HealthyNewMe

Just what I needed to read this morning..... A LONG-TERM successful bander. Gives me hope that I too will be successful over years. A true lifestyle that is so much more healthy. Best Wishes!

I quit weighing on a daily basis..... Weighed once a month or even once every six weeks. Have lost anywhere from 3 pounds to 11 pounds each time I got on the scale. I just couldn't handle seeing the daily fluctuations. It was a hard habit to break, but I'm glad I did. Best wishes on your continued success.

I have been off of this site for three and a half months.....extreme circumstances that have been life changing, and nothing I would wish on anyone else. I have remained ACCOUNTABLE, but only to myself. I have continued to exercise and have not allowed myself to come up with lousy excuses not to. As a matter of fact, I am at a TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY with my gym, and it is about the only thing that has given me consistency in an otherwise very chaotic and stressful place that I find myself in right now. Food choices have sometimes been another story, but I am accountable to logging every bite into MyFitnessPal. Going on a two year anniversary with that and I'm having trouble deciding if I want to keep doing that or if I want to try to live a maintenance life without it..... no decision made on that. I miss you guys, your posts, and your encouragement. Hopefully will check in a little more frequently since I am HOME after being away for three months. TAMMIE

Will buy and try Quinoa..... I tend to eat all of my traditional meals (Gumbo, red Beans, tomato gravy) and forego the rice, Pasta, etc. I do make some meals like jambalaya with brown rice. I'll let you know about the quinoa. Side note, I DID NOT go to the gym as I planned. Will try to get some walking in or use my daughter's gym in Baltimore this evening.

Got to the gym for 50 minutes today, and decided I WILL get to the gym tomorrow morning before my flight. I was starting to feel anxiety about not getting to the gym several days in a row, bc I am ALWAYS afraid of falling back on my old "COUCH POTATO" lifestyle. So, I am committing to getting in that exercise tomorrow morning early, so that I will only miss Friday this week. Still struggling to get in all the Water, although I will try to drink several glasses tonight. Cottage cheese and fruit for lunch, chicken salad and homemade chicken soup for dinner. How did everyone else do today? Meeting your goals?

Happy Re-Birth...... I said the same thing. I'll always remember by band anniversary as a significant date in my life. You are rocking the banded life. I'm also happy to have met you and many others through this site. Now, come on back down to New Orleans for one of those many vacations. I'm headed up to Baltimore tomorrow for the week (spending the week with my oldest daughter)....... Can't believe I'm going up in WINTER.....something I told her I would NEVER do. Guess a mother's love can override FREEZING TEMPS !!!!!!!! Proud of you, girl!!!!! And congrats on the newly found sex life. I've been sort of honeymooning lately myself with my husband of 26 years. 200+ pounds less between the two of us have helped that out!!!!!!!

@s_suther....glad to see you have found a potential center.... I am 17 months post-op, and I am now getting to my center once every three months. I went once a month for the first year, then every two months for the next six months, and now will be going quarterly. I am trying to get that Water in bc I know the benefits of staying hydrated, so I am going to work on that for tomorrow. I will also get to the gym tomorrow, but I know I won't on Thursday (flying to Baltimore to spend the week with the oldest daughter) and I won't on Friday (she is having surgery). I can't remember the last time I took two days off in a row from exercising. I'm actually trying to accept that ......Can this really be ME?!?!?!?!

Answering @@s_suther's roll call. Almost didn't go to the gym bc I didn't "feel like it," but went later this afternoon, so Yeah me. About to eat dinner (chicken in tomato gravy.... hold the Pasta, even though I boiled regular pasta for the son and whole wheat pasta for my husband). Met all of my food "goals," but did not get in nearly the amount of Water I should be drinking.

Got in my hour of cardio...... Just finished a lunch of cottage cheese and peaches......Tastes like dessert to me. Tonight's dinner will be chicken salad on a bed of lettuce. Trying to get in more Water..... Will try to drink three glasses while working this afternoon, instead of one water and two coffees....... Still haven't gotten on scale, so yeah. Elderly mother and mother-in-law seem to be a little better today, so yeah for that!!!!!

Glad you got the mall walking in. My life yesterday was "the best laid plans of mice and men" gone awry. Woke up to having to bring my 90 year old mother to ER (all is now good), to witnessing my 84 yr old mother-in-law trip and fall on a curb and running back to the same hospital ER for 20 stitches to her forehead, 30 minutes after my mom was released. So, I did not: 1. Exercise, 2. Have one planned meal or even a back up plan. Called my husband to bring a Protein bar, only to find out that the college son left with them all that morning. Today is another day..... I just went to the gym and did my hour of cardio and I just made a POT of three bean beef taco Soup. Lots of protein in that pot, and lots of meals!!!!!! I have not gotten on the scale for three days now. Hopefully, I will continue to get back to weighing just once a month (which works best for ME). I will also have a Protein shake today. Did make one poor decision today...... Went to the grocery store after Church, and I was HUNGRY. I try to not do this, but couldn't avoid the timing today. Didn't buy any crappy food items, but fought head demons the entire shopping trip. Yes, it was a victory, but I try to not put myself in the position of having to win that war when shopping.

Glad you got the mall walking in. My life yesterday was "the best laid plans of mice and men" gone awry. Woke up to having to bring my 90 year old mother to ER (all is now good), to witnessing my 84 yr old mother-in-law trip and fall on a curb and running back to the same hospital ER for 20 stitches to her forehead, 30 minutes after my mom was released. So, I did not: 1. Exercise, 2. Have one planned meal or even a back up plan. Called my husband to bring a Protein bar, only to find out that the college son left with them all that morning. Today is another day..... I just went to the gym and did my hour of cardio and I just made a POT of three bean beef taco soup. Lots of protein in that pot, and lots of meals!!!!!! I have not gotten on the scale for three days now. Hopefully, I will continue to get back to weighing just once a month (which works best for ME). I will also have a Protein shake today. Did make one poor decision today...... Went to the grocery store after Church, and I was HUNGRY. I try to not do this, but couldn't avoid the timing today. Didn't buy any crappy food items, but fought head demons the entire shopping trip. Yes, it was a victory, but I try to not put myself in the position of having to win that war when shopping.

I have committed to go to the gym 6 days a week, and I have for a year and a half now. My gym commitment that I need to be held accountable to is to do strength training and not just cardio. My next commitment is to not eat sugar again for a while. Had a few too many Desserts during the holidays, and the cravings crept back into my life. I'm committing to: 1. Putting the scale back on the shelf for the rest of January (I've let the crappy habit of weighing daily creep back into my life too). 2. Not eat any refined carbohydrates for the rest of January. 3. Replace one meal a day with a Protein shake, three times a week. @@s_suther ..... DID YOU DO YOUR EXERCISE VIDEO? IF NOT..........DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!!

I've never been able to eat breakfast. I don't eat my first bite until about 12:30-1:00. My band has been very fickle lately..... can't eat at all, then can eat as if I don't have a band.... I don't know if it's the weather or not, but band is acting weird.

Another year without making the same old NEW YEAR's RESOLUTIONS..... For the second year in a row, I have not made a resolution to start a diet on January 2 or to join a gym on January 2. It's so damn liberating to have that monkey off of my back..... and 150 pounds too.

That's me..... Living the banded life. Still watching overall calories. Still exercising six days a week. Still limiting carbs. Still not letting the number on the scale dictate my happiness. Still thanking God for giving me the courage to take charge of my life again. Going into my second "NEW YEAR" since being banded without DIETING and EXERCISE NEW YEAR's RESOLUTIONS!!!!!!!!!! Congrats on your success !!!!!!

Exercising during the winter and through the holidays for the second year. Like Thanksgiving, I exercised both the day before and the day after. I tasted many foods I don't normally eat, but had absolutely no guilt as I burned 900+ calories both the day before and the day after. Exercising six days a week has remained constant now for 1 1/2 years!!!!!!!! I can honestly say now that I enjoy exercise and I look forward to it daily!

This is how my brain is feeling....... I need a........ 1. personal shopper 2. interior decorator 3 maid 4. chef 5. baker 6. gift wrapper................. THEN I'LL FEEL BETTER.............

@Leepers.....Having followed you both on here and on MFP, I can see that all of that work, dedication, and lifestyle change has REALLY PAID OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW...... What a difference a year has made.

Well, I can only say what I did for Thanksgiving. I went to the gym the day before and the day after. I ate a little of everything I wanted to on Thanksgiving. Day. The band kept me from binging, so I just let the band do what it was supposed to do. I approached this holiday season different than I have every single year of my life. BEFORE..... a free for all eating frenzy from Thanksgiving until Jan. 2. THIS YEAR....... Keep exercising and let the band do what the band is supposed to do. I always go for the healthier options to eat first, and then I taste one or two things I want to try. I am burning those calories at the gym, so I am not in the dieting/restrictive mode any longer !!!!!!!!!!

I actually go to the gym now on a regular basis. I can feel the anxiety leaving me three to four minutes into my workout. I am becoming very aware of how I am reacting to stress. I walk out of the gym stress free, but will notice as the day goes on, I can feel it returning. At that point, a nice glass of wine helps.......WINK, WINK !!!!!

Also explains the two pound temporary "weight loss" after an hour of cardio when I'm sweating and huffing and puffing. Actually weigh two pounds less right after the workout than right before the workout on the same scale. FASCINATING!

I finally hit the 170s. Haven't seen this weight on a scale since high school. Found my high school skirt in a bag in the closet (went to an all girl's Catholic high school) and we wore plaid uniform skirts. This skirt was from freshmen year (1974). OMG............ it fit and it fit loosely!!!!!!!!!!!

@Bandista.....PLEASE REPORT TO THE OFFICE!!!!!!!!!!! Your are a rule breaker!!!!!!!!

Here's the thing, Liz....... You're not normal....... YOU'RE WAY BETTER THAN NORMAL!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know one of the questions asked on my monthly paperwork for my doctor asks about night coughs, so this is definitely something you want to bring to your doctor's attention.