Angelyco

I'm in! I need something to motivate me, I haven't met a single goal yet. Name................Start........Current........Goal....To Go Capitolchick.........215.............215..............200.....15 Chocolate_Snaps..219.............219..............199.....20 JasonR................314.............289..............289.....25 Kaninag...............210.............210..............190.....20 Aluv82................281.............281..............235.....45 LibbyJane............264.............264..............240.....24 newdicarlo...........236.............236..............208.....28 Angelyco.............412.............412..............375.....37 EDIT: I also added myself to the spreadsheet.

I agree that it favors heavier people, and I think that's one of the reasons it bothers me so much that HELEN won. I think I wouldn't be so upset that Tara lost if only Mike beat her, because he had a LOT of weight to lose.

Ah, that sucks. I know there were a few past seasons that the 2nd and 3rd place got money as well, I wasn't positive about this season.

I believe all 3 won money.

I'm always told to have a "light" breakfast early in the morning, but that the stomach should be fairly empty when you get your fill. Once again I disappeared for awhile...I don't remember how much I've posted about my current predicament, but I had 3 fills so far. I felt a little bit of restriction after my first two fills that lasted a week and three weeks (respectively), but I didn't feel ANYTHING after my last fill. Eesh. I'm up to 4 ccs in a 10 or 14cc band. I finally get to have another fill on June 3rd though. So maybe I'll actually have REAL restriction before my bandiversary. I'm getting really annoyed that I can't break the 40-pound mark before my bandiversary, when I had originally hoped to lose 150 lbs. in my first year.

This morning Tara was on the radio show I listen to, it's based in Manhattan and she's in Long Island, so it was really cool that they got her. I can honestly say it was one of the longest interviews they've had with people, and one of the first times they never said anything bad after they hung up the phone with her. She has such an awesome outlook on life now, even though she mentioned that her life is falling apart--she lost the Biggest Loser and she also just lost her job. The DJs were trying to help her find a new job by asking what kind of job she's looking for--in the hopes that someone listening would have something for her! I hope they put up a Podcast for it (they don't do it for everything), if they do I'll post the link. I was so happy to hear from her outside the ranch.

I missed the first hour of the show, but I think I only missed the white and red teams being weighed in, and Ron being kicked out of the final 3 (Yes!). Jerry looked disgusting. He looked like he just happened to get sick for the months that he was at home. I'm glad he lost the weight, but he looks so bad. I was REALLY surprised about Joelle's results. I had a feeling Carla would continue on her own, but I really thought Joelle would give up and gain back the little bit of weight she had lost at the ranch. In the back of my mind I didn't even expect her to show up at the finale. I felt really bad for David, I think that's either the same or less weight than he lost before he left the ranch. Daniel looked really good! I have to say I'm glad he's still a little chubby and didn't get rail thin for the finale--it makes it at least seem that he's trying to go about weight loss in a healthy and realistic manner, and he'll probably have a better chance to keep it off, if so. I was also really surprised at how much Ron lost, that was another one that I thought would start gaining weight back when he went home. Now I'm thinking that the finale was enough reason for him to keep going, but now that it's over, I really don't think he'll keep it off again. Everytime he says that "it's a new lifestyle" blah blah, I just get the impression that he doesn't really believe it and he's just saying what he's supposed to for the camera. Mike looked really good! I didn't want him to win, but I was pleasantly surprised how well he did at home. I thought his dad may drag him down. I almost cried when I saw Tara lose. 6 pounds. I have only seen the finales for about 3 or 4 other seasons, but I don't remember any of the others being SO CLOSE at the finale! Mike lost by 4 pounds, Tara lost by 6 pounds. How crazy is that! Helen did look a little too thin, her arms and torso just aren't proportioned well when she's that thin. I hope she gains just a little bit back to make her look healthy again, and I'm mad that she won, but I'm still happy she did it.

I didn't get to watch last night's episode yet, but I already voted. The voting was a bit confusing--voting for who STAYS, not who gets eliminated like they usually do on the show. I was giggling like a school girl when I saw both brown guys fell below the line. Hopefully I'll get to watch it tonight.

Someone quickly explain to me how the voting worked last season...did you only get to vote for the two people below the yellow line? Or any of the 4? Please please please let us vote Ron off!

I missed the first 45 minutes and I got home just as Tara and Helen were the only two people left in the challenge. Tara rocks!! Helen was so upset about losing--I don't remember Felipe's starting weight but I do know he lost 3 pounds, but if she had that one pound advantage, would Felipe have been below the yellow line instead? What I'm getting really tired of hearing is "This week is so important" "This weigh-in is so important"--you've been saying that every week for the past 16 weeks! What week ISN'T important? Gah I have so much to vent about. Kristin and the "easy" way out--uhm, last I knew, this was a game, the point is to get rid of your competition. How is that the "easy" way? It's the "smart" way--it's just plain stupid to keep your competition around. I really don't know why she thinks it has to do with being a coward. Yes, I was throwing pillows at the TV when Mike and Kristin were both saying that Kristin is his biggest competition...with Tara sitting right there. Just because Tara doesn't have as much weight left to lose as Kristin doesn't mean that Kristin CAN lose all the weight she has left. Tara is in it to win it and I KNOW she'll still kick ass when she goes home before the finale. I saw that coming with Ron not writing down Kristin's name but still making sure she went home. I was really hoping for a more explosive and damaging blowout with Mike and Ron. Ron never really answered WHY he never stopped Mike and Max from gaining weight, just kept saying that "now we know and we can teach Max" blah blah blah...and yeah, I love how he didn't say how the mom lost weight, just that "she got it under control." I have a feeling they had surgery at the same time. Then Mike and Ron cried and hugged and loved each other. I was really hoping Mike would break off and work for himself instead of staying under his dad's wing after that conversation. Blah. God, at this rate, it seems Ripple Dad has a chance to make it to the finale. I think Tara makes it to the finale though, they showed her with her cut-out (which they only do for the contestants before they go home for the finale). Here's a question for you all though: if Ron DOES make it to the finale, do you think he'll purposely not work as hard to make sure that Mike has the best percentage? Of course we all know that Ron won't be able to do this at home anyway, but I'm curious what you think about his motives. They actually aren't that far apart in percentages (if my math is right) Mike is at 39.4% and Ron is at 30.7%. Four months at home could easily change either of those to move up or down.

Thanks for that article. I had a feeling about the milk advertisement--yes, they are trying to say that 3 glasses a day helps you lose weight, but a glass of milk is still like 100 calories. In that environment, calories matter too much to be getting them from beverages. I like reading these articles because it's so different from what we see. Like in their "after" segments they always say "Oh, Biggest Loser changed my life, I'm so much happier, etc" but look how miserable Kai is. It seems like this show has just as much of a chance of creating eating disorders as curing them.

After Ron's last little flip-out when people voted for him, I think more people will be inclined to send him home next time he falls below the yellow line. I think if Kristin knows the majority are planning to vote for him, she will go along with it, but otherwise I think she'd be too scared to vote for him. What I really want to see right now is Mike and Ron below the yellow line. Not because I want Mike to go home, I don't, but I want to see if Ron really WOULD sacrifice himself for his son or if he'd get greedy and want to stay. He keeps saying it's all for Mike, but it would be a good test to see if that's true. He KNOWS he can't lose the weight at home, and Mike would be able to.

My program doesn't really specify how much Protein we should intake in a day, but to eat protein first at every meal, just to make sure we are getting "enough" in before we get too full. Protein shakes are frowned upon since they don't fill you like solid food; only people who have a hard time getting "enough" protein are told to add shakes. However, my program absolutely FORBIDS white rice, Pasta, flour, and sugar. We are supposed to cut these out completely. I asked about brown rice, etc. and was told absolutely not, that it's not so much about the nutritional value but that the consistency doesn't sit well with the band, which I think is a load of bull. Shouldn't I be -allowed- to eat brown rice or whole-grain pasta, but if it DOESN'T work for my band, then not eat it? I don't follow this, though. No, I haven't lost much weight so far, but it's not really because of my diet. I don't sit down and eat a pizza and a 2 liter of soda for dinner. I just have no restriction right now, so I'm still eating a lot of food, even if I'm making healthier choices. My personal philosophy is that the food pyramid was created for a reason--you NEED carbs in some form. It seems too extreme to me to cut out an entire food group. So I do still eat white rice (though I've just switched over to brown rice), pasta, and potatoes. I do limit my sugar, but I don't cut it out completely. If I want a cookie, I'll have one, but not half of the bag like I know I could. I know myself well enough that if I absolutely deprive myself of something, I WILL binge on it later. Once I get some restriction going, I believe a balanced diet will help me make better choices than forbidding certain foods and binging later, which could not only hurt weight loss, but could potentially damage my band/stomach.

I'm sure when he applied to be on the show he was a perfect gentleman, "Oh, I love my son..." blah blah blah. There is no way the producers could have known he wouldn't actually try to exercise or be a complete ass. If you take away his personality, the father-son duo, with another obese son at home, is exactly what they were looking for.

The good news is that Mike is going to be in college--that's why he gave his year of free groceries to Aubrey. Hopefully he can keep it up since he'll be away from his dad (assuming he doesn't go to college too close to home).

I'm getting really tired of how at EVERY SINGLE CHALLENGE Ron will start it, then just stop, saying "Oh, I'm so far behind, I can't do it anyway, I'll just stop now, no point in even trying to finish..." At least most people TRY to finish what they start on this show, even if they know they lost. I think I have a pretty good idea of how Ron is losing weight without working out as hard as the others. This show is loving ragging on his bypass, saying how it failed him, etc. BUT I hope you all remember when they were showing his xrays and the doctor said that his pouch is still intact/still the size of an egg or whatnot. Hello! His bypass is still functional! The difference now is that he has to eat healthier while at the ranch. I'm surprised none of his fellow contestants have realized this. He's finally losing weight because he's eating healthier and the bypass is probably doing its job now. Any thoughts?

My first NSV in a very long time...even though I've only lost 36 pounds, I've been working out the last few weeks and I feel myself getting into better shape. Today, I went for a 2 mile walk and didn't have to stop at all to rest. My feet didn't even feel like they wanted to fall off when I was done :thumbdown:

I also use Walk Away The Pounds. I agree--she jabbers too much--but it's simple steps and still gives a great workout.

I'm so mad, I missed the first half of BL last night! I'm going to download it tonight though and watch it again. Ron really really really needs to go home. I wanted to just punch his smug little face last night. I'm starting to dislike Mike a little too...his dad is rubbing off on him. Last night he said "We got what we wanted, Helen and Sione below the yellow line." Since when did Mike ever talk about gameplay other than just keeping himself and his dad in the game? One of the reasons I liked him (2nd to Tara) is because he ONLY cared about keeping himself and his dad there, he never really cared about who else got sent home.

Hey Junies! I went to my first support group last night for my program (yes, banded in June, just now going). The meeting itself was kind of eih...stupid...we made murals with magazine cutouts and foam letters of what we want to accomplish this spring. Not exactly what I had in mind when I decided to go. Anyway, the group leader is also the program director. I pulled her aside and did what I should have done awhile ago--I told her everything that was going on. I told her how I have NO restriction after 3 fills and that I'm afraid to call and schedule another one because I'd have to fight with the scheduling lady again, even though my surgeon always told me to just call and schedule a fill whenever I needed it. The director had no idea I was having so many problems getting fills and didn't realize the disconnect between that one woman and the doctors. Since my last fill was two weeks ago, she told me to let her know in two more weeks and I can schedule a fill with no hassles. Also, she said to make sure my doctor gives me at LEAST 2-3 more ccs next time. She also agreed that it was okay for me not to have to see the nutritionist everytime I get a fill, since it's not guidance I need, but restriction. I didn't go to her in the first place because I didn't know how she would react. I thought she would enforce their ideal 3-months-between-fills or make me see the nutritionist instead. I feel so much better, I feel like hopefully now I won't have to switch doctors and maybe I'll start losing weight again.

Finally, a conversation I was looking for. I was banded in June 2008, had my first fill in September, then because of insurance copay, I couldn't get my second one until February. I had my third fill 2 weeks ago. I lost 25 pounds in the two weeks after surgery, and I'm only up to 36 pounds now, which keeps bouncing around between 29 pounds and 36 pounds, I can't seem to break the low barrier. I felt a little bit of restriction for a few days after the first fill. After the second fill, I had a some restriction (not great but I was eating a little less) for about 3 weeks. Then it all just went away and I can eat just as much now as before the surgery. My third fill did absolutely nothing. Right now I have 4ccs in either a 10 or 14 cc band (my doctor wasn't even sure which one). I have to remember that just because I've had my band for 10 months that it's comparable to others that are 10 months out. I've had the same number fills as someone about 3-4 months out. I talked to the director of my program though and she said in 2 more weeks I can schedule another fill, so my next one won't be for at least 4-5 weeks from now. It's frustrating to go through this surgery just to be hungry all the time.

I'm a few days late to the game, but here are my exercise goals for April: - Work out every single day. If I don't decide on another gym to join soon (besides the one in my office building), I will do at least one mile of Walk Away The Pounds on the weekends or days that I don't make it to the office gym before it closes. If I miss a day, I will do a mile of WATP the next day, ALONG with the gym. - Increase my gym cardio exercise from 20 minutes to 30 minutes. Currently, I do 15 minutes on the bike, 5 minutes on the elliptical. I would LIKE to increase them to 20 and 10, respectively, by the end of the month, but if I am not ready for a full 10 on the elliptical, at least up to 7 minutes, then 23 minutes on the bike. I'm not sure how ready my body will be for either increase by the end of the month, but I've been increasing the difficulty of my bike sessions at least. - Add weight training to my routine, at least 2 or 3 times a week. Good luck all!

I agree, tonight's latest attack on WLS drove me a little nuts. I'm so mad about what happened this week! Ron should have went home, and he got SO MAD when Felipe voted for him! Come on, you have knee problems, now more health problems, and you STILL think you have a chance? I feel really bad for Nicole, it's so bizarre that she gained so much weight her first week back. I missed the part where Alison took away her immunity, can someone tell me why? Was it because she gained weight instead of lost? I did feel for Tara though, someone just comes back onto the ranch in 2nd place after she's worked so hard defending herself and staying in 1st. Crazy crazy week!

Thanks guys It's not my doctor who is the problem--I love him, he's great and he totally understands about fills. It's his office staff that makes it so hard. He's never available to talk to on the phone so I have to deal with his secretaries and the lady who schedules the fills, and she's the one who gives me the hardest time. Plus, when I do call to schedule a fill, the appointment is 2-3 weeks away. What would happen if I had to have an unfill?? I have had 3 fills so far, I'm up to 4 cc in a 10? cc band. I did have restriction after the first two fills (but it only lasted 1 week and 3 weeks, respectively), but this time I don't feel any restriction at all. I think there is a Fill Center USA about an hour away from me, but they don't take insurance (from what I researched) and there ARE several other LB surgeons in my area. It's just a matter of me getting around to have my files sent to one (which terrifies me--I'm afraid the program director will contact me asking if I'm switching to another doctor).

Ahhhh, so many things to say! I was curious about Kristin's "medical problem" too, because usually it's not a secret if someone is hurt. I'm glad Aubrey got sent home. Yes, it's a game and they could have made a better choice, but one thing I'm always leery of is that someone will be kept around WAY too long because they aren't a threat, but then they last so long that it looks like they're really good. I really only think it's fair that if someone doesn't do the work and constantly falls below the yellow line, they just don't deserve to be at the ranch anymore, forget about the "game." Dan is awesome! He was my favorite from the beginning, he's so cool but he just couldn't get into it. I'm glad he's doing fairly well. Oh btw, Eric (that gained the weight back) is from Season 3...I only know because I've been watching the old seasons again lately :thumbup: One episode of BL a week isn't enough! Tara is just too cool. I almost cried when she was going to leave and I was bouncing on the couch when she pulled ahead of Sione in the challenge. DH thought I was going crazy. I really hope she kicks out of her plateau, I really don't want to see her get sent home! GO HOME RON!!