The Fall five Lbs and our instinct towards snuggly hearty seasonal Comfort Foods

Roz, you have a couple of successful years under your belt, so I have no doubt you will remain strong and committed to the new you! 

Ava, I know exactly what you mean.  I also tend to gain weight when the weather turns cold.  Especially here in Minnesota - the land of Mall of America where everything is super-sized! And it's so frigid in the winter that all the restaurants, donut shops, fast food places, grocery stores....you name it... have drive throughs so you don't have to leave your car!  You might as well just stick your open mouth out the window and get a drive by fix!  

And I have been really f-f-freezing cold too!  Lots of people in my hospital support group have mentioned not being able to get warm.  So maybe we need to plan ahead, Ava.  Strategize for finding other cozy warm things to get through the winter months.  I plan to get snuglies in multiple colors and I'm determined to find onesie fleece footy pj's.  I'll wear a hat in the house if I have to!  And then there is sugar free hot chocolate and lots of hot tea.  Let's come up with a recipe for sugar free hot chai latte.  Cold veggies and fruits just don't satisfy in the winter, so how about warm veggie pureed soups and broths and low calorie chili like Wendys makes?  

You have worked too hard to lose the momentum, Ava!  

I have always thought that any season or any holiday was a good time to gain weight.  I've been an equal opportunity gainer for my entire life.  Vacations were always a great time for me to throw food plan to the wind and pack on the pounds.

I sincerely hope that part of my life is over and that what I am gaining are healthy habits that will carry me through the rest of my life.   *said crossing my fingers*.

You are funny, Lee!  I'm the same way.  There are so many triggers from our old lifestyles that we will have to be ever vigilant about.  For  example when we were on our drive into the country to go to a "haunted" farm about an hour north, there were so many things about that car ride that triggered memories of food stops along country roads during vacations and road trips from the past.  Funny how seeing a Wendys in the city makes me think of chili, but seeing a Wendys while driving in the country makes me think of a Frosty.  When I'm in the city and I stop for gas, it never occurs to me to go into the station market for a goody to eat.  But along a stretch of high way, I can barely fight the urge to stock up on snickers, cheetoes and soda!  

I think as we rack up successful good choices and as we exercise our will power muscles, these triggers will become less and less powerful in us, don't you think?  I'm surely hoping!  

 You know Kathy, I think we need to celebrate everytime we resist walking into the mini-mart.  People think that the surgery is the miracle cure.  That things like mini-marts no longer draw us in.  I read about all the people on OH that are newly post-op, wonder how people can possibly gain weight post-op, thinking that it will never happen to them.  So I say, let's cheer for victory because we know how difficult it can be to just walk away from the bowl of candy corn, or stop ourselves from walking past the candy in the mini-mart, or push away from the table and say "no thank you, maybe later".

Everyday that we stay on plan is cause for celebration during this holiday season.  Let's remember to post our victories.

Oh yeah, I found myself dipping my fingers into some candy corn yesterday. Darn fall comfort foods!

This has been on my mind a lot lately.  Thankfully DH and I have talked about it and are both committed to making good choices through the fall and holiday seasons.  I've always felt like I needed to make cookies, fudge, etc for him.  So it helps  that we've both made a pact to "just say no."  My goal is to lose between now and the new year and to finally get to goal by spring/summer.  Hey, I got nothing but time...

As far as not wanting to cover up, I get that.  I also think that sometimes contributes to our weight gain during the winter months.  We're wearing our big oversized (even if they are just medium or large) sweaters and it makes us all warm and comfy.  Just like a good old pair of elastic waist sweatpants this can be a recipe for disaster.  I have several sweaters like that but last winter I also invested in some really cute shawls and heavy scarves/wraps.  I love the look w/ a pair of high heeled boots, jeans or slacks and a fitted long sleeve tee or top with or without a belt cinched at the waist and a shawl or wrap.  It provides warmth but still shows off my curves and if I get too warm I can take it off.  Loved the feel and the look and got lots and lots of compliments.  If I think about it, I'll post of pic of one of my favorites next time I wear it.  We're going to spend the night in the city tonight so maybe I'll have DH take a pic.

BTW...I know from time to time we've all tried to "counsel" you on your fat free lifestyle. LOL!!  Just thought I'd better confess that I've been doing a whole lot more fat free these days (DH too).  But I have one question...how do you "poop"???  Since I've decreased my fat intake my bm's are almost nonexistent.  I'm drinking lots of protein shakes and I know that contributes to the constipation also, but...you got any ideas??

-Julie