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Well, tummy, here we are.  It's been a full year since I decided you needed an overall.  I hope you've forgiven me by now for the intrusion into your perfectly happy way of consuming insane amounts of food.  Yes, the two of us were quite the team when it came to volume eating--if it were an Olympic sport, we would have rocked it. 

Here we are 12 months later, 114 pounds lighter, and much happier.  I still give you all the yummies you crave--BUT NOT EVERY DAY AND EVERY MEAL....GEEZ!  I'm sure you don't miss the one thing that I just say NO to--soft drinks.  After all, they were probably rotting holes in your lining anyway.  I don't miss it at all. 

We have to be a united team here on out to ensure success.  It's me and you, and we will LIVE LIFE  to the fullest, but we both know that there will be times for conservative eating and times for the yummies.  You have to admit, even when I put the brakes on, I still give you some pretty tasty vittles--it's the food snob in me.

Let's rededicate ourselves today to stay strong, PROTEIN FIRST, VEGGIES SECOND, CARBS WHEN THERE IS ROOM.  We need to find more time for exercise to build the rest of our body.  And, I promise to keep hydrating you well daily and hopping on that scale to make sure we are "in check."  We both know that this AND TRACKING our food have been two of the best tools in our box.

Happy Birthday!  No cake today, but I promise a fluffy biscuit at the Loveless Cafe next week.  Hugs and kisses!  MOM

....and the weight loss is really slowing down.  I think that the reason is two fold.  One, I've been on the move with many activities that include less than desirable food options (Las Vegas, Disneyland, several Texas Rangers games, etc.).  And, it's just that time in my journey, which means I have to work harder now.

I still track my food and weigh daily.  I am currently adding more exercise to my day, but I don't see that becoming a significant factor in my loss as I don't exercise hard core.

I am only down three pound this month and just seven since August 18.   But, I'll take a loss any day.  I'm sitting at 192 this morning, and I'm very ready to move into the 180s.  We will see.  Next week includes a trip to Disneyworld for the Food and Wine Festival, so I know that won't be the optimum time to expect a loss.  But, I will be walking quite a bit.

I generally lose once a month during my menstral cycle.  That's been the routine for several months now. 

I know I could opt for more protein drinks and less real food to curb my calories, but I enjoy food, and I want to keep working on the balance of healthy and enjoyable.

My current stats are around 800 calories daily, 30-40 carbs, and 70 or so protein.  I am working on upping the protein without getting crazy on the calories.

I love this time of year as the weather is cool and we travel a lot.  I really hope to see 175 by my December 14 anniversary date, but I realize that this is a marathon, so I'm not going to beat myself up if I'm not quite there.

See ya in November!

Theresa

I had to post today as it marks the day that I saw 199.2 on the scale!  A major victory!  I have lost 100 pounds since December 1, and I can also say that I've seen a number below 200 on the scale for the first time in over 20 years.  I love my sleeve.  I'm off to Las Vegas this weekend, and I know eating will be at the top of the list, but I know I can balance it all and continue on my journey!

and still irriated to be at 200.4 today.  But, I know  I will get there.   I still track and try to stay at 700-800 calories, 30-40 carbs, and 70-80 protein daily.  I do eat things that I know others don't...like the occasional slice of bread or a bite or two of pasta, but those things are not daily.  I can really tell that things have slowed down now, and I will have to work a little harder to get the last 20-30 off. 

I love where I'm at right now, and I love that I was able to wear a 36x32 Wrangler jean to the rodeo last night!  It's been a long while since I felt good in a tight pair of jeans!  HA!

.....when I'm frustrated I write.  I'm frustrated today!  I've been hovering between 200.4 and 201.5 for several days, and I SO want to see 199.  It will mean so much to me as I don't even remember when I was there last.  I'm sure I sped right passed it in an eating frenzy back in my 20s.  199 will mark 100 pounds lost since my preop diet began and also the big ONDERLAND that we all desire.  I still have 30 pounds or so to go, but seeing 199 will be huge. 

I'm still tracking and exercising.  I still lose a decent amount per month with no real hard core effort.  And, we've been eating out virtually every dinner lately.  I still keep up with what I'm having and compensate throughout the day.  I'm going to increase my exercise this week and see what happens!

I love my sleeve, and I hope to be below 199 by this Saturday when I celebrate eight months.

they were thrilled with my loss thus far.  I weighed in this morning at 208--91 pounds down from when I first walked into their office, and 75 pounds down since December 14 surgery day.  I'm shooting for 180 as I really don't know where I should set my goal.  They seemed fine with that as they are more about health and attitude than what a chart says.  They said that folks typically lose about 70 percent of excess weight within the first year, and I've exceeded that already.  Woo hoo!

My loss is mostly during the week of my period and after.  Then two weeks of nothing per month.  So, I sort of look forward to Aunt Flo now!  Funny how that works out.

I have to say that this has been relatively simple thus far, but I do work hard to stay in tune with my diet.  I still track daily, and I also weigh in the morning and evening.  Those things keep my mission in the forefront, and I know from past experience that when I don't keep it there I can let things slip really quickly.  Bottomline, it's a lot easier to say, "whoa, where did those two pounds come from?  Let's get em off." than "yikes, where did those 20 pounds come from?"  And, it's amazing how you can stay in the same size (squeezed in) for say, 50 pounds or so.  Simply put, if I don't weigh, then I don't know.  It's sort of like the speedometer on the car in my mind.

Anyway, I will check back in at seven months. 

So, here I am six months after surgery.  I've been to Europe twice in the last month, and even after a little over three weeks of eating yummy bread, pastries, pasta, and rice, my sleeve helped me manage my weight and not gain!  So, I basically lost a month of losing, but boy did it pick up upon my return.

My stats today are 214.8 pounds, down 84.2 from December 1 and 68.2 since December 14-surgery day.  I am in a 16-18 and I feel great. 

I still track every meal, and I keep my calories around 800, carbs at 30-40, and protein around 75.  I feel normal, and I believe that my surgery was one of the best things I've ever done for myself. 

I still think about food often as I love to cook, and I track and plan my meals.  But, I make smart choices most of the time, and I don't beat myself up when I opt for something indulgent.  I just plan for it.

I'm ready for the next six months!

....but we are leaving for Barcelona today, and I won't be able to write on Friday.  I'm at 221.8 pounds this morning, and this was after an unexpected eight day trip to Germany.  I was hoping to be at 220 before my cruise, but I'll take where I'm at!  I can't wait to see something below 220.

I have lost 77.2 pounds since my preop diet began on December 1 and 61.2 pounds since December 14 surgery day.  I definitely don't consider myself a fast loser, but I'm very happy with my steady loss, and I like the way my body has accepted the changes thus far.  I hope to be at 180 before the end of October, but as long as I'm moving in the right direction, I will be pleased.

The trip to Germany was interesting as I'm used to eating something about every three hours, and I always focus on protein first.  I still worked hard on my protein intake, hoping to get 60 grams a day (much less than my usual goal).  But, I did indulge in carbs as the pretzel rolls for breakfast and yummy spaetzel were too much to resist.  I walked my butt off, and I ended up losing about three pounds total while I was away.  I'll take that!

This has been an amazing journey thus far, and I hope to continue on with a healthy loss.  Itally, Spain, France will prove difficult with all the delightful pizza, pasta, pastries, bread.  But, I feel like I have my head on straight, and I haven't went overboard on anything.  My goal with this particular surgery was to still live life and enjoy the things that I did before.  So far, so good.  I just have learned to enjoy much less of each indulgence and have them only on special occasions, like trips.

well, here I am at 229 this morning.  Things are going well, and I'm enjoying shopping!  I'm in a size 18 pants these days!  We are getting ready to leave for Europe in four weeks, and I set a goal of 220 or less by then.  I think that is doable.  My loss isn't at a lightning speed, only averaging two pounds a week lately.  But, with 70 pounds gone since December 1 and 54 since surgery day, December 14, I certainly can't complain.

I eat pretty much what I want, but I track everything, and I make sure to keep calories between 700-800, carbs not over 45, protein between 70-90.  I still shy away from bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes.  But, I did have two pieces of sushi for the first time two days ago.  Heaven! 

I generally go for a 15 minute walk at work with a friend, and I do 20 minutes on the elliptical each evening.  I could definitely do more in the exercise department, but this is manageable for now.

I hope to report back after my cruise (my five month anniversary will happen while we are gone) with a number closer to 215 or 210.  I don't have any specific weight goals in mind, but as long as I keep plugging along, I will be very happy!

I'm down 43.5 pounds since surgery day, December 14 and 59.5 pounds since December 1.  The last two weeks have been really slow, like two pounds each week.  But, at least it's a loss, and I'm doing all that I'm supposed to do.  I still track all my food, and I'm averaging about 750-800 calories a day, 30-40 carbs with the occasional 40-50, and about 75-90 grams of protein.  I eat virtually anything I want, but just very small quantities, and in some cases a few modifications.  I try not to depend on protein drinks at all, so that requires quite a bit of creative planning to balance the calories, carbs, and protein.  

I often wonder if I should mix things up more to bump the loss, but I think that being almost 42 means that I'm just not going to be a swift loser like some.  And, as long as I keep losing, then I'm perfectly okay with that.  

I weigh every single day as I found in my pre-op life that when I stopped weighing, I stopped paying as much attention.  I consider this weight loss journey and maintenance a way of life for me, and that includes careful balance of my intake and being aware of my weight. 

Exercise.  I was really on it early on, but in the last three or four weeks, I've bailed.  I picked it back up this week, but only 15-20 minutes a day.  I need to work on this aspect of my life.  And, I will.  

We are going on a Mediterranean cruise in May, and I hope to be below 220 then.  I'm sitting at 239.5 today. 

I'm really taking good care of my skin as I don't want that "old lady" look as my face and neck shrink.  Fortunately, my husband works at Mary Kay, so all the great skincare products come cheap. 

I am going to take photos tomorrow to add to my profile.  Life is good!