nolagirl2

sure i'll do it. i just need to remember what i ate today

I already feel so much better. My whole body just feels less sluggish and yucky. Definitely need to do at least two more this week. If I don't, y'all have to kick my butt!! Now that I've finished some water, I'm going to go hunt for some dinner. I'll be back in like five minutes.

Oh and Robyn at least you walked around a hospital. I sat my big butt on my bed all day.

Well, I did what I could. Baby steps. Did a warm up, 15 minutes of cardio, 10 minutes of strength training on my denise austin video. Couldn't make it through the whole thing, but there's always tomorrow. I suppose I could make a goal that way. Yeah I just feel in a slump. I know I can pull myself out of it though. I've lost 52 lbs. since surgery, I just want to keep going, obviously. I know that when I can afford it, I will go get a fill and that will help too. Its just I want to start kicking my own butt again! I'm glad I finally came back here for some support. It's been hard, I've just had so many things on my plate (figuratively... and also literally). I'm about a week or so from 4 months from banding. I just don't want to waste it! So I guess I need to start kicking my own butt again.

this used to be so much easier...

Ok I will turn on my workout video right now if you do the bike... Sigh...

I'd say right now my biggest problem is that food has gotten to be important to me again. I think about it a lot, try to think of ways to make it taste better, try to figure out what I can/can't have. I spend so much time thinking about it and what I can eat, before I was just on food autopilot. But after all the stress, food is my old friend again. So I make something healthy, like fajitas, but then smother them with sour cream. Or figure that because I ate low-carb all day, I can have a small cup of cereal. Its not that my choices are down-and-out awful (I still am not living on a frozen pizza and dorito diet like I used to in college), but food is still a big part of my day. How can it not be, when I have nothing else to fill my time? True, I could exercise, and I need to. But other than that. I spend a few hours looking for a job, but that's all! The vast majority of my time is unfilled. So I eat. And I overeat. Its still no binge comparatively, and it won't make me gain weight, but I sure as heck am not losing! And I need to lose more. Just because I'm happiER than I was with myself a few months ago does not mean I am at goal!

Well girls I've been okay so far... Still no liquid calories, but the food has been tough. Its so hard once you get back into bad habits. I'm still making okay choices, but its so hard to tell what's good, what's bad. I can definitely eat too much, and I need a fill, but I can't afford it. I was hoping that flying or being in high altitude might change my restriction, but it didn't. I haven't worked out in ages and have no motivation to. The longer I stay at this weight, the more I really feel stuck here. I know I must be at a body set point, but I can't find the motivation to pull myself out of it, doing what I need to do. I just feel so piled on by everything and I can still make food my escape. I need to get my life together, but I need to make this work. I just feel pretty stressed out and overwhelmed and like this is too much for me to handle right now. But god how I would love to just get on the scale soon and see 258 and be in a new decade and past all this stuff that's bugging me (plus exactly halfway). Stuck at 263 still. Part of me is afraid its my old fear of success and reaching my goals. If I could even lose 30 more lbs, I wouldn't be at goal, but I know I'd be a lot happier with my body probably into the 14-16 range. And from there I could keep going. I just am holding on to these pounds. I need to work it and get past it, but I am just in a severe block right now. Anyway, just needed to get that out there.

My nutritionist said to wait 6 months for red meat... Then I asked my surgeon's office, and they said as soon as I was on solids, I could eat red meat (just take it slow, listen to your body, realize what's chewable, etc). The reason my nutritionist said 6 months is because they have virtually the same guidelines for bandster as for RNY patients. Red meat (and salad, and nuts, etc) are hard to digest, so if you had a bypass, that would make it difficult. But I had the go-ahead for red meat as soon as I was on solids (4 weeks)

hey ladies, long time no talk. i just posted this on another thread but figured it was a good "catch-up"... I've been having a pretty rough month. I moved, am still looking for a job, my car/ipod/sunglasses were stolen, and my computer died. In the past five weeks, I've exercised maybe twice or three times. I started eating whatever I wanted for every meal, including lots of sushi (rice), burgers, potatoes, pizza, fried foods, chips, chocolate, fast food, whatever I wanted. My restriction isn't at the level where it can stop me, and I can eat what I would call normal sized portions (i.e. equal to someone of normal weight who isn't banded - not what i ate pre-band). I also have been in party mode and drinking 5 or so nights per week (which can be anywhere from 200-500 calories per night). Not the ideal bandster, I have to say... So my lowest weight pre-craziness was 260. Weighed this morning, I'm at 263. In a month of doing all sorts of craziness, I have gained maybe 3 lbs (now I say maybe because my weight does fluctuate a lot, and 4 days ago I was at 260 still). So I'm ready to jump-start my weight loss again. I've committed to at least a ten-day run of no drinking alcohol or high-calorie liquids, and no eating anything that I don't cook in my own kitchen or that's processed. But still... 1+ month of no motivation to lose weight and bad choices... And I'm still within a 3-lb. range (normally my "hey wake up!" point is 5 lbs, due to fluctuation). so that's where i am now. day 2! woohoo

I'd say the #1 reason I know it works is pretty similar... I've been having a pretty rough month. I moved, am still looking for a job, my car/ipod/sunglasses were stolen, and my computer died. In the past five weeks, I've exercised maybe twice or three times. I started eating whatever I wanted for every meal, including lots of sushi (rice), burgers, potatoes, pizza, fried foods, chips, chocolate, fast food, whatever I wanted. My restriction isn't at the level where it can stop me, and I can eat what I would call normal sized portions (i.e. equal to someone of normal weight who isn't banded - not what i ate pre-band). I also have been in party mode and drinking 5 or so nights per week (which can be anywhere from 200-500 calories per night). Not the ideal bandster, I have to say... So my lowest weight pre-craziness was 260. Weighed this morning, I'm at 263. In a month of doing all sorts of craziness, I have gained maybe 3 lbs (now I say maybe because my weight does fluctuate a lot, and 4 days ago I was at 260 still). So I'm ready to jump-start my weight loss again. I've committed to at least a ten-day run of no drinking alcohol or high-calorie liquids, and no eating anything that I don't cook in my own kitchen or that's processed. But still... 1+ month of no motivation to lose weight and bad choices... And I'm still within a 3-lb. range (normally my "hey wake up!" point is 5 lbs, due to fluctuation). Anyway, just thought i'd jump on a bandwagon.

Yeah I saw Sabapathy a number of times (6? hard to say, I don't remember). Had to bring in the food log at least 2-3 times. He wanted me eating 80% protein/20% carb before he approved me. I also had to give up diet coke (at least mostly... started limiting to 1 coke per day, then one of those tiny cokes (8 oz?) per day, then one of those every few days, til i could quit). but i didnt quit coffee.

Somebody grab a sponge!

C 261 (-72 total, -1 this week)

Hola chicas I just dropped by to say I changed my username. I've been terribly absent, mostly bc I moved last week (nola = new orleans louisiana). Anyway, check in soon! Congrats emily!

Hey ladies- 1) New username. Wanted something new/fitting. Plus I use the old one everywhere, so I figured I'd pull the old switcheroo. 2) I'm terribly absent in posts, but I read them all. MY friend who drove down w/ me just left Wednesday and yesterday a friend from high school came in town. Then the weekend after that my roomie's parents are here for her birthday then the weekend after that a friend from college is coming. all this amongst trying to find a job and then a gym and then pay my bills etc. It's a crazy time. 3) I'm out of the 270s for good and pretty close to the 250s! 4 more lbs. til 75 gone. 4) I am coming back in August, but its like Aug 11-17, and I'll be out of town all of htat time. I'm basically flying through KC. After that.. Thanksgiving? Christmas? Its hard to say. But I will keep you updated

I'm here! I'm here!

thanks telly :eek:

C 262 (-4 this week, -71 total)

Well ladies I left my keyboard in KC, so I can only use roomie's for now. It's being sent though, so it should be here soon. NOLA is great, love it, job hunt tomorrow, lots of craziness. I will check in when I'm keyboarded. PS can't change ticker, but wt is at 262 this am. -c

C 266 (-67 total, -6 this week)

Hey Angela, Actually, your worst-case scenario might actually be the best-case scenario... Tomorrow I'm busy until 6, Tuesday it looks like I might be booked up all day, Wednesday I'm booked up all day, and Thursday is my last day in town, so I'm definitely all booked up. It's an insanely busy week. Picking up the bag from your DH's work might be easiest on both of us. Let me know what you think. Cate

I am absent!! Crazy busy, and anytime I'm not, I just want to relax. Tuesday... we can play it by ear? I want to see you guys, I just forgot I had already made plans for happy hour... I will let you know if I find anything out. I got a haircut today... Check it out! (plus see my new hat) BTW angela... We should plan some sort of bag exchange, because I probably want to pack in there probably... Let me know what is convenient for you.

I've definitely had dreams where I drank a bunch of diet coke, or eaten junk food.

Cynthia, I am soooooooooooooooo proud of you. Look at it this way: I (unbanded) lost 18 lbs. in 6 months... You, unbanded, have lost 40-50 lbs. (Don't remember exact #). I know you are going through a tough time, but you need to remember all your accomplishments. Maybe you should make a little "cynthia rocks" bulletin board. Put up index cards of your highest and current weight, along with pictures of each. Also maybe add in some inspirational thoughts (even just your own creations... like write down how you feel after a workout (i always feel invigorated and excited) so you remember how good exercise feels... or write down your losses from the beginning, so you remember how great it felt to get on the scale after a low-carb low-fat day with exercise and tons of Water, to see the weight had dropped!) I know you are going through lots w/ your band, but I really want to see you start commending yourself for all your hard work, and recognizing yourself for it. Also, there's a forum on here, life after lap-band removal, some users use zetacap or hoodia for an appetite suppresant. Maybe you could use something until you get (hopefully) re-banded, so you don't get off track. Remember every pound lost or maintained is a pound you DIDN'T gain. You are awesome, hon. Make sure you remind yourself of that. xoxoc