU lose weight.  LOOK AT YOUR HISTORY KNOW YOUR BODY" well duh.  Even when I look back as recent at January when I lost THIS year.  I worked my diet 100% of the time.  I planned my meals and cooked them.  I wasn't allowed to deviate (ie run and grab something ELSE) especially because I ALREADY had GREAT tasting and nutritious food in the house.  There was no "Oh I'm bored with that so go grab something else."  I also realized at ANY given moment (especially when I'm in town) I am a 30 minute drive from home, which in January I made sure there was ALWAYS something already cooked.  I don't live in the Wild Wild West where I am a 3 hour horse right from home.  I cooked SEVERAL things on Sunday and that was my routine.  

OPERATION 100% born again and so far so good.  The test comes this Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon (4 days of NO structure, mean I need to structure).  The plan is to have my meals planned by Thursday.  As of today I have up until Thursday planned.  Don't have the think about it.  Even mixed it up to help me not get "bored"  as I'm not eating the same thing everyday.  I also realized that I NEED to leave myself about 100 calories in my meal plan for the LAST "snack" of the night.  It's like I can't go to bed unless I have that ONE last thing.  I normally try to FIGHT it, and FAIL miserably, so yeah Michelle, just say **** it and PLAN it instead!  

On a side note regarding exercise, yes it IS important and I have been doing Kettlebells for about 4 weeks.  On Feb 27th my 7 1/2 month pregnant teacher she showed me this move called the Turkish Get Up, mind you it's a more advanced move and requires knee strength and core strength and well being that I have arthritic knees, that don't like to bend, and my core isn't the strongest...ANYWAY I sucked horribly when I first tried it.  Since then we've been doing lunges and squats and practing PARTS of the move etc etc and last night I did my FIRST full turkish get up from beginning to end on BOTH sides!!   The scale may not be moving but my body is getting stronger!!  Here's the move to see =)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmzFAgYCAu0   And I will leave you with the quote someone reminded me of in my post yesterday

"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

Well said Shell!!  As far as I know, not one of us got to wls because we didn't exercise or exercise enough.  We got here because we ate too much. Of everything. Every day.  All the time. 

Oh snap it's ALL gumbled, need to fix that lol and thanks!

We as humans often "forget" things we already know, which is what I've been doing sometimes.  Good reminder for me that exercise was NOT the big determining factor in my weight loss THEN so it's not going to be NOW.

Ms Shell...on paper, you might not be the MOST successful (not that you haven't been very successful, you have, that's not my point)one on this forum or the poster child for WLS or whatever. You are still working on goal. You are still in the fight, still in the trenches with the rest of us. But, man...I gotta tell ya...and I mean this...YOU are my she-ro. You so ******g GET THIS. I have a high percentage of weight loss..makes it look like I'm rockin' this. The truth is, I don't know my ASS from a hole in the ground, compared to you. YOU have changed from the inside out...as it should be. I wanna be like YOU when I grow up! I don't know if this makes any sense whatsoever but just know that you inspire me (along with SSB) on the very deepest level. This journey is not about perfection (something my dumb ass has had a difficult time grasping), it's about CHANGE. Lasting change...becoming our best selves. The scale is not an accurate representation of THAT. Like I've said before....losing weight is a pleasant side effect of giving a **** about yourself! Thanks for being you and opening that up for the benefit of others. You will never know how much you matter to so many of us. I'm a fan.

Awww shucks I'm an old hormonal woman don't be having me crying, good thing I don't wear mascara.

I can't say I KNEW half this **** 4 years ago after my first year.  I was just ENJOYING the weight loss ride which is VERY intoxicating and you "think/want/desire" it to last forever but when it stops, it's time to NOT repeat the sins of the past that got many of us to WLS in the first place.

Ms Shell

You go girl!. The Turkish Get-up is very challenging and I started the same way that you did. It works EVERYTHING !! What you are learning and processing is invaluable and will enable you to reach your goals .

OMG the funny thing is I read about it on the site of the place I'm going, so class 2 I mentioned it and the owner of the place just looked at me and we did his workout and that was it.  Then my 3rd class I asked that teacher just to show it to me.  And I tried to do the reverse lunge and SLOWLY lower myself to my knee...I plopped and hurt, lol....but we've been working at it =)  And then the raising up on your elbow and lowering to your back ALL core **** not to mention HOLDING that damn bell.  Boy I was so tired after I did one side yesterday lol.

Ms Shell

I can do about half of it, with a ten pound kettle bell . I haven't mastered getting up on my feet in a fluid motion. I'm going to work on it. -.

Yeah I used the 10lb bell to.  It wasn't beautiful but I did it from beginning to end.  Can't wait to maybe try it again tonight =)

What a great and insightful post! I think you are right about 100% of the time. I have no trouble at all when I am on plan 100% of each day. It's when I veer off and have me some sugary thing that I have more trouble.

Like you, I am always working this program, too. I am getting the hang of maintenance, but it is still work and there is a lot of learning that comes with this WLS journey.

It's very true. You can exercise your ass off, but if you keep eating the same old crap food and too many calories you wont' lose the weight. Changing our eating and relationships and belief systems around food is really the trick in the end. That's what I'm working on every single day.

God love you and good luck, girl!