Penni60

Today's plan accomplishment: I will follow my Nutrisystem meal plans. (OK stayed on track. This is a huge accomplishment for me.) I will exercise for a minimum of 20 min a day 4 days a week. (Got my exercise for the day.) I will lose at least 1 lb a week. (Wait and see for next week.) I will drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. (Got in about 82oz so far. Can we say I live in the bathroom now. LOL!!) Positive reinforcement mantras: I will continue to eat healthy and hope to lose weight. I will continue to exercise and hope to lose weight. I will continue to be proud of myself with all the accomplishments to date.

Thank goodness NO Erosion. I am so glad. I am with Jenna doing the happy dance over here.

Zoe me thinks il doctor needs thine boot. What say you?

I live in Van Nuys which is about 45 min North of LA. That could be about 15 miles in LA traffic. LOL!!!

Jonathan I have thought the same thing for quite sometime now. I think it is an excellent idea. I for one feel sorta funny answering issues related to the band since I no longer have one. So this would be a great way for us to still come and post but address topics directly related to us NON bandsters. I will send an email to Alex the owner of LBT.

Let me know how things are going?

Today's plan accomplishment: I will follow my Nutrisystem meal plans. (OK stayed on track. This is a huge accomplishment for me.) I will exercise for a minimum of 20 min a day 4 days a week. (John and I went walking hand in hand around our block today. We haven't done that in ages. It was fun. We had a two fold reason for the walk. To exercise, spend time together, and to go be nosey with the filming going on one block over. OK that is three reasons. The show "NUMB3RS" was filming a scene. They will be there till 10pm tonight. They sent out notices to all the neighbors for a couple of blocks that there will be internal rapid gunfire heard. LOL!! That way no one will call the cops. Too funny. They are filming all the time in our neighborhood. Kinda exciting. I saw one of the stars from that show that is why I new who was filming. Anyway got in my exercise for the day.) I will lose at least 1 lb a week. (Wait and see for next week.) I will drink at least 64 ounces of Water a day. (Got it in.) Positive reinforcement mantras: I will continue to eat healthy and hope to lose weight. I will continue to exercise and hope to lose weight. I will continue to be proud of myself with all the accomplishments to date. Here are the paintings I was working on for my grandson. I love the way they turned out. They are 10 inches x 10 inches.

Today's plan accomplishment: I will follow my Nutrisystem meal plans. (OK stayed on track. This is a huge accomplishment for me.) I will exercise for a minimum of 20 min a day 4 days a week. (John and I went walking hand in hand around our block today. We haven't done that in ages. It was fun. We had a two fold reason for the walk. To exercise, spend time together, and to go be nosey with the filming going on one block over. OK that is three reasons. The show "NUMB3RS" was filming a scene. They will be there till 10pm tonight. They sent out notices to all the neighbors for a couple of blocks that there will be internal rapid gunfire heard. LOL!! That way no one will call the cops. Too funny. They are filming all the time in our neighborhood. Kinda exciting. I saw one of the stars from that show that is why I new who was filming. Anyway got in my exercise for the day.) I will lose at least 1 lb a week. (Wait and see for next week.) I will drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. (Got it in.) Positive reinforcement mantras: I will continue to eat healthy and hope to lose weight. I will continue to exercise and hope to lose weight. I will continue to be proud of myself with all the accomplishments to date. Here are the paintings I was working on for my grandson. I love the way they turned out. They are 10 inches x 10 inches.

C = 251 (-45 lbs total) ( -1 for me.) I posted this yesterday but it got lost in the shuffle. I am thrilled that I went down a pound. WHOO HOO!!!!

Today's plan accomplishment: I will follow my Nutrisystem meal plans. (OK stayed on track. This is a huge accomplishment for me.) I will exercise for a minimum of 20 min a day 4 days a week. (None today. Been running all day long doing chores. Got my nails done and pedicure. MMM MMM nice pampering. Then had a Band Doctor appt. I weighed 251 on his scales. That shows an 11 lb gain since unbanding. He wasn't all that upset with me. He did say that he expects me to lose that much by my next visit which is in two months. That is certainly doable since I am back on the Nutrisystem.) I will lose at least 1 lb a week. (No loss today.) I will drink at least 64 ounces of Water a day. (Got it in.) Positive reinforcement mantras: I will continue to eat healthy and hope to lose weight. I will continue to exercise and hope to lose weight. I will continue to be proud of myself with all the accomplishments to date.

Kathy, I couldn't believe that I didn't see it for such a long time. LOL!!! Funny me.

C = 251 (-45 lbs total) ( -1 for me.) I go see my Band doc today. Pray for me in my hour of need. LOL!! He will scream at me I am sure. I have gained 6 lbs since I was unbanded in Dec. SIGH!! But I am working on that with the Nutrisystem plan. I am back on track and the food is so good. Today's plan accomplishment: I will follow my Nutrisystem meal plans. (OK stayed on track. This is a huge accomplishment for me.) I will exercise for a minimum of 20 min a day 4 days a week. (None today. Been running all day long doing chores. Got my nails done and pedicure. MMM MMM nice pampering. Then had a Band Doctor appt. I weighed 251 on his scales. That shows an 11 lb gain since unbanding. He wasn't all that upset with me. He did say that he expects me to lose that much by my next visit which is in two months. That is certainly doable since I am back on the Nutrisystem.) I will lose at least 1 lb a week. (No loss today.) I will drink at least 64 ounces of Water a day. (Got it in.) Positive reinforcement mantras: I will continue to eat healthy and hope to lose weight. I will continue to exercise and hope to lose weight. I will continue to be proud of myself with all the accomplishments to date. I was looking at my Positive Mantras and all of them had negative statements. LOL!! So I changed them. CONGRATS!!!! To everyone that is working so hard. It's takes a lot of heart and courage to face the demons we are facing on sometimes an hourly basis and to then persevere. I am in awe of your accomplishments.

When I was banded and I flew (which was alot) I always had more restriction for a few days. Never failed. You don't get more fill with a plane ride. But here is my theory of why there was more restriction. If your band essentially gets tighter around your stomach this could possibly cause some irritation and swelling. That being the case it is not surprising that there would be some restriction. I always tried to do liquids for the first 24 hours after landing. Inamed and doctors can all spout the way a band should work. I tend to listen to more what others actually experience and use that as my ruler of what I might experience myself.

Kelly and Darcy: I am glad that you can get some use out of the info as well. I put the meal plan and the list of supplemental foods on my fridge so when I go to get something to eat I know what I am supposed to have. In the past I would have grabbed all the wrong things in the wrong combination. This has helped me greatly as well. I keep Fuji Apples around for my snack food now. I found these yummy and low calorie Dried Cinnamon Fuji chips from the same person I buy the apples from at the Farmer's Market. They are a quick fix to my sweet demon. It is all about head games. You know you want something sweet so you automatically gravitate to the bad stuff. You just have to keep natural sweet stuff on hand to satisfy that sweet demon and change your mindset. HEAD GAMES!!!! SIGH!!!!

Paula: What do you owe me for this? HMMM I could really work this huh? How about a visit when it is feasible for both of us? That works for me. LOL!! Entree = the main portion of the meal. The salad can be the entree if it the main meal. This term usually refers to the meat aspect of the meal. What is the main then in your meal that gives you the most nutrients. My personal opinion is and has always been that counting Carbs is a good thing but don't make it the ONLY thing. If you wannt count carbs then also count Calories and Protein. If you wanna count FAT then count Calories and Protein. I think the important thing here is that we all know what we are putting into our bodies with EACH meal or snack. I try to get only FRESH fruit and veggies. I go to my area Farmer's Market on Sundays and get all my veggies and fruits for the week. If you don't have a Farmer's Market then you can buy from Grocery STores but remember to wash any fruits before eating them. They sometimes come with a waxy substance and pesticides that didn't get removed prior to shipping. Dawn and warm Water will remove any of that left over junk. Trader Joe's has great organic fruits and veggies as well. I get the Feta cheese from them. It is to die for.

Susan, as soon as I get them finished and taken I will post them. I gotta do a couple of touch ups first. Keeping busy is a definite must in this struggle. IT keeps the mind and fingers occupied. LOL!!!

Today's plan accomplishment: I will follow my Nutrisystem meal plans. (OK stayed on track. This is a huge accomplishment for me.) I will exercise for a minimum of 20 min a day 4 days a week. (30 min today plus I cleaned up my office space and threw out things from 2001. That is also an accomplishment.) I will lose at least 1 lb a week. (I have lost a 1/2 pound as of this morning. I go see Dr. Billy tomorrow. YIKES!! He is gonna holler at me so bad. LOL!!!! ) I will drink at least 64 ounces of Water a day. (I got mine in today.) Positive reinforcement mantras: I cannot continue to eat unhealthy and expect to lose weight. I cannot continue to not exercise and expect to lose weight. I cannot continue to buy pills, buy exercise equip, etc then not use them and expect to lose weight. I cannot continue to feel sorry for myself because I do not have the band anymore.

Today's plan accomplishment: I will follow my Nutrisystem meal plans. (OK stayed on track. This is a huge accomplishment for me.) I will exercise for a minimum of 20 min a day 4 days a week. (30 min today plus I cleaned up my office space and threw out things from 2001. That is also an accomplishment.) I will lose at least 1 lb a week. (I have lost a 1/2 pound as of this morning. I go see Dr. Billy tomorrow. YIKES!! He is gonna holler at me so bad. LOL!!!! ) I will drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. (I got mine in today.) Positive reinforcement mantras: I cannot continue to eat unhealthy and expect to lose weight. I cannot continue to not exercise and expect to lose weight. I cannot continue to buy pills, buy exercise equip, etc then not use them and expect to lose weight. I cannot continue to feel sorry for myself because I do not have the band anymore.

That first long list of foods is the supplement list to your entree meal. Calorie and Protein count are a must. If you want to look at Fat content as well then go for it. I find if I follow the plan then the Fat content doesn't come into play as much for me. Here is a typical meal plan I try to follow: Breakfast: (approx = 200 Calories and 10 g Protein) Usually a cup of any whole grain cereal with a 1/4 cup milk (if that much - I just like the cereal to be wet not drenched). To the cereal I will add either 15 Fresh Blueberries or 1/4 cup banana. I have a cup of coffee with Lowfat French Vanilla Powdered Cream - This allows me to not have to use sweetener of any kind. Or I have a cup of Caffe Vienna Sugar Free. Of course a 16 oz of water as well to take my Vitamins in the morning. Lunch: (approx = 300 to 450 Calories and 20 to 35g Protein) 1.) I might have a 1 cup of broth based soup. Something like Chicken noodle, Vegetable beef soup, just make sure the liquid isn't cream based like Cream of ANYTHING. You can have it you just have to adjust your calorie content for the day. 10 baby carrots with 1 tablespoon Light Ranch dressing. 1 med size apple. 16 oz water up to 32 oz water. 2.) I might have 1/2 cup Tuna with 1 tablespoon of Light Miracle Whip. This make the Tuna very creamy. I put that on two slices of Melba Toast or one slice of Whole Wheat Bread. I always have the baby carrots and apple at lunch with the water. 3.) I might have the salad listed below and cut up some ham and turkey for a cobb salad. Afternoon Snack: (never over 150 calories) Apple, Pear, chose from the list of items I gave you for your snack. I rarely get this snack in. Dinner: (approx = 450 to 500 Calories and 20 to 35 g Protein) 1.) Two Palm size Cheese and Spinach Ravioli. Small bowl of Salad with 10 Almonds or Walnuts or Pecans, 15 Blueberries, Either Cauliflower or Broccoli, celery, cherry tomatoes if I have them, topped with some Feta Cheese and drizzled with a yummy Pear Vinegratte I got from Trader Joe's. You can use any low cal dressing. Just watch those calories per serving. I never use more than a 1/4 cup of dressing. 2.) I might just have the salad and add some yummy chicken strips. With each meal I drink at least 16 oz of liquid. Of course this is just an example of what my meals look like now. Here is the Nutrisystem suggestions for the day. Breakfast: Entree, 1 dairy or protein, 1 fruit Lunch: Entree, 1 dairy or protein, Salad Veggies, 2 tbsp fat free dressing Snack: 1 dairy or protein, 1 fruit Dinner: Entree, 2 Veggies, 1 Salad or Fruit, 2 tbsp fat free dressing, 1 fat Dessert: A Nutrisystem yummy dessert that is always under 200 calories. If you have more than 100 pounds to lose then you can add 1 carb to breakfast and dinner, and 1 fruit to lunch. I almost never add the carb to the breakfast. I sometimes do at dinner. If this has helped then please let me know. If you need more suggestions for mealtime then let me know.

Dairy and Protein Servings • Fat-free Milk or Light Yogurt, 8 oz • Fat-free or Low-fat cheese, 1 oz • Non-fat or Low-fat Cottage Cheese, 1/4 cup • Parmesan (grated), 2 Tbsp • chicken or Turkey (without skin), 1 oz • Egg, 1 • Egg Whites, 3 • Egg Substitute, 1/2 cup • Fish (fresh or frozen, not breaded), 1 oz • Lean Beef (Round, Sirloin, Flank, Tenderloin, Chuck, Rump), 1 oz • Lean Pork (Fresh or Boiled Ham, Canadian Bacon, Tenderloin, Loin Chop), 1 oz • Sandwich meat (with 2 grams of fat or less per ounce), 1 oz • Sardines, 2 • Shellfish (Clams, Crab, Lobster, Scallops, Shrimp), 2 oz • Tuna (canned in water), 1/4 cup • Vegetarian Protein Foods ("Veggie" Burgers, Smart Dogs), 2 oz Skim Milk Alternatives If you have trouble getting in all of your dairy servings or are lactose intolerant, the following can be used to replace a Dairy or Protein serving in your meal plan: • NutriSystem Chewy Fudge Bar Low Glycemic Index Carbohydrate Servings • Barley (cooked), 1/3 cup • Beans (Garbanzo, Pinto, Kidney, White), 1/3 cup • Bread (Whole-wheat, Multi-grain, Pumpernickel, Rye, Sourdough, Oatmeal), 1 slice • Corn, 1/2 cup • Couscous (cooked), 1/3 cup • Crackers (whole-grain), 3/4 oz • oatmeal (cooked), 1/2 cup • Pasta (cooked al dente), 1/2 cup • Peas (green), 1/2 cup • Peas (split, black-eyed), 1/3 cup • Pita (whole-grain, 6 inch), 1/2 • Rice (cooked, brown), 1/3 cup • Roll (whole-grain, small), 1 • Sweet Potatoes, Yams, 1/3 cup Fat Servings • Avocado, 1/8 • Mayonnaise, 1 tsp • Nuts Almonds, 6 Peanuts, 10 large Pecans, 4 halves Walnuts, 4 halves • Peanut Butter, 1 tsp • Oil (Canola, Olive, Peanut, Corn, Safflower), 1 tsp • Olives, 5 large • salad Dressings (regular), 1 Tbsp • Salad Dressings (reduced-fat), 2 Tbsp • Seeds (Sesame, pumpkin, Sunflower), 1 Tbsp Fruit Servings • Apple, 1 small • Applesauce, 1/2 cup • Apricots, 1/2 cup • banana, 1/2 • Blueberries, 3/4 cup • Cantaloupe, 1/3 • Cherries, 12 • Cranberries, dried 2 Tbsp. • Grapes, 15 • Grapefruit, 1/2 • Honeydew melon, 1/8 • Kiwi, 1 large • Mandarin Oranges, 1/2 c. canned • Nectarine, 1 med. • Orange, 1 med. • Pear, 1 small • Peach, 1 med. • pineapple, 1/3 c. canned • Pineapple, 3/4 cup fresh • Plums, 2 • Pomegranate, 1/2 med. • Prunes, 3 • Raisins, 2 Tbsp. • Raspberries, 1 cup • Strawberries, whole, 11/4 cup • Tangerines, 2 small Fruit Juices (may replace fruit) • Apple juice, 1/2 cup • Cranberry Juice Cocktail, 1/3 cup • Grapefruit Juice, 1/2 cup • Grape Juice, 1/3 cup • Orange Juice, 1/2 cup • Pineapple Juice, 1/2 cup Salad Vegetable Servings These raw vegetables may be eaten in unlimited amounts as part of your daily salad servings. • Alfalfa Sprouts • Cabbage • Chicory • Cucumbers • Celery • Escarole • Green Onions • Hot Peppers • Lettuce (all types) • Parsley • Radishes • Spinach • Watercress • Zucchini Vegetable Servings Serving size is 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw unless otherwise noted. • Artichoke, 1/2 large • Asparagus • Beets • Bell Peppers • Broccoli • Brussels Sprouts • Cabbage • Carrots • Cauliflower • Collard Greens • Eggplant • Green Beans • Kale • Mushrooms • Mustard Greens • Snow Pea Pods • Spinach • Tomato, 1 med • Tomato Juice • Vegetable Juice • Zucchini The follow condiments and beverages may be eaten in the amounts listed. Unlimited • Artificial sweeteners • Herbs • Lemon juice • Spices (salt-free) • Vinegar Limited to 1 tsp. per day: • Flavoring extracts • Horseradish • Low-sodium soy sauce • Mustard • Relish • Worcestershire sauce Limited to 1 Tbsp. per day: • Catsup • Salsa • Picante sauce • Taco sauce These beverages may be consumed in unlimited amounts: • Cofee ot tea • Diet soda • Sodium-free seltzer Water • sugar-free tonic water

Hey there Kellykins. How ya doing there sweetie? I see you are hydrated and recovering but how is the head working right now? You got my number so use it anytime. It ain't easy unbanded but we will win this trip too.

Is this list complete now? Is there something that you just can't live without it being on the list? LOL!!!

I can speak to having been banded, eroded then had band removed and not dieting. IT SUCKS!! LOL!! Ok got that out of the way. The band limits and quiets the head demon. If he is not overweight and does not battle the weight issues like we do then he might not understand period. Here is something I have used in the past to explain it to someone. Preband you can eat a horse and have no idea you are doing it. With the band you can eat a horse hair and realize that is too much. Of course this is over-exaggerating but you get the pic. With the band you get this feeling that if you eat another bite you will explode. It drastically limits how much you eat therefore cutting down on calories. Without the band you don't have that little indicator to warn you. So you can continue to eat. The statement of "just eat less" doesn't work for us without the band. I am struggling to just eat my Nutrisystem meals and not grab something else cause I don't have that limit indicator anymore. Hope this helped.

So far so good today. I was occupied most of the day with a painting project for my new grandson. My daughter wants me to paint 5 pictures to match his blanket for his bed. So I got those done today. I will post pictures of the painting when they are dry. I had a blast with that. Today's plan accomplishment: I will follow my Nutrisystem meal plans. (OK stayed on track. SIGH!!) I will exercise for a minimum of 20 min a day 4 days a week. (Nope none today) I will lose at least 1 lb a week. ( Will see come Friday how this is going ) I will drink at least 64 ounces of Water a day. (I got mine in today.) Positive reinforcement mantras: I cannot continue to eat unhealthy and expect to lose weight. I cannot continue to not exercise and expect to lose weight. I cannot continue to buy pills, buy exercise equip, etc then not use them and expect to lose weight. I cannot continue to feel sorry for myself because I do not have the band anymore.

So far so good today. I was occupied most of the day with a painting project for my new grandson. My daughter wants me to paint 5 pictures to match his blanket for his bed. So I got those done today. I will post pictures of the painting when they are dry. I had a blast with that. Today's plan accomplishment: I will follow my Nutrisystem meal plans. (OK stayed on track. SIGH!!) I will exercise for a minimum of 20 min a day 4 days a week. (Nope none today) I will lose at least 1 lb a week. ( Will see come Friday how this is going ) I will drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. (I got mine in today.) Positive reinforcement mantras: I cannot continue to eat unhealthy and expect to lose weight. I cannot continue to not exercise and expect to lose weight. I cannot continue to buy pills, buy exercise equip, etc then not use them and expect to lose weight. I cannot continue to feel sorry for myself because I do not have the band anymore.