waterlily1072

I would like to apologise to the gentlemen (at least one I see) that have joined us and I not notice. I have been adressing the group as ladies. Sorry to leave you guys out I had another stellar day today. After dinner I was a ways under on calories so I allowed myself some lowfat pretzels to munch on. The nice thing about them is that they aren't too bad for us and they fill me up really quick, like real quick, I have to be careful with them. So for me it takes care of late nite munchies wehn I have them. And yes I do measure them out so I know how many I am having Once again today I completely avoided the candy dish on my desk. What is it with reception desks and candy. Do companies really think they are doing anyone a favor by having those? Well see you al tomorrow skinny dreams everyone

OK so I decided to post my progress on the chart with no goal just progress. Since my great downfall to ending up back at 289 I am again back down to 284.5:whoo: If and I do mean if I were to get back into the 70's by the end of the month I'd be extatic, however I am not gonna put any pressure on myself right now to do anything other than to avoid the junk. I'm babystepping it Oh and yes the world would be a much better place if everyone did what I want them to do ;P Name...............................Starting……....L oss.......Current…....Goal….....ToGo losingjusme..(Christine).........293.............. ..13 .............280...........275............5 tann.............(Tammy)...........211............ ..... 3..............208..........198............10 Josette......(Josette)..............322……......... ..8..............314...........307.............7 RidinMyHDDream..(Carol)......264.................. 4 ..............260............254............6 FaithMD...............................308......... ........5..............303...........299.......... .6.4 Elisabethsew..(Elisabeth)......275................ .0..............275 ...........265............10 Libra.....(Angela)...................214.......... .......0..............214............208 ............6 glindab.................................282....... .......3.4............278.6..........265.......... .13.6 Inner_me...(Chris)..................295........... .....0..............295............280 ............15 waterlily1072...(Nicole)...........289........... ....4.5...........284.5.............0.............. 0 Rainer...(Lorraine)..................311.......... ......7..............304.............299.......... ..5 staindgal....(Bridget)..............319........... ....5 8...........313.2...........299..........14.2 jbtullis...(Jonathan)................317.......... ........7.............310............299.......... ..11 Insubordination.....................311........... .....6.6...........304.4...........299........... 5.4 Squale.................................334…....... ........9.............325……......310….........15 ShaunECook........................256.2........... .....0...........256.2……......245........11.2

Yay Libra :clap2: Happy Bandiversary Hope to see you back soon, good luck with the move and grts on the new job Well so far so good today for me. I really wanted junk again today, but not nearly as badly as yesterday, so that's a bright spot After dinner I am still under 1000 cal so I can have a sensible snack tonight if I so choose. Who knows may I'll treat myself to some healthy pop, hehe. Have a good evening everyone.

Thanks Christine :confused: Well the scale instantly rewarded my efforts yesterday, yay :whoo: All I have to do is be on track for 1 week and I will be back in the groove again. I just need to reform those good habits.

OK I am officially out of the challenge this month. I have officially hit rock bottom of bandster shame. I won't go inot details as I wouldn't want to tempt anyone to eat the soft yummy things I have eaten this past week. I fell off the wagon into the land of easy to eat foods because I was home with no work to do and all I had was me and the pantry. Any self respecting woman can make sinful delights from the basic contents of any even healthy pantry. I was so ashamed of the damage that I have done that despite how much I wanted to give in and eat those comfort foods I snapped and said no more! Eating that crap is what got you fat to start with and eating it will only undo the hard work you've already done and have already started to undo. This chip stops here as does the pie and whatever else my brain might think that I want or need to feel good. The fact is all it does is make me feel bad within 10 minutes of eating it, sometimes sooner. Happiness and freedom is not being a slave to food, as deprived as I feel some times, ok a lot of the time, it is moments like today when I walked by those items in the store even though I really wanted them that make me see that freedom is not eating all the foods I want freedom is not having to eat those things. Our bands oare our tickets to freedom from obsessions with food as a security blanket and an answer to all of lifes problems. I wish I could give up food all together it would be so much easier. My goal is not to get to 269 by the end of the month my goal is to get my self respect backand regain self control! The scale said 289 this morning there is no way in hades that I am gonna let it say 290+ ever again. 290 is way to close to 300, heck the 80's are too close. I can't believe I let it go this far. Even my pants are tighter. Ladies, life handed me a free intervention today and I plan to ride it as far as I can. If at the end of the month I feel like I need a smidge more restriction then I will go for a fill, but I need to eat real food for several days before I can make a proper assessment as to my actual restriction. I am feeling strong right now, stronger than I have in weeks. Not only do I have the desire to be good but I finally found the strength to act on it and to say no when faced with temptation. I only hope that tomorrow I can be just as strong or stronger. Take care everyone, we owe it to ourselves to succeed at this.

Grats Chris !!! :clap2:

Thanks for the words of encouragement everyone. And LapBandit I am sure you are right, there is something just around the corner for me. My hubby is doing fine. One of his incisions, the one that was used to drain the poisons wanted to fester a little so the doc has been having us pack it to avoid infection. It is healing well now This last week I was really bad, being home without work to do had me eating cheetos grrr... and yes ice cream too! I don't think my current weigh in was totally accurate so I will weigh again tomorrow with a lot less sodium today and post the numbers. I am temping for 3 days this coming week so that will take some of the stress of no work off. Meanwhile I have an interview coming up soon but don't know what day yet. We'll see and I'll keep you all posted. Planning on a costco trip tomorrow so we'll be well stocked on quick healthy things to eat. There are no more birthdays till October so I shouldn't have that battle for a while.

Jonathan, how long it takes is very individual. I have the 11cm (10cc) band and I have 9.5cc's in it. Chritsine, I know what wyou mean, too tight to eat but still hungry really sucks. Try a thick liquid that will help fill you a little bit and still go thru. Also tuna fish mixed with mayo always seems to go down well even when I'm really tight, it just takes a lot longer to go thru but it takes care of the hunger. I've noticed that with the heat and humidity my band tightens or my stomach walls swell, what ever, anyway, hehe, it is frustrating. In the mornings 1 hard boiled egg is too much food cause I'm so tight. Hope this helped at least a little.

Well.... That job I was hoping to get went to someone else. On to the next plan I guess. I am dissapointed and I would normally want to gorge myself but I couldn't even eat my lunch, it took me an hour to eat 1oz of cheerios and they go down super easy usually. My band just clenched super tight when I got the news. Well here's hoping another opportunity comes along soon.

Checking in. I did really bad the last two days. Best friends birthday, we went to the store hungry, big mistake. Back to being good today. We'll see on Tuesday if I still lose this week or not. Sigh. Spirits are up though

Welcome Lorraine and Bridgett by all means join us !!!

OK so I switched jerkey for chips and sf gum for candy. So now I'm eating healthier and the scale is cooperating, but..... Can you see the writing on the wall? My jaw hurts from so much chewing!!!!! LOL too bad I can't count the chewing as excersize! OK enough compaining, let's get happy

OK count me in!!! Going for a more realistic goal this time. I am personally challenging LapBandit and Katie to join us. The three of us are just climbing back on the wagon and this will be good for us! August Challenge Name...............................Starting…....Current…......Goal…..........To Go losingjusme..(Christine).........293.............. 293... ..........275..................18 tann.............(Tammy)...........211............ . 211..............212....................0 Josette.................................322....... .......322..............307..................15 RidinMyHDDream.(Carol).. .....266..............266..............256........ .........10 FaithMD............................... 308..............308..............299....................9 Elisabethsew..(Elisabeth).. ....275....... .......275 .............265..................10 Libra..(Angela)...................... 214...........;...214..............208....................6 glindab..................................282...... ........282..............275....................7 Inner_me.....(Chris).............. ..295...............295.............280...................15 waterlily1072...(Nicole)............279...............279.............269...................10

The important thing right now is that you are still inthe healing phases and you must stick to the texture group you are currently allowed. If you are on liquids it is better to have a milkshake than to have mushies or even worse to have solids. Don't jeapordize your band by taking the risk of jumping ahead too soon. Right now it's about healing not losing weight. The weight will come off belive me, but right now please put down the spoon.

Katie you are so not alone. Keep in mind that the signals to stop because you are full can be very subtle. I would try taking little bites and only alwoing your sefl to eat 1 cup in a 30 minute time frame. Then evaluate how you feel right after stopping and again how you fell 30 minutes later. If you are hungry still then eat again if you aren't hungry but feel satisfied then you are probably fairly well restricted. I know that when I take little bites and pay attention I am perfectly satisfied physically after only 1/2 to 1 cup of food. Now I can pack it in and eat way more if i work at it. The hardest thing for me and suspect for all of us is telling the head hunger to hit the road. You are right about the addiction part too, it is very hard to deal with an addiction to food cause you have to have at least some to survive! I am on day 2 of sugar detox an here I am with this candy jar right beside me. I can't get away from it, my desk is the reception desk and there it sits. I almost caved and had a piece which would have led to 10 but i put a piece of sugar free gum in my mouth instead. It isn't the same but it helps. As for coming here yes it makes a big difference. When I don't visit the I stop caring and my head hunger and pouch paking gets way out of control. We all have hard times and you'll notice they always coincide with when we aren't here participating. As soon as people come back even to read they start getting re-motivated again. We are here for you always. Now go get that fill

Well after an irregular ekg they decided not to release him today. After additional testing they discovered that the irregular ekg was an operator error, thank goodness! They are still keeping him till tomorrow because they want to get one more big does of antibiotics in him before sending him home. So despite all that drama and stress I stayed on plan today! I had no sugar whatsoever! This is progress ladies, I am back in on the wagon albiet only the tailgate but as the days go by I will be trying my hardest to inch back towards the safety of the drivers seat. LapBandit I think you and I need to set a really easy goal for the next challenge one that we stand a really good chance to succeed at. We need the feeling of success. I think Labor Day would be a perfect challenge. What do all of you think? That's 4 weeks. OK well, I will check in again tomorrow.

A Simple Way to Get Past Your Resistanceby Katie Jay, MSW, CTA Certified Life Coach, and Director, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery http://www.nawls.com I have been going to dog-training classes. My dog is not the problem. I am. I can't seem to be consistent in my approach to Ruby, so in her confusion she misbehaves. It's my responsibility to set boundaries with Ruby so that she knows what to do, but I feel inadequate. I'm too busy. I forget to practice. I'd rather do something else. I have to work. I have a million excuses. My resistance creates unwanted consequences For awhile Ruby's indiscretions (a.k.a. my unwillingness to train my dog) were tolerable. She chewed a pair of my son's tube socks. She ate the cat's food. She pulled on the leash when I walked her. But things have gotten worse. Ruby nips me to let me know it is time for her walk. She dines on litter-box fare (yuck!). She jumps onto the furniture when we turn our backs. I have to get past my resistance If I continue to let Ruby get away with these antics, and inevitably let things get worse, my life is going to get a lot more chaotic. And the consequences will become dire. Sadly, it's at this point that many families give their pets back to the adoption agency. The problem goes from cute to annoying to intolerable. Resistance undermines weight loss surgery progress, too When my hunger came back after weight loss surgery, it was almost cute at first. I ate half of a french fry and one bite of a dessert at a wedding reception. I felt petite and in control. I was resisting my surgeon's guidelines, but rationalized that I followed most of them For awhile my indiscretions (a.k.a. my unwillingness to follow my plan) were tolerable. I wasn't gaining weight and I felt great. But things got worse. I started eating popcorn every night. I quit exercising at the gym. I ate toast with butter at bedtime. And my food cravings got worse So, I pushed my limits ever further. As this happened, I began to negotiate with myself about everything. Could I eat this at 3pm if I ate less of something at dinner? How many calories is that snack food and maybe it's okay to eat if I skip my protein drink (thus avoiding the extra calories). It was annoying to always be negotiating with myself, pushing the boundaries. The consequences became more dire; I gained a few pounds. Now my behavior felt intolerable to me A few pounds is not a big concern in the vast scheme of things. But it is at this point that many weight loss surgery patients give up. But I didn't give up. Like Ruby, I needed clearer limits I was in pure resistance mode. I was out of control and looking for trouble. Unlike my dog, though, I could identify my resistance and make a decision to set better limits for myself. So, that's what I did. I used my husband's motto to challenge myself As my biggest cheerleader, Mike has always supported me in my efforts at self improvement and with my dream to help others overcome obesity. During times when I have felt uncertain or fearful or discouraged he has put his hands on my shoulders, looked me in the eyes, and made me repeat after him: "I am a winner." He makes me say it until I really feel it. Sometimes I get really mad at him, but he persists until he breaks my resistance. One morning, Mike noticed I did not write down a food plan or seem to have any intention of making one. So, he made me say that phrase. It's hard to feel resistance and feel like a winner at the same time. So, for a few moments, as we looked into each other's eyes, I felt like a winner. Over the course of that day I decided to keep saying it to myself I got past my resistance to healthier eating using my own version of Mike's saying: "I'm a winner, and winners _____________________." I filled in the blank depending on what I was doing. So, when I wanted to eat fast food for lunch, I told myself: "I'm a winner, and winners eat *healthy*, great-tasting meals." When I wanted to skip going to the gym, I told myself: "I'm a winner, and winners exercise daily." And when I wanted to eat that french fry, I told myself: "I'm a winner, and winners eat healthy fats, not trans fats." Everyone wants to win When I look at my choices from the vantage point of being a winner, it's easy to see which choices will serve me well and which ones won't. When I feel like a winner, I am much happier to do the next right thing -- to resist the temptation to overeat or to pick unhealthy foods. Do you want to feel like a winner? No, you can't borrow Mike! Go stand in front of your mirror, and look into your own eyes. Smile broadly and say, "I'm a winner!" From Small Bites, the email newsletter for the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. Subscribe today and get your F'REE report, The 10 Most Common Mistakes Weight Loss Surgery Patients Make at www.10WLSmistakes.com. © 2007 National Association for Weight Loss Surgery, Inc. All rights reserved.

I can promise you this Faith. As long as you are following the rules everyday you are burning fat! Your body may be redistributing right now and my rpn has said that our bodies do indeed do that, so my earlier theory was correct! Take your measurements all of them, even your ankles and wrists and when the scale stops moving it's time to pull out the tape measure. I only measure my bust waist and hips and it doesn't always show up there but I know I'm losing it somewhere! The scale is not our only measure of success. On my news front. My DH comes home today And he and I are both committed to eating healthy again. While I gained 5 he gained 30 so this is great, we are of like mind together which makes starting so much easier. Today is our first day of being back on our eating plans. We like to do our own version of atkins so to speak. Our only carbs come from fruit and veggies. Well I don't do fruit very well so just veggies for me. I am looking forward to joining the next challenge too Oh and I read a great article today I will post it in a seperate thread. I thought it was really motivational.

Well I was going to do sugar detox this weekend but my dear hubby just had an emergency appendectomy today and well.... I was freaking out to say the least, but holding together on the outside beautifully. I PB'd on my dinner, a bad one too. So I am gonna do my best but not stress till monday when he and i are both going to start eating healthy again. With having to eat from hospital cafeterias it's impossible to get something that will go down and be healthy, we all know about hospital food, yuck. PS don't cave and eat fries even if you think it is a loose day. And especially don't follow that up with even a tiny sip of fluid. To do so will cause pain and agony and wretching. I will check in tomorrow if nothing else than to report that I am here even if I am not totally back on program yet I am here and I am holding myself accountable.

OK sorry bout the double post but I had to go on break. I have been so bad, just eating every bit of junk that came my way. I have gret restriction, but that doesn't stop me from grazing and eating sugar like it's goin out of style. I need to get back on track but my head is getting in the way. How do I get the motivation back? I am truly ashamed and embarrassed at what I have been eating but I don't know how to stop. I have tried to "be good" but I fail withing 24hrs. If anyone has any ideas that'd be great, but something tells me this is an internal battle. Well I will definitely check in daily from now on, maybe that will go a long way. Have a great day everyone :confused:

LapBandit, I am SOOO GLAD you're back :confused: I am right where you are. I figure I've only gained about 5ish lbs. It's hard to tell because my water retention is fluctuating sometimes 7lbs from one day to the next. Gotta log real quick I will follow up my thought a little later

Well being a reception desk i can't get away with food, like veggies at my desk. I picked up some gum at the gas station tonight. I just need to be really careful not to swallow it, yikes that would be way bad. But if I have gum to chew on, my jaw will be busy and hopefully it will trick my body into thinking I'm grazing when I'm not. I have the water bottle at my desk, gotta have that Cross your fingers that the gum does the trick :eek:

Hello everyone Sorry life has been crazy busy since I started working. Sadly my work is boring and there is a big thing of hard candy that sits on my lovely reception desk. I am having a really hard time with that stupid stuff, sigh. My weight is the same, still fluctuating in the mid to upper 70's (sounds like a weather report) I am scrambling for ideas to help me with boredom grazing on candy and then grazing all evening when i get home. Uggh, any ideas are welcome. I hope everyone is doing well, welcome to all the new people to this thread, we are glad to have you :eek: Well I am off to a rehearsal, laters

LOL Katie, good job at the gym btw! Some people weigh every day and others only when they go to the doctor, everyone is different. I go between weighing everyday to weighing in once a week or so. I don't have any specific times that I weigh just when I feel like checking. As for 20lbs in 2 months you are perfect! 1-2 pounds a week is what we are supposed to expect. Some lose much faster then that but they are exceptions to the rule. Well on the job front, I passed the first round and was one of the 10 people who were chosen to go through the skills testing. I get to give up my lunch break today and tomorrow to go do it. Wish me luck, the top three from the testing will go on to the final interview and background check. Yikes I'm nervous!

I haven't had much time to post lately with adjusting to the wonderful world of work. I am doing ok though, I am getting used to not having midday naps and only getting 7hrs a night. I am happier and more productive. Yesterday I even went to the gym ! I will be heading there again today after work and hopefully everyday this week I sure hope this makes the scales move because I need some serious motivation help! Great job on your run Julie all of you runners amaze me. Hopefully by the end of summer I will be running!