Monday Feb

morning everyone.

glad that the surgery went well.

And I should have smooshed soap into the shortbread  but didn't.  Delicious, eaten slowly.  But the bloating afterwards did not make it worthwhile.

scale up of course.  No walking to speak of.

Happy beginning of the week.

122.2 on the scale this morning. Still having a rough time post surgery. I have to agree with Devon, this one is much harder to recover from. My abs scream every time I move so I tend to stay in one position too long which then makes everything else hurt. I could use a nice long warm bath or a massage (can't doeither because of incisions).I guess a long shower will have to do for today. 

I didn'****ch any of the game last night, just catching some of the commercials on the morning programs. 

Happy Monday everyone. Work those plans! 

Ouch!  Take care Paula - too many surgeries for you!

Hi all.  Back from Mardi Gras and not prepared for Monday.  Scale up to 164.2 this morning.  Wowza.  Highest I've seen since about 1 year post op, and 15 whole pounds above my lowest.  I don't totally believe it--I think there's so water weight/flying/booze hanging on.  Not that it matters.  I had a good time, feel refreshed, and ready to be back in action.

Late flight in last night and I'm not so on the ball this morning.  Brought a quest bar for breakfast and yuck.  May have to go straight for the greek yogurt.  Food plan up in the air today.  On the way out I quickly grabbed meatballs, an individual frozen veggies, greek yogurt, and a P3 grilled snack.  Not sure about dinner tonight.  I'm tempted to put in a chicken enchiladas I have in the freezer.  I have thought about just throwing it out or giving to my parents, but then I think will that really get me off track so much?  I want to be able to eat those types of foods in moderation.  So not sure.  

Have a good day everyone.

Brown, with full acknowledgement that we each have to find our own way, I've never found the moderation approach helpful for weight loss, even after being in maintenance for quite some time.When I'm straight up maintaining, yes, but when I have to drop some weight, nope.

When weight reduction is required rather than 'desired' - that's how I try to look at it - I go into full on diet mode. I get very goal oriented and set my targets for a reduction of a pound per week. I typically have to lose six pounds when I diet, which means I plan for about six weeks.

Full disclosure - I've not faced a 15 pound reduction since maintenance, and I know Kairk has used a different approach, but I thought I'd offer my approa*****ase it resonates in any way. I think you may have used a more moderate approach during your initial weight loss phase, but if you think you need to do something different this time, I'm hoping my experience might be helpful to you in crafting your own individualized approach.  

While my approach has been one of experimentation, inclusion, moderation, excess, etc... I had to go through that process of self discovery to find what was going to work for me. I started the NO DIET thing almost a year ago - beginning of March. During the next months I gained, not lost an additional 10-15 pounds. I'm not exactly sure. I'd have to check my weight record (which I've kept for the past 4 1/2 years). In August I finally came around to an understanding that I had issues with sugar and that perhaps I needed to abstain or reset my lust for sugar. On August 10th I went on a no sugar reset. The idea was a two week reset. The two weeks became a month, a month three, and so on. 

I have not been sugar free the entire six months by any means. I have taken breaks. Each break has come with a price. Weight loss stops or I gain a little. What the reset has done for me is given me a lot more control of how I can get back on track. Eating foods with sugar is now a choice that I make and I know what I'm in for when I do it. 

After Christmas I decided that I wanted to try going low carb again and see how I felt and how that would affect my weight loss. I started that venture January 4. I lost 9 pounds during January. (Granted I gained weight over the holidays, but not too much. I think some of the weight was water weight, but I'll take it.) 

I also count calories, protein, and carbs. Some people might say I'm on a diet, but I do not consider this a diet. I am eating what I want, how I want, and in a way that works for me and is completely sustainable. That doesn't feel like a "diet" to me. Am I hard core right now? Probably, but I want to be back at my fighting weight before summertime. 

Moderation: Hmmmm..... this is difficult. I think as obese or formerly obese people we have a very skewed sense of what moderation really is. My surgeon considers moderation during weight loss to be a fallacy. Weight loss in his eyes in not about moderation, but getting to a healthy weight by following a strict set of guidelines (protein and carbs and calories). I know his way works. I also know i have to do it my way - which has been a tad more flexible in the carb area. But I did decide to lower carbs and that has worked well to kick start my weight loss back in gear. 

Moderation during maintenance is different. Carb level tolerances are individual. However, Dr. Robert Lustig (author of Fat Chance) puts it this way: Having ONE dessert per week is moderate. More than that is excess - for anyone. I have taken this philosophy to heart. It works in other areas, too, like bread, processed grains, other foods with sugar/refined flours (bbq sauce, gravies, salad dressings, sweet treats, some fruits, etc...)

Before you went to NOLA I suggested you decide what you're willing to do. If eating enchiladas is important to you, then eating them is a good choice. Does that choice work with your desire to lose weight, too? It might. You'll have to decide. It's also okay to decide that you like your lifestyle and are okay with weighing between 160 and 165. It's really up to you. 

One dessert per week is moderate. Sounds so simple but I've never considered moderation quite that way. I've always viewed it as allowing myself a percentage of 'junk' calories per day. You've definitely given me something to think about!

I've thought the same way too.  I've always heard 80/20 as far as good eating vs. bad.  I'm much better than I used to be, but still overeat on the empty calories.  I have to be very careful with the "celebration" attitude.  It's so easy to make an excuse for any junk food.  It's Friday.  It's the Super Bowl.  It's someone's birthday at the office.  Panera has valentine's cookies.  Etc, etc., etc.  I still hope that I can have all the good things in moderation, but I need to remember that I'm not always the best judge of moderation.  Left up to my own devices, I don't always make the best food choices.

Here's a way I look at the 80/20 scenario a lot of people stand behind: Say you eat 3 times per day. That's 21 meals per week. To hit the 80/20 ratio, you would get 4 "cheat" meals per week. That's one cheat meal every other day. Or a full day with three meals off plan plus one extra meal somewhere else during the week. 

I've tried, but can't lose weight using that guide. I do well using the 95/5 plan. That's one off plan meal per week eating 3 meals per day. During weight loss I think that's liberal and fair - maybe even generous. 

Thank you both for your responses!

I can tell you one thing for sure--I don't want to go above 165.  I was pretty happy with 153.  I felt thin enough.  I definitely could have done more, but it was a happy weight.  I'm almost 5'8 and so technically right this moment I'm still in "normal" bmi range--but if my weight increases at all, I'll be overweight again.  

Ever since I started trying to diet since New years I've been more unhappy and critical of myself and I've GAINED weight?!  What gives?  About 2 years ago I was easily maintaining 151-153 by eating smaller portions of anything I wanted.  It was easy to turn down the cake in the break room because I could have it if I wanted--but I did not want it!  The last 5 weeks have been killing me because it feels like every food is forbidden, then I eat it, hate myself, gain weight=vicious cycle.  

So I guess it's more mental than anything.  I don't normally hate the high protein.  Only now that I'm in the "dieting mentality" has it become brutal.  How do I shake that?!  How have you guys come to embrace your eating plans?  It felt so natural to me for awhile.  And now it feels as though my body and head are fighting me with everything they've got.  And it all just spins out of control.  

I don't know what any of that means.  I'm not happy with my weight today and don't ever want to be "overweight" EVER AGAIN which, if I'm not careful, I will be, and like tomorrow.  I am going to try to switch my focus from "not eating bad foods" to "eating the right foods."  And also I'm dusting my fitbit off so that I can get active with just the walking.   That being said, I don't think the enchiladas are worth risking being overweight tomorrow.  Boy that puts a lot into perspective.  Overweight.  Never again.