How badly do you want it?

Thank you again Elina - your plan is the exact one I am following, but it's a relief to know I am on the right path.  The only thing I haven't tried is an egg, but I'm gearing up for it.  Thanks so much for your help!

How do you get 300-400 calories? A protein shake is 200 calories. Now a lot of people say they don't get hungry, but my stomach will literally hurt after hours with no food because sometimes I just don't feel like eating. Okay so today I had 1 protein shake at 7am. I haven't eaten since and I'm not hungry. My nutritionist told us to eat 6 meals per day. 3 meals and 3 snacks. I've looked through all of my paperwork and she didn't give us a calorie range. I know that I feel energetic around the 800 range and sluggish around the 400 range...Wow it's weird to think that 800 calories is sufficient when I was probably eating around 3000 at  some point in my life...YIKES!!!! 

My protein shakes are never over 110 calories, most are in the 90 calorie range.  Protein is four calories per gram.  A 20 gram protein shake should have 80 calories from protein and a few more from other sources, but never anything close to 200 calories. My goal was to eat three meals a day early out, eventually, I added two more snacks of veggies only. 

I also just bumped my MFP calorie limit to 800, although I still sit around 700 most days, and I will be 5 months out on June 22.  Some days I'm still really low (500-550) just depends on how hard I work out and how hungry I am that day.  Some days after a particularly intense workout or two a day I find I need a third snack, which is typically high protein.

I'm so glad you posted this.  I obviously agree with everything.  I am really Type A, though.  :)

Your truth has been my truth.

About a week before my surgery, I was out of the country dealing with what seemed like an impossible family situation. My husband and I were driving along and I was expressing my hopelessness and frustration when I had a moment of clarity.

I turned to him and said that I could do nothing about this family drama anyway and that I was going to make the next 6 months or so strictly about me. That moment sticks with me and it's what I've done.

I've followed the tried and true formula that so many of you vets recommend. That's not to say that haven't done things perfectly, but I've strived to do so every single day since then. And i always learned something valuable on the days things didnt work out quite the way i intended.

That means at less than 8 months out, I'm just a single pound away from 100% EWL. And I'm not done yet.

I continue to keep my eye on the prize and I've never regretted my decision to follow the path of discipline. Maybe there are other ways to get there, but for me, I made a conscious choice to take advantage of the method that is pretty much a sure thing for anyone and everyone who uses it. I just wasn't interested in methods that work for some and I had no intention of staying in the weight loss phase a minute longer than I needed to.

So I've still got my big girl pants on, but now they are size 6.

Just what I needed to hear! I've hit the "last 20 pounds to lose" stage and it's time to get lean and mean. 

Well said!!  You are such an inspiration. You prove that as long as we stick with it we not only lose but also maintain. 

Thanks for the inspirational post. You have posted many insightful and inspiring posts in the 9 months or so I have been on this board. I am here to not only say thank you, but to reinforce for those reading that what Elina says is dead on.

I'm a little over 7 months out. I want to be down another 15 - 20 pounds. At my six month I was at 77% EWL. My primary care said I looked good and should be happy. The surgeon said I was fine where I was at, though would not give me any goal (other than what I like when I look in the mirror). Some friends and family said I was thinner than most people my age (I'm only 48). Listening to all this I started to slightly up my calories and not be as diligent with watching the carbs. I have not eaten poorly,  but definitely more carbs (much from fruit). At about 1000 calories a day, I've been maintaining my weight since the 6 month mark.

Within the last week, I've decided I'm not happy settling. I have a once in a lifetime chance to see what a weight I want to explore looks like on me and I'm going to do it. Through this journey I've found that following the general guidelines Elina talks about has been the easiest way for me to shed the weight. Stick with it and it works. Vary, and you'll likely stall out. As I've gotten back to the basics this week, my body is responding and starting to trend downward again. Don't be dissuaded by those around you. I think many people are too accustomed to seeing most people overweight and now a healthy weight looks thin to many. As I've told the naysayers around me, I can always gain the weight back if I get too thin. We all know how easy that is......

Thanks Elina!

Have I told you lately that I think you are wonderful?? Well, I do.

Hunker down, people.