I DID IT!!!

Yep, I am jumping for joy.  But you know, without the caring and support from this group, I would have felt like just 2/10 ths of a pound wasn't enough to jump for joy.  This group makes all the difference in the world in my success at getting back on track and staying on track.  THANK YOU   THANK YOU   THANK YOU to each and every one of you. 

Hi there, congrats on this - you must be feeling really good about this! Can you do me/us a favor and share what you're eating on a daily basis - I'm having such a hard time of knowing what to eat anymore, and how much (calories). What are you eating daily that is helping you to lose weight? Thanks. Maureen

I really hesitate to share specifics on what I eat as I seem to need to consume many fewer calories than most and I don't want to encourage anyone to consume too few calories for their body.  I'll just leave it that I have to watch my calories like a hawk if I am to loose and maintain.  The weight that I regained over this past year was not because I ate too many calories of the right foods - but because I ate too many calories of very wrong foods.  When I reach my goal weight (12.4 more pounds to go!!!!) I will gradually add calories of good foods.  When I did this before I did not gain.

Some of the foods I eat are Jello's individual servings (a bit more expensive but there's no guessing what a measured servicing is)  If you watch you will see plain jello for 10 calories and jello with fruit for 25 (with peaches) or 30 (with pears) calories.  They also have single serving puddings for 60 calories - have to read carefully caloric content.  For 135 calories I mix 1 plan jello, 1 fruited jello, and 1 scoop of my Unjury vanilla protein (100 calories)   I've ordered some strawberry flavor as that is the flavor of the jellos.   The protein doesn't go into solution real well (the longer I wait and the harder I stir, the better it goes into solution) but the taste of the "lumps" of protein is not unpleasant.  (Not nearly as unpleasant as being fat is.)  We are so used to rejecting a food if we don't determine it as "delicious" and yet it is those "delicious" foods that tend to lead us astray.  Are we eating for the same old reasons or are we eating to solve an obesity problem?  That become the question.  Not advocating "nasty" foods but nutrition needs to be the decision motivater rather than ONLY taste.  Non-fat cottage cheese (80 calories) and 40 calorie per slice bread.  Mix cottage cheese and a packet of artificial sweetner, stir well, spread on bread, sprinkle with cinnamon and broil  That's a tasty choice.  An individual servicing of chocoolate (I'll eat almost anything if you tell me it's chocolate LOL) mixed with a scoop of chocolate Unjury protein - I add 2 Tbs of flax seed to this to help deal with my constipation (has nothing to do with surgery - have had the problem for 70 + years).  I also eat a serving of Istone chocolate pudding (100 calories, 20 g protein)  Unfortunately, the company no longer makes this product.  I've hoarded many cans but am dreading when they're gone and I can get no more.  I discovered vegetarian Smart Dogs (3 are 150 calories and 24 g of protein) and others on this site have told me about Hebrew National's hot dogs which are low calorie.  There are a number of frozen meals that are low calorie and are a good source of protein.  It's always vital that every day we get our minimum 60 g of protein and 60 oz of water (my dr says water others say liquid).  There are excellent books available that list the calorie, protein, fat, carbohydrate of content of almost any food - even specific brands and fast foods -  which can be of a great help in planning your food.  If there is a favorite dish you make (perhaps a casserole or something)  Make it once keeping exacting count of calories and/or other nutrients in each ingredient, prepare it, see how many servings it makes so you can compute this information for one serving and then figure that into your daily meal plan.  Once you have this information, you don't have to do it again.  The dailiy check in is a good resource for ideas of what others are eating.  Signing in to Cathy's site is so helpful for once you have made a commitment that can be read by others, it can be a motivator for sticking with it for the next day you will feel so good for following your commitment and that others appreciate the effort it has taken to do it.   Let's face it - we will be on a "diet" the rest of our life if we want to lose and maintain - the bariatric procedures are only tools - marvelous tools, but tools none the less, to help us do just that.  Maintenance is forever.  But so are the rewards of looking good, feeling good, and SHOPPING for "regular" size clothes, and being proud of ourselves.

I don't know how helpful this has been and Ive gone on and on - but I'm always glad to share what I can.