Shrinking Violets -- April 07 Bandsters

[squale 0]

Hello all,

I found a great site.. I've been using it for a few days. It's www.thedailyplate.com. You can sign up for a free account. It tracks your weight loss, BMI and calories. You can enter foods as you eat it, search for foods and it lists it by brand and has the nutrition labels. On the main page you can type in a resturant and it lists it's menu and all of the calories. You can decide what you want to eat before you go in . This eliminates you staring at a menu and beig tortured. It also tracks your daily Water and exercise.

It's a great tool.... FREE!

Mr. Pat

[kity 2]

I will check out thedailyplate.com. I also like sparkpeople.com. It sounds like it does the same thing for people. What I noticed is that I put in that I had a 1/2 cup of veg. refried Beans, and the calories were much higher than what the can said. I am not sure which one was wrong. Anyway, thanks for the tip.

Jennifer- you are going from Clear Liquids to mushies??? What happened to the full liquids? ?? That was a great stage! Creammy Soups (watered down of course), yougart shakes (watered down of course w/ milk). You might want to check w/ doctor.

OK...gotta run!

[lunasa 1]

WARNING....MAJOR LONG POST

:faint:

(But hey...I've been missing all weekend again!!!)

Hello Again

BRENNERS...wow that came around fast! Good luck to you...I hope everything goes well for you. Funny I got a head cold before I was up too & it made no difference.

I have to admit here , SOMETIMES i feel a bit down about not being able to pig out!! Not eat normally just my binge days!! Why is that? I suppose I'm just getting use to not having it to depend on maybe? Apart from those fleeting moments I feel I'm doing well.

I have lost 17 lbs so far since today (i will weigh once weekly on mondays) This is SO FABULOUS!!!! I hhaven't experienced weight loss in SOOO long...:clap2: :clap2:

Thougts & musings....

The old me is hanging around in the background haunting me a little bit, I feel a bit anxious about unrealistic goals hanging around... ie I'm worrying that next Monday I'll be dissappointed with my weight loss... this has always been the case for me, I always wanted the weight gone NOW overnight & anytime in the past I would get to week 2-3 and the weight loss would slow down to 1-2-3 lbs in a week I would freak!!

These are the demons I have to face now.

I am reading an excellent book called THIN FOR LIFE... it's a few years old but it's all about successful maintainers & I'm finding it very helpful as it documents how weight loss 'masters' have kept their weight at bay & the struggles they finally had to overcome to do that.

It profiles 'masters' that have lost their weight numerous times only to regain & have had to start over again. This is what happened me, this is why I got the band.

The most helpful thing about this book is their stories & their strategies, and one thing they ALL have in common is that they all have a PLAN.

they ALL gave up being unrealistically strict, perfectionism and made plans to include & make way for occasion including reasonable allowance treats.

And THEY ALL LIVE IN MAINTENENCE MODE once the weight loss is over

In otherwords they eat like skinny people do.....give & take. I always had selective observation when it came to the women around me who are in control of their weight. I was so jealous...I HATED them...BUT I chose only to observe them eating sweets or drinking alcohol or going out for an Indian.

I chose to never aknowledge them when they took their coffee black or went walking or drank skim milk or counted points or had salad for lunch & a baked potato for dinner. WHY? Because I wanted to BELIEVE that they didn't watch their weight. I wanted to believe I was the unlucky one who had to count EVERYTHING... I wanted to believe there was a world where weight management didn't exsist & that I just happened to be from somewhere else!

I WANTED IT TO BE UNFAIR...I Still do

I had a friend down for the weekend & I made a lovely dinner for her & my DH, I sat with them & had my Soup & although the old me on my shoulder was there secretly salivating for the crostini I had made...everything was ok.. I even made dessert (a fruit one!)

But my friend is slim & works at staying that way EVERY DAY... she has a PLAN... she sticks to it mon-fri and if she can she'll be good at weekends too but if something comes up she'll make room for it & she'll go out & eat & drink but when it's over she's BACK TO PLAN...

I NEVER mastered that... I NEVER did moderation. I always set up rules that were unyielding, no allowances and so impossible to adhere to that when I would have the bottle of wine I had not planned on having, into the nachos & dip I would go...then I would proceed to nibble my way through a lapse and on to a relapse the next day by eating crisps (potato chips) Mcdonalds, bread, fries, Ice cream and all the way to eventual & inevitable bingeing Collapse.. all the while being cheered on by my bold self... rebelling against this world of calorific responsibility.

I got something out of my binges...there was a pay off... I searched & searched for this because I found it hard to believe this eating was benefitting me in some way... but it was..

here is my list of payoffs

1. I got to be spontaneous

2. I got to be irresponsible

3. I got to be 'like everyone else' who was ordering bannoffee ( selective

observation at play here)

4. I got to moan about how unfair it was that I was fat

5. I got to be lazy & not have to do anything about it because I had

failed before

6. I got to be poor me & I got sympathy for my 'struggle'

I got recognition for my struggle

On further realization being overweight was a result of positive intentions for me...I was benefiting from it. I just had placed too much importance on those benefits...to look at them on paper now seems pathetic.. they seem like such weak goals in life. But they were easier..and hey...I realised them!! I was successful

I then made a list of the sacrifices I had made in order to reach & maintain these goals. I won't list all here but to give an example of these sacrifices, I'm sure you can relate

1. Self Esteem, Self Worth

2. Social life

3. Happiness

This list is typical & also very personalised.

It might be a good excercise for us to do, to journal who really is inside driving us & how we can get to know that person & help that person prioritise & really look at the goals in life.

These lists are still being compiled... maybe I shoud start a thread so people can reflect on the reasons why keeping excessive food in our lives benefits us in some ways.

Good luck to all who are getting ' done' this week....

As we come to the end of April

MAY we finally begin to be our best:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

[TracyinKS 7]

Hello all.......... I have to admit something.... I went off plan over the weekend... my last hurrah I guess. We were camping and yes I had the smores, the burger with bun...... the crap the kids were eating... but I DID go on a hike I think about 2 miles..... I am back on track today.. my last 3 days and even more so.. my first day without coffee........ I have a headache, I'm on my second 30 oz glass of Water, Had one Protein shake and 1 sf Jello........ and my stomach is screaming FEEEEEEEEED ME! LOL

I am telling my self that I am damn sure not going to do damage to my liver by not complying so... that is why I'm chugging water......

Today is also, CLEAN MY DESK day!!!!!! I am trying to catch up on filing and little back burner stuff that I put off. I know I'm only going to be missing two days of work, but I would be mortified if my work nemisis had to come in here next week and do payroll.... (and go through my desk) I have only told ONE person at work, and she asked me this morning if I was getting nervous....

I LOVED ALL THE PICS!!!!!!!!! I'm trying to keep my head in the game today. DBF got all pouty this am when I didn't make coffee... (I know I could of done it, but I was being a little pouty myself because I can't drink it.).................. but I'm ENTITLED!

[TracyinKS 7]

Lunasa: We were posting at the same time! GREAT GREAT GREAT Post!

[Ms Jen 1]

OMG I must be feeling better, I am hungry today

anyone have any suggestions? I am still on clear liquids until Friday when I can go to the mushie stage. 4 more days of liquids... I don't know if i'll survive, it was ok when I was swollen and the thought of food made me sick.

I would love some cream soup!!!!!!!!!!

I felt the same way and begged my Dr. Needless to say he gave in. I had Cream of Mushroom Soup thined with chicken broth and put it in the old bullet. Then added a little garlic, Ms Dash and cilentro and boy was I in heaven.

[TerriDoodle 6]

Book recommendation, people!!

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/This-Year-Will-Finally-Resolution/dp/0767920082/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-8884136-1427000?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177345682&sr=1-1]This Year I Will...How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution or Make a Dream Come True[/ame] by M.J. Ryan

[Daisalana 33]

Ok this is a little emberassing.. Fiance had bacon cheesesticks from Papa John's for dinner last night.. I hate pizza this is so silly, but I've been wanting it. Our youngest cat is like a dog and eats all food, so everytime he leaves stuff out, I have to pick it up. So I picked it up, and there was an edge piece left with no bacon or cheese on it, just garlicy butter flavor.. I sucked on it! For about 5 minutes I Just sucked the flavor on it. Very desperate, I know.

Thank you for the compliments, now to get my body to catch up with my face LOL!

I was to return to work today. I'm on salary+commission and I'm a sales person.. our customers are nationwide (record companies and movie companies), while I was out last week I just left messages for my customers to contact their customer service rep while I was out if they had an emergency and I checked my e-mail & had my cell phone at home. It's not detremental (sp) for me to be there for my job, normally I come and go as I please. Boss just called to ask if I was coming in today, I said I thought I would, but that gas pain (my next story..) is really bothering me and I may wait another day. I also get tired really early, so I don't know. She said it's ok if I want to wait another day, so I think I am.

Now that huge pain in my side.. it just getting worse and worse. Last night when I went to bed, it was so painful I couldn't get comfortable laying down. So, I pushed on the spot from the outside and took a deep breath which hits it.. and instantly it was gone. I don't know where it went. For about 2 hours the pain was just gone! And then it slowly started coming back. This morning, it's completely back, but it has moved. I still feel it when I move and gives me the horrible pains, but when I take deep breaths, it no longer completely 'hits' it, so I can breathe deep again. From your experience, does this sound like a gas pain?

[Jennifur 0]

Hello everyone

thanks for the suggestions, I am on full clear liquids then full liquids I guess I need to make a phone call to clarify. I have offically stopped loosing weight this am but 12lbs in a week is great

Laura - I have a friend who was a March bander and she experienced a pain for about 3 full weeks, which I did not experience at all. It did go away. I am going to be talking to her later so i'll see if I can get some info. She also took perscribed pain meds for much longer than I did too. I still have shoulder gas that comes and goes but is better by the moment.

HUGS.

Off to the job interview

[GonnaBfree 0]

For anyone with and without gas pains after surgery?

Did you walk a lot and keep it up or do you think you could have done more? Would more walking help?

I'm having surgery tomorrow and today is pretty rough. I just keep telling myself it'll all be worth it. It's not like I'm never going to eat again.

I'm glad I'm at work the day before. Keeps me occupied.

[Daisalana 33]

Well, if what I'm feeling is a gas pain, walking hasn't helped it yet. Since I don't know what I'm feeling, I've been walk walk walking, trying to get rid of the pain, but walking does absolutely nothing for it. Some people say walking has helped their pain.

Good luck!!

[TerriDoodle 6]

Laura, What does your doctor say?

[MEW 0]

Tracey...Just in case I dont get the chance to post before Thursday, I wish you lots of luck in your surgery and recovery!! You have been an inspiration to me...and I Thank You for that!!

BTW....I was approved on Friday!!

I'll be getting my surgery date Wednesday afternoon!!

(I was so hoping to be able to "officially" join the April Bandsters, but I'll take a May date...and be greatful for it!!)

[TracyinKS 7]

Good afternoon!!!!!!

I just got back from my lunch shopping spree.....

1. GaxX strips (already have the liquid tylenol)

2. SF pop ice (I bought 3 boxes, and stuck one in the freezer at work)

3. SF chewable Viactive

4. Flintstones multivitiman

5. Rubbermaid 1 cup reusable containers

6. Fruit2o water.. (on sale, so I bought 5 6-packs)

[TracyinKS 7]

Thanks Mary! Everyone is a constant source of inspiration to me... I would be lost without my LBT buds~........ Oh I'll be here through Wednesday!!!! Mums the word at work.. so I'm just taking a nice relaxing 4 day weekend!!!!!