TGIF May 20th

TGIF !  We made it !!  Let the recognition of how far we have come and the appreciation of what we have already accomplished be our mindful first thoughts today. There is always room for improvement, but not at the expense of gratitude for what IS.

129.6

Hope to make the final push to fill in and seed bare spots in backyard after work today. Having Sadie on a leash and the long Memorial weekend in Santa Monica are my best opportunity for grass.

Have a great day, all !

126.4, not liking where this is going. Think it is time to go back to 1500 calories more consistently, especially since exercise has not been as good due to life's busyness. Did get an hour walk in the sunny weather yesterday - it was divine!

Birthday preparations for son#1 are starting. He has requested a cheesecake, so I will make that tomorrow. Going out to dinner at a Japanese steakhouse tonight. Trying to figure out if I will get hibachi or sushi. Have not had Hibachi since well before VSG and I love it but hate to spend the money for so much wasted food (won't eat the soup, rice or ice-cream at the end of dinner) and would bring considerable leftover grilled meat/veggies home. Sushi is easy - I eat a 1 small roll or 1/2 of a specialty roll and I'm good to go - no waste.

Off to work! Have a great day!

About Hibachi/Japanese Steakhouse:  I like the soup (maybe you don't like the soup in general? Or too salty? I don't drink it all.  Oh....DRINK....maybe you follow the don't drink before meals rules?  You can tell that I don't.  (I am religious about not drinking for 30 minutes afterward, tho)  

And, I find that the the leftover steak (I'm always a beef person) and vege's holds up better as leftovers than most.

Then again, sushi is always good, too!

I do like the soup but generally I do follow the no liquids before and after rule and don't want to get full on soup. I'm going to see if they will let me order the kids portion of Hibachi - doubtful but worth the ask!

We're going to a Japanese steakhouse too - after the last performance on Sunday, which has become our tradition following recital.  I'm not a sushi person, so I get the hibachi.  What I have trouble with is the noodles, so I have to decide whether or not to just ask for veggies instead, or choose to eat a small portion of the noodles.

Whichever you choose, have a ball!

Paula regarding dropping your calories, if I'm remembering correctly that you were at 1800, I'd like to suggest you drop back to 1700 and see what happens. At least based on my own experience with fine tuning, I found 100 calorie changes were much easier to understand. But maybe I've got your current number wrong. 

I was at 1500, snuck up to 1,800.  What you say makes sense. I think I want to react quickly but need to look at the trend over a week or so!

Quick update.  Scale up from last week :(  155.6.  It's "that time" again, which means it's actually fair to compare to my starting number:  163.6-155.6=8lbs. lost in about 4 weeks (+1 day?).  I think that's pretty good.  Last Friday the scale was at 154, so I'm hoping that my non-bloated weight is 154, and maybe I can prune away another 2lbs. in the next wee****il surgiversary??!!  Regardless, I think a high number of 155.6 is much better than a high number of 163.6.  Will take whatever I can get in the next week.  I am 1lb. up from where I was this time last year, and about 4lbs. away from my 18 mo. post op weight (low maintaining weight).  So it's all pretty close for nearly 6 years post op.

Can definitely feel my stomach shrinking.  I think it's because I haven't been snacking much.  I am conflicted, though, because I do feel like I've eaten more "bulk"--more dense protein, and veggies that I would think might actually fill up my sleeve.  And because I'm not snacking, I try to eat it all at mealtimes.  That's always been a hard choice for me:  eliminate snacking (which I think is a positive, behaviorally), but up portions at mealtimes (and risk stretching sleeve), or snack (while it's good snacking, fine, but mine was turning into bad snacking) and keep meal portions small.  For right now I suppose this is working.  Truth be told I think either can work.

morning 

calories were1080 and steps only 7985

did not push water so feeling bloated.

one thing Frisco said once has stuck with me and hopefully I have it right and am not putting words into his mouth was something like this:   To see how much LESS food he could get away with.  

Was thinking of this last night as had a very difficult day and was mindlessly grazing.  

Happy Friday everyone.

A good reminder about the point of having surgery Carbon!  Sometimes I still shoot for feeling full rather than stopping when I no longer feel empty. Big difference in perception