TanyainNY

And feel free to email me if you have any specific questions. Always willing to answer and support as best I can. Email is nursemidwife86@frontiernet.net Tanya

I've found the lapband to be a fabulous tool that's led me on a successful path. That being said, there's three parts to success... 1. The band as a tool 2. Reframing my mindset 3. Exercise....yes...it's a must! I won't be able to make the next meeting as I'm committed to teaching a Zumba class that night, but hopefully next month I'll be there. Tanya

I hired a personal trainer for twice/week one month after being banded. I'm now up to 3/week (2 1/2 years postop) and workout at least one other day/week. I do circuit training, heavy weight lifting, zumba, muay thai kickboxing and make my own routines up as well. Find something you can do AND enjoy! Hire a trainer if you can who has years of experience and credentials (ask what the credentials are as you can do a weekend class and be a certified personal trainer but really have no knowledge base). Tanya in NY

Near Utica here. Banded in Cooperstown in 2009. Feel free to email me @ nursemidwife86@frontiernet.net if you'd like! Tanya in NY

That is definitely NOT accurate! It depends on what you're doing in Zumba (I know the class I teach is more intense than my friend's class that she teaches as she does different styles and I add in hip hop and kickboxing in mine) AND how hard YOU are working at it. We have all seen people doing Zumba who are barely moving (beit 'cause they're new and don't know the routine or just don't move much) and we've seen people shaking their tailfeathers working hard and loving it! It's the difference between walking a mile and running a mile...you burn more calories running but it's a lot harder to do. So, that being said...I know Zumba states you can burn hundreds and thousands of calories in a workout, but it fluctuates depending on the above mentioned factors. I'd say it's more like 300-600 calories/hour. That's what I put in my program and if I'm burning more calories then great, but if I'm burning less than I enter in my program then I am short-changing myself to no benefit. Tanya in NY

I do muay thai kickboxing and haven't had any issues, although this is a valid concern. If you are doing it just for exercise/fun then I would just let your sparring partner know about your port placement so they are warry, but if you are planning on doing competitions then I'd avoid it altogether. Good luck. Tanya in NY

The key to this injury is rest and ice. That means you'll have to stop doing any movement/exercise that aggravates your injury for a couple weeks and ice it daily. Ibuprofen is a no-no per my doctor as well, hence why stressing the rest. You can do plenty of other exercises at the gym that still allow this injury to rest. Heck, I tore some fascia around my heel and was on crutches and still went to the gym on crutches and did upper body stuff instead. It's all about utilizing this trainer's education and knowledge level and if he/she can't come up with a temporary safer alternative, then clearly they are not the caliber trainer you need. Unfortunately, to be a certified trainer it's just a matter of a weekend class and then you're all set to charge people money for little knowledge/experience. My trainer is fabulous and not only has experience (7 years as a personal trainer/owning his own business as well), but has a master's degree in kinesiology and working on his doctorate. Ask about credentials and don't let them just throw a bunch of letters at you. Ask what the credentials mean and what was required to obtain that credential. Tanya in NY

It has been found that 2.0 to 2.2 g/kg/day of Protein was barely sufficient to maintain nitrogen balance during moderate intensity weight training. Furthermore, weightlifter's protein requirements increased proportionally to training intensity. Research has shown that 2.0 to 2.6 g/kg/day of protein are required for periods of very intense weight training, whereas protein intakes of 2.0 g/kg/day maintained a positive nitrogen balance during periods of less intense weight training. It is clear that athletes need to consume more protein than the current USRDA for 0.8 g/kg/day in order to maintain nitrogen balance. (http://www.exrx.net/Nutrition/Protein.html). Obese individuals eating a slightly higher protein diet (25% of calories from protein), lost significantly more weight and body fat than those eating a slightly lower protein diet (12% of calories from protein). (Skov, et. al., 1999). http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html will help you determine how many calories you should consume in a 24 hour day based on acitvity level. Then you take that number and figure out how many grams of protein you need during that day (i.e. I consume 40% of my calories as protein, 35% carbohydrates and 25% fat for macronutrients which is based on my activities/goals I've set up with my trainer). All that being said, I've been trained to consume an easy absorption protein immediately after a weight training workout and within 1 hour after a cardio workout. Usually I'll have a smoothie with extra servings of whey protein in it (which you can make on your own and bring to the gym or pick up at places like Barnes & Noble cafe/Starbucks). I do the B&N cafe banana chocolate smoothie with skim milk and 3 scoops of whey protein so there's approximately 300 calories and 24 grams of protein in the smoothie. It's cold, refreshing, yummy and has some of my macronutrients that I require and is easily and quickly absorbed (vs. eating a piece of meat). Tanya in NY

I have an array of exercises I enjoy EXCEPT running! I take Muay Thai kickboxing classes, I now teach Zumba classes and take them. I do heavy weightlifting (squat 205#, benchpress 115#, deadlift 225# and leg press 600#). I do circuits and weight training with my trainer as well. Any functional exercise is great as well (playing sports with the kids, doing a fitness circuit at my kid's highschool, etc.). Ranking them...kickboxing, zumba, weightlifting, circuits~ Tanya in NY pre-270/now-175/goal-155

Hello. This is Tanya and I'm so loving the lap-band lifestyle! I started looking into a lapband after realizing I could not sit on the floor to play a board game with my children because my legs would hurt and fall asleep due to my body habitus. Asking my 6 year old to move to the diningroom table was a humbling experience. Research done, discussion with my husband, informed my family and surgery ensued. Since then, I've made my way to a healthy BMI due to the help of the lapband AND exercise. One month post-op I hired a personal trainer (now considered one of my dearest friends) and started working out twice per week with him. Worked my way up to three times per week and added in some Zumba classes here and there. 2 1/2 years later, I now workout beside my trainer challenging him as well, teach Zumba classes, have been highlighted in a health spot on TV for the hospital/doctor I had surgery with, have run a 5k and am training for my first Warrior Dash next month! I can powerlift (no joke...squat 205#, deadlift 225#, benchpress 115#, and leg press 600#) with the big guys in the weightroom and take muay thai kickboxing classes! I have the energy I never had in my 20's and here I am almost 40! I never knew how tired and drawn I felt until after I started NOT feeling tired and drawn anymore! I realized I had sleep apnea during the evaluation phase of getting surgery and no longer require my CPAP at night after losing approximately 100 lbs! My husband used to be able to job backwards, yes backwards faster than I could walk downhill...he's challenged by me now! With my newfound energy and health, I've totally changed my eating habits (not just the portion, but the quality of food). I used to eat only white foods (Pasta, chicken, cheese) as my co-workers would jest, but now I eat an array of fruits/veggies, seldom pasta, sparring cheese and lots of chicken! Salads twice a day are typical for me and whey Protein smoothies have become a staple in my daily diet! People now ask me food questions...ha ha ha! During my transition, I found I needed a way to symbolize my new journey, so I had a tattoor (my one and only) placed on the base of my neck that will always follow me around reminding me of my journey. It's a symbol that means birth, life, and growth. I also purchased my first motorcycle not knowing how to drive it, but quickly signed up for a class, passed and have since purchased a second motorcycle. Love it! Reminds me of my teenager days riding on the back of my father's motorcycle to softball games yet now I'm driving and my daughter is riding on the back! My husband never quite understood "why" I couldn't just lose the excess weight as he's always been a thinner, fit, active person. Now with my transformation (physically as well as mentally), he's happy that I'm happier and feel like this has been a successful tool for me. My children have commented "you're much happier now mom" which is a double-edged sword for me as I never realized just how unhappy I was when I was overweight and unhealthy...always making excuses for why I could not do an activity with them. Now I'm challenging them to activities. That's just a bit of my story!

Just wanted to get a comparison view from others on what your workout routine is. I was banded 12/3/09 and have lost just shy of 100 lbs. so far. I hired a personal trainer that I meet twice per week starting in January 2010. I also workout on 2-3 other days per week. Here's a rundown of what I do for exercise. Thoughts? Trainer: 45 minute session combining cardio, circuit training, weight lifting (running stairs, sprints, power-lifting, metabolic training, toning) followed by 60 minutes of walking at 3.5 mph and a 6.0-7.5 gradient on the treadmill. This is twice per week. On own: -I do zumba 2-3 times per week for 60 minutes. -I do interval training on the treadmill of 7.4 mph for 90 seconds, followed by 3.5 mph for 90 seconds all at a 2.0 gradient for 30 minutes. I will sometimes walk for 10-20 minutes after this or do 15 minutes of abdominal workout or 15 minutes on the spinning bike, but not all on the same day. -Recently started doing elliptical instead of the full interval session as I am getting bored with intervals. Working my way up on the elliptical. Did 6 for the level with 90 seconds at maximum effort and 90 seconds of recovery effort for 12 minutes today (first time I tried it). My legs were shaking! I've worked my way up to dead-lifting 145 lbs with the trainer and can benchpress about 70 lbs repeatedly. I've been able to run a 5K on the treadmill, although I haven't tried it outside as the weather is horrible here. Am planning on completing my first outdoors 5K in April and doing a 5K with 12 obstacles next fall! nursemidwife86