PattyGirl66

I swear by this machine! I am on it every single day. I also have 2lb weights I do upper body exercise too when I am finished on my gazelle edge. I have lost a lot of inches on my waist, hips, thighs, and legs doing the gazelle edge. The best part about this machine it folds for in the closet storage. This machine is sold out practically everywhere, I did find it on amazon in stock now : http://www.amazon.com/Gazelle-1285-Edge/dp/B0000AS7W2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356725743&sr=8-1&keywords=tony+little+gazelle+edge

GREAT analogy, love it!!

Sending good vibes your way....

It boils down to this... WE all are not the same, our bodies are not built the same, we do NOT burn the same. The most important thing you can do for 'yourself' is LISTEN to your own bodies. What it wants, what it needs, what it craves, how it burns. Carbs in a nutshell is the reason we can agree why we all got to be this big in the first place. Some people need more to burn, some less. Its doesn't take a math genius to figure this out! I can sit down with a NUT and she/he can only 'try' and come up with a plan that 'might' work.. SEE they have NO clue how your body is going work on the plan they give you, it is really guessing, and a lot of it. That is why it is important again that you listen to your own bodies. For me its carbs. I specifically work on the carbs in my daily routine to what fits my needs. I don't carb cycle every single week. I do it occassionaly. However, I took the concept of carb cycling and worked it into my daily lifestyle. Does my surgeon know, YES,. Does it think its GREAT! YES, he wishes ALL his patients would listen to their own bodies and needs. I don't starve myself, I am eating better than I ever had before. I feel GREAT! that is key. I don't deprive myself on any foods. I eat like a normal person now without cutting out the foods I love. This is a lifestyle change, and eating foods shouldn't be a torture. What works for YOU is great, what works for YOU does NOT neccessarly mean it works for ME. There should be no reason in the world anyone should condemn the way we treat our bodies if something we are doing HEALTHY works. I don't see anyone on here who is doing this long term, I have NO clue what is the issue or problem. If you have a problem with this then I suggest you leave this topic alone for those who are interested. We should all learn to RESPECT others for whatever they choose to do with their own bodies. WE are NOT children and should not be treated as. WE respect your opinions, but honestly since this has been posted months ago the negative comments still come. I refuse and will NOT comment on any more posts about this. I have stated my last. I will carry on to do what works best for me. So if it makes you feel good to blog/comment on it, you do that.....

I have lost close to 20 carb cyclying and kept it off since I started. Including all the baking and cooking I did for the Holidays. I have tweaked the concept of carb cycling to fit into my every day lifestyle. I need a boost after this week so I am going to carb cycle for a week then go back to my normal daily eating but with set amount of carbs I have tweaked for myself that works for me. By January 1st I would have lost a considerable amount of weight not being even a full 6 months banded. With that said I couldn't thank Missy enough for being the first to experiment with carb cycling and sharing this with all of us. We have all learned a lot about our bodies and how it works, what makes it tick, and what we can do to boost our metabolism when it slows up. Nothing harmful about it, and our surgeons give us 2 thumbs up and couldn't be more pleased!

Sending good vibes your way......

Congratulations Jenny!!! You look stunning! (hugs)

I have to laugh because nothing is more funnier or embarassing than having someone who had lapband surgery and approach you when you are already banded, lolololool Yup, happened to me while shopping for clothing. some woman slithered her way near me, she kept getting closer and closer while rummaging through shirts on the rack. I was thinking to myself, "damn woman give me some space here", all the while she was trying to speak to me. She was if I had to guess about a size 18, and she managed to get close enough to me to say. You have such a beautiful face, don't take this wrong but I use to be heavier than you are, "i let her carry on"... "because I knew this was going to be good"... She then said I am much older than you are and I wished i would of did this many years ago, she said look at me now I am 51 and finally feel great, etc... I did let her finish right to the very end..... I leaned into her and said, first off I want to thank you for the compliment, I am actually 49. then I looked around to make sure NOOO one was near me for what I did next. I said to this woman I want to show you something.. I lifted up my top and exposed my belly.......... Ahhh, just the look on her face was priceless, but the highlight of my day was buying a pair of jeans for $8 it doesn't get any better than that!

Take care, rest up... Most importantly keep yourself hydrated! Best wishes and hope to hear more about your journey (hugs)

I agree with the rest of the posters. Sounds like you are too tight and will need a small unfill.

Very normal what you are going through! I can only tell you to hang in there and that it does get better! Moving around helps tremendously! walk it out... ((hugs))

Maddy hit the nail right on the head. It is very difficult for a weight loss patient especially to pull in 60 grams and over of Protein daily from food. I for one struggle daily with this. Just like Maddy said, you need to now start 'adding' more protein into your already protein foods. I do the same thing, I add eggs, cheese, nuts, Peanut Butter, etc. whatever has protein I just add more to my meals. I can not drink protein shakes/drinks. They make me sick so all my protien is dependant on foods only....

I don't have small children, however I do have a 6 almost 7 year old granddaughter. She is very smart, witty for her age. She knows everything there is to know about my surgery. Before I went in for the surgery we sat at the computer and I showed her the 'device' that was going to be placed around my band and how it works. She asked me tons of questions, one was when will it come out. She thought it goes in and comes out, she also asked me will it hurt, etc. I explained everything to her where she would understand. She is very observant of me, she tells me what she sees getting smaller on my body and points it out. She loves I have more energy and we can play for hours and hours on end. I had to adjust my entire way of eating with her through this journey. I don't snack with her on chips, doodles, or cakes anymore. It took her awhile to adjust without getting angry. Now, I make many healthy Snacks for us to share and she really likes that because she feels included with eating with me, instead of just watching her eat alone. You would be surprised how much kids love veggies and dips, and even rolled up coldcuts with cream cheese. LOLOL I really think it depends on how much your child can understand when explaining about this type of surgery. I simply told my granddaughter that Nana needs to get healthy and by doing that I need to eat healthy. She gets that!

Hi Denee, Water exercise is great for anyone who has joint problems, no impact and you use all of your muscles with no strain. Another great exercise to do with no impact is "Chair Exercise". Another great form of exercise to get your body moving. There are wonderful videos on youtube.com to help show the level your hubby can do. Just go to www.youtube.com and type Chair Exercises. Thats it! Best wishes,

Maddys right call in, I couldn't do protein drinks after surgery and when I called to let them know how I was feeling they immediately put me into the soft stages so I could get some nutrients in. Drink alllll day long, you need to keep hydrated. Buy yourself some Gatorade and sip on it you will be surprised how much better your body will feel. You can also dilute it in your water as well (I did that too). Just keep drinking all day, this is key to healing. Oh for the gas, you are just going to have to walk it out ... the gas will travel through your body before it dissipates. Hang in there, it does get better

Hi Amy, it can't hurt to give it a try if your weight has stalled and you have tried everything. I didn't take action for 4 weeks when my weight stalled on me, I wanted to 'wait' to see if anything happened or my body needed to catch up. Well, I realized when you do lose a lot of weight your body can't handle the 'high' amount of carbs, for example my body was doing 120 carbs daily before my weight stalled. That was too much and my body wouldn't of lost weight on that amount of carbs if I didn't do anything about it. I done not only research on carb cycling, read, but I also personally know someone who is a gym rat and has lost 160 pounds in 11 months just by exercising. She weighed over 300 lbs, and went over my nutrients with me and also confirmed 120 grams of carbs was very high and I needed to bring it down considerably. Its still work in progress for me, but yes I am still losing weight by watching my carb intake. I am not starving my body at all, eating very healthy, and getting in very healthy complex carbs to keep my body fat burning....

I just wanted to tell you I LOVE your kitty animation!!! super adorable!

Hmm, good question. What motivates me is seeing results, such as seeing the numbers on the scale go down, shrinking out of my clothes, and the most important to me is seeing how quickly I get around (without pain). That is my biggest achievement by far! There are days I just don't want to get on my exercise machine, and days I look forward to it. However, what puts things into perspective for me is how I got here in the first place and I like this feeling. Exercise is helping this happen! Therefore, no matter how tired I may feel or lazy. I get on that machine and do the best that I can. I listen to music while doing this it always makes me feel good and as the songs go by, so does the time......

Yaaaa!!! I know that feeling too, its a wonderful one! Congrats!

Looking forward to the Holidays with family, friends, great food and wine

I am just one of those persons who have lost weight and jump started my metabolism with Carb Cycling. Now, I have taken this great idea about carbs to another level. This is a personal choice, I need something consistent for every day living. My initial carb intake before starting carb cycling was about 120 daily. That was too much! This is where my weight loss stalled for 4 weeks! I started carb cycling and in just 2 weeks of giving it a try I lost 10 pounds. As of now, my carbs is at 40 grams (or under). I do not go over the number once increased so I can see how well I do for the week. I do this for two weeks and track results. I am introducing more "healthy' carbs into my diet on a daily basis. I have also increased my exercise level too. I started out with doing 20 minutes every single day, I am up to 30 minutes now . Last week my carb level was 40 grams daily and I lost 4 pounds in a week. I record everything so that I know what my body feels comfortable with. I will continue at this level for another week, if there are good results I will adjust my carbs up by another 10 pts. The goal is to find just the right amount of carbs that my body can be comfortable with on a daily basis, with results. As our bodies loses more weight and we increase our exercise our metabolism changes too. On a last note: If my weight starts to stall again I will go back to carb cycling to jump start my metabolism. Its as simple as that!

Snipme, I have very dark hair and the greys are noticible when they come in. I just touch up with natural hair instinct, is that okay? Nice we have a few hair specialists on here we can talk to and get help. Oh, I also use paul mitchell strong strength hair repair, also recommended by a hair stylist on here as well. I really like using it and hope it is helping.

This is a relief to know! Thank you!

Hey Kime-lou, There is a serious bunch of people on this site that need an attitude adjustment. They know who they are and instead of learning to 'adjust' their behavior they continue to verbally bully others. Tough love should be given to your children, not total strangers who are 'vulnerable' looking to 'reach' out to anyone who can give them some direction, reassurance, comfort, and guidence. If they ask 'directly' a 'factual' reinforcement should be suggested ....in an appropriate manner. I come from a long line of licensed and certified therapists and social workers. Our family does not talk to one another or display such ignorant behavior as I have seen in this community, a community that was created for everyone to come together and 'help' one another out. There are many ways to communicate to someone without making them feel as if they are 'bad'. Belittling and berating doesn't help, especailly those who may be sensative or shy. I would NOT speak to my child that way or my grandchild. Today was a comment left for a young man and honestly I was appauld at one of our community 'seniors' response back. I wonder to myself if this 'older' woman speaks to her grandchildren like that, if she has any that is. Anyway, I have learned sooo much on this site about my surgery before, during, and after. As I continue to learn, I appreciate the wonderful advice from some of our bandsters who have succeeded before me and reached goal. Hence, I will continue to ignore the bullies and let them continue to make fools of themselves..... Thanks for posting this Kime-lou!

Hi Lucy, You are not alone! My hair is falling out too, just started actually. I thought I was in the clear until a month ago, blah! Anyway, Biotin can't hurt to take. I have been taking them 7 months before surgery, it obviously doesn't prevent the hair from falling out, but can help with new hair growth, not to mention long nails and great looking skin. About coloring your hair I don't have an answer for you. I have a small amount of greys behind my ears I do myself. I use Natural Hair instincts, its less abrasive on the hair. ask a professional hair specialist what do they think, just in case you don't want to use any harsh chemicals in your hair.