Holly your bike is really nice! Good for you buying your something you really will enjoy and deserve. Enjoy your riding. Holding that thing up has to burn a few calories. Your way ahead I am sure with gas prices on the rise. I think I need one too! My clients would love me pulling up on that baby! I am trying to walk about 12 miles at least a week. Found though that it makes me hungry and up went my calories. But now I am trying to adjust with some fruit before walking an apple. That way I can do my walk and not so hungry when I walk in the door. Adjustments all the time fix one thing break another. My over all long term goal is 14.5 lbs. I will just keep going. I think I lost inches but no lbs. in a while. Oh!

Amie, WOW, but you knew I thought that already cause I've seen these pics, hehe.....You do truly look great, I am so happy for you!!!

Lisi, Good for you on starting your program and walking and heres some good vibes for you to get to bed earlier

Holly, What a great looking bike, I am so happy for you that you was able to get what you wanted, we are so worth the goodies that we get very, very nice!!!!! Have a great time riding that down to bike week in S.C. and taring up the roads in VT ....

Well not to much going on here, been TRYING to stay on plan but its been really hard. I have 25 lbs I want to loose before my wedding in August I need to get that "stay on plan dammit" thought into my head and keep it there, I keep "slippin" up and not getting in the excersise I should be, I'll keep on plan for 4-5 days then fall off again, then 3-4 days later back on, you'd think I'd be all bruised up with the falling I've been doing

You all have a great day!!

Lori

All,
I'm not keeping track of calories, but I'm off sweets and fruits and starches, starting SBD, so I know I'm eating less calories. Not perfect on the SBD but frankly I don't care. (well, just a nibble of my DH's fruit or licking the knife used to cut the cake is what I mean). Thank goodness I'm getting back on track. I don't remember if I said it here (like it isn't evident from my ticker, lol) but I was totally off the wagon. This time I'm determined not to give up the fight again, and that means paying attention to my trigger foods, and the heck w/em.
Lori - hi
Amie - wow o wow. Yes, if my hysterectomy scar is any example, yours will fade amazingly. Vit E is good, and there is a product over the counter that is good for small scars - I wonder if its good for surgical scars?
Elyse

Thanks LISI and I am so happy you are getting back on track. Just think of it as a daily commitment and it is not how many times you fall that matters its the not giving up. The difference between success and failure is that you keep getting back up and staying conscience of your eating even when you down.....I am struggling now after the surgery and it seem like ever summer in July August I seem to gain 6-8 lbs and I will feel so bad but you have to stop and re organize and go from there.

Amie

Amie, are you a vegetarian?

Hi all!! Just read todays posts. But I havent read everything here. I wanted to ask you "amoses" what kind of surgery did you have? I couldnt have surgery done for a number of reasons. So, I have had to lose the weight on my own. At first it was really really hard. But after awhile, I got used to counting everything that goes in and out. However, here in the last few months, I have been going up and down 5-6 lbs. I cant seem to get under 140!! And my goal is SOOOO close!! I am starting to feel like counting isnt working for me anymore. Have you experienced this?? If so, what did you do to get back on track?? I have thought about maybe going on the adkins diet, even though I truly dont believe in cutting carbs!! Maybe it is the only way, though, I can get the rest of my weight off before I go in for my TT. Thanks in advance!!

Lisi~ NO I am not...I love meat and eat a lot of chicken, fish and some lean beef....LOL

Cha~ Welcome. I lost all my weight the natural way with weekly exercise and eating right. No surgery or fads or pills. It has been a 2 1/2 road and I lost 71 lbs or so. Now the surgery was a TT. I had a ton of loose skin in my tummy because I am 5'3" and carried 90% of my weight in the belly! I have thin legs and arms so you can imagine the damage all that weight has caused. I am very happy with my choice and now am working on some target areas (back, upper arms and inner thighs) and I will be at my goal.

Hope all is well, My eating has been good, portion wise, but am eating snacks that I normally wouldn't and not working out as hard. I am really struggling to get back where I was but so far I am not giving up and the weight is stable.
Have a great weekend. It will be raining here in SC!

Amie

Welcome cha!!

Amie~I just wanted to say that you look great!! I have had three c-sections, and you can barely see my scar. It looks just like a small line-that is if you can see it under all my tummy fat

I am doing well, eating has been a challange, but I have been doing good. I need to get more ater in, and I have been having a hard time with that. I think the tummy bug I had is hanging on a little bit, because I am having a hard time drinking the water, it just feels weird in my stomache. Holefully alll will be better soon.

have to run. later chicas!

Ratso - up late doing computer reservations - I'm leaving Sat for Kansas for 2 weeks, to spruce up the house and probably sell it. And yes, what I did at 1am I could have done when I was fresh this am. So I went and ate at 12:00, hense my curfew is part of my plan. Better do a good walk this am.

Meanwhile, I want to say I'm glad Amie & Cha, you didn't do the other surgeries. When I was 225 I saw myself heading towards qualifying weight. From what I've seen in others, Al Roker, Roseanne Barr,etc, it isn't always a permanent weight fix. A dear friend had it done 1 1/2 years ago, and she said to me, "they fixed my tummy, but not my head".

Please be very attentive if you are doing any emotional eating or it is just a matter of poor choices and not enough exercise. In 1981 I went to Overeaters Anonymous and dropped from 183 to 141. I kept most of that weight off for 7 years, until 1988. Then change came into my life, and I stopped the tools I had been using slowly but surely, and look where I am now, after trying hypnosis and fen-fen. So that is just me. You are younger and have long lives ahead. Speaking for myself, I know its not about sensible choices or a little will power. Having to lose 70 lbs is 700 extra calories per day.

Hope my raving hasn't offended.
Elyse

Lisi~ I agree. I have never been a fad dieter....I do not believe in dieting period! I think that you have to learn moderation and that our bodies need all the food groups to be healthy and lots of water. Eating right is not the only thing that it takes, it is just a piece of the puzzle. I have worked out and ate bad and lost nothing and then starved my self and didn't work out at all. I lost a little then but gained more back and fast. I would never want to see anyone have gastric surgery unless it was to save their lives and it is very risky. I have lost the right way and kept it off for 3 years and am very very aware that I can easily gain it back and destroy my TT if I do not continue my walk. I am scared of that every day..... I also fight bad family genes and being short. I would be so up set with my self if I gained back my weight! We eat have to fine our own paths and make our own choices because we are all made different and have different life circumstances.

Amie

Amie- thanks for your reply. I'm proud of you and happy for you, and I thank you for the example.
Same goes for others who started at my point or near it.
All - I'll be somewhat out of touch for 2 wks as my computer in KS is a dinosaur.
Elyse

Good morning all! I had a very busy weekend, but My official WI I was down a pound!!!! although I am back up, but I think it is the extra sodium I had over the weekend. I went to two baseball games this weekend Chicago whitesox v. Minnesota twins 7-1 ws! the seccond was DH"S team(also called the whitesox) and they won 10-2! but the weather did not cooperate, and got a little chilly.

Elyse~good luck with the dinosaur!!

Thanks all for the nice welcome!!
Amoses.....so you had the TT done?? Cool!! I am getting mine done at the end of june. If I may ask, how did you feel after the suregery? And how long after the surgery did it take you to get back to a normal routine? I ask because I am a mommy of 5 small children. My sitter is going to move in with me and take care of me and the kids on the weeks my hubby is away. But I was curious to know when I might start to feel good enough to let her get back to her life again after my TT. I know we are all different, but I was just wondering how long it took you, and how painful it was right after. I take pain quite well. I had all my kids naturally, and I also love piercings and tattoos. Never been painful for me at all. So, I am curious to know how bad the pain was for you, so I can figure out how bad it may be for me. Thanks, if that makes any sense, lol!!
Lisi.....I totally understand where you are coming from!! I have lost and gained back everything before. I had a lot of help though, lol seeing I got pg 4 times!! I would lose the weight, and POOF I was pg again!! lol But, I had the tubal done after my son was born in 2004. Since then, I've been able to lose the weight and keep it off on my own. I do struggle often, causing myself to gain 5-6 lbs back here and there, but I always fight to take it back off. I am at a point where I agree with amoses now. Dieting stinks!! But I do eat every food group including fats. If the weight increases, I just decrease my intake a lil. Been this way for about 7 months. Im stuck between 138-144. lol I dont mind though, because I think it is a good weight for me. I dont look anorexic, nor do I look heavy anymore. I am more "in the middle" like average now!! That makes me happy. But thanks for the words!! I plan to keep a very close eye on my weight!! I just happen to be a scale junkie!! ha ha ha
Well, so far, my weight has maintained for the weekend. But today, I begin my exercises, and plan to eat around 12-1300 cals per day. Hopefully this will give me a boost, and help me lose some weight after my 7 month plateau!!

Cha,
I am happy tell you all about it. I also have picture of the scar at 7 days till now to see how it heals I can email you. The first few weeks is not easy. You walk bent over at a 90 deg angle for 7 full days. This is very important because you can pull on the incision and cause it to open up and that is a bad thing. On top of that you have a tight garment on (for 3 weeks) and drains. So you will be sleeping in a chair or sitting position for the first week or two then on the coach for a month or at least I did. There was no pain for me at all. Your tummy is very numb, but your tummy muscles are very very tender and each movement hurts like you did 1000 sit ups. After that 7 days you can stand up straight and walk around as much as you want but believe them when they tell you no stooping, picking things up, no cleaning or twisting...You will cause your self to swell or open your incision. You will not be able to just stand up right away but slowly over the next few days. The tummy will be so tight that you just can not stand up straight. I think out of all of it my back hurt the most. very bad the 4-5 day of being bent over and then being in a chair.... They want you to walk but you will not be doing much house work for at least 3 weeks minimum. You begin to wonder if you will ever be back to normal but you do.... I am almost at 3 months and feel great, I work out and the swelling is almost gone. I can not do anything that targets the tummy yet like leg lifts or sit ups but can slowly do that after 3 months. I thought is was not that bad. I did get sick after surgery from being put under. I had to take something to keep me from throwing up and did do some of that at home. You have to eat or you can get sick from the paid meds and trust me throwing up hurts like ****! Those tummy muscles are tight and so sore that to cough, laugh or sit up hurt bad and that slowly gets better. That day after surgery when they make you get up to use the bathroom was the worst day. Just to sit up and get off the bed was horrible on the tummy muscles! You will be fine. I am very happy my contour is great my tummy is flat and tight and the scar is very nicely done and fading well!

good Luck!

Can I join? I'm an avid calorie counter - its the only thing that has ever worked for me - and exerciser. I'm sort of addicted to making low-cal versions of favorite foods - I consider it a challenge and get rather obsessed over getting the counts as low as possible while keeping the fiber and veggie counts high and maintaining close to the same flavor.

glad to have found this particular subforum.

manda