roxy123

After a year you would think I could get me ticker working! I as of today have lost 63 pounds.

Where are all of my bandster pals??? Too busy being snooty skinny b*%$@! Anyway I just cant believe a whole year has passed and would like to see how everyone has done. Im very happy with my weight loss and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Hope to hear from some of you SOON!

Just got my third fill. Im at 2.9 and loving it. Loving it as long as I dont eat anything stupid.(know what I mean) So most of the time I just dont.

Im curious? How many of you out there experience eating candy,aka(chocolate) icecream, soup,thin crust pizza or anything endrenched in sauces is the easiest things you can eat? Protiens like chicken, beef, bread- one bite and Im a gonner.

That is so weird that you should say that..."commom foods" because my diet DOES consist of tortilla chips, chili and protien shakes. Solid foods such as broiled chicken, tuna, basically anything that doesnt melt in my mouth I have a very hard time eating. Thanks for the advice. I thought I was the only one.

Why! , why!, why! do I have pain in my left side 3 MONTHS post op???? Can you tell Im a little cranky? Its a very nagging annoying pain I get in my left side, Sometimes changing in location to my side/back. I have to change positions all the time to find some peace with the pain. Sometimes its when Im walking, sometimes when Im sitting, sometimes when Im lyng down. Its awful. The only other time I had similiar pain was right after the surgery which according to the posts on here is very common. This pain came agin about 1 month ago and has been on and off ever since. Oh yeah, almost forgot t tell you - it also sometimes creeps up into my left shoulder. Please if anyone has any imput, theories, or is experiencing the same please respond. It would mean so much to me to know if this is something normal or not normal or worse.

KristiB, Ive been to Weeki Wachee! The mermaids are there! Thats what my two daughters would say. Now they are 12 and 13 but when they were around your childs age we went. I live in Orlando so we did a day trip. Its only about an hour or so away. I would make it a combo Orlando/WW though. Not too much going on in that area but the water park itself. Im a single Mom and have always taken my girls on trips every year by myself. We just got back from the Atlantis in the Bahamas. The girls loved it.

Chrispy and all other single bandsters, (On a lighter note) I have to tell you this story of my friend who is also a single bandster. I about fell off my chair when she told me this. My friend lost a significiant amount of weight, aroud 60lbs and she has been going out alot and having a good time going out on dates. Well, she met this guy that she liked and decided to be intimate with him. I guess she didnt prepare for explaining her band scars, which you can barely see anyway- So this guy asks her in bed "How did you get those scars?" She quickly answers and says "I was in a knifing accident"!!!!!

Katgirl, I had this alot during my mushie stage but without all of the suggested garnishes. I was just so happy to have something filling and tasty at the same time! I love, love this recipe. I hope you do too! Good luck to you!

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 5 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 chipotle chile en adobo, coarsely chopped, with 1 tablespoon sauce 1 pound ground turkey 1 (12-ounce) Mexican lager-style beer 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juice 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained Sliced scallions, cilantro sprigs, avocado, sour cream, grated Monterey jack cheese, and/or tortilla chips, for garnish, optional Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, chili powder, and oregano and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and the chipotle chile and sauce; cook 1 minute more. Add the turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until the meat loses its raw color, about 3 minutes. Add the beer and simmer until reduced by about half, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes—crushing them through your fingers into the skillet—along with their juices and the beans; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 10 minutes. Ladle the chili into bowls and serve with the garnishes of your choice. Cook's Note: A skillet's larger surface area reduces sauces faster than simmering in a saucepan

My favorite filler up food is turkey chili. Its the most filling thing Ive had since being banded. I make it at home and 1 cup of it keeps me full for hours! It must be the kidney beans also the turkey.

Me too. It was great. Went alone also.

I had my surgery with Dr. de la Garza and the patient coordinator was Stephanie. They took very good care of me including the Dr. coming to visit me a couple of times to see how I was doing. Stephanie took great care of me from beginning to end. Even the person who picked me up at the airport was there waiting for me and very pleasant.

Just thought I would post this article. I found it very interesting. I hope you do too! Sorry about the multiple posts!

© 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 1 Eating in Holiday Spirit – The Art of Cheating It’s never what you eat or do, it’s always how much you eat or move When it comes to food consumption, I am the master of cheating, at least according to the people around me. I never cease to amaze people when I am dining or “grazing” at a party or function, by consuming all the classical forbidden foods (and often in Herculean quantities), prompting the proverbial question, “How can you possibly eat like that and stay in such great shape?” The answer is: I will easily cancel out those excess calories by 3 p.m. tomorrow, or certainly by the end of the day, because when you really get the science of weight gain, weight control becomes a “walk in the park”—sometimes literally. It’s always been simple—it’s all about calories Now that the facts regarding weight control and calories have been globally publicized by the scientific community (washing out all other diet nonsense), most people finally “get it”. Instead of hearing dieters say, “Well, I heard it’s not the calories but…,” now most are saying, “I guess you were right.” Unfortunately, when it comes to weight loss, it generally takes more than hearing the truth before dieters finally get it. What I mean is, most had to experience the journey by trying everything new and old in an effort to lose unwanted poundage. Finally, dieters arrived at the realization that during any program’s short-term success, they were cutting calorie intake and/or adding movement calories creating the undisputable equation: eating less calories than you burn = mass reduction. Although they had to come to this conclusion on their own, causing many frustrating experiences, I never said, “I told you so.” Well, almost never. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to cheating the system, because as long as you know how it works, you can beat it. Beating the bulge by doing the math In mathematics, when you have the answer you can create any numbers that lead to the solution. Same in the case of weight control. The answer is to consume less or equal to what you burn and nobody cares how you do it. As long as your total caloric intake (TCI) is less than total caloric output (TCO) for ANY GIVEN TIME PERIOD, whether it be two hours or 20 years, you will have reduced mass. Getting the picture yet? One more thing to keep in mind, increasing your movements by 100 calories a day has the same effect as removing 100 calories from your food intake. Therefore, your take home messages of any given time period and calorie adjustments in or out are of equal value. Regarding the latter, it’s a heckof- a lot easier to cut the calories than burn them, especially when you consider that one average-size café mocha contains ~ 500 calories, which is equivalent to a very intense one-hour run. Party time – just manage the AVERAGE DAILY DEFICIT There is a certain caloric deficit that a person must average in order to manage body fat. Example: When you are maintaining weight, the deficit is zero, or calories in = out. During weight loss, the deficit is based on the goal, including the desired time frame. Your weekly mass change, shown by weight and/or body fat, validates whether or not your deficit is correct. Notice the key points: average deficit and goal, not the total number or type of calories used to achieve the deficit or goal. It is the deficit number that must be managed. Let’s look at an example: Goal: Lose two pound in November Our example is modest because most people/dieters would be happy just maintaining weight in November. But when you finally get the “calorie thing,” you gain complete control of your body, making anything possible. Because one pound of fat = 3500 calories, for the month of November you will have to burn 7000 calories more than you eat. Therefore: time period = 30 days, goal 2 lbs = average daily deficit of ~230 calories (30 days x 230 = ~7000 calories = 2 lbs). Because I am a typical gym participant, we will use me as an example: Conversation Corner With Neal Spruce A Newsletter for Fitness Enthusiasts November 2005 © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 2 At 180 lbs with a sedentary job and working out one hour, three days/week, my average daily calorie burn is 2700 calories (and of course I know this because I never take my bodybugg™ armband off). Using the 2-pound loss goal, I can choose not do anything different in my daily activities, which means my average daily calorie intake will have to be ~2400 calories. Let’s say during a “fun day” I really blow it and consume ~5000 calories. (Of course, some of those would be alcohol, which is generally the culprit that dis-inhibits my usual appetite restraints, leading to the excess calorie consumption). Theoretically, I can make it up in one day by not eating (not advisable), or by adding 2300 calories of movement (my hangover would probably prevent this strategy). Instead, I would usually alter two days to keep me on track because, factually, if I had been averaging a 230-calorie deficit for the last 10 days, my “binge” would have wiped out my 10-day results. See how easily plateaus can happen? You work hard and/or eat well for 10 days, blow it once, and you are back where you were 10 days ago. Remember, every calorie counts both in and out, because energy (calories) is neither created nor destroyed, only transformed. That said, it’s very simple to make up the loss when you know what you’re doing. Two-day remedy As long as I know I am going to blow it ahead of time, I always prepare by cutting the previous day’s calories in half. In this case, the day before the event I would consume four meals totaling 1200 (see sidebar); consume the 5000 calories on the “fun day” and repeat the 1200 calorie menu the following day, bringing my three-day calories-in total to 7400. Assuming I burned my 2700 cal/day average, bringing the three-day calories-out total to 8100, I am basically back on track, especially when you consider I participated in a function that goes well into the night where I will have certainly burned more calories than if I had stayed home and gone to bed…by myself. In summary, my three-day calorie deficit total was 700 (8100-7400), or an average daily deficit of ~230 calories, back on track and a heck of a good time! And remember, I did this all with food. But for every calorie I burn over 2700 for any of the three days, I can add back to my consumption. For instance, if I had gone for a walk in the park to shake the cobwebs out of my head or puttered around the garden for an hour, I would have burned ~300 calories more than normal, allowing a 1500 calorie total for one of the two 1200-calorie days or 5300 on the big night. Anyway, you get the picture: The more you move the more you get to eat (and that applies all the time). Additionally, you can make up the deficit over a longer period of time, such as 10 days of 560- calorie deficit. I just like my “pain” quick and done. Use the formula anytime you wander of course Best of all, you can repeat the above process anytime necessary. Just plug in the numbers and/or control portion sizes on make-up days. “Blowout” day’s calories don’t have to be accurate, just take a guess. Remember that 5000 calories is very difficult for the average person to consume in one day, but entirely possible during the holidays. The alternate method (non-bodybugg™, lack of desire or inability to count calories) is to simply cut every meal you consume in half during the two days you are using to make up for the “fun day.” The advantage of using Apex foods during the “catch-up” periods is that they are more satiating than most other foods of equal caloric value. And, more importantly, packaged Apex foods accurately count your calories, leaving no room for error. Life is easy when you understand and use only facts. And calories in and out are the simple facts related to weight control. You are now free to control your body composition—anytime. So, there you have it—the biggest, newest holiday tip from Yours Truly. Attached are the regular boring tips I give you every year—but they can also work. Sample 1200-calorie menu 7:00 a.m. Meal 1: Apex Breakfast Square – 230 calories with multi 11:30 a.m. Meal 2: 400 calorie meat of choice sandwich or large salad with favorite protein 4:00 p.m. Meal 3: 400 calories of chicken, starch of choice and salad with multi 8:00 p.m. Meal 4: Apex cookie – 160 calories with multi Any choice of non-caloric fluids © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 3 The Holidays are upon us with their abundance of stress and food. Here are 21 tips that will help get you successfully through the holidays without sacrificing your healthy lifestyle. 1. Exercise an hour a day, 4-5 days a week during the holidays. A brisk walk, run or bikeride will burn calories, relieve stress, and elevate your endorphins and mood. If you have to miss a workout, simply increase your daily activities. Be sure not to snack during this time. 2. Avoid eating no fat. Eating moderate amounts of fat at a meal can help you feel full sooner and keep you full longer, just don't overdue it. 3. Don't skip meals. Skipping meals leads to hunger, low energy levels and improper food choices. 4. Don't pass up favorite foods or deprive yourself completely. Moderate consumption is the key. 5. Don't tempt yourself by keeping trigger foods or comfort foods around the house. If you have them, it increases the likelihood that you will overeat. 6. Plan meals by keeping in mind the demands you'll have on your schedule that day. 7. Don't go to a party starving. Before you leave home, eat something light or drink a meal replacement shake. Also, drink a great deal of water the day of the party. 8. When you attend holiday festivities, don't station yourself near the buffet table. Make a clear-cut decision to distance yourself from all goodies. 9. Alcoholic beverages pack on the calories so if you're drinking alcohol, stick to light beer or a champagne spritzer. Watch out for the eggnog, it is high in calories and fat. 10. If you do find yourself feeling depressed, soothe your spirit with a massage, manicure, pedicure, or facial. Men can enjoy this too! 11. When you shop, eat before you leave home so you won't resort to cookie breaks. 12. To satisfy your sweet tooth, set limits. For example, you might allow yourself two decadent desserts per week; just move more the next day. 13. Just because it is the holidays doesn't mean you should give yourself the license to eat everything that passes by. Factor in the little extras into your daily intake. 14. Help out by saving fat and calories when it's feasting time. Make or buy wild rice stuffing, baked sweet potatoes, whole-grain rolls and angel-food cake with fruit. 15. If you are staying with family or friends, ask them if you can have a space in the refrigerator and keep foods on hand to snack on like lean deli meats, cottage cheese, nonfat cheese sticks, etc. 16. If you tend to overeat during family gatherings, plan and visualize what and how much you will eat before you go. Plan additional daily activities for that day or the following one. The additional activity can be anything from a longer shopping day to additional gym time. 17. If you want to really keep yourself honest and the same size during the holiday season wear your most form-fitting blue jeans. Another trick is to tie a string or ribbon around your waist under your shirt that will not budge with the bulge. 18. If you are at the mercy of the dinner host, eat modest amounts of the foods offered and fill up on foods with more fiber and volume and fewer calories. Make a small plate and skip the seconds. 19. Eat whatever you want on the main holiday feast. If you over-do it just go back to your regular plan the next day and move a little more. 20. Take a meditative moment at least one time each day to breathe deeply and clear your mind of all the clutter. 21. Enjoy the season, not just the food! © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 1 Eating in Holiday Spirit – The Art of Cheating It’s never what you eat or do, it’s always how much you eat or move When it comes to food consumption, I am the master of cheating, at least according to the people around me. I never cease to amaze people when I am dining or “grazing” at a party or function, by consuming all the classical forbidden foods (and often in Herculean quantities), prompting the proverbial question, “How can you possibly eat like that and stay in such great shape?” The answer is: I will easily cancel out those excess calories by 3 p.m. tomorrow, or certainly by the end of the day, because when you really get the science of weight gain, weight control becomes a “walk in the park”—sometimes literally. It’s always been simple—it’s all about calories Now that the facts regarding weight control and calories have been globally publicized by the scientific community (washing out all other diet nonsense), most people finally “get it”. Instead of hearing dieters say, “Well, I heard it’s not the calories but…,” now most are saying, “I guess you were right.” Unfortunately, when it comes to weight loss, it generally takes more than hearing the truth before dieters finally get it. What I mean is, most had to experience the journey by trying everything new and old in an effort to lose unwanted poundage. Finally, dieters arrived at the realization that during any program’s short-term success, they were cutting calorie intake and/or adding movement calories creating the undisputable equation: eating less calories than you burn = mass reduction. Although they had to come to this conclusion on their own, causing many frustrating experiences, I never said, “I told you so.” Well, almost never. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to cheating the system, because as long as you know how it works, you can beat it. Beating the bulge by doing the math In mathematics, when you have the answer you can create any numbers that lead to the solution. Same in the case of weight control. The answer is to consume less or equal to what you burn and nobody cares how you do it. As long as your total caloric intake (TCI) is less than total caloric output (TCO) for ANY GIVEN TIME PERIOD, whether it be two hours or 20 years, you will have reduced mass. Getting the picture yet? One more thing to keep in mind, increasing your movements by 100 calories a day has the same effect as removing 100 calories from your food intake. Therefore, your take home messages of any given time period and calorie adjustments in or out are of equal value. Regarding the latter, it’s a heckof- a lot easier to cut the calories than burn them, especially when you consider that one average-size café mocha contains ~ 500 calories, which is equivalent to a very intense one-hour run. Party time – just manage the AVERAGE DAILY DEFICIT There is a certain caloric deficit that a person must average in order to manage body fat. Example: When you are maintaining weight, the deficit is zero, or calories in = out. During weight loss, the deficit is based on the goal, including the desired time frame. Your weekly mass change, shown by weight and/or body fat, validates whether or not your deficit is correct. Notice the key points: average deficit and goal, not the total number or type of calories used to achieve the deficit or goal. It is the deficit number that must be managed. Let’s look at an example: Goal: Lose two pound in November Our example is modest because most people/dieters would be happy just maintaining weight in November. But when you finally get the “calorie thing,” you gain complete control of your body, making anything possible. Because one pound of fat = 3500 calories, for the month of November you will have to burn 7000 calories more than you eat. Therefore: time period = 30 days, goal 2 lbs = average daily deficit of ~230 calories (30 days x 230 = ~7000 calories = 2 lbs). Because I am a typical gym participant, we will use me as an example: Conversation Corner With Neal Spruce A Newsletter for Fitness Enthusiasts November 2005 © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 2 At 180 lbs with a sedentary job and working out one hour, three days/week, my average daily calorie burn is 2700 calories (and of course I know this because I never take my bodybugg™ armband off). Using the 2-pound loss goal, I can choose not do anything different in my daily activities, which means my average daily calorie intake will have to be ~2400 calories. Let’s say during a “fun day” I really blow it and consume ~5000 calories. (Of course, some of those would be alcohol, which is generally the culprit that dis-inhibits my usual appetite restraints, leading to the excess calorie consumption). Theoretically, I can make it up in one day by not eating (not advisable), or by adding 2300 calories of movement (my hangover would probably prevent this strategy). Instead, I would usually alter two days to keep me on track because, factually, if I had been averaging a 230-calorie deficit for the last 10 days, my “binge” would have wiped out my 10-day results. See how easily plateaus can happen? You work hard and/or eat well for 10 days, blow it once, and you are back where you were 10 days ago. Remember, every calorie counts both in and out, because energy (calories) is neither created nor destroyed, only transformed. That said, it’s very simple to make up the loss when you know what you’re doing. Two-day remedy As long as I know I am going to blow it ahead of time, I always prepare by cutting the previous day’s calories in half. In this case, the day before the event I would consume four meals totaling 1200 (see sidebar); consume the 5000 calories on the “fun day” and repeat the 1200 calorie menu the following day, bringing my three-day calories-in total to 7400. Assuming I burned my 2700 cal/day average, bringing the three-day calories-out total to 8100, I am basically back on track, especially when you consider I participated in a function that goes well into the night where I will have certainly burned more calories than if I had stayed home and gone to bed…by myself. In summary, my three-day calorie deficit total was 700 (8100-7400), or an average daily deficit of ~230 calories, back on track and a heck of a good time! And remember, I did this all with food. But for every calorie I burn over 2700 for any of the three days, I can add back to my consumption. For instance, if I had gone for a walk in the park to shake the cobwebs out of my head or puttered around the garden for an hour, I would have burned ~300 calories more than normal, allowing a 1500 calorie total for one of the two 1200-calorie days or 5300 on the big night. Anyway, you get the picture: The more you move the more you get to eat (and that applies all the time). Additionally, you can make up the deficit over a longer period of time, such as 10 days of 560- calorie deficit. I just like my “pain” quick and done. Use the formula anytime you wander of course Best of all, you can repeat the above process anytime necessary. Just plug in the numbers and/or control portion sizes on make-up days. “Blowout” day’s calories don’t have to be accurate, just take a guess. Remember that 5000 calories is very difficult for the average person to consume in one day, but entirely possible during the holidays. The alternate method (non-bodybugg™, lack of desire or inability to count calories) is to simply cut every meal you consume in half during the two days you are using to make up for the “fun day.” The advantage of using Apex foods during the “catch-up” periods is that they are more satiating than most other foods of equal caloric value. And, more importantly, packaged Apex foods accurately count your calories, leaving no room for error. Life is easy when you understand and use only facts. And calories in and out are the simple facts related to weight control. You are now free to control your body composition—anytime. So, there you have it—the biggest, newest holiday tip from Yours Truly. Attached are the regular boring tips I give you every year—but they can also work. Sample 1200-calorie menu 7:00 a.m. Meal 1: Apex Breakfast Square – 230 calories with multi 11:30 a.m. Meal 2: 400 calorie meat of choice sandwich or large salad with favorite protein 4:00 p.m. Meal 3: 400 calories of chicken, starch of choice and salad with multi 8:00 p.m. Meal 4: Apex cookie – 160 calories with multi Any choice of non-caloric fluids © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 3 The Holidays are upon us with their abundance of stress and food. Here are 21 tips that will help get you successfully through the holidays without sacrificing your healthy lifestyle. 1. Exercise an hour a day, 4-5 days a week during the holidays. A brisk walk, run or bikeride will burn calories, relieve stress, and elevate your endorphins and mood. If you have to miss a workout, simply increase your daily activities. Be sure not to snack during this time. 2. Avoid eating no fat. Eating moderate amounts of fat at a meal can help you feel full sooner and keep you full longer, just don't overdue it. 3. Don't skip meals. Skipping meals leads to hunger, low energy levels and improper food choices. 4. Don't pass up favorite foods or deprive yourself completely. Moderate consumption is the key. 5. Don't tempt yourself by keeping trigger foods or comfort foods around the house. If you have them, it increases the likelihood that you will overeat. 6. Plan meals by keeping in mind the demands you'll have on your schedule that day. 7. Don't go to a party starving. Before you leave home, eat something light or drink a meal replacement shake. Also, drink a great deal of water the day of the party. 8. When you attend holiday festivities, don't station yourself near the buffet table. Make a clear-cut decision to distance yourself from all goodies. 9. Alcoholic beverages pack on the calories so if you're drinking alcohol, stick to light beer or a champagne spritzer. Watch out for the eggnog, it is high in calories and fat. 10. If you do find yourself feeling depressed, soothe your spirit with a massage, manicure, pedicure, or facial. Men can enjoy this too! 11. When you shop, eat before you leave home so you won't resort to cookie breaks. 12. To satisfy your sweet tooth, set limits. For example, you might allow yourself two decadent desserts per week; just move more the next day. 13. Just because it is the holidays doesn't mean you should give yourself the license to eat everything that passes by. Factor in the little extras into your daily intake. 14. Help out by saving fat and calories when it's feasting time. Make or buy wild rice stuffing, baked sweet potatoes, whole-grain rolls and angel-food cake with fruit. 15. If you are staying with family or friends, ask them if you can have a space in the refrigerator and keep foods on hand to snack on like lean deli meats, cottage cheese, nonfat cheese sticks, etc. 16. If you tend to overeat during family gatherings, plan and visualize what and how much you will eat before you go. Plan additional daily activities for that day or the following one. The additional activity can be anything from a longer shopping day to additional gym time. 17. If you want to really keep yourself honest and the same size during the holiday season wear your most form-fitting blue jeans. Another trick is to tie a string or ribbon around your waist under your shirt that will not budge with the bulge. 18. If you are at the mercy of the dinner host, eat modest amounts of the foods offered and fill up on foods with more fiber and volume and fewer calories. Make a small plate and skip the seconds. 19. Eat whatever you want on the main holiday feast. If you over-do it just go back to your regular plan the next day and move a little more. 20. Take a meditative moment at least one time each day to breathe deeply and clear your mind of all the clutter. 21. Enjoy the season, not just the food! © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 1 Eating in Holiday Spirit – The Art of Cheating It’s never what you eat or do, it’s always how much you eat or move When it comes to food consumption, I am the master of cheating, at least according to the people around me. I never cease to amaze people when I am dining or “grazing” at a party or function, by consuming all the classical forbidden foods (and often in Herculean quantities), prompting the proverbial question, “How can you possibly eat like that and stay in such great shape?” The answer is: I will easily cancel out those excess calories by 3 p.m. tomorrow, or certainly by the end of the day, because when you really get the science of weight gain, weight control becomes a “walk in the park”—sometimes literally. It’s always been simple—it’s all about calories Now that the facts regarding weight control and calories have been globally publicized by the scientific community (washing out all other diet nonsense), most people finally “get it”. Instead of hearing dieters say, “Well, I heard it’s not the calories but…,” now most are saying, “I guess you were right.” Unfortunately, when it comes to weight loss, it generally takes more than hearing the truth before dieters finally get it. What I mean is, most had to experience the journey by trying everything new and old in an effort to lose unwanted poundage. Finally, dieters arrived at the realization that during any program’s short-term success, they were cutting calorie intake and/or adding movement calories creating the undisputable equation: eating less calories than you burn = mass reduction. Although they had to come to this conclusion on their own, causing many frustrating experiences, I never said, “I told you so.” Well, almost never. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to cheating the system, because as long as you know how it works, you can beat it. Beating the bulge by doing the math In mathematics, when you have the answer you can create any numbers that lead to the solution. Same in the case of weight control. The answer is to consume less or equal to what you burn and nobody cares how you do it. As long as your total caloric intake (TCI) is less than total caloric output (TCO) for ANY GIVEN TIME PERIOD, whether it be two hours or 20 years, you will have reduced mass. Getting the picture yet? One more thing to keep in mind, increasing your movements by 100 calories a day has the same effect as removing 100 calories from your food intake. Therefore, your take home messages of any given time period and calorie adjustments in or out are of equal value. Regarding the latter, it’s a heckof- a lot easier to cut the calories than burn them, especially when you consider that one average-size café mocha contains ~ 500 calories, which is equivalent to a very intense one-hour run. Party time – just manage the AVERAGE DAILY DEFICIT There is a certain caloric deficit that a person must average in order to manage body fat. Example: When you are maintaining weight, the deficit is zero, or calories in = out. During weight loss, the deficit is based on the goal, including the desired time frame. Your weekly mass change, shown by weight and/or body fat, validates whether or not your deficit is correct. Notice the key points: average deficit and goal, not the total number or type of calories used to achieve the deficit or goal. It is the deficit number that must be managed. Let’s look at an example: Goal: Lose two pound in November Our example is modest because most people/dieters would be happy just maintaining weight in November. But when you finally get the “calorie thing,” you gain complete control of your body, making anything possible. Because one pound of fat = 3500 calories, for the month of November you will have to burn 7000 calories more than you eat. Therefore: time period = 30 days, goal 2 lbs = average daily deficit of ~230 calories (30 days x 230 = ~7000 calories = 2 lbs). Because I am a typical gym participant, we will use me as an example: Conversation Corner With Neal Spruce A Newsletter for Fitness Enthusiasts November 2005 © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 2 At 180 lbs with a sedentary job and working out one hour, three days/week, my average daily calorie burn is 2700 calories (and of course I know this because I never take my bodybugg™ armband off). Using the 2-pound loss goal, I can choose not do anything different in my daily activities, which means my average daily calorie intake will have to be ~2400 calories. Let’s say during a “fun day” I really blow it and consume ~5000 calories. (Of course, some of those would be alcohol, which is generally the culprit that dis-inhibits my usual appetite restraints, leading to the excess calorie consumption). Theoretically, I can make it up in one day by not eating (not advisable), or by adding 2300 calories of movement (my hangover would probably prevent this strategy). Instead, I would usually alter two days to keep me on track because, factually, if I had been averaging a 230-calorie deficit for the last 10 days, my “binge” would have wiped out my 10-day results. See how easily plateaus can happen? You work hard and/or eat well for 10 days, blow it once, and you are back where you were 10 days ago. Remember, every calorie counts both in and out, because energy (calories) is neither created nor destroyed, only transformed. That said, it’s very simple to make up the loss when you know what you’re doing. Two-day remedy As long as I know I am going to blow it ahead of time, I always prepare by cutting the previous day’s calories in half. In this case, the day before the event I would consume four meals totaling 1200 (see sidebar); consume the 5000 calories on the “fun day” and repeat the 1200 calorie menu the following day, bringing my three-day calories-in total to 7400. Assuming I burned my 2700 cal/day average, bringing the three-day calories-out total to 8100, I am basically back on track, especially when you consider I participated in a function that goes well into the night where I will have certainly burned more calories than if I had stayed home and gone to bed…by myself. In summary, my three-day calorie deficit total was 700 (8100-7400), or an average daily deficit of ~230 calories, back on track and a heck of a good time! And remember, I did this all with food. But for every calorie I burn over 2700 for any of the three days, I can add back to my consumption. For instance, if I had gone for a walk in the park to shake the cobwebs out of my head or puttered around the garden for an hour, I would have burned ~300 calories more than normal, allowing a 1500 calorie total for one of the two 1200-calorie days or 5300 on the big night. Anyway, you get the picture: The more you move the more you get to eat (and that applies all the time). Additionally, you can make up the deficit over a longer period of time, such as 10 days of 560- calorie deficit. I just like my “pain” quick and done. Use the formula anytime you wander of course Best of all, you can repeat the above process anytime necessary. Just plug in the numbers and/or control portion sizes on make-up days. “Blowout” day’s calories don’t have to be accurate, just take a guess. Remember that 5000 calories is very difficult for the average person to consume in one day, but entirely possible during the holidays. The alternate method (non-bodybugg™, lack of desire or inability to count calories) is to simply cut every meal you consume in half during the two days you are using to make up for the “fun day.” The advantage of using Apex foods during the “catch-up” periods is that they are more satiating than most other foods of equal caloric value. And, more importantly, packaged Apex foods accurately count your calories, leaving no room for error. Life is easy when you understand and use only facts. And calories in and out are the simple facts related to weight control. You are now free to control your body composition—anytime. So, there you have it—the biggest, newest holiday tip from Yours Truly. Attached are the regular boring tips I give you every year—but they can also work. Sample 1200-calorie menu 7:00 a.m. Meal 1: Apex Breakfast Square – 230 calories with multi 11:30 a.m. Meal 2: 400 calorie meat of choice sandwich or large salad with favorite protein 4:00 p.m. Meal 3: 400 calories of chicken, starch of choice and salad with multi 8:00 p.m. Meal 4: Apex cookie – 160 calories with multi Any choice of non-caloric fluids © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 3 The Holidays are upon us with their abundance of stress and food. Here are 21 tips that will help get you successfully through the holidays without sacrificing your healthy lifestyle. 1. Exercise an hour a day, 4-5 days a week during the holidays. A brisk walk, run or bikeride will burn calories, relieve stress, and elevate your endorphins and mood. If you have to miss a workout, simply increase your daily activities. Be sure not to snack during this time. 2. Avoid eating no fat. Eating moderate amounts of fat at a meal can help you feel full sooner and keep you full longer, just don't overdue it. 3. Don't skip meals. Skipping meals leads to hunger, low energy levels and improper food choices. 4. Don't pass up favorite foods or deprive yourself completely. Moderate consumption is the key. 5. Don't tempt yourself by keeping trigger foods or comfort foods around the house. If you have them, it increases the likelihood that you will overeat. 6. Plan meals by keeping in mind the demands you'll have on your schedule that day. 7. Don't go to a party starving. Before you leave home, eat something light or drink a meal replacement shake. Also, drink a great deal of water the day of the party. 8. When you attend holiday festivities, don't station yourself near the buffet table. Make a clear-cut decision to distance yourself from all goodies. 9. Alcoholic beverages pack on the calories so if you're drinking alcohol, stick to light beer or a champagne spritzer. Watch out for the eggnog, it is high in calories and fat. 10. If you do find yourself feeling depressed, soothe your spirit with a massage, manicure, pedicure, or facial. Men can enjoy this too! 11. When you shop, eat before you leave home so you won't resort to cookie breaks. 12. To satisfy your sweet tooth, set limits. For example, you might allow yourself two decadent desserts per week; just move more the next day. 13. Just because it is the holidays doesn't mean you should give yourself the license to eat everything that passes by. Factor in the little extras into your daily intake. 14. Help out by saving fat and calories when it's feasting time. Make or buy wild rice stuffing, baked sweet potatoes, whole-grain rolls and angel-food cake with fruit. 15. If you are staying with family or friends, ask them if you can have a space in the refrigerator and keep foods on hand to snack on like lean deli meats, cottage cheese, nonfat cheese sticks, etc. 16. If you tend to overeat during family gatherings, plan and visualize what and how much you will eat before you go. Plan additional daily activities for that day or the following one. The additional activity can be anything from a longer shopping day to additional gym time. 17. If you want to really keep yourself honest and the same size during the holiday season wear your most form-fitting blue jeans. Another trick is to tie a string or ribbon around your waist under your shirt that will not budge with the bulge. 18. If you are at the mercy of the dinner host, eat modest amounts of the foods offered and fill up on foods with more fiber and volume and fewer calories. Make a small plate and skip the seconds. 19. Eat whatever you want on the main holiday feast. If you over-do it just go back to your regular plan the next day and move a little more. 20. Take a meditative moment at least one time each day to breathe deeply and clear your mind of all the clutter. 21. Enjoy the season, not just the food! © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 1 Eating in Holiday Spirit – The Art of Cheating It’s never what you eat or do, it’s always how much you eat or move When it comes to food consumption, I am the master of cheating, at least according to the people around me. I never cease to amaze people when I am dining or “grazing” at a party or function, by consuming all the classical forbidden foods (and often in Herculean quantities), prompting the proverbial question, “How can you possibly eat like that and stay in such great shape?” The answer is: I will easily cancel out those excess calories by 3 p.m. tomorrow, or certainly by the end of the day, because when you really get the science of weight gain, weight control becomes a “walk in the park”—sometimes literally. It’s always been simple—it’s all about calories Now that the facts regarding weight control and calories have been globally publicized by the scientific community (washing out all other diet nonsense), most people finally “get it”. Instead of hearing dieters say, “Well, I heard it’s not the calories but…,” now most are saying, “I guess you were right.” Unfortunately, when it comes to weight loss, it generally takes more than hearing the truth before dieters finally get it. What I mean is, most had to experience the journey by trying everything new and old in an effort to lose unwanted poundage. Finally, dieters arrived at the realization that during any program’s short-term success, they were cutting calorie intake and/or adding movement calories creating the undisputable equation: eating less calories than you burn = mass reduction. Although they had to come to this conclusion on their own, causing many frustrating experiences, I never said, “I told you so.” Well, almost never. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to cheating the system, because as long as you know how it works, you can beat it. Beating the bulge by doing the math In mathematics, when you have the answer you can create any numbers that lead to the solution. Same in the case of weight control. The answer is to consume less or equal to what you burn and nobody cares how you do it. As long as your total caloric intake (TCI) is less than total caloric output (TCO) for ANY GIVEN TIME PERIOD, whether it be two hours or 20 years, you will have reduced mass. Getting the picture yet? One more thing to keep in mind, increasing your movements by 100 calories a day has the same effect as removing 100 calories from your food intake. Therefore, your take home messages of any given time period and calorie adjustments in or out are of equal value. Regarding the latter, it’s a heckof- a lot easier to cut the calories than burn them, especially when you consider that one average-size café mocha contains ~ 500 calories, which is equivalent to a very intense one-hour run. Party time – just manage the AVERAGE DAILY DEFICIT There is a certain caloric deficit that a person must average in order to manage body fat. Example: When you are maintaining weight, the deficit is zero, or calories in = out. During weight loss, the deficit is based on the goal, including the desired time frame. Your weekly mass change, shown by weight and/or body fat, validates whether or not your deficit is correct. Notice the key points: average deficit and goal, not the total number or type of calories used to achieve the deficit or goal. It is the deficit number that must be managed. Let’s look at an example: Goal: Lose two pound in November Our example is modest because most people/dieters would be happy just maintaining weight in November. But when you finally get the “calorie thing,” you gain complete control of your body, making anything possible. Because one pound of fat = 3500 calories, for the month of November you will have to burn 7000 calories more than you eat. Therefore: time period = 30 days, goal 2 lbs = average daily deficit of ~230 calories (30 days x 230 = ~7000 calories = 2 lbs). Because I am a typical gym participant, we will use me as an example: Conversation Corner With Neal Spruce A Newsletter for Fitness Enthusiasts November 2005 © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 2 At 180 lbs with a sedentary job and working out one hour, three days/week, my average daily calorie burn is 2700 calories (and of course I know this because I never take my bodybugg™ armband off). Using the 2-pound loss goal, I can choose not do anything different in my daily activities, which means my average daily calorie intake will have to be ~2400 calories. Let’s say during a “fun day” I really blow it and consume ~5000 calories. (Of course, some of those would be alcohol, which is generally the culprit that dis-inhibits my usual appetite restraints, leading to the excess calorie consumption). Theoretically, I can make it up in one day by not eating (not advisable), or by adding 2300 calories of movement (my hangover would probably prevent this strategy). Instead, I would usually alter two days to keep me on track because, factually, if I had been averaging a 230-calorie deficit for the last 10 days, my “binge” would have wiped out my 10-day results. See how easily plateaus can happen? You work hard and/or eat well for 10 days, blow it once, and you are back where you were 10 days ago. Remember, every calorie counts both in and out, because energy (calories) is neither created nor destroyed, only transformed. That said, it’s very simple to make up the loss when you know what you’re doing. Two-day remedy As long as I know I am going to blow it ahead of time, I always prepare by cutting the previous day’s calories in half. In this case, the day before the event I would consume four meals totaling 1200 (see sidebar); consume the 5000 calories on the “fun day” and repeat the 1200 calorie menu the following day, bringing my three-day calories-in total to 7400. Assuming I burned my 2700 cal/day average, bringing the three-day calories-out total to 8100, I am basically back on track, especially when you consider I participated in a function that goes well into the night where I will have certainly burned more calories than if I had stayed home and gone to bed…by myself. In summary, my three-day calorie deficit total was 700 (8100-7400), or an average daily deficit of ~230 calories, back on track and a heck of a good time! And remember, I did this all with food. But for every calorie I burn over 2700 for any of the three days, I can add back to my consumption. For instance, if I had gone for a walk in the park to shake the cobwebs out of my head or puttered around the garden for an hour, I would have burned ~300 calories more than normal, allowing a 1500 calorie total for one of the two 1200-calorie days or 5300 on the big night. Anyway, you get the picture: The more you move the more you get to eat (and that applies all the time). Additionally, you can make up the deficit over a longer period of time, such as 10 days of 560- calorie deficit. I just like my “pain” quick and done. Use the formula anytime you wander of course Best of all, you can repeat the above process anytime necessary. Just plug in the numbers and/or control portion sizes on make-up days. “Blowout” day’s calories don’t have to be accurate, just take a guess. Remember that 5000 calories is very difficult for the average person to consume in one day, but entirely possible during the holidays. The alternate method (non-bodybugg™, lack of desire or inability to count calories) is to simply cut every meal you consume in half during the two days you are using to make up for the “fun day.” The advantage of using Apex foods during the “catch-up” periods is that they are more satiating than most other foods of equal caloric value. And, more importantly, packaged Apex foods accurately count your calories, leaving no room for error. Life is easy when you understand and use only facts. And calories in and out are the simple facts related to weight control. You are now free to control your body composition—anytime. So, there you have it—the biggest, newest holiday tip from Yours Truly. Attached are the regular boring tips I give you every year—but they can also work. Sample 1200-calorie menu 7:00 a.m. Meal 1: Apex Breakfast Square – 230 calories with multi 11:30 a.m. Meal 2: 400 calorie meat of choice sandwich or large salad with favorite protein 4:00 p.m. Meal 3: 400 calories of chicken, starch of choice and salad with multi 8:00 p.m. Meal 4: Apex cookie – 160 calories with multi Any choice of non-caloric fluids © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 3 The Holidays are upon us with their abundance of stress and food. Here are 21 tips that will help get you successfully through the holidays without sacrificing your healthy lifestyle. 1. Exercise an hour a day, 4-5 days a week during the holidays. A brisk walk, run or bikeride will burn calories, relieve stress, and elevate your endorphins and mood. If you have to miss a workout, simply increase your daily activities. Be sure not to snack during this time. 2. Avoid eating no fat. Eating moderate amounts of fat at a meal can help you feel full sooner and keep you full longer, just don't overdue it. 3. Don't skip meals. Skipping meals leads to hunger, low energy levels and improper food choices. 4. Don't pass up favorite foods or deprive yourself completely. Moderate consumption is the key. 5. Don't tempt yourself by keeping trigger foods or comfort foods around the house. If you have them, it increases the likelihood that you will overeat. 6. Plan meals by keeping in mind the demands you'll have on your schedule that day. 7. Don't go to a party starving. Before you leave home, eat something light or drink a meal replacement shake. Also, drink a great deal of water the day of the party. 8. When you attend holiday festivities, don't station yourself near the buffet table. Make a clear-cut decision to distance yourself from all goodies. 9. Alcoholic beverages pack on the calories so if you're drinking alcohol, stick to light beer or a champagne spritzer. Watch out for the eggnog, it is high in calories and fat. 10. If you do find yourself feeling depressed, soothe your spirit with a massage, manicure, pedicure, or facial. Men can enjoy this too! 11. When you shop, eat before you leave home so you won't resort to cookie breaks. 12. To satisfy your sweet tooth, set limits. For example, you might allow yourself two decadent desserts per week; just move more the next day. 13. Just because it is the holidays doesn't mean you should give yourself the license to eat everything that passes by. Factor in the little extras into your daily intake. 14. Help out by saving fat and calories when it's feasting time. Make or buy wild rice stuffing, baked sweet potatoes, whole-grain rolls and angel-food cake with fruit. 15. If you are staying with family or friends, ask them if you can have a space in the refrigerator and keep foods on hand to snack on like lean deli meats, cottage cheese, nonfat cheese sticks, etc. 16. If you tend to overeat during family gatherings, plan and visualize what and how much you will eat before you go. Plan additional daily activities for that day or the following one. The additional activity can be anything from a longer shopping day to additional gym time. 17. If you want to really keep yourself honest and the same size during the holiday season wear your most form-fitting blue jeans. Another trick is to tie a string or ribbon around your waist under your shirt that will not budge with the bulge. 18. If you are at the mercy of the dinner host, eat modest amounts of the foods offered and fill up on foods with more fiber and volume and fewer calories. Make a small plate and skip the seconds. 19. Eat whatever you want on the main holiday feast. If you over-do it just go back to your regular plan the next day and move a little more. 20. Take a meditative moment at least one time each day to breathe deeply and clear your mind of all the clutter. 21. Enjoy the season, not just the food! © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 1 Eating in Holiday Spirit – The Art of Cheating It’s never what you eat or do, it’s always how much you eat or move When it comes to food consumption, I am the master of cheating, at least according to the people around me. I never cease to amaze people when I am dining or “grazing” at a party or function, by consuming all the classical forbidden foods (and often in Herculean quantities), prompting the proverbial question, “How can you possibly eat like that and stay in such great shape?” The answer is: I will easily cancel out those excess calories by 3 p.m. tomorrow, or certainly by the end of the day, because when you really get the science of weight gain, weight control becomes a “walk in the park”—sometimes literally. It’s always been simple—it’s all about calories Now that the facts regarding weight control and calories have been globally publicized by the scientific community (washing out all other diet nonsense), most people finally “get it”. Instead of hearing dieters say, “Well, I heard it’s not the calories but…,” now most are saying, “I guess you were right.” Unfortunately, when it comes to weight loss, it generally takes more than hearing the truth before dieters finally get it. What I mean is, most had to experience the journey by trying everything new and old in an effort to lose unwanted poundage. Finally, dieters arrived at the realization that during any program’s short-term success, they were cutting calorie intake and/or adding movement calories creating the undisputable equation: eating less calories than you burn = mass reduction. Although they had to come to this conclusion on their own, causing many frustrating experiences, I never said, “I told you so.” Well, almost never. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to cheating the system, because as long as you know how it works, you can beat it. Beating the bulge by doing the math In mathematics, when you have the answer you can create any numbers that lead to the solution. Same in the case of weight control. The answer is to consume less or equal to what you burn and nobody cares how you do it. As long as your total caloric intake (TCI) is less than total caloric output (TCO) for ANY GIVEN TIME PERIOD, whether it be two hours or 20 years, you will have reduced mass. Getting the picture yet? One more thing to keep in mind, increasing your movements by 100 calories a day has the same effect as removing 100 calories from your food intake. Therefore, your take home messages of any given time period and calorie adjustments in or out are of equal value. Regarding the latter, it’s a heckof- a lot easier to cut the calories than burn them, especially when you consider that one average-size café mocha contains ~ 500 calories, which is equivalent to a very intense one-hour run. Party time – just manage the AVERAGE DAILY DEFICIT There is a certain caloric deficit that a person must average in order to manage body fat. Example: When you are maintaining weight, the deficit is zero, or calories in = out. During weight loss, the deficit is based on the goal, including the desired time frame. Your weekly mass change, shown by weight and/or body fat, validates whether or not your deficit is correct. Notice the key points: average deficit and goal, not the total number or type of calories used to achieve the deficit or goal. It is the deficit number that must be managed. Let’s look at an example: Goal: Lose two pound in November Our example is modest because most people/dieters would be happy just maintaining weight in November. But when you finally get the “calorie thing,” you gain complete control of your body, making anything possible. Because one pound of fat = 3500 calories, for the month of November you will have to burn 7000 calories more than you eat. Therefore: time period = 30 days, goal 2 lbs = average daily deficit of ~230 calories (30 days x 230 = ~7000 calories = 2 lbs). Because I am a typical gym participant, we will use me as an example: Conversation Corner With Neal Spruce A Newsletter for Fitness Enthusiasts November 2005 © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 2 At 180 lbs with a sedentary job and working out one hour, three days/week, my average daily calorie burn is 2700 calories (and of course I know this because I never take my bodybugg™ armband off). Using the 2-pound loss goal, I can choose not do anything different in my daily activities, which means my average daily calorie intake will have to be ~2400 calories. Let’s say during a “fun day” I really blow it and consume ~5000 calories. (Of course, some of those would be alcohol, which is generally the culprit that dis-inhibits my usual appetite restraints, leading to the excess calorie consumption). Theoretically, I can make it up in one day by not eating (not advisable), or by adding 2300 calories of movement (my hangover would probably prevent this strategy). Instead, I would usually alter two days to keep me on track because, factually, if I had been averaging a 230-calorie deficit for the last 10 days, my “binge” would have wiped out my 10-day results. See how easily plateaus can happen? You work hard and/or eat well for 10 days, blow it once, and you are back where you were 10 days ago. Remember, every calorie counts both in and out, because energy (calories) is neither created nor destroyed, only transformed. That said, it’s very simple to make up the loss when you know what you’re doing. Two-day remedy As long as I know I am going to blow it ahead of time, I always prepare by cutting the previous day’s calories in half. In this case, the day before the event I would consume four meals totaling 1200 (see sidebar); consume the 5000 calories on the “fun day” and repeat the 1200 calorie menu the following day, bringing my three-day calories-in total to 7400. Assuming I burned my 2700 cal/day average, bringing the three-day calories-out total to 8100, I am basically back on track, especially when you consider I participated in a function that goes well into the night where I will have certainly burned more calories than if I had stayed home and gone to bed…by myself. In summary, my three-day calorie deficit total was 700 (8100-7400), or an average daily deficit of ~230 calories, back on track and a heck of a good time! And remember, I did this all with food. But for every calorie I burn over 2700 for any of the three days, I can add back to my consumption. For instance, if I had gone for a walk in the park to shake the cobwebs out of my head or puttered around the garden for an hour, I would have burned ~300 calories more than normal, allowing a 1500 calorie total for one of the two 1200-calorie days or 5300 on the big night. Anyway, you get the picture: The more you move the more you get to eat (and that applies all the time). Additionally, you can make up the deficit over a longer period of time, such as 10 days of 560- calorie deficit. I just like my “pain” quick and done. Use the formula anytime you wander of course Best of all, you can repeat the above process anytime necessary. Just plug in the numbers and/or control portion sizes on make-up days. “Blowout” day’s calories don’t have to be accurate, just take a guess. Remember that 5000 calories is very difficult for the average person to consume in one day, but entirely possible during the holidays. The alternate method (non-bodybugg™, lack of desire or inability to count calories) is to simply cut every meal you consume in half during the two days you are using to make up for the “fun day.” The advantage of using Apex foods during the “catch-up” periods is that they are more satiating than most other foods of equal caloric value. And, more importantly, packaged Apex foods accurately count your calories, leaving no room for error. Life is easy when you understand and use only facts. And calories in and out are the simple facts related to weight control. You are now free to control your body composition—anytime. So, there you have it—the biggest, newest holiday tip from Yours Truly. Attached are the regular boring tips I give you every year—but they can also work. Sample 1200-calorie menu 7:00 a.m. Meal 1: Apex Breakfast Square – 230 calories with multi 11:30 a.m. Meal 2: 400 calorie meat of choice sandwich or large salad with favorite protein 4:00 p.m. Meal 3: 400 calories of chicken, starch of choice and salad with multi 8:00 p.m. Meal 4: Apex cookie – 160 calories with multi Any choice of non-caloric fluids © 2005 Apex Fitness Group™ 3 The Holidays are upon us with their abundance of stress and food. Here are 21 tips that will help get you successfully through the holidays without sacrificing your healthy lifestyle. 1. Exercise an hour a day, 4-5 days a week during the holidays. A brisk walk, run or bikeride will burn calories, relieve stress, and elevate your endorphins and mood. If you have to miss a workout, simply increase your daily activities. Be sure not to snack during this time. 2. Avoid eating no fat. Eating moderate amounts of fat at a meal can help you feel full sooner and keep you full longer, just don't overdue it. 3. Don't skip meals. Skipping meals leads to hunger, low energy levels and improper food choices. 4. Don't pass up favorite foods or deprive yourself completely. Moderate consumption is the key. 5. Don't tempt yourself by keeping trigger foods or comfort foods around the house. If you have them, it increases the likelihood that you will overeat. 6. Plan meals by keeping in mind the demands you'll have on your schedule that day. 7. Don't go to a party starving. Before you leave home, eat something light or drink a meal replacement shake. Also, drink a great deal of water the day of the party. 8. When you attend holiday festivities, don't station yourself near the buffet table. Make a clear-cut decision to distance yourself from all goodies. 9. Alcoholic beverages pack on the calories so if you're drinking alcohol, stick to light beer or a champagne spritzer. Watch out for the eggnog, it is high in calories and fat. 10. If you do find yourself feeling depressed, soothe your spirit with a massage, manicure, pedicure, or facial. Men can enjoy this too! 11. When you shop, eat before you leave home so you won't resort to cookie breaks. 12. To satisfy your sweet tooth, set limits. For example, you might allow yourself two decadent desserts per week; just move more the next day. 13. Just because it is the holidays doesn't mean you should give yourself the license to eat everything that passes by. Factor in the little extras into your daily intake. 14. Help out by saving fat and calories when it's feasting time. Make or buy wild rice stuffing, baked sweet potatoes, whole-grain rolls and angel-food cake with fruit. 15. If you are staying with family or friends, ask them if you can have a space in the refrigerator and keep foods on hand to snack on like lean deli meats, cottage cheese, nonfat cheese sticks, etc. 16. If you tend to overeat during family gatherings, plan and visualize what and how much you will eat before you go. Plan additional daily activities for that day or the following one. The additional activity can be anything from a longer shopping day to additional gym time. 17. If you want to really keep yourself honest and the same size during the holiday season wear your most form-fitting blue jeans. Another trick is to tie a string or ribbon around your waist under your shirt that will not budge with the bulge. 18. If you are at the mercy of the dinner host, eat modest amounts of the foods offered and fill up on foods with more fiber and volume and fewer calories. Make a small plate and skip the seconds. 19. Eat whatever you want on the main holiday feast. If you over-do it just go back to your regular plan the next day and move a little more. 20. Take a meditative moment at least one time each day to breathe deeply and clear your mind of all the clutter. 21. Enjoy the season, not just the food!

HUH? I never reported anything about de la Garza. What are you talking about? IF you read my posts I ENDED UP HAVING MY SURGERY WITH DE LA GARZA.

they were banded?? I was curious to see how soon you started working out after being banded? Other than mild strolls around the block.

I ended up self paying. Not because of the terms of Citerra or anything but I ended up getting the money in a bonus check and decided just to use the cash from that. Sorry not much help. Cost of surgery 8000 Airline ticks 1200 (I ended up going 1st cl because i had a really good bonus chk.:clap2: ) Plus I went alone and just really wanted to be comfortable on my way home. Im a 6ft woman with tremendously long legs and always gets the guy in front who puts the seat all the way back! However coach from Orlando was half that amount. Other than that I tipped the taxi 5.00 each way and spent nothing else. I wasnt really feeling for a shopping spree. Ive read about these bandsters who go shopping while they were there but that was the last thing I wanted to do. Another way to pay is your 401k if you have. You can pay the part you borrow at a very small amount back over 5 years and any interest you pay is yours anyway. Also 1 Doc in TJ has a program called docpay which they just debit your acount over the next few months and I dont beleive there is any interest. Cant remember his name but Ive seen people on here that have used him. Go to docpay in a search and the docs name will come up. Sorry I couldnt help more. Good luck to you!

Went to Mexico, 8,000 not including air.

Everything!

I started this thread before I had the lapband and now that I had the procedure I wanted to report back for any of you still looking for your doctor. I ended up going with Dr. de la Garza. After looking and reserching and not sure between Rumbaut or Garza the thing that tipped me over was the fact that they have very nice, clean, modern hotel rooms right in the hospital. My main concern was to go have it done and get home. I went alone so this was comforting for me to know I would be in one place and if I had any problems everyone was right there. Everybody was great, really took care of me . The doctor came to visit me twice to see how I was and if I had any questions or concerns, the patient coordinator was there anytime I needed anything and they made me feel very comfortable. Even the guy who picked me up to and from the airport was great, very pleasant. I have had zero problems and Im at day 9 and feel great. I went back to work with ease today and have lost 10 pounds so far! If you have any questions about de la Garza dont hesitate to ask!

you. I dont know if this will be good for an obsessive person or not lol. Im exactly the same and a bit of a control freak too. Check out the link bodybugg.com.. I could go and on about it but the website says it all. Just a little , I just got it today and its device you wear on your arm and it track calories burned for the day and it has an interactive program that you log your food intake for the day. Its sooo much fun. Basically there is no guessing as to what you will lose for the week. Its all right there on your personal screen. Its so cool. Check it out and tell me what you think.

Ive only been banded for 6 days so.......I will say Im glad I found this site because I was thinking i must have a screwed up metabolism so its really nice to see what other people have experienced. The day I got home I was up 2 pounds but as of today (6 days post op) I am a total of 6.5 down.

I did Phen Phen and IT WAS GREAT! I never overate with it . I didnt have the desire to. I lost 100 pounds in 6 months with it. I weined myself off of it and eventually I didnt have a CHOICE . that sucked. I maintained my weight for about six years and then I had a breakup and started eating my old way again and didnt stop and gained 80 pounds in 3 years. Growing up I was a little chuncky maybe 30 pnds overweight or so but always dieted because when your 6ft. tall and I was a model your always starving yourself. Liquid diets etc. etc. really screwing up your health. Got married and pregnant 2 yrs in a row and it felt like I had the get out of jail free card from dieting!! I gained 100 in 9 months!! Thats when I did the phen phen. Im glad its not around anymore because I would have taken it instead of surgery and probably yoyoed 5 more times in my life! Im only 37 so I would have plenty of time to do it. Im so happy I did the lap so I know I can keep myself in check forever. I wish I had it done 20 years ago. Being drug induced so you dont care for food can last only so long.

Hi there! I was banded on 10/10 and the same thing happened to me. I still have it but not as severe. Comes and goes. You sound exactly like me. Check out my thread, I got good advice there also. Dont know how to attach but search pain in left side Take care and let me know how your doing. Roxy