OH Juli

Hey Marchies- The scale is finally MOVING. I'm hoping to drop just one more itty bitty pound before Monday. I'm down 49 today and Monday I get a fill. For whatever reason I like the idea of losing 50 pounds before my first fill. We will see. Yesterday after dinner and again this morning my daughter and I got out on our bike and a half as we call it and went for rides. Yesterday we bought matching helmets. I've got flowers on my helmet because plain silver or black "is not cool, Mamma". Oh let flowers and swirly dresses be cool for a very long time. Soon she'll be wrapped in black and half covered. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Peace OH Juli

My doctor said 8 weeks. I was banded March 8th, I get my first fill May 7th. When I got the date, I pooh pooed, and was told that the was date PERIOD. So that's the date. Monday. The last two weeks have been challenging with out much weight loss but the last few days it's clicked in again. OH Juli

awe shucks. Pep talks are what this board is for, right? I know you all support me when I'm frustrated, mad, sad...

TCTX- Use only one scale, at roughly the same time of day. And don't give it too much permission to impact how you feel about yourself. Really, this is hard. I know I put too much into what the scales says. I too let it impact my feelings about how I feel about myself. But here's what I'm mentaly rehersing: "There is no turning back. This surgery means no giving up. EVER. If there are bad days where I eat too many calories or don't excercise how I planned then the next day I will dig a little deeper and do better. The scale is only one measure of my progress it doesn't tell me if I have a spring in my step or if my knees don't hurt. It doesn't measure if my pants fit differently. It doesn't pick up my all smiles attitude or how I walk with my shoulders square and pass the candy isle with out a thought in grocery. Those are just numbers that my describe my weight at this but they do not define who I am." Trust that if you do the work you will succeed. As for buying clothing if you really feel like you've gained, then put your mind toward eating better and moving more for a few days then go shopping. You are more than a number, you are more than a number, we are more than numbers, we are more than numbers........ OH:Banane09:Juli That's a dancin' banana with "love you" hand in ASL.

Happy Weekend y'all. I just made my TO DO list and whew, I need to come back to work on Tuesday just to get a rest! -Monday is my first fill! I'm taking the day off to get more stuff done too. I just recieved a trailer half bike to attach to my bike to ride tandem with my 5 year old daughter, Zoe. Yesterday I put it together while she was at her other house (with my EX) today she will see it for the first time! WooHOO! No doubt we'll be out riding every day this weekend. Zoe is a high energy kid. I see extreme sports in her future. She is fearless too. Anyway I feel like I am just now able to wear her out instead of the other way around. And truly, this is me reaching a very important goal. To be able to "play" with my kid is a giant motivator. Actually, she is a giant motivator for much of what I'm doing with this life. I'm in school full-time, while working full-time, so I can better provide for her and me. I'm losing weight so I can be around to watch her grow and be an involved parent. And so when I get done with the BS and MBA in August of 2009 I'll be more employable. Fat bias sucks but it's a reality. I'll shut up now....But yeah, I've got this written document call the "Strategic Plan of Juli's Life 2005-2009" and I am meeting all the bench marks I set up. There's a Gantt chart too. You might call me a dork, but I call me a goal setting and achieving woman. OH (shutting up now) Juli

Tammyj- I'm sorry to hear about your loss. My sympathies are with you and your family. Enjoy your folks while you are with them. Vegas will be there later, along with Wayne Newton. They call it an adjustable band so saline can go in AND come out as needed. You are smart to have some removed. AfrykanV- I'm growing my hair out, and I've become a clip/comb if you can stick it in your hair nut. I'm going to have to scrounge up the kind of shop you're talking about.

I notice thickchickTEXAS, you have a band name, "simply bueautiful". Now this sound dumb, but do you have a musical band named that, or have you named your band, on your stomach that? I've seen where people have named thier bands. Back while I was waiting for my procedure I thought about what I might name mine. Considering I don't have a fill and I don't much notice it's there, hence it doesn't have much of a personality, I hadn't really thought about it. Anyone, anyone? Anyone out there named thier bands? If so what's its name?

Afrykanvyolet- I'm such a drugstore makeup JUNKIE. I just went and bought two new lipsticks!

Hey Marchies! I did my second day of abs absolutley due to the challenge and I want to say, "OUCH". But when my waist is tiny, I'll be sending Tammyj a dozen roses for kicking me in the pants. :whip: Tammyj, there is a year's worth of weight loss and some plastic surgery before that happens, so don't fill the vase just yet. Now if only the scale would move...... OH Juli

Afrykanvyolet My favorite people are Taurusies or is that Tauri? I love you bull headed people! A fill is a great gift. You don't need cake to Celebrate another awesome year on this planet! Being here and reveling in the wonderous fantasticness that is you is what birthdays are all about. I just wanted to say KUDOS for keeping the sugar monster at bay. You're my hero. I don't give it too frequently, but I do still eat a cookie here or a fudge bar there. I account for them in my calories, but I wish I had the strength to just never eat them! You CAN lose 20 by August! Especially now that you are going to be doing Water aerobics! OH Juli

Nikki- Good for you for catching yourself before you eat the piles of food. We all know the tricks, drinking Water etc. but don't forget them now. Try to stay strong it will get better. June isn't that far away if the mean doctor won't give you a fill sooner. You'll make it! OH Juli

Mrs Husker You have my duaghter's dream job. She's five so she has a few years to really figure it out, but she loves the aquarium! You know, you have to decide for yourself if it's your exercise or not. If you want to call it your exercise then, by gum, it is. If you think it isn't and you are looking for permission from us (or me) we're not the ones that grant that. You are. So you decide and so it is. :biggrin1: Either way, you rock! Those kids I'm sure must have worn you out! OH Juli

My5grlz You and me both. I get on the scale daily. I don't know why, it's not moving...but I keep going at it. We got two choices keep beating away at the workouts and calories or not. Doing "not" got me to be this heavy and I don't want to be this heavy anymore. I get my fill on the 7th. Maybe we'll be the ones who get restricition with one fill. I'm being hopeful!

Thanks for the new thread. I'm excited to move my exercise ticker today! The scale isn't moving. But I've got a NSV! I'm wearing a size 24 today! I was in a 30 in January. Sure it's a bit snug, but it's on and I'm strutting. That's right.

Thanks everyone for answering my TOM question. Offering up a bit of moral support is nice. :biggrin1: I'm doing better now, but earlier today and yesterday I was a mess. I'm looking forward to the challenges starting tomorrow!!!!!!!!! I'll be clicking that exercise ticker off nearly everyday.

How has your cycle been since surgery? OMG, mine is nuts. I typically have normal periods, not too heavy, doesn't last too long, every 4-5 weeks. I'm not so regular you can set a clock by me, but they are okay. I feel for my heavy-period having sisters out there. Anyway fast forward to this weekend. This is the worst, heavyest period I can remember. And that's fine except I am an emotional wreck! I've gained back a few pounds. I eat well and I exercise like a gym rat. I know it will come off in a day. But it makes me sad. I'm hateful and weepy and so out of my normal range I can't stand my own self. I'd eat some junk if it would help, but I know it will only compound the emotions.... Holy cow! I hope this balances out soon. I'm shutting my office door and keeping out for the day. They'll thank me later.

I was told moderate exercise was okay, like cardio, after two weeks. I was told to wait 6 weeks before strength training or picking up my kid. It's about herniating your incisions. The probability is low, but there is a chance. So get to the gym and get sweaty, but hold off on the weight training.

Tammyj- Fitday.com is fantastic. It's free and easy to use. Give it a try! I like Marchies in May. "Marchies" is fun. I'd like to see it continued. Of course I have an opinion. I have opinions about EVERYTHING. I'm having issues eating TOO much as well Kyethra. Good for you for being introspective and taking control of the situation. I appreciate your frankness and honesty.

http://beauty.expertvillage.com/interviews/leg-exercises-video.htm Check out the little video clips on this one. She shows squats, lunges, dead-lifts....all kinds of things and many of them are off the floor.

This is a great women's strength training sight. It's very wordy, but spunky and fun. http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displaysection.php?sid=2 I'm going to look for some other sites to share too. G n' R thanks for the daily calorie breakdown.

Good for you for getting a scale. I know people can get obsessed with them, but you do need to have some reasonable parameters or you can let the weight gain get out of control. I had a scale that I never-EVER- stepped on. I use it now, but I don't let the daily number get to me. Just so long as I see a downward slope over a few days, I'm good. How can you do only 800 calories a day without a fill? My average is 1400. Even going only to 1000 has me feeling wiped out. Good for you though. That's great progress!

Becky- The cartoons are a riot. You have some great stand-up material in the bus and plane stories. I see a career on stage for you! And at first you did sound like a nasil American, but that went away pretty quickly. No one would mistake you for being from Ohio. Take this journey and make it into art! Fantastic.

YOU WILL BE SUPER BUFF!!! We are a bunch of Hotties, just waiting to get toned.

My port site didn't stop hurting until after week four. You might be over doing it too. And pop is a no-no because the carbination can cause irritation to your band, by being fizzy in the pouch. I'm not so much bummed about pop, I'm going to miss the few beers I drink a year.

That would be it. It's the part of the situp that actually works the abs. A baby crunch can be done on an exercise ball, where you tilt your pelvis (oh, la, la) back and forth. It looks a bit odd, but it is a good way to begin. Then progressing to crunches using the ball sure beats the getting on the floor. Who here uses an exercise ball???