FeliciaLevy75

Grats tex!!

Thanks!:redface:

Thanks, Jack! You know, I have been told a lot lately that I "carry [my weight] well." Translation, most people don't believe me when I tell them I started out over 300 lbs. This kind of NSV makes me feel so fabulous when it's not so obvious that 45 pounds are gone. I can't wait until it's patently obvious that I have dropped all this excess crap! =)

Hehehe Mary! Grats, Bunkeye, a new goal = great weight loss! Welcome, Jen!

You're quite welcome. I was excited to find it. I have believed in the tracking process for a long time now, but only until about June 8 or so (banded May 15) did I really start paying attention. To be fair, that's when I discovered the online calculators (settling on TDP, love it!). I am more diligent about what I eat as I see the numbers computed, I am more careful about dietary boundaries, and I am honest as hell. It has become such a part of my daily routine that, if I am not near a computer, I keep it in a notebook until I can log it online. It's a way for me to see I am doing well even if I fear the scale won't move or I won't experience another NSV for a while. I feel proud when I am within the boundaries my doctor and I set, and I feel empowered by keeping track instead of burdened by counting and worrying and stressing over every bite.

This has been popping up on the news all morning, so I thought I would post a link to the topic (and tons of articles) from Google's news aggregator. - Google News Enjoy!

I made it to the 250s! About 45 pounds gone and a BMI under 40!!!

I DID IT! In the 250s AND BMI under 40! RAWR! LOL Name.............Current......Goal.........To Go Bunkey1965......210..........205...........5 dreamsize8.......216..........190...........26 FeliciaLevy75....259.4.......240...........19.4 laura bough......215..........190...........25 liz_hager..........168..........150...........18 NukeChik..........227..........197...........30 thininside28......271.5........245...........26.5 Cadets71.........231...........219...........12 Wannabthin......199...........179...........20 scrappy_friend...222..........200...........22 TexGirl..............202.........180...........22 Gayle21............190..........175............15 MMarg.............220...........199...........21

Made a great chicken dish last night and thought I would share. 3-4oz skinless, boneless chicken breast, butterflied a bit (one per serving you want to make) 2/3 oz lowfat mozzerella cheese (2/3 of a string cheese works great) 1c spinach, raw (per serving you want to make) 1/2c - 1c favorite pasta sauce (depending on size of baking dish and servings being made) Pour pasta sauce into a baking dish, just to cover the bottom and give moisture to the dish. Stuff chicken with spinach and cheese. Use skewers or kitchen string to hold together. Place chicken on sauce in the dish. Don't stack. Cover dish with foil and bake at 325 until chicken is cooked (I think it took me about 30-40 mins for 3 breasts, just check it once in a while). Remove chicken from dish, remove skewers or string, and serve. If you want to add some of the sauce to the chicken, you can. I just had it in there for flavor and moisture. When I added it all up, including more sauce than was on the chicken (call it osmosis, I wanted to be safe on my carb count).... only about 200 calories, 3-5 g fat, and 8 carbs. AND it tasted good! I brought some to work for lunch and dinner, and can easily keep everything below 20 today!! Very excited!

I am trying to get to the meetings at SWCC but they are so few and far between, only twice a month, and I usually end up doing something for school. Is Wednesday the only day for the Weighty Matters group? I have class on Wednesdays, but I would like to see if there are other nights?

Meka, Grats on the new exercise! The itching is generally from sweat. Sweat carries out bacteria and salts and other elements you don't need in your skin. It settles on your skin on the fine hair on your body and acts as an irritant. I have heard some say it is a chemical reaction causing fat to break down... but I haven't been able to find much to support it. Maybe someone else will have more, but I stick the irritant more than the instantaneous and noticeable "burn." As for back fat, it's like any fat. Burn more fat and that will go away. You can't spot treat outside of tucks, lipo, etc. It will come off when it's time.

Rugman, thank you for taking the time to post for me. I admit, I know better, I know mostly what works and what doesn't; it's pretty basic overall. But, as I said before, just when I think I have a grasp... bam! 80-120g carbs in one day. I can't seem to break it. I thought did OK over the holiday weekend, especially on a mini vacation... but really, it just OK. What did me in was not so much the food, but the Sangria by the pool. Ugh, as often as I tell people, "If you know it's bad, don't do it," I was doing the same damn thing. THUR, 73 carbs: Hopped off the plane and went out to Chili's with my friends in Phoenix. Had the Guiltless Grill Salmon (about a quarter of the actual fish portion) plus half of the steamed broccoli with a touch of parmesan and half the black Beans. FRI, 152 carbs: Seared tuna and squid for lunch, no sauces. Veal and prosciutto wraps with spinach and mozzerella and a touch of marsala sauce. Roasted veggies. KILLER - Sangria and mixed fruit dipped in Cool Whip, being fed by whomever was holding the bowl. LOL Fun, but a low-carb assassin. SAT, 83 carbs: Dannon 0%plus yogurt. dinner out to Olive Garden and half an order of the Apricot chicken. Even the name is carb-heavy. TDP shows 0 carbs, but I know that's not right; there has to be something from the apricot sauce, even if I ate very little of it. Oh, and more Sangria as we talked into the night. SUN, 72 carbs: Much better, or so I thought. Dannon 0%plus yogurt for B and L. Dinner was baked chicken with a canned Pasta sauce and spinach salad and lowfat, low sugar dressing. Maybe you don't want or need to see all that, but I use that and go back to compare, thinking I am usually so good, and then see that I am averaging 85 carbs a day for the past 30 days. Ugh! Frustrating. So, I have printed an Induction Phase list from Atkins.com and intend to use that when I go shopping tonight. I know that the yogurt is a lot and that I will have to find something else. I am also a big fan of fresh fruit. What do people do instead? The alcohol is a problem for carbs, yes, but not to cut out; that's easy because I don't regularly have it. I am really concerned about Calcium, D, and K; I don't metabolize most supplements very well and I do not like milk. Hence, my yogurt fascination. I would appreciate ideas there. Another somewhat difficult part for me is that I am also a low saturated fat person; I don't eat much cheese, bacon, beef, etc. and instead focus on fish, chicken, and some leaner game when the mood strikes. Maybe this should have been a PM. Sorry for the length. I want to do this, and I appreciate your input. Thanks, again, all of you.

Go go go, Mary!! :tt1: I am so happy for you!

That's great, Liz!! I am so excited for you! I am learning to appreciate the NSVs. I traveled this weekend for the first time since surgery. I was COMFORTABLE in the seat on the airplane, CINCHING my belts on both flights, and generally not self conscious about how I looked or how uncomfortable I was (or made a seat mate). It's great!! I love hearing about your NSV. I find that I am more inspired by those than the numbers we report. Don't get me wrong, when I weigh myself tomorrow morning I hope to see myself in the 250s (not since.... gods, 10 years ago???), but I am so high on feeling and looking better and these NSVs, I am driven by everyone else's to go for those feelings. Maybe I am rambling a bit; I am exhausted. But thank you again for sharing. You're awesome!

Not sure if this will work, but I am posting a fairly typical day for me. It won't fit on one screenshot, so I am doing what I can to make it work. I was banded May 15 and as of July 2 I lost almost 41 lbs (just under a pound a day). What has been working for me: General Style: I try to be fairly low carb, but I have taken to cycling my carbs for days I need a little extra. Plus, I am testing out the whole cycling/ketosis thing. Exercise: I walk for 30 mins or do elliptical for 15-30 mins every day, sometimes both, but I really just started moving like I should. I was pretty sedentary at first, outside of some minor stretching and light resistance work with a balance ball. Pay Attention: Reading the previous posts, watch your cheeses, ice creams, and sauces. They're easy to eat, hide calories and fat easily, and will quickly negate any good you've tried to do. salad dressings can easily kill a salad if you aren't careful. Eating out? Ask for foods prepared without butter or oil. Ask for no cheese or butter on veggies, rice, and potatoes (if you eat rice and potatoes). Sauce on the side, dressing on the side. The easiest thing to do: if you know it's bad, and you feel guilty by knowing it's bad... choose something else. Easier said than done, I know, that's part of why we're all here, but think of the band and think of what it feels like to lose all the weight. MOST IMPORTANT, keep to the limits imposed by your doc. Most people seem to be in the 4-6oz range. Fill up on your lean Protein first, then eat your veggies. Then whatever else you have. EAT SLOWLY. Let the band tell you when you are full. One trick I learned (and I forget who to credit, so if it's someone here, I apologize) -- If possible, eat a few bites of food about 10 minutes before you sit down for your meal. It can take 20-30 minutes for the feeling of satiety to hit your brain. By jumping ahead a few bites, you trigger your body to start watching that system and releasing the hormones that tell you you're full. (Remember not to drink anything in between!) Once you begin eating your normal meal, still eating slowly, and not drinking while you eat, the body will continue to monitor that feeling and you will feel satisfied on a small amount instead of overeating without knowing it. Like I posted before... track everything. Once I started that, I found I feel like I have eaten a lot more, simply because I break down the meal into ingredients and then I can see all the different things I got to taste! Anyway, it works for me. I thought I would share.

The swimming is under-reported because I was actually in there and moving around for HOURS... but I try to be conservative when calculating it so I can go for the most/best I can. 7/1 - 30 mins walking 7/2 - 30 mins walking + 20 mins elliptical 7/3 - 60 mins walking + 20 mins swimming 7/4 - 3 hours swimming (2 hours games and leisure, 1 hour laps, treading, and resistance) 7/5 - Zip. Zero. Nada. :tt1: 7/6 - 1 hour swimming, all laps, treading, and resistance 7/7 - 30 mins walking + ________________ (tonight!) :tt1:

Write down what you eat and what fitness you do everyday. BE HONEST. Look at it after a few days, a week, whatever will give you the best picture. Then... multiply your weight x 10. That is approximately (not a scientist or doctor, just research) your maintenance calories. Example, if you weigh 200lbs, you need 2000 calories per day to maintain. Once you have that figured out... Take in fewer calories & work out regularly. Rules my doc gives me: EAT ONLY AT MEALTIMES (BR, L, DI). EAT ONLY 4OZ OF food. FOCUS ON LEAN Protein AND VEGGIES. DON'T EAT AROUND THE BAND. DON'T DRINK YOUR CALORIES. DRINK YOUR Water DRINK YOUR WATER DRINK YOUR WATER 500 calories less a day/burned extra per day adds up to 3500 calories in a week. 3500 cals is a pound. A pound a week by cutting out and burning 500 calories per day. If you are hungry all the time, call your doc and see if you have any options. If there are no medical options, then find a way to distract yourself when you feel hungry when it's not a mealtime.

Sending good thoughts and good vibes! Be well, Joan, we're all rooting for you!

Anyone in Vegas going through this is welcome!

FBs can be good, great, but the whole emotion thing gets in the way. I decided a while ago that I didn't have time for emotion. Don't get me wrong, I love my friends and we wouldn't be FB if weren't friends, but the whole lovey-dovey, where will this go, yada yada yada needs to be left behind. I was happily divorced two years ago after being with the same person half my life... and I was only 31 at the time. Since then, I have focused on school, work, and now my health. I have learned more about me in past couple of years than my entire life combined, and I love that! FBs help fill in the blanks without the emotional hassle. Hmmm, I derailed a bit, but I guess my point is to enjoy what you have right now, focus on you, and the rest will get there when you need it to. Happy 4th!!

I had my first fill on Wednesday. Easy-peasy, no worries at all. Only 1cc and no noticeable restriction. But, I go back at the end of month, sooner if there is no assistance in the hunger arena. Yesterday I flew from Vegas to Phoenix to spend the weekend with friends... and not only did I *not* struggle to buckle in (I can admit there were times I thought I would need an extender).... I cinched the buckle 8 inches!!! The belt actually sat low and tight, like they tell you, and I didn't spill over into the next seat. I felt positively lithe! ha ha ha I was giddy... and the guy sharing the row with me probably thought I was on drugs. :thumbup: No swollen feet at the end of the flight, no uncomfortable me hanging out past or over the arm rests... I was so happy!

CONGRATULATIONS! I definitely credit my ability to stay focused on recording my food and activities, and I further give credit to TDP. I tried FitDay, I tried a little notebook, but TDP is the most convenient and most visual way to really see what I am doing.

Day three (and four, five, six) are swimming! Spending a long weekend in Phoenix by a friend's pool. With this heat, I am still trying to walk, but swimming is much more my style when I am melting! =) So far, so good!

Trying to get back in to Low Carb. I was doing really well, and then not so well. I am not eating breads or rice or refined carbs that I am aware of. I do have yogurt most mornings and have read mixed messages on the carb count in yogurt. Generally, I think I do OK, then I see the carb count at the end of the day and it is always high - even without the yogurt. Trying to find some ideas this weekend to get back on track.

It's not the answer you want, so you attack the other posters? Sorry folks, but no one should feel they need to apologize for offending anyone. HEAL FIRST, the message is simple. Successful bandsters are giving advice because you, ahem, posted and asked for it. If you are going to post about cheating, breaking rules, and generally doing things your "own way," you have to expect someone to say something contrary to what you want to hear. Hell, the first post even says, "bad, I know." If you already know it's bad, you know you shouldn't be doing it... yes? What are you expecting by posting? If you don't plan on doing it they way the doctor (or successful bandsters) describe, then don't post looking for commiseration.