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Everything posted by willowcat
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Even at 285lbs, I didn't think that I was really so fat--you know how anorexic women can't see themselves properly? Well, I don't think that I see myself properly either--just in the reverse. I'm down over 70lbs and I am really enjoying my thinner body, but I'm beginning to worry that I'm enjoying it too much. I feel myself sort of "slipping"--like now that I've lost so much weight, I'm done. I feel so much thinner than I really am. I have to remind myself that just to get out of the "obese" BMI range, I've still got another 50lbs to lose (and 30 more on top of that for "average" weight)! I posted my most recent photo for two reasons: 1. Because I am proud of having lost so much weight 2. Because I need to see that I really am not thin yet and that this is no time to be resting on my laurels. I'm pretty good at self-deception, so I'm posting mostly just to be honest with myself.
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8 months banded and I'm still learning
willowcat replied to hallelujah.girl's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
Thank you so much for posting!!!! I was banded in June 09 but saw your post on the New Posts. What you posted was just what I needed to hear (read?)! "Small" is a relative word--when it comes to anything really!--but you're so right about "small bites"! What I was thinking was "small" (compared to the size bites I took before the band), is really too big for where I'm at now. I too haven't been able to eat most foods (but I can chug water). Since my last fill in mid-December, I've rarely had a meal without also sliming, pain, and pbing. Also, I've stopped losing weight. After reading your post, I had breakfast and took "pinkie-finger-sized" bites and chew,chew, chewed those. Ah-Ha! That's what a small bite is like! My first meal (in too long) that was trouble-free! I'm not too tight--I've just not been eating right. Thank you--I feel like I've got a new lease on my band and can start moving forward again! -
week 1: 18.3 miles 71.3 to go
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Goal Patrol Goal Setting and Motivational Bracelet System
willowcat replied to goalsetting09's topic in Fitness & Exercise
This is the OP's only post--looks like he/she joined lapband just to post an ad (I wonder how many other weight-loss, money-management, etc. groups he/she's joined as well for the sole purpose of posting an ad?). Carbgrl's idea is awesome--I might just do that! -
upper back pain T-4 anyone?
willowcat replied to AlisaM's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Sweet Pete, You haven't been banded for very long--your pain may still be related to gas from the surgery. If I were you, I'd wait at least a month before seeing your chiropractor. Mine does a lot of twisting and pushing. I would want to make sure that everything was healing properly first. I did tell him about my band and explained the proceedure to him. I can't tell you just what he did. All I know is I felt better the next day and really haven't had that pain between my shoulder blades like that again. Good luck. -
anything spicey is a big no no for me
willowcat replied to Mrs.Deering's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Gosh I hope spices aren't my problem! I love hot sauces, garlic, and curry! I've been having some pbing problems lately and always it seems to involve food with one of those ingredients. Grrrr! I keep thinking it's something else causing the problems: I love those foods and eat them too fast, or I love those foods and I try to eat too much of them? I'm going to keep trying those foods, but will keep a close watch on the other two variables (speed and volume) to see if I can keep the spices or not. Is it possible that the hot spices cause the stoma to swell slightly from the irritation? I sure hope not. -
do unfills=party!!!
willowcat replied to IwannaBeHappy's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
When I went to Overeaters Annonymous, we would start out saying, "Hi, I'm _____ and I'm an overeater." At first it was really hard to say that, because I didn't want it to be true. I just needed to lose weight that was all. Nope. I AM an overeater--was and still am. When I use food to fill the gaps in my life, to calm the anxiety, to celebrate, to comfort saddness, to reward hard work, or to zone out, I am using food (much like an alcoholic or an addict). I totally get where you're coming from since your unfill. You weren't asking for advice--just sharing your story. Thanks for sharing. PS. I like your signature: "If you always do what you've always done, You'll always get what you've always gotten" -
Bless the Viactiv people! They satisfy my "a little something sweet in my mouth" craving--and one is enough--plus I'm getting my calcium. It's win-win!
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upper back pain T-4 anyone?
willowcat replied to AlisaM's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
chiropractor? I was having pain about a month after surgery in the area between my shoulder blades. When I talked to my chiropractor he said that the nerves to the stomach originate from that area of the spine. He worked on me and the pains went away. I know a lot of people are skeptical about chiropractors (and there are definitely some bad ones out there), but he helped me. Sorry for your problems. Thank you for the info. I hope all goes well for you sooner rather than later. Good luck. -
Nope, Don't regret it in the least. Matter-of-fact, I plan on doing it again in 2012! :smile2:
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Liquid diet on monday....do you actually mourn food?
willowcat replied to krstjump03's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Yes, I mourned food before my pre-op diet--and during! The first 3 days ARE the worst--something seems to kick in after 3 days that sort-of protects you mentally so that even though you're really hungry it's ok (I'm sure that it has something to do with caveman survival--if you just couldn't keep going because you were hungry, you would never have been able to actually go find food!). I just kept telling myself that "I can do anything for 10 days." I did--and so can you! Just keep thinking about wanting to shrink your liver so that your doctor has all the room he needs to easily do the surgery (that was the other thing that kept me going). Good luck. -
I have a stitch sticking out!
willowcat replied to Melinco's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I had the same thing--and it was a stitch for sure--when I went back for my post-op follow-up with my surgeon, I told him about it and he just snipped the little piece off. About a month later, I had another little stitch sticking out of a different inscission, and when I showed it to him, he took some tweezers and pulled it out (said that sometimes the stiches don't always dissolve all the way). I'm not recommending that you personally do anything yourself--wait for your surgeon! If it bothers you too much, put a regular bandaid over it to keep yourself from scratching. If you've got oozing or blood or you're really worried, call your surgeon--that's what they're there for. -
I ride my exercise bike. Just recently, I started doing a little peddling while standing up--good thigh exercise! My goal for Eventually and Someday is to be able to run--I haven't been able to run since I was a child. That's something I really want to be able to do again.
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Amen! And well-said!
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December: 98 miles Six months of exercising! July-December! 798.9 miles in 2009 (I've "ridden" my bike from Colorado to the eastern edge of Iowa--I'm trying to get to NYC) Yeah! Thanks 2911 for starting up the challenges and for leading the way!
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Protein shakes that won't give stomach aches?
willowcat replied to froggie456834's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
You may be lactose-intolerant and not realize it. Most protien powders/shakes are made from whey (a byproduct of cheese production--remember Little Miss Muffet eating her curds and whey?). I absolutely cannot tolerate any protien powder with whey in it--during my pre-op diet I was throwing up the EAS shakes my nutritionist prescribed. I also had bouts of diarrhea, so I went to the health-food store and looked at all the protien powders and checked their ingredients. I found a vegan (people who won't eat any animal products) rice protien made by NutriBiotic. One Tbsp. has 57 calories, 0.4 grams of fat, 8 mg of sodium, 2.4 grams of carbohydrates (you have to really be careful--a lot of the yummy-looking protien powders have 20+ grams of carbs--that's why they're yummy!), and 12 grams of protien (I know it's not as high as most other protiens but mix it with lactose-free milk or fat-free yogurt and it's not too far off). It comes in chocolate and vanilla. -
What do you look like in your dreams?
willowcat replied to HiMow's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
What an interesting question! When learning a new language, they say that you know you have truly become bilingual when you dream in the other language--it's part of you finally. Hmm...makes you think... I'm sure our self-image is something that's quite complex--and probably mostly subconscious. Another interesting question is "How old do you see yourself in your dreams?" (not to hijack your post). For me, I've never seen myself as being fat (even at my highest weight). I'm always a normal weight in my dreams. -
In order to be thin in 2010, what are your commitments?
willowcat replied to Delivered's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Exercise, healthy food choices, listen to my stomach (instead of my head) to tell me when I'm done eating -
A little motivation (before/after pics...let's see 'em!)
willowcat replied to juliansmom2003's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I don't have After because I'm not at goal yet. So, Before and During: -
Nausea and dizziness while exercising
willowcat replied to timmmers's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Eat a little something before or during exercise--a few nuts, a cheese stick, a sugar-free pudding, a banana--something with a low glycemic index that's easy to eat and doesn't leave you feeling weighted down. People with diabetes have to be careful when exercising because the exercise uses up glucose and they run the risk of having a low-blood-sugar episode. You don't take any medicine like metformin or actos do you? When I did, I would sometimes get shaky and sweaty after exercising from the low blood sugar--a candy bar always fixed it right away (yikes!). -
Skim--lactose-free and organic. If we run out of milk and are too lazy to go the grocery store, we'll run in and buy a pint of 1% at 7-11 to tide us over. 1%=yum--tastes like cream to me after all these years of skim!
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I'm in my 40's and have a playlist that reflects that: Billy Idol--White Wedding, Rebel Yell, Flesh for Fantasy Prince--Raspberry Beret, Darling Nikki, Let's Get Crazy, 1999 Cher--Gypsies,Tramps and Thieves Madonna--Like a Prayer, Into the Groove, Material Girl, La Isla Bonita, Vogue, Express Yourself Blondie--Call Me, Heart of Glass Modern English--I Melt with You Rolling Stones--Paint it Black, Can't Get no Satisfaction, Get Off My Cloud Rick James--Super Freak Pat Benetar--Love is a Battlefield, Heartbreaker Temptations--Papa Was a Rolling Stone Edwin Starr--War Bee Gees--Staying Alive David Bowie--China Girl Queen--Another One Bites the Dust, We Will Rock You The Motels--Take the L The Trammps--Disco Inferno Survivor--Eye of the Tiger Pink Floyd--Young Lust Paul McCartney & Wings--Band on the Run The Go Gos--We Got the Beat Eric Clapton--Lay Down Sally Billy Joel--Only the Good Die Young, We Didn't Start the Fire Human League--Don't You Want Me Tina Turner--Better Be Good to Me Still scanning my memory and iTunes to find more oldies-but-goldies with a pretty fast beat (I pedal my exercise bike faster when the music is faster), though.
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I'm glad you brought this thread out of retirement--the original was posted nearly 5 years ago (Feb 2005)--I wonder how BigT is doing now? It would be interesting to have him respond to his original post now 5 years later. I wonder how his perceptions have or haven't changed since then...
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I like these challenges because they keep me thinking about exercising and making daily exercise a real part of my life. I'm having trouble,though, letting go of the goals I had during the summer when I wasn't working. Everything is a process, I guess. These are some thoughts I've had recently: 1. I'm not slovenly because I don't exercise as much when I'm working--I'm just tired (I've loved riding my exercise bike during this holiday break--I'm riding longer and faster than I ever have!) 2. Goals are good but they need to be realistic (just like with teaching, the material should be just hard enough to provide a challenge but not so hard that the likelihood of success is minimal)--I need to go easier on myself when I'm working full time and set lower goals--I'm not "wimping out"; I'm being realistic about what I can do while working. So...I lowered my December goal to 90 miles instead of 120--and I can definitely make that this month. For January's goal, I'm going to set it low to start with and make adjustments as the month progresses. I need to find a reasonable goal for the times when I'm working. Thanks for letting me ramble on...it helps me to put my thoughts down...they become clearer to me when I see them in print.
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Yes, you got it Kathy--we started believing our own press! Of course we look good--compared to the 70+ lbs people we were not so long ago! "Good" is really a relative term--this "good" has been great, but now it's time for an even better "good"! So...onward and downward!