steph_co

I'm on myspace, or I'd add ya. :eek:

Thanks, guys. I'm actually doing REALLY well sticking to plan. And since I'm not eating easy calories anymore, my calorie consumption is WAY down. So my goal is to be 28 lbs lighter by the 17th of December. It's a lot of weight, but I know I can do it. I'm looking forward to the next challenge! WTG, Bandpal! You are cruisin' right along! Shortgal - wow....I'm impressed. I couldn't imagine doing this without the band - I really couldn't. You are amazing. Keep up the good work!

Name............Start........Current........Goal.......Left CindyG...........195...........191...........185........6 Momto1plus1......193.6.........188...........185........3 Foofy............226...........226...........216........10 Sades............185...........185...........175........10 Hollyberries.....245...........245...........235........10 Shortgal.........174...........171.4.........168.........3.4 Wnt2Lose.........195...........190.8.........180........10.8 Stephanie........182.5.........178...........167........11 Linda............183...........181.5.........170........11.5 Shalee04.........180...........178...........174........04 Bandpal..........185...........175.12 .......175........0.12

Stephanie hasn't been good at all. Don't ask. I'm back on the good foot, now. I have to lose weight before I go see my fam in December. Name............Start........Current........Goal.......To Go CindyG...........195...........191...........185........6 Momto1plus1......193.6.........188...........185........3 Foofy............226...........226...........216........10 Sades............185...........185...........175........10 Hollyberries.....245...........245...........235........10 Shortgal.........174...........172.4.........168.........4.5 Wnt2Lose.........195...........190.8.........180........10.8 Stephanie........182.5.........179.5.........167........12.5 Linda............183...........181.5.........170........11.5 Shalee04.........180...........178...........174........04 Bandpal..........185...........182.82........175........7.82

ALL kinds of food looks good, but you have to sit and decide if it's worth the work to eat it...especially when you'll end up eating so LITTLE of it. LOL

OMGosh, Wendy - you had me in tears! That is so sweet. Congrats on the 25 years! What does it mean to reach Lifetime at WW?

Kendra, I'm glad to hear it has gotten smaller. I'll keep stomping in hopes that this round of chemo beats it down completely!!

I guess you're right about the hypoglycemia. I just figured it was a fact of life - I've lived with it for so long. But just like the heartburn, after banded, it went away for a bit. The only thing, really, that keeps me from feeling weak is eating carbs. So, I don't know...maybe I'm just cleansing the addiction? We'll see how I feel after 3 days without carbs. Today (Saturday) will be my second day on low-carb. If I still feel like garbage on Monday, then I'm going to have to call the doctor.

I'm going in for a consult next Wednesday. I sat down and tried one of the machines when I went in this past week to talk to the owner. Really, it's up to YOU to "break a sweat." You can go as fast or as slow as you want with the machines - that's how you decide how hard it's going to be for you. If you didn't get much out of it, then whoever was supposed to be the personal trainer there really failed you by not working with you on getting better results. I did kind of a high-rowing machine and only for a few seconds as fast as I could and it tired me out. And I'm not in god-awful shape. Anyway...I do agree with the free trial thing - that's very important because not every workout will work for everyone. I think I'll like my particular Curves because the lady seems really involved and she said that they get your starting weight and measurements and then measure you as you go along. If you're not losing, they work with you to find out why. I also like that it's only women there. I'll let you know how it goes.

That's so great, Robin! Keep up the good work - you're almost to goal!!

Awww...take heart, Sades. None of us would be banded right now if we had the willpower to control our portions on our own. Just as somebody said, it's like willing yourself not to sleep - eventually the body WILL take over. Just do what you can and REALLY - when you get that restriction, it makes a HUGE difference. You'll get there soon enough. :lovechoc:

It doesn't really seem to matter what I take in - I still get the major crash. I tried a Slim-Fast shake and an hour later I was feeling a little weak. I don't know if maybe I'll feel better once the bad stuff is out of my system? I don't know. I hope so. Feeling like this makes it hard to want to do anything. I feel pretty good right after I eat and then about an hour later I feel weak. But actual HUNGER sets in at 2 1/2 hours. Weird. Before I got banded, I had HORRENDOUS heartburn. The stuff was so bad that it got to the point that I didn't even realize I was having it ALL THE TIME. Funny how the body deals with pain. I did the Prilosec thing and it lasted me 9 months without a bit of heartburn. That was pure heaven. Tried the stuff again and it didn't work. After that, I tried every OTC heartburn remedy there is and nothing worked. I did try Nexium once a couple years ago and it worked great. But I don't have insurance yet and that stuff is very pricey. Once I get on insurance, I will definitely look into getting on it. I dread the thought of anymore OTC remedies - they're awful. :lovechoc:

I got a fill this past Tuesday. They put in .8 ccs. She put that much in since it's been so long since I've had a fill. I want to say it was back in January, but I can't remember. I'm getting hungry...or should I say my blood sugar drops...about 2 1/2 hours after eating. *sigh* That's frustrating. Looks like the band is not managing my hypoglycemia or my heartburn anymore. The heartburn came back a couple months ago. It was nice while it lasted, though - I can't complain about the short respite that I DID get.

I just was curious for comparison's sake. Just got a fill that took me up to 7.3 in a 10cc band. There's a difference with how MUCH I can eat, but not really with how OFTEN. I still get hungry quicker than I think I should. I haven't really tracked the time, it just SEEMS really soon. I guess I'll pay more attention this next time. I'm currently noshing on some rotisserie chicken. So....how many ccs in your band and how large is your band? And how is that level of restriction working for you?

LOL. I posted in my "coming out from under my rock" post. Been busy with academy. There wasn't a whole lot of time for anything but studying. But I finished it off with a 4.0, so it was worth it. Now need to get back on track and eating better. *sigh*

Scarecrow - I had some questions come to mind when I read your post. First off, have you considered talking to a personal trainer and nutritionist? They might be able to help more than anybody. That aside, I did come up with some questions for you to think about. Are you working different muscle groups when you're lifting "every day?" If you continue to work the same muscles every day, you never give them a chance to build up again and get stronger. Did you do this kind of workout before you got the band and it was effective? Do you think you're eating enough CALORIES to fuel your muscles? I understand that the calories could come from burning fat as well, but not enough to support your work-out routine long term. Your body needs fuel, and I don't think it's getting it, even if you ARE giving it tons of Protein. It needs calories to subsist. This article can explain it a lot better than me: Very Low Calorie Diet Doesn't Work For Fat Loss, Says Tom Venuto (Try to ignore the sale's pitch at the end of the article - that's not the part that matters...just read what low calorie does to your body/hormones.) But to get your diet going in a more positive direction, I really, really think you should talk to a nutritionist. Then talk to a personal trainer so you can get your lifting weight back up.

Sades - Just got finished reading up on your "slipped" thread. You are a freaking trooper. My gosh. You went 5 months with no band at all and look how much work you did! I am so very much impressed. WOW. Now that you actually HAVE an operable band, I have no doubt the accomplishments you will be able to obtain. I KNOW you can do this. We can all do this together. We just need to BAND together. :thumbup: You are a major inspiration to me. I don't know if I would have been able to undergo another operation and I fully understand the fear that you had going into it. I am just really so impressed by your story. You have so much strength - You can DO this!

Name............Start........Current........Goal.......To Go CindyG...........195...........195...........185........10 Momto1plus1......193...........193...........185.........8 Foofy............226...........226...........216........10 Sades............185...........185...........175........10 Hollyberries.....245...........245...........235........10 Shortgal.........174...........174...........168.........6 Wnt2Lose.........195...........195...........180........15 Stephanie......182.5.........182.5...........167......15.5 I'd like to be at least in normal range of BMI by my Bandiversary. Which would be 159 and lower. So I'll go for AT LEAST 15.5 lbs by Halloween, but hope for 20. :thumbup:

Thanks, guys! I appreciate the welcome back. It's always kind of hard to tuck tail and come back to the group. LOL I'm not officially a police officer, yet. I am conditionally certified as a peace officer in the state. But I'm not sworn in anywhere. My offer with the Sheriff is conditional on the background check (which should go well - I'm clean). So most likely I have it. I just have to wait for the red tape, I guess. Well...off to a good start. It's AMAZING what a liquid diet can do to a person. I'm down 5.5 lbs of my 15 already. I'm so happy. I KNOW now that I can get down to my goal weight. I got really discouraged when I got up that high - thinking it was over for me. But I'm recommitted and even giving away the junk food I bought before the fill that I REALLY wanted. Ugh. But sacrifice is necessary to get what I want. I'm also looking at joining up with Curves to get a good circuit training in there. I'll probably pick up running again soon...but would like to especially get on with the strength training. It would really help with my new job.

Haha...that's what I was going to mention to you. I used to get it really bad. As I get lighter, it seems to decrease. Improving your stride and what shoes you wear can help, too. You might consider going to a physical therapist to see if they can do a stride analysis for you.

LOL...I know that it's been FOREVER since I've been on here. Police academy was much more stressful than I expected it would be. I was determined to come out of it with a 4.0 and I did that. food being the comfort it has always been for me, it seriously was the only thing keeping me sane. So over the course of the past 3 months, I slowly lost some restriction and gained 15 lbs. *gag* I FINALLY was able to get over to my doc in Denver (3 hours away) and get a fill today. So I will officially consider myself back in the groove of things. Unfortunately I won't be able to make my original goal of being AT GOAL by my surgery anniversary, but that's life, I guess. I just have to relearn the good habits and see what I can accomplish. I hope to be down at least 30 lbs by surgery anniversary(Nov 15). We'll see! It's good to see you guys. I have to take some time in the next few days to catch up on posts. For the time being, I am very, very tired. I worked last night (still at my security job, but in the running for a deputy job) from 6p-6a. Got a few hours of nap this morning, then I've been awake since 8:30am. So I'm exhausted and just need to try to get a nap. I look forward to getting reacquainted with everybody!

1) I found some courage in getting smaller and I'm back in school...soon to be in a new career 2) I'm healthier 3) I've gotten back into running...I'm doing 2.6 miles 5x a week and I LOVE it 4) Clothes fit better and look better on me 5) Men notice me...I get compliments 6) I carry myself better. My posture has improved and I don't MIND being noticed because I look better. 7) I don't get the pains in my legs anymore when I stand for a long time. 8) I have more confidence in myself in general - I'm better in social situations. My personality can shine through instead of me worrying the whole time that they're looking at my fat. 9) I'm cutting down the "bulk" in my closet by throwing out clothes that are too big (honestly, I still have a lot to throw out). 10) I used to dress to hide myself...I find myself looking at clothes now that are more flattering and feminine because I like looking good and being noticeable.

LOL...it was a sheriff's deputy that I worked with. The one that keeps commenting on how much weight I'm losing. He asked if I had had any kind of surgery to lose the weight and I caved and told him. He asked me some questions about it and then I said that "I still have to work hard to get the weight off." He said, "Yeah, right..." and walked off. He didn't believe me. Ugh. That was annoying. And the very reason I have not told anybody else IRL that I have the band. That reaction would kill me if I had to hear it all the time.

I knew it could be a possibility, but it was not my surgeon or his office that mentioned it. I did a lot of research before I ever got the band and came across this possibility on my own.