happyteacher
Poor habits trying mightily to come roaring back.
Mar 31, 2012
The last two days have been terrible eating days. No reason that I can identify, as I am not stressed out about anything at all. Yesterday was just constant snacking and I ended up over 1600 calores. The day before that was 1200 or so. I went to bed last night realized that if I did not adjust that not only would the weight loss stop, but I would begin to gain.
Today, started they day with just the ticket. It is Saturday, so woke the DH up and we walked to breakfast. It is a 2.5 mile walk one way, had a very sensible meal, and enjoyed the walk home. Came back to see that my new bike arrived and I can't wait to try it out. It has 29 inch wheels and is much bigger than my current Schwin. I am so looking forward to not being a pretzal on it! The DH did not get his, but hopefully soon.
Anyway, my will power seems to have come back today just fine. I need to be careful that i do not set my new "normal" calories higher and instead keep the goal to 800 or under. Decarbing for a few days to help with the cravings too.
All in all, I feel better today knowing that I am back with the program. Oh, and the DH has now lost over 60 pounds since my surgery date!
Update: It is now a couple days later and I have been between 1000 and 1100 calories. Doing a little better, but crap am I struggling. It is the carbs that are persistently putting me over. Strangely, this has been a rapid weight loss week for me- perhaps that is why I am compelled to eat more? Either way, I plan on continuing to ramp the calories back down to 800 (not including my coffee creamer- don't know why that is an issue for me!).
Update 2: Just made the connection that the steroids that I was on may have triggered the food issues. Once I finsihed the prescription, eating returned to normal :) Really rapid weight loss over the last two weeks though- 15 pounds or so. Made up for the stall earlier :)
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Today, started they day with just the ticket. It is Saturday, so woke the DH up and we walked to breakfast. It is a 2.5 mile walk one way, had a very sensible meal, and enjoyed the walk home. Came back to see that my new bike arrived and I can't wait to try it out. It has 29 inch wheels and is much bigger than my current Schwin. I am so looking forward to not being a pretzal on it! The DH did not get his, but hopefully soon.
Anyway, my will power seems to have come back today just fine. I need to be careful that i do not set my new "normal" calories higher and instead keep the goal to 800 or under. Decarbing for a few days to help with the cravings too.
All in all, I feel better today knowing that I am back with the program. Oh, and the DH has now lost over 60 pounds since my surgery date!
Update: It is now a couple days later and I have been between 1000 and 1100 calories. Doing a little better, but crap am I struggling. It is the carbs that are persistently putting me over. Strangely, this has been a rapid weight loss week for me- perhaps that is why I am compelled to eat more? Either way, I plan on continuing to ramp the calories back down to 800 (not including my coffee creamer- don't know why that is an issue for me!).
Update 2: Just made the connection that the steroids that I was on may have triggered the food issues. Once I finsihed the prescription, eating returned to normal :) Really rapid weight loss over the last two weeks though- 15 pounds or so. Made up for the stall earlier :)
3 Month Surgiversary Update
Mar 19, 2012
Each month on my surgiversary i update posting progress and thoughts. Here is to month number 3!
Month 1- 21 pounds
Month 2- 16 pounds weighing in at 264.4
Month 3- 12 pounds weight in at 252.4
Overall the exercise and eating went very well this month. I am now fully used to the new eating habits and rarely go over 800 calories. When I did go over, it was still at 1000 or less, and it happens further and further in between. Exercise is going very well too! My goal is at least 30 minutes a day, but most days are 1 to 1.5 hours.
Weight lost went slower this month, and size wise I am only a little smaller. Still wearing the same size as last month (20 tall), but now they fit comfortably now.
The NUT at the last appointment told me the average person only .loses 15 pounds in months 4, 5, and 6 combined- kinda bummed me out. Obviously I am hoping to do better than that. Unfortunately I am on the low side of their average loss so far, but hey- still loss!
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Month 1- 21 pounds
Month 2- 16 pounds weighing in at 264.4
Month 3- 12 pounds weight in at 252.4
Overall the exercise and eating went very well this month. I am now fully used to the new eating habits and rarely go over 800 calories. When I did go over, it was still at 1000 or less, and it happens further and further in between. Exercise is going very well too! My goal is at least 30 minutes a day, but most days are 1 to 1.5 hours.
Weight lost went slower this month, and size wise I am only a little smaller. Still wearing the same size as last month (20 tall), but now they fit comfortably now.
The NUT at the last appointment told me the average person only .loses 15 pounds in months 4, 5, and 6 combined- kinda bummed me out. Obviously I am hoping to do better than that. Unfortunately I am on the low side of their average loss so far, but hey- still loss!
The husband and I lost our daughter.
Feb 28, 2012
Just wanted to document a nice progress note. We have a daughter who is 5' 10'' and weights 118 pounds. Since I started the VSG process, my incredibly supportive husband decided to also work on weight to make it easier for me. Yesterday we realized that together we lost exactly the amount that our daughter weighs. Pretty incredible to think about :)
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2 Month Surgiversary Results and Thoughts
Feb 19, 2012
I decided to post an entry on each sugiversary to record my progress and thoughts for the month. This is the month 2 entry!
Month 1- 21 pounds
Month 2- 16 pounds weighing in at 264.4
Combine this with my pre op loss and it totals up to 63 pounds.
My biggest hurdle seems to be my TOM. In both months I did not lose a pound the week before, and then the week of I lost 4-5 pounds. I have learned that I just need to stay away from the scale during the stall week and expect that this is part of the process for me. This month it was further complicated by not really being able to exericise due to surgery to remove melanoma. That took out 2 weeks with no exercizingand sitting around far more than normal. Overall, I feel fortunate to have lost what I did given this.
I am still struggling with cheating/binging. My NUT wants me at 600 calories and I rarely stay under this if I do not include offsetting calories with exericse. My normal range is 700-800 and if it is a cheat day then it quickly goes up to 1000-1200. I have only hit those levels a few times, but I feel terrible about them. My worse was eating 10 samoas one day and yesterday polishing off 2 cookies and 2 skinny cow ice cream sandwiches. If I had not been sleeved it would have been so much worse. I think a lot about how the clock is ticking on the honeymoon period and how it will be a struggle to lose all of the weight that I am shooting for in that 6 month period. I take inspiration from the OH members that show continued weight losl after the 6 month period.
At this point I am quite confident that I can comfortably eat more than what would be expected. I have never thrown up or had the foamies. Eating 4-5 ounces of dense protein is no problem. I decided that in order to help combat the larger capacity that I will begin to eat veggies. Nothing raw yet, but cooked. Asparagus has been in season and inexpensive, and I was surprised at how much protein is in it. Lots of desparately needed fiber too. This next month I plan on including veggies with 2 of the 3 meals or use it as a snack to help reduce calories. Had my first orange slice yesterday- first fruit and was shocked at how potent the sweetness was. I am redoubling my efforts to keep my carbs under 40 since I really think that is helping to keep the cravings managed. Whenever I go over all hell breaks loose!
I eat way too fast and drink too soon after eating still. I am going to make this a daily goal to at least be more cognizant. I guess I never understood why to only eat a bite the size of an eraser- clearly I have no issues with tolerating much of anything. I do get that it allows the stomach time to catch up and send the full signal, so that is reason enough for me to try and slow down.
This month my best NSV was fitting into size 20T or XXLT clothing from Old Navy. What a joy! I finally can shop the tall department instead of everything being too short on me. (I am 6'1'' pushing 6'2'' and all legs and arms.) The pants are still too snug for comfort, but I am able to wear them into work no problem. When I wore this size for the first time I am able to notice the weight loss too, and that feels pretty darn spectacular! Didn't have to spend a whole lot at Old Navy to buy items to get me through until the new size- $200 went a long way. I also picked up a few slacks from The Avenue that fit well. I am looking forward to giving all of these clothes to my sister when they are too big. The Old Navy sizing runs generous so my overall clothing goal is to fit into a 16T from stores like Talbots or the Gap- a slimmer size 16 for sure.
The husband continues to do extemely well also. He has lost 50 pounds and he did not have WLS. Yesterday I pretty much forced him to try on new jeans and slacks, as he was swimming in his regular clothes. I was really surprised by how much he enjoyed it- he normally hates clothes shopping. It wasn't until the dressing room and he realized he dropped two sizes, but I loved seeing how good he felt :) He didn't want to order polos yet, but I did anyway. Another $150 spent on him and he replenished his basics. He is very happy with $10 Walmart jeans and slacks, and the polos from Old Navy were $12- sometimes I cannot believe how cheap clothes can be. And for now when we are jumping sizes I am very appreciative!
My older daughter has also been managing her diet this past month. She has lost at least 5 pounds and is noticably thinner. She has also picked up working out again and that has been really good for her. She has a difficult schedule with AP classes, a full high school load plus a college Spanish class, and a job that she works about 20 hours a week. She isn't making any excuses and I am really proud of her!
Overall, a good month. I am looking to try to lose a minimum of 15 pounds next month. If I can pull off 16 or more a month average for the rest of the 6 month period I will hit the first goal of losing 100 pounds in 6 months post surgery.
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Month 1- 21 pounds
Month 2- 16 pounds weighing in at 264.4
Combine this with my pre op loss and it totals up to 63 pounds.
My biggest hurdle seems to be my TOM. In both months I did not lose a pound the week before, and then the week of I lost 4-5 pounds. I have learned that I just need to stay away from the scale during the stall week and expect that this is part of the process for me. This month it was further complicated by not really being able to exericise due to surgery to remove melanoma. That took out 2 weeks with no exercizingand sitting around far more than normal. Overall, I feel fortunate to have lost what I did given this.
I am still struggling with cheating/binging. My NUT wants me at 600 calories and I rarely stay under this if I do not include offsetting calories with exericse. My normal range is 700-800 and if it is a cheat day then it quickly goes up to 1000-1200. I have only hit those levels a few times, but I feel terrible about them. My worse was eating 10 samoas one day and yesterday polishing off 2 cookies and 2 skinny cow ice cream sandwiches. If I had not been sleeved it would have been so much worse. I think a lot about how the clock is ticking on the honeymoon period and how it will be a struggle to lose all of the weight that I am shooting for in that 6 month period. I take inspiration from the OH members that show continued weight losl after the 6 month period.
At this point I am quite confident that I can comfortably eat more than what would be expected. I have never thrown up or had the foamies. Eating 4-5 ounces of dense protein is no problem. I decided that in order to help combat the larger capacity that I will begin to eat veggies. Nothing raw yet, but cooked. Asparagus has been in season and inexpensive, and I was surprised at how much protein is in it. Lots of desparately needed fiber too. This next month I plan on including veggies with 2 of the 3 meals or use it as a snack to help reduce calories. Had my first orange slice yesterday- first fruit and was shocked at how potent the sweetness was. I am redoubling my efforts to keep my carbs under 40 since I really think that is helping to keep the cravings managed. Whenever I go over all hell breaks loose!
I eat way too fast and drink too soon after eating still. I am going to make this a daily goal to at least be more cognizant. I guess I never understood why to only eat a bite the size of an eraser- clearly I have no issues with tolerating much of anything. I do get that it allows the stomach time to catch up and send the full signal, so that is reason enough for me to try and slow down.
This month my best NSV was fitting into size 20T or XXLT clothing from Old Navy. What a joy! I finally can shop the tall department instead of everything being too short on me. (I am 6'1'' pushing 6'2'' and all legs and arms.) The pants are still too snug for comfort, but I am able to wear them into work no problem. When I wore this size for the first time I am able to notice the weight loss too, and that feels pretty darn spectacular! Didn't have to spend a whole lot at Old Navy to buy items to get me through until the new size- $200 went a long way. I also picked up a few slacks from The Avenue that fit well. I am looking forward to giving all of these clothes to my sister when they are too big. The Old Navy sizing runs generous so my overall clothing goal is to fit into a 16T from stores like Talbots or the Gap- a slimmer size 16 for sure.
The husband continues to do extemely well also. He has lost 50 pounds and he did not have WLS. Yesterday I pretty much forced him to try on new jeans and slacks, as he was swimming in his regular clothes. I was really surprised by how much he enjoyed it- he normally hates clothes shopping. It wasn't until the dressing room and he realized he dropped two sizes, but I loved seeing how good he felt :) He didn't want to order polos yet, but I did anyway. Another $150 spent on him and he replenished his basics. He is very happy with $10 Walmart jeans and slacks, and the polos from Old Navy were $12- sometimes I cannot believe how cheap clothes can be. And for now when we are jumping sizes I am very appreciative!
My older daughter has also been managing her diet this past month. She has lost at least 5 pounds and is noticably thinner. She has also picked up working out again and that has been really good for her. She has a difficult schedule with AP classes, a full high school load plus a college Spanish class, and a job that she works about 20 hours a week. She isn't making any excuses and I am really proud of her!
Overall, a good month. I am looking to try to lose a minimum of 15 pounds next month. If I can pull off 16 or more a month average for the rest of the 6 month period I will hit the first goal of losing 100 pounds in 6 months post surgery.
Last Day of Medical Leave- Thank Goodness!
Feb 05, 2012
The surgery to remove the cancer went very well, and the margins came back clear. Forgot to ask the surgeon what it staged out at, but I will hopefully remember when I go in next week to have the stitches out. Omg the itching is driving me crazy!
The time off work has been appreciated from a recovery standpoint, but from a weight loss standpoint it has been terribly difficult. Not only am I hanging out around the house without enough to do and too much time thinking about what I am going to go eat, but I have not been able to move around or exercise. The first week I managed ok, a little high a few days but still under 800 calories. Then a NUT appointment had me scale back to 600 calories- at first it went well. But now it feels like terrible deprivation. Yesterday I consumed a whopping 1250 calories (Super Bowl Sunday) and I am really beating myself up for it. Completely undid all the days I kept it under 600 calories. Today I am just going to do two shakes and a healthy dinner. I will stay under the 600 today!
I think the high calories over the last two days are in part to eating kashi cereal. I held the portion size to a reasonable amount, but struggled with eating the whole time afterwards. My first confirmation of a trigger food. I sure hope one day I will be able to responsibly eat cereal again!
Today I am going back to low carbs. I wish the shakes didn't have so many carbs!
Anyway, I have lost 32 pounds post surgery so far. I still have a goal of 100 pounds in 6 months, but I will need to step it up a bit to make it.
Tried on the goal pants again this morning. They are still too tight, but if I had to I could wear them to work now. Another 5 pounds and I will start wearing them to work. Last night I ordered 5 more pair. That along with the size 22 talls I already ordered should do me for a while. I am considering returning the 22s. Hopefully I lose a few pounds over the next week and I will know if I can get by on the 20T pants. If so, sending the Avenue stuff back. The shirts that I have are still doing great, so I am not ordering any long sleeve options. I did order 5 polos and some tshirts in xxl tall. I have not tried them on, but anticipate them being a little too tight. No problem though, as I am planning on using these more toward the end of February or into March with the weather starts to shift to warmer temperatures. That is it for clothes though until the current new purchases are absolutely swimming on me. I was surprised how far $200 went at Old Navy- enough to manage a modest new smaller wardrobe for work.
Looking forward to more weight loss and inches lost!
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The time off work has been appreciated from a recovery standpoint, but from a weight loss standpoint it has been terribly difficult. Not only am I hanging out around the house without enough to do and too much time thinking about what I am going to go eat, but I have not been able to move around or exercise. The first week I managed ok, a little high a few days but still under 800 calories. Then a NUT appointment had me scale back to 600 calories- at first it went well. But now it feels like terrible deprivation. Yesterday I consumed a whopping 1250 calories (Super Bowl Sunday) and I am really beating myself up for it. Completely undid all the days I kept it under 600 calories. Today I am just going to do two shakes and a healthy dinner. I will stay under the 600 today!
I think the high calories over the last two days are in part to eating kashi cereal. I held the portion size to a reasonable amount, but struggled with eating the whole time afterwards. My first confirmation of a trigger food. I sure hope one day I will be able to responsibly eat cereal again!
Today I am going back to low carbs. I wish the shakes didn't have so many carbs!
Anyway, I have lost 32 pounds post surgery so far. I still have a goal of 100 pounds in 6 months, but I will need to step it up a bit to make it.
Tried on the goal pants again this morning. They are still too tight, but if I had to I could wear them to work now. Another 5 pounds and I will start wearing them to work. Last night I ordered 5 more pair. That along with the size 22 talls I already ordered should do me for a while. I am considering returning the 22s. Hopefully I lose a few pounds over the next week and I will know if I can get by on the 20T pants. If so, sending the Avenue stuff back. The shirts that I have are still doing great, so I am not ordering any long sleeve options. I did order 5 polos and some tshirts in xxl tall. I have not tried them on, but anticipate them being a little too tight. No problem though, as I am planning on using these more toward the end of February or into March with the weather starts to shift to warmer temperatures. That is it for clothes though until the current new purchases are absolutely swimming on me. I was surprised how far $200 went at Old Navy- enough to manage a modest new smaller wardrobe for work.
Looking forward to more weight loss and inches lost!
20T
Jan 31, 2012
So a huge goal of mine is to be able to fit comfortably in a size 20T. I expect to get below this, but this was the first major clothes goal. A few weeks ago I decided to order a pair and call them my goal pants. I tried them on and was surprised the day that I got them that I could even get them over the hips. I had several inches to cover in order to get them buttoned. Today, I decided to try them on again and was SHOCKED that I could get them buttoned. Honestly, I do not feel hardly any smaller then the first time I tried. They are too tight to wear, but 10 or 15 pounds and I think I can. Very cool NSV.
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Emotional Eating
Jan 27, 2012
Yesterday was a learning experience. In the morning I was running late and did not take the 5 minutes necessary to pack planeed meals. It was also my last day before surgery and a 2 week medical leave from my classroom. Leaving my classroom is stressful for me, and that combined with not planning meals turned into a hot mess. I ended up eating Schwann's mini ice cream and doritos, went over my calorie goal by over 400 calories, and literally struggled the entire evening. Given that I normally eat 600 calores that was an insane amount.
So the learning experience needs to be maximized. It was a clear case of lack of planning and falling back into poor eating habits. I also learned that I have quite a capacity to eat junk food, which unnerved me a bit. I woke up this morning refocused and back on plan. I decided today that I would only weigh out 2 ounces of food for meals, instead of the 3-4 ounces that I have been eating. It is leaving me a little hungry, but manageable. I also wonder if my sleeve is on the large side still.
Anyway, this is the third cheat since surgery. It was a doozy too and each cheat is getting a little worse. Read on a post a suggestion to track meals in advance and then only eat those planned meals. I am going to give this a whirl.
Surgery went well, but unable to exercise for a couple weeks. Time to heal and spend time with the family now :)
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So the learning experience needs to be maximized. It was a clear case of lack of planning and falling back into poor eating habits. I also learned that I have quite a capacity to eat junk food, which unnerved me a bit. I woke up this morning refocused and back on plan. I decided today that I would only weigh out 2 ounces of food for meals, instead of the 3-4 ounces that I have been eating. It is leaving me a little hungry, but manageable. I also wonder if my sleeve is on the large side still.
Anyway, this is the third cheat since surgery. It was a doozy too and each cheat is getting a little worse. Read on a post a suggestion to track meals in advance and then only eat those planned meals. I am going to give this a whirl.
Surgery went well, but unable to exercise for a couple weeks. Time to heal and spend time with the family now :)
1st month results and thoughts
Jan 16, 2012
So I have decided that each month on my surgiversay I will update the blog to show the progression of weight loss since sugery.
Month 1- 21 pounds
This past month has been very positive overall. I got past the dreaded telling the family, but still wish that everything they saw me they wouldn't comment on my weight or grill me about what I eat. Not a big deal overall though. I have for the most part adjusted to the new eating style and REALLY enjoy eating small portions. I am surprised by this, as prior to surgety I thought I would mourn portion size. I still eat too fast. Working on that. Had a few aha moments, usually the result of somebody posting- love OH!
And my favorite part? By far it is that my husband and I are closer because of the process. We have always had a rock solid marriage, but sharing this experience with him has been wonderful. He has actually out lost me without surgery! (And by quite a bit I might add!). I am so happy that this experience that I chose for myself has turned out to be so incredibly motivating for him! Back in our lives once again are the long walks. This was a staple for us in the early years, and we both appreciate having it back in our lives!
My lingering concern is that my sleeve is too big. It just seems like I eat more than other folks at one sitting, but overall have the calories and carbs and protein in check. It just makes me worry that a few months out that a couple ounces won't be enough and the weight lost will stop or reverse. Trying hard not to dwell on this.
Overall, a very positive experience!
Home for 4 days now
Dec 23, 2011
The surgery went super easy. I woke up vomiting here and there, so they kept me in the phase 2 recovery area for a few extra hours. I hardly remember that part, but it did give the hubby a pretty good scare. I was expecting back pain, and my back did bother me. If found it difficult to lay down and find a comfortale position. Hubby had to help me a million times to switch positions. Turns out the hernia repair puts pain in the left back shoulder blade and a tightness in the chest. That was really my only issue over the first few days. Once is started doing the breathing treatment I noticed an improvement though. Initially I used the morphine pump twice, but turns out it would make me nauseous and it totally wasn't worth it. I could barely touch my food on day two, and they wanted to keep me a bit longer due to the nausea and not being able to eat, but they let me go and that was a brilliant decision.
First night home I could only tolerate being in bed for a few hours, then switched to the recliner. Little longer in bed the next night and by Thursday night no issues at all. Friday was the first day I noticed mild hunger, but by 5 pm I ate less than 200 calories. Clearly more calores are needed.
The extra fluid from the hospital is pretty much gone. Stomach is still swollen up pretty good and no idea how long that will be like that. Lost about 3 pounds so far. Trying to stay away from t he scale and having specific numbers to expect this first month out, other than at least 10 pounds.
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First night home I could only tolerate being in bed for a few hours, then switched to the recliner. Little longer in bed the next night and by Thursday night no issues at all. Friday was the first day I noticed mild hunger, but by 5 pm I ate less than 200 calories. Clearly more calores are needed.
The extra fluid from the hospital is pretty much gone. Stomach is still swollen up pretty good and no idea how long that will be like that. Lost about 3 pounds so far. Trying to stay away from t he scale and having specific numbers to expect this first month out, other than at least 10 pounds.
Surgery tomorrow
Dec 17, 2011
Well,
I am overall not nervous. There is a nagging feeling that my diet over the last three days should have been better, but the doc says to just not eat/drink past midnight. Easy enough. I thought yesterday that I may be coming down with something, but no issues at all today. Whew! According to my "old" scale I have lost 19 pounds before the surgery. I wll have to see tomorrow if that number holds up, as I replaced that one due to not sure if it was accurate. New one fizzled out on me last week. Bummer. I am in the market for a good quality digital scale!
Still struggling with the diet overall. I am losing :) My problem is that by late mid day I am wanting to eat something substantial, and by the end of the night I over due it. I just started journaling my food yesterday, and realized that I am waaayy to heavy on the carbs. Perhaps this explains why I get so far off track, so today I am going to work on eating no carb other than what is in the shake.
I started using myfitnesspal.com but there is something about having to write it in that I prefer. It just feels somehow more accountable. I am using that site to look up nutrition information though. Perhaps eventually I will switch to the digital format, but for now I feel like I can keep my journal at my desk at work, whereas I would not want to log in to the site at work. Very happy with the journal I bought- dedicated just to tracking. Previous attempts were always irratiating since there was never enough room, but this is designed for the task and worth the purchase price.
My short term goal is to begin measuring and get the carbs under control. Well, off to sort the "fat" clothes out so that I do not have to deal with it post surgery!
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I am overall not nervous. There is a nagging feeling that my diet over the last three days should have been better, but the doc says to just not eat/drink past midnight. Easy enough. I thought yesterday that I may be coming down with something, but no issues at all today. Whew! According to my "old" scale I have lost 19 pounds before the surgery. I wll have to see tomorrow if that number holds up, as I replaced that one due to not sure if it was accurate. New one fizzled out on me last week. Bummer. I am in the market for a good quality digital scale!
Still struggling with the diet overall. I am losing :) My problem is that by late mid day I am wanting to eat something substantial, and by the end of the night I over due it. I just started journaling my food yesterday, and realized that I am waaayy to heavy on the carbs. Perhaps this explains why I get so far off track, so today I am going to work on eating no carb other than what is in the shake.
I started using myfitnesspal.com but there is something about having to write it in that I prefer. It just feels somehow more accountable. I am using that site to look up nutrition information though. Perhaps eventually I will switch to the digital format, but for now I feel like I can keep my journal at my desk at work, whereas I would not want to log in to the site at work. Very happy with the journal I bought- dedicated just to tracking. Previous attempts were always irratiating since there was never enough room, but this is designed for the task and worth the purchase price.
My short term goal is to begin measuring and get the carbs under control. Well, off to sort the "fat" clothes out so that I do not have to deal with it post surgery!
