Happy Bandiversary, April 2006 Bandits!!!

also...Welcome to our '07 Newbies!

Can you believe it has been a year already? (How things have changed!) Usually, Julie starts this thread, but she is recovering from her TT and so I will substitute for her this month. We are adding a few new elements to our challenge so that it can accommodate everyone (go Newbies!)

CHALLENGE:

Bronze Medalists: 14 Exercise Sessions for 35-40 minutes

Silver Medalists: 17 Exercise Sessions for 40+ minutes

Gold Medalists: 20 Exercise Sessions for 45 minutes

RULES:

1. Count only one session per day.

2. Exercise the specified number of minutes.

You are allowed to split your time, if needed.

20 morning minutes + 20 evening minutes = 1 session

SO HERE WE GO!!!

Any questions?

I'm not banded yet but lost 10 pounds preop. The guy in the office next to mine gave me an extended hug, squeeze and told me I could expect sexual harrassment from him (he laughed) and added he had a vasectomy (with a wink). I'm thinking if I'm getting THIS and I still have 200 pounds to lose wha?wha? wha? will life be like?

Frankly I would report his a** immediately. I wouldn't necessarily seek any kind of 'disciplinary action' at this point, but it needs to be in the record. If you don't report him, at least keep your own detailed records. AND make it clear to him that conversation makes you very uncomfortable. The guy sounds like a jerk to me.

Boo, I WANT TO SEE A PIC OF THE TROPHY!!! WOW!!! That's so incredible! Woohoo! Way to go. That's AMAZING.

You rock, girlfriend!

Julie - happy to see you "here"! Are you home? How are you doing? Is the swelling going down? How long do you have to wear the "girdle like" garments? When do you start the new job? When can you start moving again? Fill us in!

Went to NIA this morning - did I tell you all that I love that class!

Have my marathon planned for Monday morning...........hurting just thinking about it.

I've been on liquids with just some mushies mixed in the past few days. I'm going to try some solid food tomorrow. Hope this fill does the trick.....

Ahhhhhhhhhh day 2 of TRACY Excavation! LOL....... today I starting some overgrown flower beds and then moved and entire bed of vinca vine, before covering the old bed with gravel.......... I even moved some rocks via my sons little red wagon... I am pooped, but I know that it was good for me... and I counted it!

and LD.......... I laughed at your co-workers comment.. (as long as you two have a not so serious relationship anyway) but do be careful.. you can get used to all KINDS of attention in the coming year

Julie - happy to see you "here"! Are you home? How are you doing? Is the swelling going down? How long do you have to wear the "girdle like" garments? When do you start the new job? When can you start moving again? Fill us in!

I go home on Tuesday. I'm physically ready, but have gotten used to not having to go to work (wink). The swelling has gotten much better in the morning and early afternoon. In the evening, it's still pretty bad. Apparently to be expected....I wear the girdle for at least 6 weeks. I have 4 different styles, so I can make one of them work with almost all of my clothes.

I start the new job on May 21st. I can't start exercising AT ALL for 6 weeks and no real running for 2 months. Apparently there's a real concern about ripping the stitches in the lower stomach and if they come apart, Fluid collects under the skin and has to be drained. YUCK. Anyway, I got enough of a lecture about it to stay still for a while. It means I've really got to cut back on the out-of-control eating that I've been doing. I'll be fine once I'm back in my own environment. It hasn't been so bad really -- it's just hard to control things when you don't prepare your own meals.

Let's see, so I can start walking for exercise again about the time I start my new job. And I'll try not to run until June. I probably won't lift weights until July. Wow, that's a long time from now! It's funny to have the opposite goals -- to try NOT to exercise.

Julie it sounds like you are doing great!

Tracy, you have been so busy, good for you

Betty, I will be thinking about you with your marathon tomorrow morning while I am walking my treadmill

This weekend has been so busy, whew :faint:

Friday, I organized my clothing storage by size in brand new rubbermaid bins. Cleaned out the storage closet and put away all my stoarge stuff. This included getting a lot of boxes of clothes and christmas ornaments out of my living room, hallway and bedroom! It took me 3hours!

Saturday, DH and I took the kids to IKEA for my new chairs and stools to go with my new table that is due to be delivered sometime late next week, and a much needed new bunkbed for the kid's room. My DH and kids got separated from me and we never did find each other till a good 2 and a half hours later. I finished all the shopping myself dealing with the warehouse and all. I was pushing two carts of furniture for a while till one of the employees saw me and came to help me to the checkout. Then they loaded my car in the loading zone so I lost my good parking space. Went searching for DH and kids as I was ppoped and ready to go home. Speed walked through the store twice looking for them and finally sat down at the designated if you get lost spot (the entrance). They were looking for me and while I was sitting on the bench they were sitting in the grass next to the old parking spot waiting for me to come find them there. DH finally listened to the kids and came to the entrance. I had had him paged multiple times but each time he was somewhere he couldn't hear it I guess. Anyway we finally got home and I put together all 4 chairs and all 6 stools. Tomorrow is the bunkbed, but first I have to clear out most of that room and get the twin bed out of there. By the end of the week all of my storage will be organized and everything in it's proper place!

Well, I did my Marathon today - for you newbies to our exercise group - not a real Marathon - mine - consisting of and hour of NIA, 1/2 hour of Core and then another hour of Strength Conditioning - I'm recomitted to doing that on Monday's/Fridays..........along with of course my 4/5 days of NIA and walking on the other days with Alan to and fro Breakfast.

AND..............I started tracking my calories on Fit Day - I want to really get this last 30 lbs off. I really hate to do that because I really don't want to feel like I'm on a diet (I didn't have to do that for the first 65 lbs - but it's not working any more................so I must be eating more than I think - calorie wise).................I guess at this weight the calorie count does have to come down in order to loose more.

Please - someone up there - with all of this I will be down this year to my 140lbs!!!!

Julie - you'll be walking by the time I visit NYC - so we'll take a big one!

Betty, I think you DID make your goal. Your BMI is listed as 30.1. Don't you think that is close enough for your first-year goal?? I think it is awesome. Plus, you workout consistently, so your muscle mass is higher. That is the trouble with BMI. You can have 13% body fat, but be considered obese if you are a body builder with a higher density (not that you have any resemblance to our governator!) We have to be very careful to not hate on ourselves! I am super-proud of you!

With that being said, I suppose I shall have to check out fitday. My weight is just stubborn! A fill appointment is definitely in my near future, though I am weary of a repeat performance of uber-tightness. This is a lesson to all. There comes a point where we cannot rely on the band to do the work for us. While we are committed to the exercise, good eating choices must always continue to be a priority!

My BMI is around 28? Not sure where I want to end up.

Hi girls I can see that everybody is doing great!! Thats awesome keep up the great work.

For me Im somehow losing my drive, last week I wasnt eating well and did eat more but still less than without a band.

but man yesterday I over ate to unconsciousness, I was feeling so full the food was sitting in my lower stomach,through the band it got ok:-( (of course I ate like this in the evening) so when I went to bed I felt like Im gonna pop.I felt sick and it was terrible.I even remembered what I ate and felt sick,but today I was just thinking hmm what about having some chocolate? Normally I would cut down my cal intake today but I have terrible cravings so Im not sure that I will be able to do that.

Why did I somehow lose my motivation? I want to be as strict as I was before,might be connected with my plateuing for over 2,5weeks.

Please help:-(

Boo - yes, yes I know.........very close, just a smigen away and yes I know that my BMI is not the whole story................I'm really beating myself up because I "know" I've fallen off the "great wagon" - have only been on the "ok wagon", the one that lets me maintain, but not loose. I want that back again - I do want to loose those last smigens and I'm going to do it...............I've been pumping up to it for weeks - it's time......almost feel as tho I've just been banded (almost) and want to keep this feeling...................try the Fit Day tracking...........I'm trying to get back to around 800 - 1000 calories a day (about what I did when I was doing the best) and it has shown me I was quite a bit above that........makes me feel better about being able to maintain the lower weight when I get there!

Effica - yes I understand - I did not ever eat to unconsiousness - maybe a "bit" out of control every once in a while this past few months (I'm tight enough to not have that be a possiblity - and I guess in my head enough to not let that happen)...............we're out there over a year now and it is something we have to really be aware of - this band does not do all the work - it is hard work for us, it will continue that way..........the band does not do all the work for us...........the band does not do all the work for us.....................we need to remember and not turn off our brains (like I used to).....................this is not a diet, this is our life. Don't mean to preach - but, that is what I have been doing to myself "preaching", trying to remind my head where my life is at now...........I'm a successful April 2006 Bandit and I'm going to continue to do that! You can too - look how great you have done...............look at all our successes................we can continue to loose/maintain and keep this healthier body!

With that said - I'm going to go wake up Alan, get dressed and be off to our walk to and fro breakfast!

Effica, I hear ya. I was feeling that way too so I went and got a fill today, I am hoping this fill does the trick to get me back in the good habits I have created this last year and away from the old bad habits of days long past that made me fat in the first place. I am one of those that likes to be on the tighter end of the good restriction zone. It helps me stay in line and make the good choices.

Hello all: I didn't exercise last night, but tonight.... well I've still got several tons of gravel in my driveway, just begging for me to move them! Also the grass MUST be cut, although it will be with the rider.

DBF is sick and I want to stay away from him.. with surgery a week out, I'm worried that I will get sick and mess it up.

Have a great day!

Well my exercise today come from yard work---and lots of it! Ok, not as much as needs done, but the lawn is mowed, and my blooming bulbs look so nice now!!! I have tulips of all colors blooming, and daffodils, and hyacinths. It is quite pretty out there now. I have to tell you how furious I was, that I managed to get all this done in one swoop.

I decided I would get things ready so when Rick got in we could mow it. I live in town....not at the farm. But we have 3 full city lots, and all but the house and the garage and sheds is grass. So I went to fill the gas can so we would be ready. I am at a local station, and have the plastic gas can on the ground and I'm bent over filling it, and I hear this car very close, so I look up, because Kinsey is in the car, and it is a carload of teenage boys---who flicked a cigarette at me! While I have a gas pump in my hand! I about flipped! I couldn't let go of the pump handle, it was in a small plastic can thing, not the car. So I shut it off, and hung it up, and went and stomped the cigarette. This woman come over and handed me slip of paper with a license # on it, she thought they were up to no good because they were pointing and laughing, and generally being sneaky---so she wrote it down! I called the cops, they tried laughing it off, saying the cigarette would have had to of landed just right to cause a fire. BS they were not the ones who would have been in the boom! And I had a 2 year old strapped in the car! The cop ask me if I intended to file charges, I told him I want to talk to the kids, he said I couldn't! What I would really like to see is the kids forced to pick up cigarette butts from a parking lot, or forced to DO something. Frustrating as hell! In my opinion it was an attempted assault at the very least. It is kids doing crap like this and getting away with it, that lets worse things like the recent shooting take place.

Anyway, I come home and worked off some of the anger!

Yesterday, I did weights and a 30 minute program on the elliptical trainer. I haven't changed my signature yet. I have managed to get my morning walks in. I love walking in the morning through the Spring, Summer and Fall.

I am contemplating another fill. Totally unsure. I can eat more than I used to. But not sure that is bad. Wondering if I can increase activity enough to shed some more, or if not. I am afraid of being too tight.....so will have to think about it some more.

Glad to see everyone still working to move in some manner each day!!

Kat

Just got home from going to the Dr. with Alan and this time all is not well! Nothing horrible, but he is in atrial fib...........I guess normal for some after heart surgery.................darn............they upped his Beta Blocker and started him on Cumiden and say he'll have to be on it for at least 3 months...............he's been feeling sort of woozy the past couple of days.......his blood pressure is really low and his heart rate high and the doctor heard his arithmia and sent him down to confirm the atrial fib with an EKG....................knew things were going "just to great". But we did get in our walk this morning and my daughter just called and asked if I wanted to join her at the gym for a Group Power and Group Grove class this eve..............so, I'm out the door - need it for the stress!

Kat I hate when kids do things like that and get away with it :angry That is why I am so strict about safety and respecting other when it comes to my kids. If one of them did that they would be so busted! Grrr. I'm glad nthing bad happened but I would press charges just to teach those kids a lesson!

Betty, I am sorry to hear of the set back in Alan's recovery, I will be hoping and praying that the new meds work and that he will be feeling great soon!

I am on liquids today and probably tomorrow too, we'll see how the swelling goes, had a fill this morning and son't want to push it. Last time I rushed into mushies too soon and had a horrible PB so don't want a repeat of that! Due to the long drive it pretty much ate up my whole day so today is lost for the gym but tomorrow morning is calling me