abckids

That is fine... If we end it by the End of May - that will give people time to get in it at any point as long as it is for 30 consecutive days... I think that will work better and will give me more "ammo" for my non-technical scientific info... I have about 8 people doing it with me here, and then anyone I can get through these forums would be great... The biggest thing is is that it has to be done for 30 consecutive days. :wink: Glad to see you on board!!! Woot... lets see if the article was right.. or wrong (and it was just marketing junk).. I hope it is right... It said you WILL lose 43lbs in 30 days by walking 1.5 miles for thirty days consecutively. ...

I have a portable orange juice with me - it is a great sugar jumper without being bad... just make sure it is 100% fresh squeezed or it could have sugar in it extra. It works wonders.

The only thing you have to do for this challenge is walk 1.5 miles EVERYDAY for 30 days ... starting today April 1st (or any day where you can get 30 consecutive days before the end of May 2009). Don't change ANYTHING you eat or normally do.. if you already are walking daily - then add 1.5 miles per day... if you don't do it, then do it. Rain, Snow, Flood, Shine, Etc. DO IT... Everyday for 30 days. Report your initial PRE-Walk weight and weekly weigh in (on same day of week as your initial weight) and your final 30 day weight. So who's with me? Pre-walk weight: 288lbs (yep gained some back) ***IF you miss one day - YOU ARE OUT! --- not to be mean, but I am running a hypothesis to debunk a recent article that I read which stated 30 days, everyday, no matter what. Yes, I know it is not a scientific thing, but more of a curiousity thing - and it is based on your honor. If you fall off the wagon for one day, please post that you are out. (But by all means, keep doing it anyways - we all can use it, I know I can...)

I originally was putting a cookbook together - and had a ton of submissions... now I am doing a recipe section in a magazine for bandsters (FREE MAGAZINE) that will have articles in it too... something we can hold and read... Holler if you want to submit a recipe or article... some articles will be paid articles... email me at publisher@wlsmag.com for more info. I am planning on printing the first round in june - for July distribution. Some of it is done for the first round (BUT there is still room for more!!)... minus advertisers to cover the cost... so I am still working on that... :thumbdown: But it will be a free magazine. - which is always good! AND published quarterly for the moment, would love for it to go to monthly - but just can't yet... quarterly is better than nothing though. :seeya:

Hey all - after much debate and discussion with my recipe book publisher - I have decided instead of just doing a recipe book - we are now going to do an actual Weight Loss Surgery Magazine!!!!! It will be in print. While I am breaking the news to ya'll first -I wanted to see if anyone would like to share their stories for the first issue expected to be in print in June. Also, if you are a writer and would like to be one of the writers/contributors for the magazine (paid) - please contact me by email ASAP. THE MAGAZINE BY PRINT WILL BE FREE!!!!!!!! We will be shipping it to doctors offices around the country (USA) and will be a free publication. If you want it shipped to your house, then there will be a small shipping charge for the subscription... anyways... contact me if you want more information... Thanks, Amy

I watched the premier episode this morning on the style network. It is about a woman who is struggling with weight loss and her journey to get healthy. She is 487lbs and from Georgia. It was a pretty good show. Just wondering if there are any other Ruby fans out there in Lap Band land. Amy

Ok, so I don't have many nsv or nlbv or nsurgicalv or anything like that... but today - I had a great NSV/NLBV/NSGV I recently (last week) "adopted" four feral kittens that were roaming the neighborhood. They have had no human contact are are about 8-10wks old. So I set a trap and caught em. All four. Then I put them in a cage in my bathroom where I was determined to tame them so I could get them good homes. For the first 2-3 days they were confined to the cage where I changed their bedding, litter, Water, food daily and sometimes more than once per day as needed. By day 3 one kitten would come up to my hand and let me pet him for about 3 seconds. After those first few days in confinement, I let them have free range in my bathroom with access to their cage as needed/as they wanted. That went on for about 2 days - then the boys (two male kittens) were sweet enough to let me pet them a bunch so they got free range of the house. Now those two boys are the biggest babies. One especially who is my newest little baby. I will be keeping him for sure. He is so jealous and wants me all to himself. It is so cute. So the girls were still in the bathroom because they would hiss and through a fit if anyone came in the bathroom. They almost seemed hopeless. But now that we are one week and one day into the "Taming Project"... the scared little girls came up to me today and let me love on them. They purred like crazy. There is hope yet!!!! I am soo stoked because I am pressed for taming time because we are moving on Saturday and would have to give them to the pound Friday. I know those two little girls would get a fast track to the euthanizia if they didn't turn around and now they are seeming to really come around. I am sooooooo happy!!! Just had to share that because I don't have anyone else to share that story with, so yall are the first I am sharing it with. Soooo happy!!!! Yeah. I will post pictures later.. :laugh:

Guess I will have to email terri and see what she thinks I should do... don't know if I want to have some removed - afraid I would gain too much back... ugggg... the crap we go through... :thumbup:

You must be retaining Water - that can only be the problem. Is it around that time of the month? before or just after? Even up to two weeks before can do it. I had a hysterectomy in 2004 and and have one ovary left -but i still have pms symptoms as if it was still there bright as day. I just don't get on the scale when I know I am retaining water... weigh again on Saturday - if it is still there, then you may need to up your water intake to flush the retention out. Makes no sense, I know but that is what I was told works.

Cool. Maybe we can get a few more interested and then do it. :thumbup:

I went through the same - pity party life sucks thing at the beginning of this year (search the posts, its there)... I know where you are coming from... food is my comfort and now PB'ing is my friend when I try to make food my comfort cuz it hurts so bad. Anyways, We are here for you if you need us! I will pray for you. It will get better.

I had Terri email them to me, I will have to re-read them. The more I think about it the more I wonder if I am too tight. Because I can't eat much of anything - a couple bites of any true solid food - but all the soft food I can handle. I ate scrambled eggs this morning and two hours after I was PB'ing it because it hurt so damn bad still... and I chewed the heck out of it. I ate like 10 mini-bites... of which 90% came back up (because 1/2 hour later my stomach was growling). I wish there was a meter on my chest that said "Hey, its too tight, or Hey its not tight enough".... SAD part is - I only have 3.5 cc's in a 10cc band. Seems like hardly anything compared to everyone else... even Terri has 7cc's. I think I need to just go back and see Dr. Bagnato and see what he says about it all. On the plus side... my weight yesterday was 272.2 - so I lost one pound from last week to this week. Hope it keeps on going. :biggrin:

I wish I could go, but between gas and the sheer distance of it, I know I won't make it. Do keep me posted on how it goes though.

I am in Dublin which is East South East of WR.

Welcome! Glad to see a fellow Dubliner on here. :biggrin: I know there are more of us out here, but they haven't spoke up yet. LOL.

So Elizabeth is gone?!? Or Leslie is there in addition to Elizabeth?

Ok so Albany is only 1 - 1.5 hrs away from Warner Robins, I am 1 hour away from WR too - which is 2.5 hrs from Albany (3 with traffic)... Anyone wanna meet this month or next month in Warner Robins? I would love to meet everyone but can't afford gas and sitter for a super long drive to Albany. For a one hour drive, I can do it. Anyone else game? ~Amy

Too bad slim fast doesn't make a protein shake. I like their shakes at least the carb control ones. They were pretty good.

I think I have good restriction - I mean I can only eat a few bites of chicken or a bite maybe two of a piece of pizza. But I can eat an entire salad from Zaxbys as long as I don't eat the chicken on it. I can eat a whole cup of yogurt and I can eat an entire protein trail mix bar. So with that description, i would say that I think I do have enough restriction. I do only have 3.5cc's but I think that is more than enough. Should I be able to eat less than that at any one sitting? Exercising - hmmm... not really - I was for a while, but then I got into this whole over fatigue thing (doc is trying to figure it out, running all sorts of tests) where I sleep for about 16-18 hrs a day. Not fun. Needless to say my awake time is at night. He put me on this med called provigil that is supposed to help me feel less fatigued. Right now, it doesn't but I have only been on it for a couple days and only at 1/2 strength. Protein... yeah that is a big no on that too. I tried the Isopure and can't choke it down nor can I choke down any of the Protein shakes - they all are nasty. I usually can get about 22grams from one can of tuna and can get 10g from the trail mix bars (but they have 250 calories each). But I can eat two cans of tuna a day and get 44grams... so I could just change it up a little. No real excuse here except laziness I guess... And the fact that I sleep all day.. makes it harder to squeeze time in for eating. Any suggestions for getting more protein? Water intake is great. I suck water down like it is going out of style. I have already had 6 bottles of deer park today. You would think I would pee more too.. but I don't .. only about 3 times per day... maybe four. Yeah that might be related to the whole sleep thing too.... who knows. I do mix about one or two with propel mixers (individual packet things) they only have 5 calories per thing. Taste great too. But the water thing is great for me. Logging calories - no. I will try to remember to start doing that tomorrow and carry a booklet with me to remember. I might be able to see a pattern or problem if I do. Things I eat - well... I love salad so i eat a lot of salad. I can sometimes eat a wrap (tortilla, with one slice of american cheese, 1 tblsp of mayo, 2 slices of turkey), can of tuna with some mayo, oatmeal (one packet of instant oatmeal), one packet of instant grits. I can also eat popcorn (love it) and peanut M&M's. Those two are my downfalls. But I don't eat them often. If I make Hamburger helper for the family, I can eat about two maybe three bites, but that is all. Bites are about the size of 1 tblsp. I have to be careful with everything though because I do yack a lot. Sometimes I force myself to because something gets stuck, but other times it gets stuck and I don't have to do anything because it will just come up on its own. I am also losing my hair like it is nobody's business. I lose clumps daily. Thought it was a Vitamin thing, but that isn't true cuz I took Vitamins and (gained 5 lbs and was swollen too) and still lost my hair. It sucks. Ok so that is me in a nutshell at this point. Any thoughts... AND... Nip50 - You rock... I am soooo damn jealous. How are you doing it?!?!?!

Welcome Lojo... glad to have you here!

I have only lost exactly 48lbs. Yet I see some, like Nip50, who has lost 139lbs and had it done the same time as me. What are you doing so differently to make it work so well for you Nip50? I feel so much like a non-loser... or part loser or whatever you want to call it... but I am not losing as much as others have and I am still HUGE. Any thoughts?

Well, I have lost almost 50lbs and was banded on October 12th last year. I have lost 48lbs to be exact and have been at that loss for a few months now. I have 3.5 cc's and don't need a fill. It is tight enough - since many things still come up. I miss coming on these forums and just am too busy to do it. But I do have a new problem - I think I have an ulcer. I have a lot of pain in my stomach - wonder if it could have eroded or something? Anyone else having any problems or potential problems? I don't even know what I would be looking for or feeling if I did have a problem. Anyways that is where I am at. I suppose I will lose more as time goes on.. but I need to lay off the ice cream to do it. I notice that I tend to go for softer foods cuz they go down easier... I can usually only eat a bite or two of any meat before I am done so i eat the other stuff first - is that my problem? Anyways... have a great one and I will check back in soon. Amy

Wow... I don't think many people fully understand the addiction that food is. I mentioned it to my doctor the other day and he just looked like I was giving him an excuse when I really was screaming for help. I know it - he may know it, but didn't say anything. I joined OA but there isn't a local chapter or group so I have to go to meetings online, which is ok but I think i would be happier in a face to face type thing. So i will make my own as soon as I get more info and commit to it more. I am one week abstinent (from sugar .. ie.. chocolate dove candy, ice cream, pies and cakes and anything else soft and sweet with REAL sugar in it - I still eat yogurt w/ sugar substitute and sugar free popsicles... but I am working to get rid of those too cuz I found I want more sugar even with those non sugar foods). It is hard as hell so far. I had a lick of chocolate pie pudding yesterday - so I guess technically I am starting over again. SIGH... so frickin hard. I know my addiction really took it's turn when I was pregnant with my first child. That is when I let it take over. I dropped smoking and drinking and picked up eating. I know it is still bad because I want to gorge myself with food - and then purge so i can say I got to eat it. I actually thought of a way to do it without ruining my teeth. That tells me I have real issues. I told a good friend about this thought and he told me to just try to work through it because those are not normal people's thoughts. He is very supportive and a good friend. He works with my hubby and is a friend to us both. I even thought about having the fluid removed while I go on vacation in a month so I can gorge on food. then I think.. WTF are you thinking?????? SO now I am looking for another avenue for positive reinforcement. So I joined Curves. Hopefully I can turn my food addiction into a positive addiction of exercising at Curves. But I don't know if just transferring addictions is a good thing either. Who knows. Anyways, thanks for listening (per se) and prayers to you all. Ciao! Amy OH.. I have started losing weight again since joining curves... so that is one good thing so far.

I too have eaten and not even realized what any of the food tasted like nor that i even finished it all. I think i may have come to realize why or what has started my problems way back when and now i need to move on with it and overcome it. But I have a great friend who is helping me... free.... and he is helping me reflect on what may have started all of it. but the arc wasn't built in a day, and all my problems won't be resolved or discovered just as quickly... but i do know that i will keep pursuing the deep down truth.

Thank you all for your great comments and suggestions. I want to have control over this and I want to overcome it. I just don't know how. I noticed (after reading one of your posts) that when my kids get home in the afternoon, i really really want to just stuff my face then. That is a stress trigger for me. My kids are great, but they do fight with each other and drive me crazy in doing so. Thus I want food. Then again, if there is something exciting on tv, I want food. If I get sad, I want food. Happy, Food... you get the picture. It is a great source of comfort for me and a way for me to "escape" for a minute or two. At the same time, I just want to eat and eat. So I don't know. I did go to an OA meeting online last night, and plan on it again today as well. Hopefully that will help too. I will keep yall posted. Amy