WLS support and inspirational information

Thanks MacMadame for information!

Welcome Angel! - I have not had the issues your describe but I agree with MacMadame on the exercise and definitely on starvation mode being a myth at your size for sure. You are not small enough to be starving. I was told that our bodies can survive a long time on our fat and water. Just give the body time to drop the pounds and it will. Our bodies can be very stuborn sometimes when it comes to letting go of the fat.

Thanks for the welcome! Maybe I need to clarify something -- I definitely don't think I'm starving, LOL, I'm quite sure my body could live quite a long time on my big 'ol fat body! I was just saying that I'm feeling actual hunger as opposed to "head hunger." My nutritionist and the PA both brought up "starvation mode" as a reason for being on the plateau. They saw my food/exercise logs and thought that my cals weren't high enough based on my activity therefore my body is "holding on" to everything instead of allowing the weight loss. I'm frustrated as all get out over it too!! GRRR!

I think it's important not to use the holiday season as an excuse to stuff yourself like a pig and loll around. But I also think it's important to give ourselves a break.

My goal for Dec. is always to maintain, not to lose. In fact, I am deliberately taking off from triathlon training and just doing an occasional workout. I'll start back up again in Jan. refreshed and (hopefully) healed up.

I agree! I went on vacation to northern Cali to visit my family for the holidays. I had PLANNED on working out "as usual" but only got in 2 FORMAL workouts. I did indulge a bit but not to excess, maybe some hershey's kisses with almonds here, an ice cream there. it was not an all out "hey! the holidays are here" pigout. We kept busy, lots of running around and stuff. I just wanted to spend quality time with my family.

Somehow, I also managed to maintain. I was thrilled! And now that I'm back home and back to my normal routine, I'm hitting the gym and back on track as far as training for my first half marathon at the end of March.

Yes, it was deifnitely getting a bit lonely. :laugh:

Anyway, today is my big weigh in for our fitness center's "Maintain, Don't Gain" program and, um, I've gained. Not a lot. But any gain means I'm not entered into the raffle to win cool prizes. Plus, it makes me feel bad.

Today as I was getting ready for work, I started thinking:
I could wear my lightest outfit
I could not drink or eat all day until the weigh in
I could cut my toe nails
I could shave

Then I mentally slapped myself ... how completely crazy that would be just to be able to say I didn't gain and enter a contest! It reminded me of my WW and JC days when I would do stuff to weigh in at a lower weight than the week before. I decided I would shave and clip my toe nails because they needed it but I wasn't going to do any of the other stuff because it's just too crazy.

I read the best analogy of turning a bad habit into a good one in the book, The Rules of Normal Eating. I may have posted it here but, if so, it's WAY BACK in the thread or even on another thread so I'm going to risk repeating myself.

Think of a pile of sand. You drop a marble on top and it take a random path down the hill to the bottom. But, the next time you drop it, that path is there and the marble is more likely to go down that path. Eventually there is a deep groove and the marble pretty much always goes down this path. This is how a habit is created.

Now, you want to change your habit. So, when the marble gets dropped, you try to make it go down a different groove. But that other groove is there and it's much deeper than your new groove. The marble tends to want to go down the old groove instead. If you don't pay attention, it does. And every time it goes down the old groove, the new one gets fainter.

But, every time you go down the new groove, the old groove gets fainter.

So, if you can just keep going down the new groove, eventually the old groove is gone or at least very faint.

This is why they say it takes 21 days to make a new habit. It takes a long time to make the new groove deep enough that it's the one the marble wants to go down without thinking.

But it can be done... you just have to wear away at your sand hill, bit by bit, and don't get frustrated when you backslide, but go back to the new habit as soon as you can.

Just wanted to check in and say "Hello & Welcome" to all the new folks I see posting in the thread. I've sent Friend Requests to everyone, I think. If not, please feel free to add me.

Thank you, Mollie for all the great motivational/inspirational quotes that add just another piece to my list of "tools" to use as I make my new journey to better health.

Have been down with "the crud", now bronchitis, and will keep it short. Just wanted to let you all know I'm still here and listening, reading and sending supportive thoughts your way.I hope to be participating a bit more as I get myself and everyone around me healthier. It's just that time of year when bugs go around.

One good thing...snow! Dallas is expecting a bit of snow on Sunday and Monday. I can't wait! Hopefully, I'll be up for a walk in the snow by then. ;-)

Let's have a roll call. How many people on this site have had WLS?

:drinker: Me! (Those are protein drinks, of course.)

Me!