JulieNYC

Boo, I ran in 97 degree heat with 95% humidity when I was in AL a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't too bad as long as I stayed hydrated. I'm good with heat though -- bad with cold. Don't know why I live in what I affectionately call "Yankeeland." Ahhh, sugary gummy skittles -- YUUUUMMMMMMM. Wink. Have yall ever seen the exercise clothes brand Lululemon? I'm addicted. The sport tank, deep V rocks my world. So pretty, yet supportive enough. Betty, you might like their stuff for your Nia class -- most of their things are designed for Yoga not for running.... Trainer tonight, 4 mile speed session tomorrow. Woohoo!

In all seriousness, and without the need to discuss whether any muscle tightening is necessary, I have excess skin there that I'd like removed. It's pretty common to have it done as part of the TT process because it's exactly the same incision.

Yeah, my weight hasn't budged either, Dawn. I guess we're just at that point where the scale had us spoiled from month after month of 10+ lb loss, and now it's gotten realistic. I figure if I can lose 3 or 4 a month, I'll get to goal eventually....

My only comfort for you is that it WILL stop. I lost about 1/4 of my hair from months 4-6 and in month 6 it slowed then stopped, just as I was starting to get really petrified about the loss. I firmly believe it's weight loss related. For me, the amount of Protein and supplements I consumed simply didn't matter. Fortunately, it WILL stop.

Vex, I went through what you're going through. I think it's normal to analyze it, and I think your logic is good, but I would also encourage you to not worry about it so much because if you get to 160 and are happy with your body, great! If you get to 150 or 140 or wherever and are happy, great! You'll know goal when you get there and you can re-set goal whenever you want to. I set my first goal at 170. When I got to about 190, I knew 170 wouldn't be enough, but I still thought the 130s were ridiculous for my frame. So, I set another goal of 159. Now that I'm below that, the 130s doesn't seem so unreasonable, so I'm aiming for 136 (the highest normal weight by the charts I use). But, if my body stops short of that, that's ok too. I'll let my body decide where goal is because I don't want to fight to stay at someone else's arbitrary number, you know?

Oh my gosh Diane, you're going to look so fabulous!!! I can't wait for you to have this done -- it's going to be so wonderful for you! I bet you come out a size 4 or 6. WOOHOO! Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait. If you haven't already, ask about a mons lift (only if you need it, of course). I wish I'd thought to do it at the time of TT and now I'm trying to figure out whether it can be done with my thigh lift or whether I'll have to do it separately....

Hey Judy! I'm on LBT almost every day, so feel free to PM me if you need me and don't see me on a thread you follow. To answer your questions, I'm slightly under my "sweet spot" because my doc felt my pouch wasn't emptying quite fast enough (for my yearly esophogram) and asked me to consider an unfill (just 0.5 cc), which I did, wishing to protect my band's long-term health. Anyway, it did make a difference in that I'm a little hungrier than I was for the 9 months I was at 9.5 (I'm at 9.0 now), but I'm also exercising a lot more, which contributes to the hunger. To stay on topic, I do find that a Starbucks ice coffee in the morning helps control my hunger. I think it's the caffiene. My eating is sporatic -- about 2 weeks out of the month, I'm hungrier than normal and I eat about 1500 cals/day (I'm running 35 miles a week training for my November marathon, so my body needs a little more). The other 2 weeks, I feel almost perfect -- I can eat whatever I want, I just don't think about food that much and have to remind myself to get in 1000 cals. Overall, I'm still losing about a pound a week, which is fine for this stage of the game. I'm planning a thigh lift for November, which will take off about 10 lbs as well. I figure wherever I am at the end of the year (be it the 130s or 140s) will be where I wind up, and that's totally fine with me. I do confess after my 16 mile run on Sunday, I had a tall blueberries and cream frap from Starbucks. I wouldn't do that on a normal day, but after 16 miles I was looking to up my cals for the day to get to feeling back to normal, without putting stress on my pouch. YUM! I do see how those drinks can be addictive.... Take care!

Yea Terry! You're doing the #1 best thing for your health by quitting smoking. WAY TO GO. Protect that goal with everything you have, even if it means sacrificing exercise for the short term. If you can, fill your desire to smoke with exercise, but if you can't, just do anything you have to do not to smoke. You'll be back to your exercise goals in no time. You ROCK! Woohoo, Terry!

I did a 3 mile speed session this morning. It was HARD! I'm such a better runner with long runs at a slow pace....Anyway, I did the first two miles at a 9:09 pace. Then the third mile, I was dying so I had to slow down. Overall, finished all 3 miles at a 9:37 pace. Not too bad....Lather, rinse, repeat on Thursday. Boo, I can't BELIEVE you don't like skittles. You are not human (wink). next thing you'll tell us is you don't like babies or puppies. Haha. Seriously, GIVE ME YOUR SKITTLES then. Wait, no, don't give them to me. I think I'm having a better food week. It's funny how this band works for me. I have very hungry "grazing" days -- several in a row -- then, just as I get scared and think I need a fill, I could care less about food for a couple of weeks in a row. I know I could look back and see that I've made that comment a zillion times. You'd think I'd learn. Anyway, even through the grazing, my weight stays constant, so maybe this is what life is like? Acckkkk!!

Got in 22.5 min of rowing and 22.5 min of elliptical tonight. Nothing like doing the bare minimum to meet the challenge, is there....

Betty, I haven't been wearing my bugg either -- I'm quite sick of it, actually. All I want to do is run my marathon and have my thigh lift. I kind of feel like with those 2 things, I'm at goal, whether I ever see the 130s or not. I guess I just have a bad attitude this week.... Eficka, glad you has such a good vacation and glad someone else other than me had skittles for once (wink). Boo, congratulations for running through your leg pain -- 9:45 WOW! Once I get through this marathon, I'm going to do some speed training so I can at least run shorter distances at a faster pace....

No probs with any eggs.

Well, I pushed the 16 miler back to today and I'm glad I did. It was tough adn I'm definitely more over my cold today than yesterday. I'm going to bed as soon as the sun goes down. Boo, the earliest I leave my house is 6:00 a.m. I have a rule about that. I simply will NOT go to a 6:15 class. 6:30 is plenty early enough.

You are in control of this, not your PCP. Go in to your PCP being well-educated and clear that you have done all the reseach, you understand this is a tool and that you're willing to do the work. If he/she denies you because of your age, explain that you're going to find a doctor who will support you because your mind is made up, and doesn't he/she wish to reconsider and actually assist you along your road to health. Show him/her the medical literature that shows that only 5% of patients with 50+ lbs to lose can actually lose it and keep it off for a year. Tell him/her that statistically, it is nearly impossible for you to maintain 100+ lost for a lifetime, much less 50+ for one single year. Tell him/her you're making the responsible choice for your long-term health and you home he/she will join you on the road, but if not, you'll find someone who will. And you know what? You WILL find that doctor. Hopefully it'll be yours, but if not, there's one out there for you.

I'm with Mandy. The study is too old to be talking about our adjustable band. The stats aren't comparable. Recent 5 year studies show adjustable band patients losing comparable or slightly more than the GB patients, not less.

In the winter I get a cafe misto with skim -- 12 g protein and only 90 cals. In the summer, I get ice coffee -- no protein, but no cals either and it makes me HAPPY!

Magnolia, I've read about people keeping ziploc bags in their purses for such occasions. I don't mean this as a lecture, just as an observation from an outsider, which we all sometimes need. If you're PBing on the street at all, much less from soup, you've got to be too tight. Particularly as it doesn't seem like this was a fluke that you could knowingly prevent with more care (like if you ate a whole street pretzel or something like that), as you're planning for anticipated future occurrences. Consider getting just a little fluid out of your band to protect your long-term band health? You'll feel more normal and might even lose faster....

I tried a spinning class this morning, followed by a yoga class, neither of which had I done before. The spinning was GREAT and I'll definitely go back. It was really good cardio (not as good as running, but still quite good), good music, felt like a workout. The yoga on the other hand, I just don't know. I did feel like it benefitted my body in a way that I don't get from other exercise. The stretching involved is definitely good. I don't even mind that it's not hard-core cardio. What turns me off is the music, the imposed "calmness" and the whole allegedly spiritual experience of it. I see how that can be relaxing and motivational for some, but it's just not my thing. I may try a few different instructors before I give up on it completely, but it's not looking good. We did do a pretty cool headstand thing that was fun and challenging.... Tomorrow -- 16 miles. And I have a cold, so I hope it's a go. If not, I CAN do it Sunday if I need to push it back a day....

I have no idea on cost, but I do know that the support group is open to the public, so you'd be welcome there. There's a group for those in the first year and a group for those further out. The only thing I caution you about is that the groups are extremely large -- often 40+, which doesn't leave much time for individual support. But, you're right. Ren and Fielding are the best thing going, in terms of overall practice! You might contact Tammy at their office for more info on becoming a patient if banded in MX. Good luck.

We're all so proud of you!! Way to go! Now run across that finish line.... Wink, Julie

Terri, sometimes the head doesn't catch up to us as quickly as we'd like. I still feel selfconscious walking down the street. I still strongly feel that I take up too much room in a crowded elevator (I work on the 40th floor of a building). Logically this is ridiculous, but it's still true and part of the process of recovering from MO. Time in front of the mirror doesn't help -- or at least it doesn't help quickly. Unfortunately, it's a long road, mentally and emotionally. Rain, If it's possible, try meeting with your trainer once a week for 6 weeks (or longer if you can). You'll probably go to the gym if you're actually working out with a trainer, and once it's not new to you, you'll feel more comfortable -- you'll start to see the same people, know which machines are most out of the line of sight of the mirrors, etc. Do whatever you have to do, but just GO.

Kellie, I had a pretty long plateau -- about 3 months -- that was similar to what you describe. Basically, I was just tired of making the effort and I started being ok with little bits of chocolate or candy here and there, more nights out at restaurants, not tracking my calories, etc. And you know, it was fine for me. I maintained my weight during that period and I adjusted a little mentally. Then, when I was ready, I went back to the "rules" and lost another 20. Now I'm kind of in the same cycle again. But that's ok. I know when I really want to lose the final 20, I know how to do it. Until then, as long as I make the basic effort (reasonably haelthy choices most of the time + exercise), I know I'll at least maintain.

I got in 4 miles this morning (but only at a 10:11 pace, so Dawn wins) then met with a new running trainer that my friend told me about. It was very good. I've been having bad food cravings though. These are the 4 days before my period, where I am always hungrier than normal and always think I need a fill, then things get back to normal once it passes. However, I think I might be aiming too low with my calories now that I'm in full blown training mode and getting so much exercise. I've been thinking about aiming no lower than 1200, which is about a 300 calorie bump. I've been wondering if that might not help me lose faster, not because of the so called "starvation mode" but because maybe if I have a little more in me, I won't be craving sugar so much. I guess I can give it a try.

I thought so, but I overdid it because I binge-ate Skittles yesterday. I think it was, in part, due to overdoing it with both the running and the boxing the day before. I need to learn moderation, no matter what end it's on....Ugh.

For what it's worth, my Dad is a plastic surgeon and he says it's a complete myth that losing weight slowly will make any difference in the end. He said it might be less bothersome if you lose slowly because you're giving it time to contract with you, but that if you lost quickly (and healthily -- I don't mean combined with the effects of malnutrition), 2 years later, you'd look exactly the same as if you lost slowly, in terms of excess skin. I have a lot of excess skin on my legs. A LOT. I wear a compression garment under my clothes every day. It makes it tolerable and makes me look normal in clothes, but I still want it removed surgically....