Twilight

Good evening everyone. Thought I would check in while I take in our tivo'd House. I walked with dh tonight and then when he pooped out I walked on my own. I made it 50 minutes. I want to clock it but I'm sure it was more than 3 miles.
I'm really low on cals because I was stuck most of the afternoon. I ate some rice and though it hasn't been a problem before. Today it was miserable. I had a swallow of pineapple juice and it was almost instantly better. I'm still a bit swollen. I had the kashi that gets really soft in milk and a cut up banana (it was soooo good!) for dinner and am working on more fluids.
Karri, I'm glad you saw a doctor. it sounds so much less horrible than it did a couple days ago. It is so hard to know what to do.
Phyll, your dd needs to take a pill. She needs to know how she is tearing you up inside. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Especially on her birthday. I hope you got to have something wonderful happen today in spite of the pain. You are a wonderful mother and a great grandmother. You care and you love them all. How can someone be angry about that? If she was thinking clearly she would see that you are a blessing.
There is more I want to say but can't keep a coherent thought right now so I'll let it go. Every day I think the same thing. Things I want to say to you all but I can't remember it by this time. It drives me crazy. I hope you know that most of the time there is so much going on here that I can't keep it all straight. I love you all and I think that I let you all down wrapped up in my own world. I honestly think about everything that you say and have things to say back, but just don't have the attention span to hold onto it. Damned ADHD!
Okay...it's bedtime. Have a great day tomorrow all!

Hi there Cajun! I'm so glad you stopped by and sent out a plea. It is a huge step to even stand up and say you are struggling. How many times in our lives have we not wanted to stand up and say "Help" and instead fed that problem?
We all knew that we had a problem with willpower coming in to this. If we could just "say no" we would. If we would just "get moving more" we would. But if we want this band to work we need to do some things to help it along. It is going to take dedication and some tough love for yourself. Just remember that you are worth it!
I have been very strict about following the band rules. I don't eat soft foods at meal time. I chew chew chew and I listen to my body when I think I'm full I stop. I make sure I eat my solid Protein first and then veggies. If I'm still hungry I eat my carb. I put my food on a small plate instead of a big one. I make sure that I get in all my Water. These are tough things to make sure I do. But those are the rules and I knew that going in.
Notice that exercise was not one of the rules. I have been really bad about that. But as the weight has come off I've been more active in my house. I clean more than I used to. I park further away in parking lots. I take the stairs more. Now that I'm down to a weight where I don't hurt all the time I've amped up the exercise. I told myself that there were going to be no excuses. Honestly once I get out there I enjoy it, but it's the getting out there that is the struggle. I have set myself a goal of getting some sort of exercise every day. Friday night it was not possible, but it has been every other day. On Sunday I even went out when it was sleeting and walked. I cut my time in half because it was cold....but, no excuses, I went.
When I made the exercise goal I also decided to start tracking my food intake. I do mine at Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plateand like it. There are others out there but that was the first one I went to. I've heard of fitday and sparkspeople also. Here I set my goal, I track my food and my exercise and I see where I am spending my food bucks (those are my calories). I think of what I can have as my budget and then I start shopping around more. I'm a little thrifty IRL so it works for me. I make sure my Protein goal is met each day and then look at how my calories breakdown by fat/protein/carb. I'm not a lowfat sugarfree freak...I just stay under the blue line everyday. If I'm not under the blue line every day the next day I fix it. by doing it everyday I keep better track of my diet.
Honestly, as a fat chick, I had no idea of portions or what the true calorie content in some of these foods are. Heck, some of the baked potatoes I used to eat are higher in cals than I should consume in two meals!! And when you see 1/2 your calories a day coming from fat it's quite an eye opener.
My advice, pick one thing and concentrate on it for a week....maybe two. When it becomes second nature and not WORK anymore, add another of these suggestions into your routine. Again, when these are working successfully, you can add another.....until you find what works for you.
Oh...the other thing I do is weigh every morning. I may fluctuate up and down a bit, but if I see any more than a 2 pound change I'm looking at my diet and my movement to see what the heck I did.
You can do this. You can be successful. You have the tools, and with us you have support. Keep posting and telling us of your triumphs and trials. We are here to support, encourage, and applaud you. Good luck...I look forward to hearing great stuff from you.