kity

Hi Kity (Pamela)-- let me walk you thru the ticker thing.

1. click on someone's ticker - it will take you to the website to create yours.

2. click the box that says: "Create your own ticker"

3. click the "WEIGHT LOSS" or "EVENT" (your choice if you want to track the weight loss or count down to the surgery -- or count from the date you had surgery.) I am going to assume you clicked "WEIGHT LOSS" for the following steps.

4. click the ticker bar you wish to have as yours (there are 13 pages of designs to choose from - to see another page just click the page #) once you have decided - click "NEXT"

5. click the ticker slider you wish to have as yours (there are 7 pages of designs to chose from) once you decided - click "NEXT"

6. complete this page with your options - password; tracking by change of weight or showing actual weight and lbs lost; your target and starting weight; current weight and weight date; your height - click "NEXT"

7. highlight the code in the first box - starts with "[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/..." copy it (right mouse click - copy)

8. goto your "EDIT SIGNATURE" on your lapbandtalk and paste it (right mouse click - paste)

9. preview signature -- then add spaces and additional content as you wish.

Let me know if you need more help -- or if you have questions regarding these instructions.

Good Luck!

How many calories do YOU need?

How much protein do YOU need?

Protein Whey cool!

Hydration calculator! Getting enough water?

I thought this was very cool! Here is a link to her page:

http://www.kimswlsjourney.com/6901.html

Fear of losing the weightloss battle - author unknown

You won't lose the battle if you are willing to work with the band and do your part. But I can almost guarantee:

You will have plateaus when you first switch to solids until your body gets used to being fed instead of starved (most likely one-two weeks but could be three like mine.)

During many plateaus you will lose inches not pounds and then finally a larger loss.

Your loss in the first 30-40 days is a "never to be repeated" experience so enjoy it. Then you begin the long slow journey downward.

You will learn the fine art of "PBs" and what causes them for you, it is swallowing air when you eat. Eating too fast....NOT chewing well or too big of a bite. Eating the wrong food for you...and not recognizing the "no longer hungry" after 1/2 cup (satiation) versus an "I WANT TO EAT MORE CAUSE I CAN or IT TASTES GOOD" or I crave it [head hunger].

You will watch your body shrink and will walk a bit taller-literally- and figuratively...start slipping into booths in restaurants. Sit in chairs with arms, stop worrying about how strong the chairs are, not having to ask for an extender belt on airlines. Finding it easier to, and you have more energy to walk/go up stairs. Clean house and do a million other day to day activities. Slip in and out of bath tubs where the water goes all the way around you instead of damming up and it doesn't kill you to stand up from sitting on the floor. Watch the years fall off your face and drivers license picture...got to a restaurant and order an appetizer and still end up with leftovers to take home.

Go through doubts and several fills/unfills until you hit the "sweet spot" fill level for you.

You will have to stop several times along the way to reassess your eating habits (I could eat certain foods and get away with some cheating a bit quantity wise at 359 and still lose...that had to go at 250).

I have also found that I have to keep reminding myself 1/2 cup of solids three times a day--only--and drink my water (1 hour after meals until the next meal but not with meals).

Eat protein first...fruit and veggies second, and non-complex carbs last. (Keep the fats, sugars, and non-complex carbs low...still have them but keep them low).

And believe it or NOT a plateau that indicates that you need a fill is:

1. No weight loss for four weeks.

2. You are following all the band rules (8 out of 10 of us want to be able to break the rules and still lose figuring if we get a fill it will miraculously start us losing without us having to do our parts).

3. You are hungry an hour after eating (really hungry not cravings) and the 1/2 cup doesn't stay in the band for 2 1/2 to 4 hours.

4. You are drinking 60+ ounces of water a day and not drinking with your meal or for at least an hour after.

5. Once you move from mushy to solids--as much as possible get your nourishment from food that is solid. If you have problems with it sticking in your stoma, try it again chewing it well. Cut it up finer or chew it with other foods to keep it from recombining in your pouch and forming a plug (i.e. potatoes).

6. Try to avoid soups and/or protein drinks if possible (if you are able to eat your protein you will be full longer--some people have tight bands in the morning and can't eat so have a protein drink).

7. Whenever you hit a plateau, keep a diary and log everything, including water, which goes in and measure your 1/2 cup of solids. (Mine grew twice from 1/2 a cup to almost a full cup without noticing).

8. Try weighing in once a week to begin with, not daily. Later move to once every two weeks or once a month. When you are losing slowly, weight fluctuates daily with hydration levels, etc. At least this way you normally will see a loss and not a fluctuation or gain. Yes the loss is smaller but they are down not up.

9. Measure yourself monthly, often you lose inches before you lose pounds.

10. Don't compare yourself to others. We all lose at different rates based on age/metabolism/food choices/activity level...but we can all lose.

My dr.'s off ice gave me 4:

www.vistavitamins.com

www.bbvitamins.com

www.vitalady.com

www.bariatricadvantage.com

I get mine from www.dpsnutrition.com on the left side go down the IDS then look for IDS New Whey Liquid Protein! I love the Blue Raspberry (only 25 g. protein and both the Orange and Grape 42 g protein. I have usually add them to a bottle of propel water but have just drank them by themselves.

__________________

Oh Lunasa---you can officially calm down---it is nothing like you are fearing!!!

There will be times between now and you finding a good spot of restriction that yes you may be hungry. But they will not last forever! Right now, you have the fear of the hunger, the upcoming surgery---everything coming in at you at one time. Once the surgery is behind you---you will likely have several days or even longer that you simply are not hungry. I don't know how much your Dr. told you, but the nerves (I think my Dr. called them the Vega nerves) are located at the top of your stomach, and they are the nerves that send the signal to the brain that you are done. Which is why now, pre banding, you have to eat a LOT to truly feel full. And once those nerves are hit, it takes awhile for your brain to fully recognize and tell you to stop eating. There are often times quiet simple signals---that you will learn, to know you are full. Once you are banded, and there is just a small pouch at the top, it is quite simple to hit those nerves quickly---in just a small amount of food. The first days following surgery the nerve pretty much stays activated, due to swelling---your stomach often swells over the indignity of that tight belt being slapped on there!!! Once the swelling goes down, hunger will return, often with a vengeance---because you are on liquids. Liquids are given to allow the band to set into place, and stitches used to do that to heal. When liquids are consumed, they usually slide right through, so the nerve is not triggered. This is the time referred to as bandster hell. A band with no restriction. It is not easy---but if you just repeat to yourself that this is the last time you truly have to "diet" ever again---and weight frequently to see the weight dropping off---you make it through. Then you begin the fill process. With my first fill of 1.25 cc.'s I suddenly felt my band work! I had allowed myself in the hunger of things to slip into some former bad eating habits! Suddenly when I ate too fast, or did not chew, it hurt! Nothing serious, but I knew that the band was there---and I was scared of a real PB or getting "stuck"---so I worked hard on my bandster eating habits. My Dr. allows a fill in 4 weeks, if you are still hungry within an hour or so after eating hard protein. I was---so a month later I had my second fill. It was small, only 1/2 a cc. I thought if 1.25 didn't do anything--then .50 is going to be a waste of time and $$$. Wrong!!!! With that little tweak of .50cc I got excellent restriction! I was no longer hungry----EVER! I am still not ever what I would call hungry. I occasionally feel hollow or empty, and realize I need to eat---but hunger---like the raging, fear inducing, more important than ANYTHING, kind of hunger----gone from my life! Used to be when I would come in at the end of the day, I grabbed anything close and easy---a bag of chips, or cookies, whatever, just so there was lots of it. Now, since I am not really hungry, it isn't a big deal to take a few minutes, and throw a salad in a bowl, or make a half a pita with some chicken salad...finding a healthy alternative, is easy, because there is no rush! I still can have some chips with a sandwich---but I get full very fast, so if I eat the worthless chips, I have taken up valuable space, with not so valuable of a quality of food. If I eat ribs, or a steak for lunch---I can easily not eat another bite of food until morning if I don't force myself. I get busy now and forget to eat---my granddaughter tells me when it is time to eat now!!! And we eat better than I used to, without a doubt. Food is no longer the center of my thoughts. I don't know what is for dinner tonight, and it is time for it---but I'll throw something together, and it will be fine, it will be enough---it isn't a concern. I used to plan dinner as I ate breakfast. I always thought that was one of the reasons I was bigger than my DH, I planned all the meals to what sounded good to me! Occasionally he would say, let's have such and such for dinner, and I always tried to do it, but sometimes it just didn't appeal, so I didn't eat so much. But no, I planned meals way before time to have them, what side dishes would go best, based on the tastes.....now it isn't a big deal.

There is a saying I had always heard, of Eating to Live, not Living to Eat. I get it now---I live it! It isn't a real concious decision to change---but when you are not starving all the time, it loses its appeal. You learn that you actually only get the big pleasure of the taste in the first 2-3 bites, then your tastebuds are adjusted...so you totally enjoy the 2-3 bites---and are done with it.

I know I have gone on FOREVER---but I want you to know it DOES change---life simplifies, and changes----you enjoy moving your body----and not being chained to the kitchen----it is nice going, and not caring if someone else eats more than their share of an appetizer!

When you are going through the bandster hell---we will all be here, to help you and offer suggestions to make the time pass---and suddenly one day you will wake up and be heading out the door to go somewhere, and think, 'oh yeah I better grab a yogurt or something'----because you forgot to eat breakfast---it WILL happen. Your band will be in there waiting to work with you---so when you and your Drt. can begin the adjustment process---get ready for a change!!!

Til then, relax---it is all gonna be ok.

If you seriously want to lose 22lbs or 10 kilograms in 28 days then you must perform all of the principles exactly as recommended. Unlike the recommendations in my book, ‘Look good, feel great!', where you can pick the principles you want to use and ignore the rest and where you can even modify the principles to suit your lifestyle, these principles must be followed exactly as they are outlined. If you want extraordinary results, then you must be willing to put in an extraordinary effort!

I realise that some people may be thinking, ‘But it is impossible to lose 10 kilograms of fat in a month!' I agree- it is! However, the truth is, it is impossible to only lose fat on any type of weight-loss program. You will always lose a combination of fat, water, stored carbohydrate and some muscle.

Furthermore, most people who want to lose 10 kilograms in the first place are generally retaining excess fluid anyway, so a system that helps get rid of the excess fluid is certainly going to accelerate their results.

Perform 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise morning and night.

Yes, you read that correctly, morning and night- 2 sessions a day… every day! No excuses. We're all busy, we all feel tired some mornings, but if you're serious about getting amazing results, then you must be willing to do everything necessary.

When we talk about aerobic exercise, we're talking about exercise! Not walking around the shops, doing the gardening or doing housework. It must be exercise, which means your breathing rate increases, your face goes red, you sweat, you get tired- simple!

Some examples of aerobic exercise include: walking (pounding the pavement at a brisk pace- not dawdling), cycling (stationary bike is ideal), swimming, rowing, stepper, cross-trainer, aerobic classes, boxing, etc.

Use ‘thermogenics'.

There are several very effective thermogenic supplementson the market that can accelerate your progress towards your goal. Those containing caffeine, green tea extracts and an extract from a plant called coleus forskohlii are the most effective. They will boost your metabolismand promote the release of fat from the fat stores. ‘Scorch' by MAN Sports is a good example. It contains a combination of 7 powerful herbal ingredients specifically designed to boost your metabolism, burn body fat and increase your energy.

Unfortunately though, thermogenics are not ‘magic pills'. You can't expect to take a couple of thermogenic capsules and then go home and eat pizza and drink alcohol and expect to get results. Thermogenics only work when their use is combined with a good nutrition and exercise program.

Take 1-2 capsules twice a day; once prior to your morning exercise session and once with your lunch. Don't take them later than 4:00pm in the afternoon because they may keep you awake at night.

Before using thermogenics, see your doctor first and obtain their approval.

Do not eat anything for 30 minutes after the completion of any exercise.

As a result of using the thermogenics combined with the exercise, your metabolism will remain elevated for some time after the exercise session is finished. This means your body will burn fuel at a faster rate than normal.

Any exercise causes the body to use carbohydrate (muscle glycogen and blood glucose) as a fuel source. This means that after the exercise is completed the carbohydrate stores in the body are low and the body will be forced to use fat as its fuel.

If a meal is eaten immediately after the completion of the exercise session, the blood glucose level will rise, inducing the secretion of insulin from the pancreas. One of the effects of insulin is to stop fat burning in the body. Therefore, wait 30 minutes (but no longer because cortisol will rise) before having your next meal.

Perform a weight training workout 2-4 times a week.

Lifting weights is the most under-estimated way to lose fat fast! Now, before you start saying, ‘But I don't want to get big muscles!' or ‘I don't want to look like a man!', consider the following.

The main purpose of lifting weights when your primary goal is to lose body fat is to preserve the muscle massyou already have. You see, muscle is the ‘engine' within which the fat, or ‘fuel' is burnt and maintaining or even increasing your muscle mass slightly will help ensure your body fat is burnt off efficiently.

If you don't lift weights, your body will quite happily lose both fat and muscle as you drop the kilos. Lifting weights forces your body to maintain your muscle mass, therefore keeping your metabolism elevated and turning your body into 24-hour-a-day fat-burning machine!

Incidentally, it only takes two 30 minute sessions a week to obtain the muscle preserving benefits of lifting weights.

Have 5-6 small meals a day.

One of the most common strategies people use to lose weight is to skip meals. Whilst reducing food intake is certainly an effective way to lose weight, having fewer meals is not the way to go. Many overweight people say, ‘I don't know why I'm overweight, I only eat once or twice a day!' Unfortunately, this is exactly why they are overweight.

Having a mild calorie restriction is effective because if you consume less calories than you burn each day you will lose weight- simple! However, skipping meals forces the body to invoke its ‘Starvation Mechanism' because it thinks it is entering a famine. As a result, the body slows the metabolism to preserve energy. It also increases cortisol output and cortisol is the most powerful catabolic hormone in the body, which means it goes around the body breaking down lean tissue, particularly muscle. A loss of muscle slows the metabolism even further. Skipping meals also results in an increase in appetite, which forces you to eat larger amounts of food when you do eat. In addition to all these factors, the body also increases the activity of fat-storing enzymes, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and fatty acid synthase (FAS), so when you do eat the food gets stored as fat. All of this results from simply skipping meals!

By having a small meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day, your metabolism stays elevated and your body will happily burn fat all day long. Unfortunately though, most people are conditioned to having large meals and they automatically assume they will put on weight if they have 5 or 6 meals a day. The fact is, the ideal portion sizes for most people are actually quite small and in order to lose weight fast it is essential that you never feel full from a meal but you do feel satisfied.

Also, most people find it difficult to have a meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day because they are so busy with work and/ or family commitments. Here are some suggestions to ensure you get your 5 or 6 meals a day.

• Plan and prepare your meals the night before

• Use meal replacements (protein shakes or bars)

• Select foods that are quick and easy to prepare and consume

Ensure each meal contains protein.

Protein is a component of all cells and makes up over half the dry weight of the human body. Furthermore, the human body is a dynamic structure, which means it is constantly building up and breaking down tissue. Just imagine a bath full of water. At one end of the bath the plug is pulled out and at the other end the tap is turned on full. The water level in the bath doesn't change but there are ‘new' water molecules entering the bath and ‘old' water molecules leaving the bath all the time. The human body is exactly the same. If the body breaks down more tissue than it builds up, then it is said to be in a catabolic state. This results in the metabolism slowing down due to the loss of muscle tissue.

Having a portion of high-quality protein every few hours throughout the day provides the body with a constant supply of amino acids- the building blocks of the body. This prevents the catabolic state, promotes an anabolic state (tissue building) and therefore keeps the metabolism ‘fired-up'.

If only carbohydrate or fat is consumed for a meal, for example a piece of fruit (carbohydrate) for the mid-morning meal, then the body will still enter a catabolic state because it doesn't have the building blocks (amino acids) to re-build body tissues. Protein, as its name suggests, is of primary importance.

Reduce your intake of high-density carbohydrates.

Most high-density carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice and cereals cause a rapid rise in blood glucose. This invokes the release of insulin from the pancreas, which in turn stores the glucose. The body stores glucose in the muscles and liver as glycogen and once these sites are full, the remaining glucose gets stored as body fat. Not only this, but insulin also stops the body from mobilising and utilising fat for fuel (burning fat).

So if you want to maximise fat loss, you need to keep insulin to a minimum and the best way to do this is by reducing your intake of starchy carbohydrates without cutting them out altogether. Cutting them out totally is a philosophy of many low-carb diets on the market. However, these are very hard to sustain long-term and may lead to nutrient deficiencies.

Each day, have a small amount (1-2 serves) of high density carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, cereals); a moderate amount (2-3 serves) of medium density carbohydrates (starchy vegetables and fruits); and a large amount (5-6 serves) of low density carbohydrates (fibrous vegetables). [For a complete list of carbohydrates, see pages 136-138 of the book, ‘ Look good, feel great! ]

Do not have a Treat Day.

Since you are expecting an extraordinary result, it is essential that you put in an extraordinary effort. Accordingly, for the next 28 days you must follow the plan exactly as it is outlined without deviating. This means you can't allow yourself to indulge in any ‘forbidden foods'. This also means avoiding alcohol for the entire 28-day period. I know this may be hard for some people but let's face it, it is only for 28 days!

By committing to the plan and disciplining yourself to see it through, you are ensuring that the results will follow. Plus, the disciplines you create to help you achieve your physical goal will have a ‘carry-over benefit' to other areas of your life as well.

I wish you the greatest success in achieving outstanding results!

* Before using any nutritional supplement, speak with your health care professional.

Hi,

I wanted to start my journal. It has been one full week since surgery and I am doing pretty good. I will continue to exercise as much as possible, I feel so much better doing it! I found after Susanne left on Easter, my depression was soooooo real. I, for the first time in my life, couldn't turn to food to "comfort" the lonliness. That is a big AHA for me. I never realized I did that, but I do. So, I am hoping to overcome this w/ exercise. I want to exercise 4-5 days/week minimum.

I am on full liquids and doing pretty well. I am getting hungry about 2 hours after I eat, but considering I am only eating (or drinking) about 3-5 oz each sitting. I hope to progress to mushies this weekend, to get my body used to it before I go back to work.

peaceout