mbsbike2002

Hi Lauryn - welcome & congratulations on your recent surgery.

BG - Thanks! I'll get back in the groove soon. It's good that Mrs. B is into the biking thing now, so I'll have some motivation and a riding partner. I think that it will do me good to be more active here - to share successes & setbacks with others who are in the same boat as well as to share in their successes & provide support for their setbacks. Sometimes it gets too easy for me to think that there's no one else out there who could understand... And yeah, I don't go anywhere without an inhaler now.

Brad - it's no fun seeing the scale moving back up, and I agree - it is very helpful to know that there are others out there in the same situation.

Bike on.

B

BG - congratulations on seeing some results from your efforts so far this year!

I stepped on the scale this AM. I'm not happy about it, but at 274, I weigh less than I did for part of 2009. I was fearing a much higher number.

270 seems to be a critical number for me. Higher than 270, and my joints start to ache from carrying the weight - and the clothes I bought when i was in the 240s no longer fit (or they fit, but look reeeeeaaaaallllllyyyyyy bad).

I had a very bad asthma attack while riding with Nikki in the fall, and since then, I've had anxiety attacks about getting out and riding again. It's good that we got the trainer for Nikki - we can ride in the workout room, and by the time the weather turns, I should have some confidence back. I also need to be more diligent about taking my meds to prevent future asthma attacks. Who knew you could get asthma at 40?

I also need to stay away from the sugar - that stuff really is like crack. I'm fine as long as I don't eat anything sweet. As soon as I get that first sweet taste, I'm off to the races. Exercise tends to help with that, I want salty not sweet.

B

Wow - old home week on the bycyling forum...

We got a training stand for Nikki, so we can ride together on the trainers until we can begin riding outside again. And yeah, a few months of inattention can cause some pretty significant backsliding... I need to step back on the scale, but am afraid, very afraid.

B

Amazing. Huh?

B

No riding this week for me - big doings at work. Will be changing employers soon. Will be my first new employer in more than 12 years. Kind of strange, but all good.

I'll be in DC next week for more client meetings and entertainment. Maybe, if they are (un)lucky, I'll give 'em a little lapdance ...

Hope everyone has a good weekend - will try to check in some next week...

B

D - Congratulations on wrapping up your classwork - I'm sure that you will really enjoy your externship!

BG - Great Pics! Hottie McHottie, indeed...

B

Great Pics Traci.

B

Congratulations HP!

ANyone been doing any riding???????

No riding for me this week - I've been entertaining clients every night. I am very happy with my current fill level. For the first time, i think my band is working the way I anticipated. Each night this week, I was able to go to a restaurant, order a reasonable meal, eat a very small portion until I felt full, but I never got stuck or had to make the made bulimic dash. After a week of dining out, drinking, smoking cigars, and not exercising, I weigh exactly the same amount as I did on Monday morning, before all the festivities began. All-in-all, I call that a damn good outcome.

Hope everybody else had a good week and that you are able to get out and ride some this weekend - will be back on the mountain bike this weekend - seems to be a very time-effective way to get a good workout.

B

I usually perspire enough that there is still a net loss in total weight on bike - but, yeah - total weight will not be ~4 pounds less if you drink 2l of Water on a ride...

B

I would be honored...

B

Well ok ...but it sure felt like it weighed more...I know the law of science is not in my favor on this one...but a rock hard thing of Water sure seems heavier than a full bottle of liquid...LOL

Oh well....

Gorgeous day here....I am excited to leave at a normal time and get a ride in....

Bah - science shmience :confused:

B,

You know I'm hoarding time for surgery this summer so I'm not going to make it to the conference. I wish I could go, I bet it would be amazing to be around a bunch of Lapband folk.

Would you come to my graduation???

Wouldn't that be a riot? Everyone, including me, would be like, who is that guy with the boston/texas accent?

Sorry that we won't be able to get together in October - but I do understand the need to prioritize (just wish I was better at it...) I would definitely come to your gradation, if you would invite me... I wouldn't want to crash anybody's party, though. Too funny - I have no accent.

Sorry you're feeling puny - that's no fun. Hope you're feeling better today...

B

Hi Seebs,

One thing you could do to make rides with your daughter more of a workout is to carry more weight on the bike. For example, a 3-liter Camelbak weighs ~7.5 pounds full; a 2-liter weighs ~5 pounds. The nice thing about carrying extra Water weight is that it's heaviest at the beginning of the ride, and as you drink it, the load becomes lighter...

Just a though.

B

Sweet bike, B.

I'm nearly done with my global business class. 4 more until I get the MBA. Do you see that B? FOUR??!!!! I can't wait!

Going to Chicago this weekend to hang and play for the 2 days between classes. :embaressed_smile:

Hope everyone is well.

J

That is freaking AWESOME. I'm so happy for, and jealous of, you!!!! You are going to invite me to your graduation?

BTW - at one time you had talked about coming to Dallas for the conference in October - are you still thinking about that?

Enjoy Chicago.

B

As HP pointed out, I have been remiss in posting pics of the new bike, so without further delay...

It's name is Monster, because my boxer is terrified of it as it follows us down the street on the bike rack - also because it kidnaps her daddy when we get to the park.

It's a blast to ride at the park, and according to the heart rate monitor, I burn as many calories on a 3-mile ride on the trails as I did on a 10-12 mile ride on the road. I need to get my other bike into the shop for a tune-up, so I can get back out on the road some as well.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

B

HP - I guess your power is back on? Sorry I've been remiss in my bike collection duties - will post a pick tonight... Good luck on your ride this weekend! Have lots of fun!

I got a refill today. Oooo - restriction - wow - forgot what that was like. Hopefully restriction, along with getting more (any) exercise will restart the weight loss soon...

B

GDMF site - I wrote a nice long post, and the page refreshed and "poof" it was gone...

Let's try again....

C - Stick with it, you'll get there. 50 ponds in 5 months is awesome progress! I saw an article once that described why we stop losing from time to time, even when we do things right. It made sense at the time, but that didn't make it any easier...

For the first time since I started traveling in the spring, i rode a bike, outside. Also the first time I've ever done any trails on a bike. Oopha, that's a lot of work. Grass and bumpy terrain make for a lot more resistance. According to the HRM, i burned more calories on a 3ish mile ride today than I would have on a 15-mile road ride on the recumbent...

Anyway, thought I'd share.

Hope everyone is having a good evening....

B

Well chicas, I've added a mountain bike to the collection. The LBS had a 2008 Trek 3700 on sale for about $100 off retail, so I snagged it. I rode it around the parking lot, and it fit much better than the Trek hybrid I had last year -- it's the next size up. Should have tried the next larger size last year. Oh well, live and learn.

I'll take it to the park tomorrow night for a ride on the trails.

B

We got quite a bit of rain in Dallas, but we did not get high winds or much damage. My folks, who live in the same town as Stephanie got even less rain, but maybe more wind.

Hi Susan! I think some us have the RoadID bracelet/anklet/medallion with similar information. I ordered mine a while before being banded, and it has some emergency contact info/blood type/diabetes info. I need to update mine with band / no blind NG information.

B

wear it on your leg...hmmm never thought of that. And you find its accurate?

There was a discussion of wearing it on the leg either earlier in this thread (Nov / Dec 2007) or another similar thread about the bugg. I received results that were consistent with the upper arm results. Your mileage, of course, may vary...

Just noticed you were from Taunton - I used to work just up 138 in Canton and lived in Randolph for a while... In fact, just got back from visiting the in-laws in Boston. I do dearly miss Boston.

B

J - Thanks! I do appreciate the IM support over the summer, and I'm sure I'll take you up on the offer again!

Carol - Congratulations on 50 pounds at your 5 month bandiversary! I'm in the same boat with having to use Salad Dressing to get Protein down. I don't really know what to offer there. I'm getting refilled, and will get most of my protein from drinks again... It seems to be what works best for me.

2B - Hiya! Sorry I wasn't around earlier to welcome you earlier. I, too, have read your blog - good stuff.

I have an appointment to get refilled on Friday the 19th. I'm very excited about that. Time to wean myself from the diet cokes, lunchables, and other crap foods. Woohoo! Also going to go to the various LBS around today to look for inexpensive, used hybrid for riding on the trails at the park. All-in-all, a productive week home.

B

HP - Thanks for the welcome back. It does stink that life gets in the way sometimes. But, other than a trip to DC in early October, my travel for the year is just about done.

I have learned several things, though:

1 - Exercise is critical. With appropriate exercise, food choice is not nearly as important. In order to get where I want to be, exercise is a requirement. A summer of no exercise has been devastating to my health and weight loss goals.

2 - My band does not work the way that I thought it would. Pre-band, and even somewhat post-band, I assumed that my properly-adjusted band would allow me to eat a small amount of anything, while preventing overeating. It just doesn't work that way. I can eat all I want of some foods (if you slather it up with a few hundred calories of salad dressing), and none of other foods (typically lean proteins).

3 - The support provided by this group was invaluable. Having a shitty day, write to the bycylers. Don't go out and eat crap. Having a great day, write to the bycylers. Don't go out and eat crap.

So, what the hell do I do now?

1 - Get back on the bike. In addition to my recumbent, I'm looking for a good, used, inexpensive mountain bike. That way, I can ride in the woods at the park while the wife walks the dog. I've been walking since I got back home. Will need to do more. Also re-upped my BodyBugg subscription. I think, ultimately, I won't use it long term, but it is good to provide information about consumption and expenditure of calories.

2 - Get refilled. At least when I was more fully filled, I could only get liquids/mushies down. Protein Shakes, here i come...

3 - Rejoin my good friends here in bycyling land.

B

That's the biggest problem for me as well. The Bugg works great but, my skin breaks out underneath the metal. Anyone have any suggestions on how to avoid that? I've done the switch it around, switch arms thing but wearing on my left arm isn't as natural or comfortable and moving it around on my right arm makes more breakout spots. I love the functions and the benefits of the bugg but, my skin gets really sore :biggrin: Anyone else figure out a way to avoid that?

Hi Sherry,

I haven't used my bugg in a while (just renewed my service for it today), but when I did wear it, I found that the back of my calves weren't as sensitive as my arms. The data collected when I wore it on my legs was consistent with the data from my arms, so I don't think that there is any problem wearing it there.

The other thing that you can do is to wash the area covered by the bugg with a good antibacterial soap (or even, occasionally, betadine). I think that instead of an allergy to the metal, mine was really more of a yeast reaction to having a moist area covered by metal and plastic all day.

Hope this helps some,

B

Hi Boys and Girls,

Just wanted to check in with a quick "hi". I've been traveling for work all summer. Not much exercise, not eating well, and paying the price for it. I've gained about 20-25 from my low, and not happy about that at all.

I'll be making an appointment to get refilled, it will probably be about 4 weeks or so before the insurance company approves it (can't figure out why it took 3 days to approve the surgery and a month to approve a fill).

Also plan on getting back on the bike as soon as I get rid of this respiratory infection. Blech. I'm also looking at a cheap, used hybrid or mountain bike to ride in the woods at the park while the wife walks the dog. Should've hung on to my original hybrid, but oh well, live and learn.

Hope everybody is doing well.

B