Accountability thread for October Bandsters!

[cindylou00 0]

Hi, I would love to join this thread. I was banded on Oct 23, 2009. I went in for a small fill yesterday. I have lost 88lbs. total and am down to 180lbs. am 5ft 8in tall. So i would like to lose about 20lbs. more.

The one big thing that I have to work on and set as a priority for myself is EXCERCISE!! I really have to start setting goals for myself and achieving them. I have two small kids and once I get home from work they won't all my attention and of course then there is dinner to make, cleaning, etc. I guess I could make tons of excuses couldn't I. So my goal for today is to walk, since I have church tonight, tommorrow my goal is I will go to the gym. because I really won't to be at goal by Oct 23, 2010.

It looks like everyone is doing great!

[kcg 6]

Hello KCG,

I am hoping I can get some help! Any support is welcome!

I do have restriction. Sometimes when I get hungry and eat too fast, the food gets stuck which isn’t happening all that much anymore because I chew chew chew! Breads are hard to get down, so I try to avoid them. I have a 10cc Realize Band and have 6cc’s fill in that band. I am going to my surgeon today to get another fill because although I do have restriction, I do get hungry between meals.

My bariatric team is very conservative. But, because I have to pay for each visit (which is $25) I haven't been very aggressive with my fills; my husband and I have been struggling with money. So I go pretty much when I can.

I had logged my intake for months and then I stopped about a month ago because nothing was happening; no weight loss and I felt I was doing so much work with nothing to show for it. I can tell you what I eat though. I am a creature of habit so usually my diet is as follows:

Breakfast:

½ Caffeinated coffee and ½ Decaf with sugar free hazelnut coffee Mate

Quaker Oats Weight Control oatmeal OR GoLean Crunch with 1 cup of Lactaid Fat Free Milk

Morning Snack:

Yoplait Delights chocolate strawberry Yogurt OR an orange and as of late possibly a donut but not every day or every week at that.

Lunch:

Mostly Skippy Chunky Peanut Butter with Ritz Wheat Crackers OR Lactaid Cottage cheese with Ritz Wheat Crackers; and as of late: Boars Head Ham and cheese on toasted Rye bread.< /span>

Afternoon Snack:

Usually nothing or just an orange (if I don’t eat it earlier)

Dinner:

Usually 2 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast marinated in my own teriyaki sauce or BBQ rub with a side of salad or a sweet baked potato.

After dinner snack:

One serving of light ice cream OR Mixed berry Gelato (30 cal. 0 fat, 6 sugar per serving) and whipped cream

And for your other question, how would I know if the band is not in the proper place? I mean I feel restriction, so I guess it is? I certainly hope it is, because surgery for me was hell.

I don’t want to give up… I also don’t want to deprive myself of foods I do like every now and again.

I would really like your help and support. Thank you so much and good luck to you as well.

Renee

Renee hun, how did the fill go today? Paying for them is a drain, isn`t it? I`m a self-paid and pay £100 per fill. About $160ish? Hope this one gives you maximum restriction and takes you to your sweet spot. Even with 6cc in 10cc, you should not be getting as hungry as you do inbetween meals but each individual is unique. if you`re getting some restriction, that means that the band is well placed. Sometimes it gets placed too low which means that the top pouch becomes too large.

Thanks for making a list of the intake. I will give you my take and hopefully others will chip in with their support as well.

When you previously logged your intake did you check the calories being consumed and considered cutting down or what you could sacrifice for the time being? I feel that your daily intake is a lot and needs to be reviewed. You seem to be eating 6 times a day so you need to reduce the portions of the 3 main meals.

My approach and bariatric team`s advice is that you try to eat 3 meals a day or 5-6 small ones. I know you mentioned that you are creature of habits and don`t want to deprive yourself but I think you need to make a change to your lifestyle and habit for the band to work. You need to make the tool work for you and the only way you`re going to do that is to make some sacrifices for now. I`m saying for now because it will get to a point that you will not even want to eat certain items. They simply will not appeal to you after you`ve made away with them for a while. Some habits could / should definitely be broken or do away with.

Hun, try to cut off all processed foods, such as donut, ice cream, whipped cream and shop bought sauces from your diet or minimise the intake. Peanut Butter can be a real killer so if you can`t do without it, buy the no added sugar bland and limit your intake to a spoon or two per go. I hardly go near that stuff because I can easily sit down and consume a 340 gram bottle in a go. Worse still, it is a sliding food.

You have to also consider whether wheat-based products are trigger foods for you and minimise your intake. They are very addictive and don`t give you the necessary nutrients needed by your reduced pouch to function properly. Have you also considered upping your Protein and cutting down on carbohydrate? Personally, I see increase in my weight loss when I reduce my carbohydrate intake, especially the processed ones. Even wholemeal crackers soon add up.

I guess in my simple and lay-person`s way, what I`m trying to say is that you need to make some sacrifices which will be rewarding in time.

You did not mention what you drink, apart from the coffee. Are you drinking enough Water? Do you drink alcohol or carbonated sugary drinks? Sometimes people drink their calories without realising. Some drinks can contain as much as 500 calories, I`m told. So one needs to be careful with drinks. Keep to Water whenever possible.

You mentioned that you exercise in your previous post. Do you go to the gym or do you go for aerobics? Walking, running, swimming / aquafit, spinning, cross training, rowing etc are all quite effective in burning the calories and most of them cost nothing. For instance, I can walk and jog up to 10 miles a day in the fresh air. As well as burning the calories, it clears my mind as well.

Oh Boy, I`m turning into my mum. I know you do so much of the above already or have done it before but will you consider re-doing it as a challenge? Renee, you will be fine. Just make some adjustment to your lifestyle. You`ve taken the biggest step of all by getting the tool, make it work for you. Please ignore anything that will not be beneficial to you and keep in touch. Thinking of you.

[kcg 6]

Hi, I would love to join this thread. I was banded on Oct 23, 2009. I went in for a small fill yesterday. I have lost 88lbs. total and am down to 180lbs. am 5ft 8in tall. So i would like to lose about 20lbs. more.

The one big thing that I have to work on and set as a priority for myself is EXCERCISE!! I really have to start setting goals for myself and achieving them. I have two small kids and once I get home from work they won't all my attention and of course then there is dinner to make, cleaning, etc. I guess I could make tons of excuses couldn't I. So my goal for today is to walk, since I have church tonight, tommorrow my goal is I will go to the gym. because I really won't to be at goal by Oct 23, 2010.

It looks like everyone is doing great!

Cindylou00, welcome to the thread. Wow, great weight loss. Congrats, such an inspiration. 20lbs by Oct, 23rd should be achievable. In regards to the exercise, yeah, I agree with you. You`re definitely making excuses. Did you manage to go for the walk? How did it go? I went for a walk this morning and it did me the world of good. You`ve done great so far, amazing actually, keep up the good work.

[cindylou00 0]

kcg, thank you, but I didn't go for my walk yesterday!! I know, I know, but I've got my workout clothes with me and at 5:00pm im GYM BOUND!! so im trying to be totally honest to give myself accountablity!

I have question! the Couch to 5k is it free to download off the net? I've been wanting to do it but looked up on a site a few weeks but not sure if their was a charge or not?

Hope everyone has a blessed day!!

[okiegirl79 1]

cindylou...congrats on your weight loss. your pic is so cute! your the cat's pajamas!

well..i did better this week this last. i lost the two pounds that i gained last week so this makes for 2 down and 13 to go for my goal by 10/15/10

couch to 5k...i am going to check that out. i did a book camp in the fall that was very intense 1 hour a day work outs with a lot of running involved...i hate to run. anyway...they are doing another session in the fall and i need to do something so i wont struggle as much. did i mention i hate to run...lol.

have a good weekend all...

[kcg 6]

cinylou00, how did the gym session go? In regards to the couch to 5k, I don`t have much information about it. It seems that okiegirl79 is going to find out so hopefully, she will let us know and we can all go for it.

okiegirl79, congrats on the 2lbs lost. That`s great.

I `ve done well in the last week with the exercise and my eating apart from last night when I feel I over-did it (all healthy though!) with the food and a glass of wine to boot. The scale registers 2lbs loss today but I know my bad behaviour last night will catch up with me eventually.

Hope you all have great weekend.

[cindylou00 0]

okiegirl79 Thank You for the compliment. Congrats on the loss this week.

Kcg I did make it to the gym yesterday and it was great! I walked 15 min and then did a dance class for an hour. I don't know why i havn't been doing it already. It felt great. a little sore today but thats ok. My gym has different classes each day so I'm gonna start attending regular. Monday is kickboxing.

So I weighed today down 4lbs this week. Yay me!! that little fill did the job!!

Hopes everyone has a great weekend!! planning on a walk in the morning!!

[kcg 6]

okiegirl79 Thank You for the compliment. Congrats on the loss this week.

Kcg I did make it to the gym yesterday and it was great! I walked 15 min and then did a dance class for an hour. I don't know why i havn't been doing it already. It felt great. a little sore today but thats ok. My gym has different classes each day so I'm gonna start attending regular. Monday is kickboxing.

So I weighed today down 4lbs this week. Yay me!! that little fill did the job!!

Hopes everyone has a great weekend!! planning on a walk in the morning!!

Wow! a 4lb loss? That`s great, girl. Congrats. I`ll join you in the walk tomorrow.

[LeighaMason 19]

Good morning everyone.

I thought I might pipe in about the C25K, I did it and finished in early July, when I started I could barely run for 60 seconds.

Here is the link to the plan:

Cool Running :: The Couch-to-5K ® Running Plan

I used mapmyrun.com with it to set up a route and then I also downloaded the free app for my iphone that timed it and told when to run and when to walk. (Technology junkie) It worked really well for me because if I have a set schedule I don't make excuses to not work out. Once it was over I found myself saying "Oh I will run tomorrow instead" So I started my new cross training plan from active.com and it is done on Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays so when that day gets here, I work out. I guess I need a master.

I gained 2 pounds when I started the cross training but I am back to 138 and looking forward to losing another pound maybe in the next couple of days. I quit drinking wine completely. I cant lose the last 8 while pouring liquid sugar down my throat. (But I tried!) Tomorrow is Day 8 of 27. I will let y'all know how it goes.

[kcg 6]

It`s good that you`ve lost the 2lbs lost last week, LeighaMason. Wow, and you`ve stopped drinking wine completely, good luck. Loosing 8lbs should be a doddle then.

I went for a super-long walk today. Brisk-walked for 14 miles. It felt great afterwards. I was feeling pretty low and sorry for myself this morning due to being lured by the scales again and finding out that I had not lost anything since Friday. I went into the what`s the point mode for about an hour, cocooned in my bed but hey, I got up, got ready and started walking! Pretty proud of myself.

[LeighaMason 19]

Kcg-- 14 miles! Wow that is more than a half marathon! Good job. I have also been whining about the scale not moving but I went shopping for clothes yesterday and I had a Epiphany. (The following is a repost from another thread, sorry if it is redundant.)

"Today I went and bought some new clothes. They were all 6's or 8's. I started thinking, in 2000 I lost down to 139 by using diet pills and Adkins but I wore a size 10. Now I have been exercising and eating properly and I weigh 138 and I am much thinner.

So:

139 pounds + diet pills + no exercise = size 10

138 pounds + band diet + exercise = size 6 or 8

So if you are doubting exercise, remember there are benefits even if the scale is not moving."

WTG on the 1 hour pity party. My MIL says when you feel bad about something give yourself permission to have a short pity party and then get back to work. I think its wonderful advice.

I did my exercise yesterday and put it on my blog if anyone wants to read it, one repost per posting is enough! :wub:

Cindy-- I bet the mixed classes really help, your body doesn't get a chance to get use to anything. Congrats on the 4 lbs.

Renee-- When you were logging your food, was it on a web site or on paper?

How is everyone else doing?

[Wisteria75 0]

Renee hun, how did the fill go today? Paying for them is a drain, isn`t it? I`m a self-paid and pay £100 per fill. About $160ish? Hope this one gives you maximum restriction and takes you to your sweet spot. Even with 6cc in 10cc, you should not be getting as hungry as you do inbetween meals but each individual is unique. if you`re getting some restriction, that means that the band is well placed. Sometimes it gets placed too low which means that the top pouch becomes too large.

Thanks for making a list of the intake. I will give you my take and hopefully others will chip in with their support as well.

When you previously logged your intake did you check the calories being consumed and considered cutting down or what you could sacrifice for the time being? I feel that your daily intake is a lot and needs to be reviewed. You seem to be eating 6 times a day so you need to reduce the portions of the 3 main meals.

My approach and bariatric team`s advice is that you try to eat 3 meals a day or 5-6 small ones. I know you mentioned that you are creature of habits and don`t want to deprive yourself but I think you need to make a change to your lifestyle and habit for the band to work. You need to make the tool work for you and the only way you`re going to do that is to make some sacrifices for now. I`m saying for now because it will get to a point that you will not even want to eat certain items. They simply will not appeal to you after you`ve made away with them for a while. Some habits could / should definitely be broken or do away with.

Hun, try to cut off all processed foods, such as donut, ice cream, whipped cream and shop bought sauces from your diet or minimise the intake. Peanut Butter can be a real killer so if you can`t do without it, buy the no added sugar bland and limit your intake to a spoon or two per go. I hardly go near that stuff because I can easily sit down and consume a 340 gram bottle in a go. Worse still, it is a sliding food.

You have to also consider whether wheat-based products are trigger foods for you and minimise your intake. They are very addictive and don`t give you the necessary nutrients needed by your reduced pouch to function properly. Have you also considered upping your Protein and cutting down on carbohydrate? Personally, I see increase in my weight loss when I reduce my carbohydrate intake, especially the processed ones. Even wholemeal crackers soon add up.

I guess in my simple and lay-person`s way, what I`m trying to say is that you need to make some sacrifices which will be rewarding in time.

You did not mention what you drink, apart from the coffee. Are you drinking enough Water? Do you drink alcohol or carbonated sugary drinks? Sometimes people drink their calories without realising. Some drinks can contain as much as 500 calories, I`m told. So one needs to be careful with drinks. Keep to Water whenever possible.

You mentioned that you exercise in your previous post. Do you go to the gym or do you go for aerobics? Walking, running, swimming / aquafit, spinning, cross training, rowing etc are all quite effective in burning the calories and most of them cost nothing. For instance, I can walk and jog up to 10 miles a day in the fresh air. As well as burning the calories, it clears my mind as well.

Oh Boy, I`m turning into my mum. I know you do so much of the above already or have done it before but will you consider re-doing it as a challenge? Renee, you will be fine. Just make some adjustment to your lifestyle. You`ve taken the biggest step of all by getting the tool, make it work for you. Please ignore anything that will not be beneficial to you and keep in touch. Thinking of you.

Hey Kcg,

My fill went well, thanks for asking. Being on fluids for two days then mushies for another two is hell. LOL I was starving! Anyway, better days over the weekend and today. I hope this gives me restriction also! I am still feeling hungry after having a Breakfast and a morning snack and lunch is an hour away… we’ll see how this fill goes.

I am not sure about where the band is placed. How would one know? An x-ray? When I went to my doctors for the fill, both the nurse and the doc said I was losing weight as I should for the amount of fills I have had (not many and not much). So hearing that gave me some relief. I did lose one more pound in 2 months.

I look forward to seeing your intake. Mine is going to be quite different from the one I posted. Because like you said, I am going to cut off processed foods like you said and see how I do. I also found this great gelato for a snack that is only 30 calories, no fat, and 5 grams of sugar per 4 oz. serving.

When I previously logged my intake I was within my calorie range (1200) or below. I did consider cutting back and have on the ice cream and such. What you said about sacrifices is so true… I need to do this NOW for myself, because it’ll pay off in the long run. I appreciate your post very much. Your post and my nurse and doc all have provided me support and motivation, so thank you!

Oh and what I drink besides the AM coffee is water and crystal light all day long. Usually 6-8 oz. of crystal light and water (no sugar; no cal). I don’t drink any sugary or carbonated drinks. I also don’t drink alcohol all that much; very rare occasions. I have some “light juice” on occasion too.

I don’t go to the gym because of the cost and it is not comfortable for me. Not really a motivator either. I know it is a motivator for some people... I walk, jog, kayak and also do aerobic exercises on the Wii Fit (which is super fun!)

I definitely will redo it as a challenge. Absolutely. We all didn’t go through this for it to be a breeze, now did we? Nope! Thanks again for everything.

Good luck to you also. Sounds like you are doing a superb job! :wub:

All the best,

Renee

[cindylou00 0]

Kcg- 14 Miles wow! I bet that pitty party was over by the end of that walk. It always has a way of making us feel better. How long did it take for u to walk 14 miles. Keep up the good workouts!

Leighamason- ur rite excercise does pay off big time. I bet that was such a good feeling to be in a size 6-8. Im in a size 14 now but Iam hoping for a size 10-12 in the long run am tall and have big structure so I will never see a size 6. Everyone tells me how skinny Iam now but I dont see it.

Wisteria75- Just keep tweaking ur food and excercise and u will find what works for u. Plus the fills will help u get their. good luck and were here to support you. You can do it.

Ok, I went shopping sat, I was so sore from thursday workout, but I shopped most of the day and night. Sunday the sorness was gone. Today I have Kickboxing at 5:30 so we will see if I can walk tomorrow. JK... LOL Looking forward to it.

Good luck to everyone!! Later

[LarraineM 6]

Oct 15 2009 was my band date beginning.........Today Iam looking forward to my one yr mark. I have about 40 lbs to my goal. I am not sure I ll be there by then but I finally realize that I am work in progress.........forever

[cindylou00 0]

well, Hello to everyone hope everyone is conquering their goals set for themselves. Because I know that we all can do it.

I went to Kickboxing class yesterday!! Shoulders a little sore! But it went well. I have boot camp today! Wish me Luck!!!

Have an Awesome day everyone!!