Thursday, January 21st

Scale at 124.4 today. Had a work meeting at lunch yesterday and bible study last night so it was a no exercise day. Calories and carbs a bit high too yesterday. I was having another "hungry" day. I think I will do step aerobics and yoga today for exercise. The boot camp and yoga combo usually make my shoulder muscles ache and that is where I'm getting my tattoo tonight! Getting excited (and a little nervous) for that!

Linda, I hope the dark cloud hanging over you starts to dissipate soon. I've been thinking about you! I am also thinking all of you that are struggling with different aspects of life after VSG and trying to lose/maintain!

Paula

Welcome Daelcare!!!  Glad you are here.

calories 1298 and steps 14,000 on the nose.  

Still raining, for a change.

Weekend almost here.  Yay!!!

Me again.  Linda sending you a hug.

Good morning!

I have a meeting this morning at a work site that requires a ferry ride to an island.  Riding the ferry always makes me feel festive because 99.9% a ferry ride means I am on vacation.  I arrived early so I am sitting in a super cute coffee shop with lovely baked goods.  I thought about whether something is worth it to me and nothing was (although now I am eyeing my neighbor's super thick toast with peanut butter.)  So, coffee it is!

Linda, sending good thoughts to you!

Weight 123.5 today. I ate just shy of 1200 cals yesterday, a record! I feel a kind of full today. Imagination?  

I saw a new oncologist yesterday (old one moved) for routine follow up and asked about weight.  Some have suggested that I need to have extra weight in reserve just in case I ever need to start treatment again.  By the way, cancer treatment in the past did not make me skinny.  Also, there is ample evidence that my type of cancer recurrence is more common in BMI's above 25.

She said "easy answer!  Any bmi between 20 and 25 is fine!"  We didn't talk about body fat percentage or anything like that.  But, she (unlike most) did closely exam my unclothed torso so if she had concerns about being boney she had ample opportunity to bring it up.  Instead, she asked "are you going to do something about this?" as she jiggled my extra skin.  Her advise on the extra skin?  "Get it all taken care of."  If I had indicated that I didn't want at least some plastics I am sure she wouldn't have said that.  Really, her advise is "do what you want to do" because oncologists are all about no regrets.  

So, no regrets, folks!  That toast with peanut butter?  Nah, not today. (I wish I could bottle today's extra motivation so I could pull it out on days when I am feeling triggered.) 

Shel

I like your Oncologist! Maybe she could teach my bariatric surgeon a thing or two about patient relations!

I so want to do something about my extra skin but have had way too much time off work for medical reasons this past year. It is going to have to wait quite a while!

I LOVE days when my motivation is high like yours is today. It is a wonderfully splendid feeling, isn't it? Makes me smile just to think of it. 

Good Morning !

     Sitting at 139.8 and holding at ~800 calories. Looks like the storm this weekend will be a near miss for us in upstate NY, so getting to the Y and walking Sadie won't be in jeopardy !!!

     Linda.. hope you are feeling all of the positive thoughts and support ! Paula.. can't wait to hear about how tonight goes with the tattoo !  Mary.. good for you "strutting your stuff" in jazz class !!  14,000 steps, Carbon ! Awesome.  Looking forward, too, to hear if puppies are on the way. Shel.. liked your idea about bottling motivation as reserves, for unexpected triggers!

     I apologize if I left anyone out.  All of your posts are important to me, and are something I look forward to every day !!

Diane

We're missing the storm too!  I too sometimes feel as if I'm leaving people out, but not intentionally.  Like you, Diane, everyone's post are important, I I'm thrilled this group has been growing!

Mary

Good Morning (almost afternoon here!).

Linda, I hope things go well for you.  Sending hugs and prayers!

Shel - sounds like your oncologist is great!

Paula -- good luck with your tattoo!

Diane S.  I use a Keurig, but not the K-cups most of the time.  We put ground coffee in the re-usable cups, so I always add a bit extra and it comes out fine.

Hugs and keep it up to everyone else!

Started journaling and food continues to improve.  I realized yesterday how much stress I put on myself.  I joke that I'm Italian and Catholic, so guilt is my middle name.  However, there is some truth to that, and because of that, I always seem to have underlying stress.  I take on guilt for things that I don't need to, or hold on to guilt about things that happened many years ago that I can't change now, but can't totally let go of either, even after trying to make amends.  I have also always subscribed, whenever possible, to the Scarlet O'Hara method of dealing with problems.  The "I'll think about that tomorrow" method.  However, the stress is there and I get a sick feeling in my stomach when it comes to the surface.  Food has always been a way to cope with that stress.  I am working on learning new ways to deal with stress, including, as hard and sometimes as painful it is, to look at the things causing my stress and deal with it head on, rather than putting it off, but it's still an issue for me.  Anyway, that's my revelation for today. :)

Have a wonderful Thursday - almost the weekend!

Mary  

Had a clean day of eating and kept the calories in check (Okay, 49 calories over my target...) and had a kick work out. Once I got going I kept my heart rate up over 140 the entire time I was doing my circuit. There were a few exercises during which the old ticker was over 150. Gotta love it. For a middle aged dude, my cardio is probably way better than average. Carbon got me thinking about steps so the other day I tracked to see what I could do on the elliptical. I did over 6,000 strides in 35 minutes. 

Scale reflected the day yesterday. I was down a pound +, but I'm still 1.6 over my low last Friday. 

So, true confession: I soooooo want to be under 200 by my b'day on the 15th. I'm at 205 today (last Friday was 203.5). I know it's just a number, but it is a significant number. Because I was so close last week, I'm feeling an underlying anxiety about the little bit of gain - especially since it seemed unwarranted given my calorie intake over the weekend. (The movie popcorn was the most indulgent thing I ate.****ep having a recurring thought/idea of dropping calories to 1,000. This idea is pulling me in different directions. My nutritional counselor is one of those NEVER DROP BELOW 1200 CALORIE people. I know that if I drop those extra 250 calories the weight loss will pick right back up, but I may also feel more hungry than I'm accustomed to. I know I have had this feeling before and it is sort of "Diet Mentality". I will see Dr. C tonight and ask his advice. Input, thoughts are welcome. 

Mary - really wonderful progress with your journaling and acknowledging your guilt issues. Being honest is the first step forward. Take it from me, there will be many steps forward and backward during this process. What you wrote about today is going to be a cornerstone in your healing. Kudos to you! 

To you all new to maintenance: Your joy and excitement about your journeys delight me. I read your posts and smile and wish I had taken my early maintenance as seriously as you all. However, I really have no regrets. My journey has taken me where I need to go. (For heaven's sake, I'm checking out master's programs and programs certifications this week. Who knew I'd be wanting to go back to college at my age so I can have another career after retirement? )

Have a great day everyone.