[VioletSwerve]

BattleAx--Thanks for your advice on the schooling. I went ahead and signed up for classes, now I just need to go out to the school to change my major. I graduated at the end of last semester with my regular Associate in Arts because I had decided I wanted to go into social work instead of teaching, but now I think I really do want to go into teaching. Kind of a weird way of doing things, but I cant change what I did in the past, I can only go forward.

[voodoo1]

Violet, I went for a teaching degree but thought of social work before that. I hope you get it all sorted out, I'm sure the kids will love you, what age do you want to teach? xxxxx
I lost 4lbs in 3 DAYS!! You gotta love low carb! Going to stay with my parents for the week-end as my son's birthday treat, it's what he wanted, so I won't be here for a couple of days...no time for more personals...
xxxxxx sharon

[kayleystar]

Thank you all for the warm welcome back. 2010 was definitely crazy for me. Heh. Anyhow, last year I was mostly on plan….falling ‘off the wagon’ for about two months, post vacation mode…gotta love it! But I never stopped exercising for more than a couple of days. I got down to about the 320s, and was feeling great….and then I just started gaining and gaining. I really don’t know why, as the exercise was there, and the food was…for the most part…decent. I’m thinking that perhaps even though I was eating mostly healthy, I was over eating, still. That’s gotta be it. I’m really watching my portion sizes more than ever now, and decided to switch it up from calorie counting, back to Weight Watchers. Just doing it at home….and keeping up with the exercise, as per usual. Sunday is my weigh in, and I’m hoping to break through the bit of plateau I’ve been at for the last month!

Amy – I’m so excited to see your progress post WLS! I know you’ve been fighting for it so long, and when I saw on FB that you were finally going to get it, I felt great excitement for you! Here’s a speedy recovery!

To anyone that’s fallen off the wagon…just keep pushing. It’s a daily struggle, and one of the hardest things you’ll ever do in your life…but NEVER give up!

[Ratkitten]

Greetings my peeps!

It's great to see many (type)faces I recognize.

Violet, I stay mostly on ObesityHelp on the DS forum for WLS stuff. The DS requires more stringent vitamin schedule and lab work. Some of the issues are a bit more unique than the RnY, so I keep abreast of them there.

Right now I'm on a stall consisting of an up and down rollercoaster ride. I know it's ok because my body fights the loss of every fat cell constantly!! I'm also doing more moving and ice skating for an hr 2x a week, so buidling muscle.

Kayley, that you continued to exercise during all that you did during 2010 is wonderful!! I'm so proud that you have incorporated that into your life and probably a little more than a bit jealous. All exercise is a struggle to me. I think I was a cat in another life cuz I'd rather cuddle up and doze instead of exercising.. hehe.

Sharon, I'm low carbing it again. I went on a candy binge (well for me) where I ate 2 boxes of movie candy in a day. Upset my stomach bad!

Realist, I lub you and glad you are posting!!!

Major hugs to brandnew, neon, dgram, GGG!, Battle and all my lurkers.

Hugs to all!
Ratkity

[neonwildflower]

My first week back in Thunder Bay has been a real success. I'm planning and sticking to the plans I make, and finding ways to incorporate social outings that involve eating out into my meal plans. I gained about 10 pounds over the last two months, and I'm already rid of 4 of them. Seeing all the resolve and motivation on here is great, makes me feel like it's that much easier to get back into the swing of things! Hugs and love to all of you

[Realist]

Thanks for the welcome back all. This week I lost 2.8 lbs, and I am good with that. General activity is up, plus bonding with the treadmill. I have only had greater than 2000 calories once this year. I hope at some point it gets easier again.

Strike 3 has happened in the family. My grandmother had a heart attack on Thursday, and we are expecting her passing away sometime soon. That is going to make things hard at work, but my boss is very understanding. The work still needs done though.

That's about it from me. Thanks for the welcome backs.

Angle

[kayleystar]

I'm so incredibly happy this morning! I've been struggling up and down the last few pounds for about a 2 months, and then was at a plateau for a few weeks, but I finally broke through it and lost 7.4 lbs this week! Hoping next week is just as productive!

Ratkitty - I think it REALLY helps that my husband bought us a home gym. It takes up our whole basement, and every time you go down there, it stares at you. lol. Really NO excuse for me!

Neonwildflower - Those last six will come off in no time!

Realist - I'm so sorry to hear about your Grandmother. You & your family are in my thoughts. *hugs*

[VioletSwerve]

Just thought I'd pop in and say "Hi" to everyone and do a few personals.

Kayley--You are a weight loss MACHINE, girl! WOOOOOOO!!! 7.4 lbs in a week is NUTS! LOL, seriously though that is great after that plateau you were at! Honestly, I had no idea you hadnt lost in a while! The exercise you do seems like it would just be melting the weight off! I cant believe you stayed the course like that, even though you werent losing! I would have for sure given up long before that.

Thanks for your kind words about my surgery. I'm very excited for the changes ahead. It has been a challenge, but nothing I'm not up for. After struggling to get the surgery for 3 years, there's not a lot that was a surprise to me. I had did a lot of research while waiting, lol. Since the surgery I have lost 36 lbs, which I never did on my own. My entire life I could only lose about 25 lbs max, and then put it all back on and then some. I really feel this was the change I needed to help me put my weight back on track.

Realist--I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother. Your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Here's hoping everything goes well with work. I'm glad to hear your boss is understanding, at least.

I'm glad to hear you showed a weight loss this week, that has to feel good. That's great that your physical activity is up. My downfall is always getting the exercise in, so I really admire those that are faithful to doing it.

Ratkitten--I've never looked at Obesity Help before, but a friend of mine who had RNY told me about it. I'll have to check it out. I didnt realize that the DS had a different vitamin schedule and lab requirements. To be honest, that's a surgery I am not really familiar with. I had to look it up the other day just to see what the surgery actually was (I knew it was WLS but didnt know what anatomically the surgery looked like). None of the surgeons that were covered by my insurance even do the DS, and I've not heard it advertised or anything. The only thing I really ever hear about is RNY and LapBand. What made you decide to do the DS? Just wondering.

Sharon--4 lbs in 3 days, wooo hooo!!! That has to feel good! That's amazing!

I want to teach elementary school, probably 3rd or 4th grade. Are you a teacher now? If so, what grade do you teach?

As for me, I got up at 6 this morning to take a pre-employment assessment (just testing my computer know-how, I think) for a job I applied for. I then got a text message saying my school was closed due to inclement weather, so I decided to reschedule the assessment. No sense in risking an accident in rush hour for something that could be rescheduled. My boyfriend's dad (who lives with us) was already up and dressed, ready to drive me if I needed or wanted him to. He said he heard on the news last night that it was going to snow overnight and he wanted to make sure I got to my appt ok. He's so sweet.

Anyway, I was going to go back to bed, but I woke up hungry! That's one thing I've noticed since the surgery, I am hungry as soon as I wake up! Usually my morning routine is to get showered/dressed/etc and then eat, but there have been a few days I have been so hungry I've had to eat first. Bi-product of a tiny stomach, I guess! I ate 1/2 cup of 1% cottage cheese and drank some water, and now I'm on here talking to you gals! But I think I'll head back to bed now. I was up waaaaay too late last night and only got about 3 hrs of sleep, lol.

[Ratkitten]

Greetings my Peeps!

Bracing for snow here in the DC metro area. After the Snowmeggeon of last year, a couple of inches is nothing. I just have to make sure to shovel the walkway. I try to help my neighbor too unless her son is already there. In the 10 years I've lived in my house, I've never ever met her - she's a shut-in.

I did get some cleaning done this weekend. I've still be low on energy. I finally called and got my last ferritin level from the hematologist - good thing too! It was still fairly low (40) and I need more iron infusions.

Violet - there are pro's and cons to both RnY and DS. In the end, I liked the lower re-gain statistics of the DS better than the RnY and the fact that I can eat as much fat as I want (I only absorb 20% of fat). The cons is the fact that I have to watch my fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K - they are doing fabbo with my supplements) and iron (which is not doing fabbo). There are only a handful of DS surgeons because it costs more to do it and there is a compliance issue with vitamins. Some RnY patients have trouble with some vitamins depending on the length of intestine bypassed. If you ever need vitamin interaction info, just pm me. I have extensively researched them and have access to the scientific articles if necessary! Yes, I'm a wee bit retentive hehe. I can't help it, I'm a scientist.

Hugs to all! I'm cheering on the successes and giving gentle shoves of motivation to those that need it.

Luv,
Ratkity

[voodoo1]

Violet your eating sounds a lot like mine, cheese is a FAVE & I'm so glad it's allowed on South Beach. I started a BEd (Batchelor of education) degree in primary (7-11 year olds) but left after 2 1/2 years (4 year course) and finished a final year as a plain BA (hons) in English Lit, so I never actually taught, apart from whilst training. Though I did qualify as an adult tutor-basic literacy-though in theory I could teach college(16-18 year-olds) at the moment I'm just a mum! One day I may try & use what brains I have left! lol xxxxxx
Kayley even though you had a gain last year you're doing all the right things, everyone I know who's lost weight and KEPT IT OFF made exercise part of their lives forever, not just as a weight-loss aid. I'm sure now your portions are under control you will drop the weight. xxxxx
Ratkitty you must be annoyed about your weight too but we both know after years of 'dieting' our bodies can go all weird! How are your parrot, cat and other pets doing? xxxxxx
Realist so sorry things have been SO rough for you & your family, I'm so proud of you losing weight during a trying time.xxxxx
Brandnewme I hope work gets a bit easier and you get some time to yourself. It must be very draining BUT rewarding doing your job.xxxx
Well I exercised and feel better for it though I still keep feeling down, I'm forcing myself to be positive. Eating is good but I'm SO sick of struggling to stay asleep! I get to sleep but keep waking up & by the time my alarm goes off I feel like I've not slept at all! VERY annoying! Anyway no more moaning!
xxxxx sharon

[neonwildflower]

Morning lovelies! I just wanted to pop on really quick to let you know that I'm back to where I was before I left Thunder Bay (before US Thanksgiving, and teaching practicum, and Christmas, and New Years!) and raring to get the scale's numbers lower than I've ever seen them! That's 10 pounds since I got back to Thunder Bay one week ago today, so yay! Thanks for cheering me on. Will do my best to do personal check-ins tomorrow, when my day is less insane!

[voodoo1]

Neon WTG!!!! Glad you got rid of that excess weight from Christmas/New Year. I remember the stress of lesson plans/new kids/new school and being 'professional', I'm sure you're going to be one of those teachers the kids remember with love! xxxxx
I lost NADA this week, pretty peeved but I didn't take measurements after Christmas & I'm sure my tummy 'overhang' is smaller than last week. I feel thinner and I've been exercising, though not as hard as I could/should have been. Next week I WILL do it!
I'm going away to Leicester (the next county over) Saturday am to Sunday pm, poor hubby alone with our two monsters! (& the dog). It's a friend's 45th birthday and we have pass-the-parcel and lots of games to play at the hotel, she even got us all hats to wear! It's a spa hotel and swimming, sauna & gym are all included, she told me to bring my swimming costume! I'm scared! lol
xxxxx sharon

[neonwildflower]

Haha that sounds like a riot, Sharon! Enjoy that little vacay with the girls And thanks for being such a cheerleader for me... I LOVED placement, and for the most part the kids loved me, though less so when I was laying down the discipline. All in all, it's a dream come true. Teaching is absolutely my passion! Sucks that the scale didn't budge, but I'm sure it will soon. Keep up the good work with the exercise!

How's everyone else doing? Rat, Violet, Katey, Realist, how was the rest of your respective weeks?

[azcyn]

happy saturday all,

Hope everyone is fine out there. I am going back to the GI Dr on tuesday to talk about trying some meds for my GP. I had a really bad week last week.

Today I am spending it crafting! I have some things I need to finish up and i really gotta get them done.

Everyone have a great day!

[kayleystar]

Hey everyone...

I'm so frustrated, and this is the only place I can vent. I had a 7.4 lb loss last week....after being plateau-ed for close to 2 months. I was very happy about it, and continued busting my butt in our home gym every day this week as per usual, feeling great! So this week's weigh in, I'm UP 1.6 lbs! It's just SO frustrating, as I eat within my points (usually a bit under, as I'm not hungry enough to eat 41 points on most days), and I work out EVERY DAY. I know that I shouldn't be a slave to the scale, and that weight fluctuates, and that I'm gaining muscle, blah blah blah...but I can't help but feel like I'll never accomplish my weight loss goals...I do everything right, and STILL I have a gain. I know I shouldn't be so hard on myself, or down, but I'm just incredibly frustrated/irritated. I feel as if I'm doomed to be obese for the rest of my life.