MickATL

I looked into the Body Bugg a few months ago and really wanted one but they are pretty pricey. I found the biotrainer online. It's $49 and they offer a 10% discount to WLS surgery patients (use discount code: WLS). This thing sits on your waistband and counts calories all day long. You can either enter them on bio trainer's website and use their menu options, calorie tracking, etc. for a fee or just write down your daily totals and keep track. I find myself wanting to increase the total calories burned each day so I improve. I like it better than a pedometer just counting steps or the heart rate (Mio) which may or may not calculate calories burned correctly. Whatever your method, keeping track of how many calories you burn each day and comparing to how many you ingest will help you forecast whether you are on track to lose or gain weight. Keep moving your body everyday!

I bought a Schwin recumbent bike at Sears before surgery and started riding. My rule was before I watch TV or surf the net, I have to get in some kind of ride. I started with 20 minutes a day and was wiped out. I am not 7 months post-op and I ride 60 minutes a day, and knock out 16 miles. I either watch TV or listen to music while I ride. It's cold in Atlanta right now but comes Spring, I am getting outside and riding! I also want to start cross training and incorporate running (never been a runner) into my daily routine. My daily routine is 10 minutes stretching, 250 ab crunches, 60 minutes on the bike, 250 more ab crunches and as many push ups as I can do on the staircase - currently 25 - 30. I have lost 149 lbs since mid-May (surgery June 18th) and I have never felt better!

A friend from another board told me about LapBandTalk and I had to come and check it out. A forum just for us bandsters!!! What a great idea. I had my surgery on June 18, 2007 at Emory / Crawford Long Hospital. I have been heavy most of my life and all of my adult life. I'm 41 years old and procrastinated on surgery for several years. My PCP kept encouraging me to look into it and finally yelled at me about 18 months ago saying, "When your health becomes as much of a concern for you as it is for me, maybe you'll do something about it!" I have never had a doctor yell at me before. I consider that my "wake up call". Obviously my weight was more of an issue than I was willing to admit to myself. At that point, I was 322 lbs. I attended the weight loss seminar at Emory in December of 2006. They talked about how less than 3% of people who've been heavy for any extended period of time will keep weight off using traditional methods (diet, diet & exercise and pills). Less than 3%! WLS patients were much more successful. Most lose 80% of their excess weight within 2 years and a large number keep a bulk of that weight off for 10+ years. That sounded alot like my previous experiences with dieting. I must be a great detective because whenever I lost weight, I always found it again! I had my surgery in mid June and decided, if I was going to let someone cut me open and alter my body, I was going to do everything I could to maximize my results. I felt I needed to change my life and learn to eat healthy balanced meals, learn the bandster rules and incorporate exercise into my daily life. My journey has been the hardest thing I have ever done but also the most rewarding. Today, I eat 3 balanced (lean Protein, whole grain carbs & a fresh fruit or vegetable) meals and a snack between lunch & dinner. I've gone from 322 lbs to 173 lbs in 8 months (including the month prior to surgery) and have transformed my body & my life. I've come to realize the band is just a tool that helps me feel satisfied with smaller portions. It does not change what I eat or make me exercise. That falls on my shoulders. I've had to get honest with myself about emotional eating, bored (mindless) eating and grazing. I've had to be willing to listen to my dietician and be honest with her as well. I still have much to learn on my journey toward long term health! Hopefully, some of you can help me keep growing and maturing as a bandster who keeps their weight off for 10+ years!