Zannie

As I would say to my 4-year-old, um...what the hey, diddle, diddle is THAT thing?!? And do they really expect 14K for it?!? (Can I get one on eBay?!?)

Hey, y'all! How's everyone doing? The month is drawing to a close... I got my still-not-shrinking a$$ on the treadmill again last ngiht, making it 14 of 15 workouts toward my Level 1 goal! Though it hasn't been as consistant as every-other-day for me, that appears to be my comfort zone. I need to kick it up a notch if I'm to loose all 200 of these excess pounds! I know, I know...highly unlikely that we'll loose ALL of our excess weight with the LapBand! But I sure as heck WON'T if I only give half-a$$ effort! And while for the most part, I'm careful with the eat-around-the-band foods, I need to really concentrate on the exercise! I just can't imagin gettign to the point where this is a must-have activity...a feel the rush, love the burn kind of thing! But that's my goal. I want to be a good example for my children, and I want to LIVE to see my great-grandchildren! My MIL turns 70 today, and is as thin as a rail, short like me, too -- oh, to be weraing an XS on my 70th birthday!! Ha!! Well, I can dream, can't I?!? :biggrin1: So somebody drag my flat-but-no-smaller tuchas into July with a 5-days-a-week/30 mins level, please! (Um, can you tell I'm fixated on the fact tht my hips are not reducing? My waist, my neck, and my wrists -- like any of that is helpful! You can't wear smaller pants at your waist if your hips/a$$ are still the same deminsion as before! I'm not loosing inches below the waistline!!!! Hips/dunlap/butt; thighs; calfs; and ankles -- nothing! Nor, for the record, have my upper arms gotten smaller.) Suzanne Feb'07 Bandsters: June Challenge ~ Level 1 14 of 15 workouts (30 minutes a day for 15 days)

Today's meals are only 1/2 done :hungry:, but yesterday I ate: Breakfast: Latte shake made with 1 scoop 25g-Protein in 12oz Water (210 cal) & General Foods International coffee powder (30 cal) lunch: Open-faced Turkey Melt (toasted, dipped in low-cal ranch) made with 1 slice low-carb bread topped with deli turkey & Munster (?? calories) Snack: 1 mozzarella string cheese (80 cal) dinner: Alice Springs chicken Casserole - small Cereal bowl (low-carb; ?? calories) Dessert: 1 scoop Splenda, low-fat mint-chip ice cream (110 cal) drinks: Water -- not nearly enough :eek: 4C Totally Light -- 16oz (like Crystal Light but with Splenda; 0 cal)

Both ideas sound delicious! :hungry: I usually buy my pulled chicken BBQ in a tub at the grocery store, but making it with your instructions sounds easy. And, oh, how I adore KC Masterpiece! I've never heard of potato flakes as breading, but like I said...I'm not a huge cook. I used to make a breaded ranch chicken, but it'd be too dry for me now. Do the flakes help keep the chicken moist? Thanks for the suggestions!

I'm all for a place where I can jot down what I've eaten for the day without the responsibility of an all-out daily food journal. I hate feeling like somehow I've cheated if I miss a day journaling food! And having y'all there to give feedback should I need a kick in the pants sounds like a good thing to me! :-D Suzanne

Just an idea... Would any of you like to regularly post your daily intake on a separate thread? Not a challenge exactly, just a running place where you can go for accountability and maybe suggestions/input? I'm awful about journaling my diet, but if it is something on-line that I can run off just to keep me honest, then maybe I'd be a little bit more inclined to make entries! :-P I just hate missing dates in a food journal!! What do you think? :confused:

Okay - food accountability... I can do that. Today's not far enough begun for me to have screwed up! :-P Still working on my morning Protein shake. :-D Yesterday was good too -- I already told y'all that I've been really focused on food choices, blaming the 3 "real" Desserts in a week on my 2-12 # gain last Thursday. Yesterday I ate: 1 25g.-scoop Protein Shake made with Water & coffee powder 1 slice low-carb bread with deli turkey & Munster - toasted, dipped in ranch 1 mozzarella string cheese small Cereal bowl of chicken casserole (low-carb) 1 scoop Splenda, low-fat mint-chip ice cream water -- not enough :-P exercise -- none So not a saint :angel:, but nor was I a sinner :evil:...

What's up with that?!? I have not been getting any of these posts. Gonna have to go check my settings since there've been new changes at LBT ... I've also slacked off! Shesh! 13 of 15 workouts -- I've still got time, but damn! You'd have thought I'd be able to pull out every-other-day. Argh -- I'm disappointed with my efforts these last few days. Time to get it in gear. I totally gained back 2-1/2 lbs after having reached the 50# mark, according to my unofficial weigh-in last Thursday. That was a real blow to my motivation. I've been very strict with my food intake since Friday AM, so hopefully tomorrow's unofficial weigh-in will go in my direction! But it's as if my focused food effort replaced the exercise one... My baby girl's 2nd birthday is Friday & her party will be Sunday. Plus there's the big BBQ on the 4th... So food temptations are ahead. My next fill is set for July 5th, but I've still got good restriction from the last one IMO. It'll be interesting to see what Dr. T says! I have not gone back yet to read the new posts y'all've made in my unintentional absence, so pardon me if it's already been decided... What's the July Challenge gonna be? Or are we bringing that discussion to the main Feb board in hopes of inspiring a few more takers? I really liked this levels thing, personally. Suzanne Feb'07 Bandsters: June Challenge ~ Level 1 13 of 15 workouts (30 minutes a day for 15 days)

I’m hosting a birthday party this Sunday at noon. Along with the requisite chicken nuggets & tatter-tots for the 4yos in attendance :biggrin1:, I’m looking for a poultry main dish without Pasta or BREAD or RICE as an essential element, though I’m not opposed to breadcrumbs or cracker topping since they don't get stuck! I’ll BBQ as a fallback, but I’d really like to have in my repertoire a recipe for a crowd-pleasing, starch-free casserole or something. Ya know, a dish I can serve guests or bring elsewhere with a bit of pride… I'm not a big cook, especially these days, but I’m getting tired of chili & meatballs (in all their variations) as the only things I can prep simply & transport with ease!! :help: Any suggestions for a Band-friendly, starch-free, poultry main course that won’t leave carb-lovers wondering what's missing?!?

HA! Whenever I see a ticker, I always wonder how that goal weight was set! Mine? About a year before being banded, I picked my "goal weight" based on the BMI for my height. I figured why not shoot for HEALTHY! The 125 is a middle weight on my recommended BMI range of 136-101 since I'm 5'2". I asked my surgeon if loosing nearly 200 lbs was really something I'd be able to accomplish... He said that it would take hard work (daily exercise), but that 130-145 was where he'd like to see me in 2 years. And he did mention my age (32) as a positive factor in reaching a healthy BMI. So I decided to leave the goal weight the same. Why not go for the gold? And doesn't 125 sound heavenly? :heh: But my real goal is to be at whatever weight will have me wearing single-digit clothing! Oh, how I'd love to be a size 8!!!! Suzanne

3 of my 5 scars had NO pain at all - just some itching, but the long one below my port & the one to the right of it...YOUCH!! (I've had 2 c-sections & it's not anything at all like the "pain" from that, which is what I was presuming I'd feel post-Band.) Dr. T called it "port pain" and mine hurt (to a lessening degree) for a full 3 months, which is what he said to expect AND that not everyone experiences it. The 1st 3 days were awful whenever I bent/stretched/twisted too much -- and potty-time was the WORST, bringing me to tears. It got better (to a point) after about 2 weeks. And then, what I dubbed "residual port pain" continued into the 3rd month. My surgery was 4 months (and 50#) ago & still I have "twinges" of it if I overdo the bending! Yes, it's uncomfortable, but ya know what...it's also a reminder to scale it back! If it hurts, DON'T DO IT...find a different way to get the job done. There are surgical suchers in your abdominal muscle holding your port in place. They can (infrequently, but CAN) rip and the port can flip -- requiring a corrective surgery! So we're actually luckier than people who don't get the reminder pains telling them they're messing with the works! In a way.

I'd been on an every day roll, but didn't get in my workout today...am heading to bed now, in a food coma! DH brought home (and we split) a slice of lemon cake. :hungry: Yum-o! And there was a B&R log-roll on Father's Day from which I had a slice, but only ate the ice cream (compromises)... It's been a bad week for desserts here! And our local support group meets tomorrow, so I'll be weighing in (unofficially) at my WLS clinic again in the afternoon!!! The home scale had gone down from the 270, but is at 271 tonight... Maybe I WON'T weigh-in before going to Group! :heh: Just wanted to add my confession before shutting down for the night. Oh no...more singing! :note2:Tomorrow's gonna be another daa-aa-aay, hey, hey, hey, hey! :note2: Can't blame that one on the kids -- The Monkees are completely my own fault! Suzanne Feb'07 Bandsters: June Challenge ~ Level 1 12 of 15 workouts (30 minutes a day for 15 days)

Babygrl -- 16?!? :wow2: I haven't been a size 16 since college! Great job! And I guess you could be accountable to us for your poundage, just so long as I don't have to be accountable to anybody but ME for mine! :biggrin1: Or maybe suggest a poundage challenge separate from the exercise one back on the main Feb'07 thread & see if you get any takers...? Not that I'm wanting to chase you away from HERE for we all know I need all the motivation I can get to workout! But maybe some people aren't ready to exercise yet & are focusing on numbers... (Oh, and met...ya gotta taper on to the met!! It works, but it'll getcha if you're not careful!!) Magii -- keep it up! Don't let the weather hold you back! You're doing great!:high5: Skinnyjeans -- congrats on the restriction! :clap2: I'm at the same point where (3 times so far) I'll get stuck & slimy if I'm not careful, but not actually PB. It's not pleasant, but I'm happy not to puke! I have not plateaued to my knowledge, though I won't weigh-in again until Thursday. My hair is coming out like mad!!!! Good thing I started out with a lot because this is insane hair-loss! Don't worry about the pounds -- you're on the right track with your band, and it's 18-months to 2 years that we're supposed to think of the weight loss...devide your excess weight by 18 months & look at how far you've come by percentage not by pounds! Wallygirl -- are you back with us? My connection problems have vanished, so hopefully yours have, too. You're over the 50 hump, too -- look at us go, go, go!! TravelGirl -- isn't it crazy to be thinking in 2 lb increments?!? I mean, I was given the range of 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 lbs a week as the target weight loss... I can't get over that I'm actually living up to that goal! Who'd have thunk it? But I must say -- 40% is GREAT! It makes my 25% look pretty measly! :scalesno: Do y'all still refer to/think of yourself as a person of a higher weight? I'm always saying/thinking 300 lbs, but it's 270 now!! (And how sad that the 300 was rounding down from my real weight of 320...talk about your denial.) When will my head catch up with my body?!? And when, if ever, will my skin catch up with my bodymass?!? :scales: Suzanne Feb'07 Bandsters: June Challenge ~ Level 1 12 of 15 workouts (30 minutes a day for 15 days)

Ditto!!! I can tell already that I'll have problems with the dunlap (hanging abdominal pannus), terodactyl wings (far beyond "bat") and tubesock-n-tennis ball boobs. My things/legs might be a problem, too, but I have not really started to loose much there so we shall see... I never thought I'd volunteer for any surgery, but... :biggrin1: And since I've gone under the knife of my own free will once, I have begun to consider the possibility of plastic surgery down the line. But I'd much prefer working my butt off (and arms, and belly...) to get rid of the weight & the extra skin! I know sagging skin is a huge problem for those of us with major weight to loose. Have any of you further along in the process not had the sagging skin characteristic of WLS patients? Give me some hope here...hope that with a lot of exercise/strength training, or because of some merical ream, or something...this saggy, hanging skin can be prevented or reversed! Suzanne

It's been a while since I posted to this thread, but I have post-worth news! :clap2::clap2: My BMI is now 49.4 My 4-month Bandiversary was on Friday and I hit the "50#s lost" mark on the same day! I'm now no longer SUPER morbidly obese (just your run-of-the-mill Morbid Obesity here)!!! I didn't have any pre-op diet to follow, so I'm down from 320 to 270 since my LapBand on Feb 15th. Wahoo! I've had 3 fills in a VG-10mm band and am at good restriction, though I assume I'll need another fill as I loose more weight. (How long does good restriction last once you've hit a sweet spot? :scalesno:) I try to do the treadmill every-other-day (for a 1/2 hour, increasing my MPH as I my endurance slowly improves but not the actual time), and my diet focus is on eliminating sugar-sweetened foods & grain-group foods (except breadcrumbs-not going to get stuck & corn-not exactly a grain, I say). Though I still don't see a physical change (well, my face is less puffy & my ring size is smaller), I'm finally starting to FEEL the benefits of this surgery! I've had boundless energy for several days now (a big change for me), and my cholesterol went from horrifically high in November to "within normal levels" by May! I've lost 1/4 of the weight I need to loose to be at a "healthy" BMI for my 5'2" frame. I'm so excited to be HERE -- a quarter of the way there! :biggrin1: I've still got so very far to go, but I know I wouldn't be here now - or at that goal ever - without the LapBand! To all those still considering this, and to those of you on the brink of your surgeries... there is work -real work- involved, but this is the best thing I've ever done for my health! And to those of you who've gone before me... :help: Tell me about loosing the next quarter of my excess weight (50#)?!? What were months 5-8 like for y'all? Will this restriction subside (it's perfect now, I'd say)? When should I expect the honeymoon to end? What did you do to combat the sagging skin I'm already seeing -- and did it HELP? :scales: I'm so ready for your wisdom & advice, so bring it on!

Lizrbit(Beth) from the main Feb group is having/had screwy periods with mid-cycle bleeding since her surgery. She posted about them either on the Feb'07 thread, or on the BMI 50+ thread (http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f15/thread-super-sized-bandsters-starting-bmi-over-50-a-16168/), if you care to search. I have to say...and this comes from both an infertility & a cancer perspective, so keep that in mind... All sorts of things can cause mid-cycle bleeding. You really need to check in with your GYN to make sure it isn't one of the more worrisome conditions. Would it be presumptuous of me to insist?!? Well, even if it is.. I DO!!! As for my periods... Prior to 18, I was regular as the day is long. But it turns out I've got PCOS, and at around 18 (wearing a six 14/16, btw) I started having only 4 or 5 periods a year -- except while on the Pill or taking Provera to bring them on. Oh and the many months on Clomid while trying to conceive! :scalesno: I had regularly taken metformin/glucophage for the last 5 years (but not while breastfeeding) and it seemed to help the situation, bringing more cycles than just 5, but not once a month. I went off met. in March -- just to see what the weight loss would do for my cycles. And now... two periods in a row, the 2nd (May) starting 34 days after the 1st (April)! What the frick?!?! I hadn't had a period since January!! But I'm expecting one at the end of this month. Can it really be that I am regular after all these years?!?

Okay - this is gonna sound bad, because YES 2lb a week is exactly what my doc wants for me too, and my average over the 17 weeks is 2-3/4 lb -- right on target, BUT BUT BUT... I think that a # isn't something we can completely "control" the outcome of, ya know? Like, if I blow off the next 4 workouts (over the next 12 days), then not meeting my challenge is directly my responsibility, and something I can change for next time. But with pounds lost... Well, we've all failed at other diets before, and I think a lot of people have their sense of self warped by the readout on the scale. :scales: Like we need more reasons to beat ourselves up about what the scale says! :scalesno: I know several people who don't even own scales, only weighing in at the docs. PLUS, we've all plateaued! And it took different things to push past the plateaus for different people with different rates of success. But I think we/i put enough pressure on ourselves about stalling (or -please no- gaining) that having to also "loose a challenge" in addition isn't the point of the challenges in the 1st place. Does that make sense? It sounded all scrambled when I wrote it! The challenges are supposed to be motivational, encouraging, and you have total control over the outcome -- they are a positive thing. If a plateau comes that stalls out weight loss for a week or two while waiting for a fill or whatever cause it might be, then you don't succeed at your challenge, which makes it a negative thing. :blah: I hate to be a glass 1/2 empty girl, but that's my opinion! :biggrin1: :usa: That is why I will vote NO on the pounds amendment! :peace: And now I respectfully yield the floor for further debate! :yo:

HA! Does it really count considering the level I'm going for in this month's challenge is "LESS THAN" the amount of work required for the previous months? :-P I guess it does :biggrin1:, but I feel some how that I am cheating. For the July Challenge, let's add a level with my REAL goal -- 5 days a week for 30 mins -- my surgeon WANTS me doing cardio 5 or 6 days a week for 30 mins since I've got so much to loose to reach a healthy BMI. I know we're not pulling many Feb'07ers with us into the Challenge threads, but I hope y'all will stick with me through a few more... The exercise is MUCH harder for me than the food element of this whole thing. (I'm STILL not getting in enough Water either, but that's a separate issue! ) I haven't a single competitive bone in my body, but I like knowing I'm accountable to y'all & that somebody'll notice when/if I slip up!!! HA HA HA! :heh: LMAO And the individual levels was a good idea! I've read lots of people say they didn't start exercising in earnest until about 6 months out, so perhaps many of us just aren't in the mindset for exercise yet. Maybe we'll catch a few more Amethyst Bandits :bandit in July...

Suzanne Feb'07 Bandsters: June Challenge ~ Level 1 11 of 15 workouts (30 minutes a day for 15 days)

Babygrl, you will totally make this 5K -- I know it! Who said you have to WIN it??? You can do this!!! Even if you don't run the whole thing, you'll run most of it. It's not an over-night plan, and you're working your butt off (litterally) to get'er done. I already know you will, but I need to just say: keep plugging along! You've got a goal, and you'll meet it! Don't give up on yourself! It's not July yet! The race is still a couple of weeks off. (Oh no...Backyardigans refrain playing in my head now -- :note2:Racing Day, It's racing day! It's not lazy pacing da-a-aaaay! Today's the day we race! )

Yea, hooray! I've feel so isolated without y'all! How friggin' SAD is that?!? But LBT is my WLS outlet & apparently I need it more than I realized! My bandiversary was on Friday ~ AND ~ I hit my 50# goal on the same day! I'm now no longer SUPER MORBIDLY OBESE (just your run-of-the mill Morbid Obesity here)!! Friday was a pretty monumental day & I couldn't get in to LBT!! I was going crazy... Exercise...assuming I do my workout tonight (busy evening of ferrying DH's car to the shop), I'm still on track for the month! (Calm down. I wouldn't want y'all to faint at my announcement! :heh:) Just 5 more work-outs & I will meet the Level 1 target! Hope y'all are doing well... And that you're all finally able to get on-line at LBT, too! Suzanne Feb'07 Bandsters: June Challenge ~ Level 1 10 of 15 workouts (30 minutes a day for 15 days)

Argh...:angry I just wrote out this whole long post, and it appears to have vanished upon "preview"... :noidea: How annoying. I'm off to the treadmill now for my 30 minutes (35, really)! :high5: Suzanne Feb'07 Bandsters: June Challenge ~ Level 1 7 of 15 workouts (30 minutes a day for 15 days)

Ditto! I'm exactly 4-months post-op, but also have 7.2cc in my VG band. I had a fill 2 weeks ago (which was 2 weeks after my prior fill!), and I really thought that was "the one"... But now I'm again able to eat more than 1 cup of protein at meals (though I try not to prepare more so I won't EAT more). And I'm hungry between lunch & dinner, and hungry again before bedtime. I really thought I'd hit that sweet spot for about 2 weeks there... My next fill is set for July 5th, and I feel like it'll be a mistake to wait that long in terms of weight loss progress. But I don't wanna max out my band this early in the game!!!!!! Do we have any long-term VG Banders among us who could provide some feedback/encouragement?

How are we doing ladies? I'm just off the treadmill, and about to have a bowl of splenda-sweetened, low-fat mint-chip ice cream! :hungry: I was sure I'd gotten to good restriction after that 3rd fill (7.2 in a 10cc band). I haven't been hungry between meals, a string cheese stick fills me up for lunch...things have been going great. Until tonight. dinner (a South Beach Diet TV dinner - as recommend by Becky, the dietitian at WLSC) didn't do it -- I could totally have kept eating had there been more food prepared. That's a first since Fill #3, so I guess I'm not done yet. I'm disappointed that I'll be needing another fill, but...well, that's okay. I'm still loosing (down 5 more #), still exercising (though I have to force myself), and still watching what I eat (avoiding sugar & liquid calories). My 4-month bandiversary is on Friday & I'm down 45#... I have never had this kind of success with any diet before, and I've never stuck -really stuck - to a diet this strictly for this long! I'm so glad I did this insane thing to my insides! :biggrin1:

Hope y'all are doing well!! I'm so not motivated, but I'm about to go workout now -- before a small bowl of Splenda sweetened, low fat mint-chip ice cream. :hungry: And on that note... For the 1st time since fill #3, I finished dinner still hungry. Humph. I was really hoping that was the fill...but I guess not. I'm at 7.2 in a 10cc band. My next fill is supposed to be July 5th, and I guess I'll be there after all! :straight Oh well. How tight is this thing gonna get?!? BabyGrl, what does good restriction feel like?!? I really thought I was there, but I could certainly have kept eating tonight. How are you doing with food, in detail? What are you eating, are you hungry afterward, do you fee hungry between meals? Compare now to pre-op, if you will? Oh, and I was a big REO Speedwagon fan in my youth!