HarleyGirl

Lots of things..... a massage a pedicure a binge at Victoria's Secret....nothing like a good bra to make you feel good about your new body! new outrageous make up at Ulta SHOES and or purse a new tattoo a new book a new cd a decaf skinny carmel latte at Starbucks

WTG Stella! I'm down another one.....I'll take it! March 6th aJoneen........................0 75 pounds LOST! Bandana....................... 0 95 lbs lost BrandNewLisa............0 80pounds LOST forever!!! evelas5000..................0 Desdemona...................0 Fenton...........................0 100 POUNDS LOST !! HarleyGirl..................-1 85 pounds LOST! Hopeinapril.................0 Kpodski........................0 Lynnt1215................. 0 NurseNiki...................0 Nycm00.......................0 Potatie.........................0 100 POUNDS LOST!! Scrappy_Friend..... 0 150 POUNDS LOST!!!! SpecialK...................0 Sugarbean..................0 100 POUNDS LOST !! Sharona......................0 stellabella...............-2.6 HALFWAY TO GOAL! Tess415......................0 Thin2bme............... 0 100 POUNDS LOST !! WestCoastMom........0 Wishin4......................0 73 pounds gone!!

Congratulations on an amazing year, Amanda! You should be so proud of yourself.....so many wonderful things have happened for you....and it's only the beginning!

I was a phen/fen girl, too. I did well with it....but I like the band so much better. I'm at about the lowest weight I got to when I was on p/f...and I feel much better than I did then...even though I was ten years younger.

My standard answer is "I eat less and move more"....and leave it at that if it is someone I don't care to share the band information with....

aJoneen........................+4 75 pounds LOST! Bandana.......................-2 92 lbs lost BrandNewLisa............-1 80pounds LOST forever!!! evelas5000..................+1 Desdemona...................0 Fenton...........................0 100 POUNDS LOST !! HarleyGirl..................-1 85 pounds LOST! Hopeinapril.................0 Kpodski........................1 Lynnt1215................. -2.4 NurseNiki...................0 Nycm00.......................0 Potatie.........................0 100 POUNDS LOST!! Scrappy_Friend..... 0 150 POUNDS LOST!!!! SpecialK...................-3 Sugarbean..................0 100 POUNDS LOST !! Sharona......................+3 stellabella...............-.2 HALFWAY TO GOAL! Tess415......................0 Thin2bme............... - 2.4 100 POUNDS LOST !! WestCoastMom........0 Wishin4......................4 73 pounds gone!! Kpodski............-1

HA....that's adorable!! I love it!

Collar bones are HOT.......isn't it cool to find out we actually do have them. I found a hint of a hip bone the other day.....weird.

Good Monday Morning everyone.....generally not a fan of Mondays...but decided to make this one okay! Another chance to get it right.....

The only complication I've had is that I keep having to buy smaller clothes......

Ummmm.....HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOO.... It's FRIDAY......down two this week! aJoneen.......................075 pounds LOST! Bandana......................0 BrandNewLisa..........0 75 pounds LOST forever!!! evelas5000................0 Desdemona.................0 Fenton.........................0 100 POUNDS LOST !! HarleyGirl..................-2 80 pounds LOST! Hopeinapril................0 Lynn1215.....................0 NurseNiki...................0 Nycm00.......................0 Potatie.........................0 100 POUNDS LOST!! Scrappy_Friend..... 0 150 POUNDS LOST!!!! SpecialK......................0 Sugarbean..................0 100 POUNDS LOST !! Sharona......................0 stellabella............... 0 HALFWAY TO GOAL! Tess415......................0 Thin2bme............... 0 WestCoastMom........0 Wishin4......................0 Kpodski............0 BRATZ98363.......0 __________________

I started at 252....was banded on March 18, 2008....this morning I was down to 169! I stalled for a month or two, but seen to be back on track and moving downward now. It's been quite a year.....I've gone from a size 20 to a 10....

When I get the final copy, I'll scan it......thanks you guys!

Okay....something cool happened and I have to share it with my bandster buddies! We're doing an event in March for a ladies night....the boss wasn't happy with the ad copy.....so he asked me and one of the other girls to model for the ad. I was resistant, but hey when the boss asks....what ya gonna do? Well, the copy came back today and it was one of those 'aha' moments where I realized how far I'd come.....looking at the picture, I couldn't believe it was me.....I felt like a big ol' idiot because it almost made me tear up....which is totally unacceptable in the middle of the harley shop.....but anyway, it was cool.

welllllll.....maybe not number one fan....but definitely top 10....I'm borderline obsessed.

Some stuff from support group....some of it is pretty good! Mindful eating: is about being conscious of why you are eating. Are you hungry? Are you tired? Are you bored? There is no menu or recipes to follow. It's about learning HOW and WHY you eat, and less about WHAT you eat. When you are so closely in touch with what is going on inside, you know the exact moment you are satisfied rather than stuffed or starving. To understand the why, what, when and how we eat, we have to be compassionate and nonjudgmental. This allows us to take a closer look at our behavior. 7 habits of mindful eaters: 1. Aware 2. Accepting 3. Nonjudgmental 4. Compassionate 5. In-the-Moment 6. Able to Let-it-Go 7. Observant Four foundations for eating mindfully: MINDFULNESS of the MIND On a scale of 1-10, how aware am I at this moment? Am I tasting every bite or am I mindlessly chomping away? Observe the taste, texture, smell, and sound of food. This helps you to pay attention to what you are doing. Identify whether you are mindlessly snacking or in touch with every single bite. MINDFULNESS of the BODY. Listen to your body. Do I pay attention when it says stop? Or, do I ignore my body's feedback. Identify how your body tells you it's hungry and full. Pay attention to hunger pains, a rumbling stomach, your energy level, movement, body posture and muscle tension. If you don't respond, your body could stop giving you important information about how it is doing. Learn to know the difference between emotional hunger (stress eating) and physical hunger. MINDFULNESS of FEELINGS is noticing feelings that start and stop eating. Anxiety, guilt, stress, comfort, boredom and pleasure are just a few. It's important to get in touch with your emotions. If you don't get a handle on your feelings, Sometimes, coping with your feelings is more important that changing the type of foods you eat. MINDFULNESS of THOUGHTS. Be mindful of your thoughts. Observe “should” and “should not” thoughts, critical thoughts (I'm so fat!), food rules, "good" and "bad" food categories. Notice how positive and negative thoughts sway your behavior. A thought is just a thought, you don't have to respond to it. Mindful eating exercise: Among many things, mindful eating includes feeling the saltiness of each potato chip on your fingers as you pick it up, and noting the taste of the salt when you put the chip on your tongue. It’s being aware of and listening to the loud crunch of each bite, and the noise the chewing makes in your head. As you eat the chips, you take note of the rough texture against your tongue, and the pressure of your teeth grinding together. When you are watchful, you notice how your stomach expands and feels fuller. You experience each bite from start to finish by slowing down every aspect of the eating process to be fully aware of each movement, swallow, aroma and feeling derived from eating. AFFIRMATIONS: Mind I accept that my eating and weight concerns are creating emotional distress, discomfort, and suffering in my life. I choose to accept my body and weight as they are at this moment. Committing to accept myself is a choice only I can make. Body I accept that my genetic inheritance strongly influences my body shape and weight. I accept how important it is for me to eat mindfully in order to live a healthy life. Thoughts To accept my body and weight does not mean that I am judging them to be perfect Acceptance only comes from within myself. I don’t seek it from the outside. Feelings I accept that my worth is not reflected by my weight and shape, but, rather, my worth is determined by who I am as a whole person. Acceptance includes rejecting the cultural and social messages I receive about weight. Merry vs. Mindful Eat, Drink and Be Merry myth suggests you eat what feels good in-the-moment and use food to de-stress, soothe emotions Celebrate. Eating is routine and given little attention. Multitasking while eating (watch TV, drive, talk & eat) “Grazing” on food Routinely skipping breakfast or meals Ignoring hunger and body cues (stomach rumbling, low energy) Continue to eat although full (stuffing rather than satiating) Member of the “Clean Plate Club” Disregarding nutrition needs Avoiding physical symptoms of over or under eating “Live to Eat” rather than “Eat to Live” Use “Comfort Foods” Believe you have little or no control Shoulds and Shouldn'ts dominate eating Eat, Drink & Be Mindful is being diligently attentive to your body, mind, thoughts and feelings as you eat. A conscious awareness and attention to food choices, body and nutritional needs. Nonjudgmental, accepting and compassionate toward yourself and others Nonjudgmental of self and food choices Fully in-the-moment while eating Focused attention. Able to bring attention back when it wanders Alert and observant of thoughts. Able to “let go” of critical thoughts and emotions without reacting Diligently watchful of pre and post eating feelings Food just is what it is rather than categorized as good and bad Mindful eating is an ongoing journey Compassionate toward self and others Acceptance of self and body as you are

I'm most envious of your daytona adventure! It's on our "to do " list, for sure!

A typical food day....well, it's change a little since my last adjustment....I'm pretty tight in the mornings, so a lot of times I'll just have a Protein shake for Breakfast. If I'm feeling like it, I'll have a yoplait with 1/2 c. of kashi Cereal mixed in. lunch is usually leftovers from the night before....1/2 chicken breast on some lettuce or whatever. Sometimes a lean cuisine. dinner is usually 3 oz or so of either chicken or lean beef with veggies....sometimes I'll have half of a baked potato, but potatoes fill me up really fast. Since my last fill, I have stopped snacking completely. I just haven't been hungry at all. I'll have a drink, either a crystal light or sometime like that...but haven't been eating at night. Exercise....I try to get 30 good minutes of cardio four times a week and then do some resistance work or yoga in between. I'm also on my feet for eight solid hours at work....up and down stairs and working the floor....so I get a lot of movement at work. Really, it's just started the gel for me the last three weeks....It's been magic.

yeah....not so much....there were f bombs and curled toes, that's for sure....that work at the top is right on the bone.

eh, nothing to fear.....they hurt...and then it's over and you have something beautiful.

New tattoo day....

I had a stellar week......most I've lost since pre-op a year ago! aJoneen.......................-1 75 pounds LOST! Bandana......................0 BrandNewLisa............1.3 75 pounds LOST forever!!! evelas5000.................-.5 Desdemona..................0 Fenton........................-3 100 POUNDS LOST !! HarleyGirl.................. -6 80 pounds LOST! Hopeinapril................0 Lynn1215.....................0 NurseNiki...................0 Nycm00.......................0 Potatie.........................0 100 POUNDS LOST!! Scrappy_Friend......-3 150 POUNDS LOST!!!! SpecialK......................-2 Sugarbean..................0 100 POUNDS LOST !! Sharona......................0 stellabella...............-.4 HALFWAY TO GOAL! Tess415......................0 Thin2bme................- 2 WestCoastMom........0 Wishin4......................0 Kpodski............-5 BRATZ98363............-77 __________________

BTW....red letter day....I did a pre-friday hop on the scales.... I ACTUALLY WEIGH WHAT MY DRIVER'S LICENSE SAYS I DO!

I changed doctors....I wanted a GP that was supportive and understanding of the lap band. My original doc was a jackass about it.....so he is no longer my doc. I have a GREAT GP now who is 100% supportive and is knowledgeable enough about the band to provide care for me with it in mine..... Of course, I'm a self-pay, so didn't have the insurance hurdle to deal with...but I certainly wouldn't stay with a doc that's not band friendly....we're in it for the long haul and need good care.

....well, next best thing to PS.....BUT infinitely cheaper!