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?

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I swear in my day to day life, I'm never in crisis like I am on LBT. I don't live my life like this. Posting... well it's like therapy or something. By telling you guys about my food issue or "confessing" to you all about it, I actually acknowledge what's going on and I can see the big picture. Once I post, I begin feel better. And then your phenomenal responses! Seriously, I couldn't ask for better group of wonderful, wise women. Not to mention skinny! Thank you all so much. Today was so much better for me. I discovered that I REALLY like refried beans. Those are definitely mushie!! I also got on the scale and discovered that in one week I've lost 9 pounds. Definitely water weight but still helpful in lifting my mood.

Talk to you all soon. Thank you. I'm truly so grateful.

It might seem a little decadent as it does have a bit of sugar but I love baked beans and pork&beans, they are mushie and yummy :hungry:

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.

We've had open and frank discussions about being obese. Sex and the difficulties for the obese individual has been one of them. He lost over 100 lbs. with a bypass. His comment was made between the two of us, in jest, without any seriousness behind.

HI everyone,

Hope you are all heading into a good weekend.

My guys (my dh and my son) are in Edmonton (half way across Canada and a lot further south) for a karate camp, so it is just me and my girl for a few days. Kind of nice.

Well, the scale is moving slowly,so I have nothing to complain about... gosh my size 16 jeans are getting baggy!!!

Talk to you later!!

Dawn

Banded April 4th, 2006

Montreal

358/184/179

Exercise sessions this month =14 sessions

Well, the scale is moving slowly,so I have nothing to complain about... gosh my size 16 jeans are getting baggy!!!

OH MAN! I can't WAIT to make a post like this someday!!

Exercise is going great, I'm happy to report...and it looks like I will exceed my first month's goals. I am chomping at the bit to start weights and swimming but have to wait 2 more weeks. :tired

Thanks for your constant inspiration!!

Sheila, I'm so glad to hear that you're doing well and that posting helped you to be accountable. I use it exactly the same way. If you get tempted to eat non-mushies again, I'm with the rest -- force yourself to eat mushies, but allow yourself to eat whatever mushie you want (even the "bad" stuff). Believe us when we tell you that once you're properly filled, a good portion of the head hunger will be controlled. For now, it's just about eating the right consistency of food to let yourself heal. You're going to do great!

Boo, you don't have to count cals if you don't want to -- your goal can be to eat no chocolate for a week, or whatever it is that is getting in your way (if anything -- to me, you're doing great).

Dawn, you rock. Period.

Terri, you too. WTG on exceeding your exercise goals even in your month of being banded. Awesome.

Molly, you're doing great. The 60s are right around the corner for you! I loved the 60s. I spent a lot of years there and when I got back to them, I felt like "me" again.

Betty, would you give us another update on Alan?

I have a question for you guys. I thought about starting a general post about it, but wanted to see what you guys think about it first.

Do you ever read the complications forum? If so, do you notice that there are a lot of pouch and esophagus dilation issues in long term bandsters, even who have otherwise done SUPER well? I know a complications forum is naturally going to show a false positive complication rate, but it's still of concern to me.

I know one preventative measure to avoid these problems (and thus have long term band health) is to monitor quantity control (i.e. eat less than your pouch holds on a mostly consistent basis). I know I'm safe on this if I eat 3/4 of a cup or less in a sitting of solid food, or 1 cup of mushies. I don't measure my food all the time, but I do on occasion to try and stay within a reasonable portion size. My head doesn't always do that for me as I have a tendency to pouch pack if I don't pay attention (I have a feeling most of us are that way given our obesity histories).

The first line remedy if a dilation is diagnosed is to go on liquids for 2-3 weeks. So my question is this -- is there an argument that for long term band health, we should consider doing liquids for a few days more often to give our pouch and esophagus a chance to rest (for example, maybe 3-4 days every 6 weeks or so)? I know that no one in the medical community actually advocates this, but I also know that sometimes being a patient living with a device can be as informative as being a doctor.

What do you think about this concept? All I want is to have a healthy band FOREVER!

Julie - I have had the same concerns.............I have never, since being banded have had any reflux problems (altho I did before - never bad). The past few months I have had more food than in the beginning months and was worried that maybe I was doing just that - stretching my pouch. My fills are done with Floro and a barium swallow (are yours?). In doing the fill, the tech is able to examine the band and surroundings...........so a dialation would be found. Happy to say that all looked well with my band and the pouch. I occassionally go to that forum and it frightens me - so I try not to do it too often (maybe it's good for us to be frightened - keeps us cautious). Since my fills will be few and far between from now on - your suggestion sounds like a good idea - altho getting myself to go on liquids for more than a couple of days (unless I knew for sure it was actually helpful) would be hard at this stage.

Alan and I did our walk to and fro breakfast today - I could not eat - am still very tight until the afternoon.............but, then ok. So, I'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks.

This is my biggest fear also. They are talking about doing my next fill under flouro which scares me cause if there something wrong I'm afraid to know. I do think that occaisonally going on liquids for a few days is a good idea for the welfare of our bands and our stomachs/esophagus. If I have a day where I feel like I've overdone things I will often follow that up with a couple days of liquids. I'm not sure if it helps but it makes me feel better. Well tonight we are camping out and tomorrow morning bright and early spending a good 4-5hours on a park clean up project! So I will definitely get in my excersise tomorrow and in a super fun setting! DH and one of our daughters is coming with. Packing the essentials as soon as I finish this post. See you all tomorrow...

Interesting, Julie...

For some unknown reason, I have a "liquid day" about once a week or so. It is an instictive feeling that when there is any pain or discomfort while eating, I need to go on liquids. It seems to work. So it makes sense.

We also "fast" for religious purposes. While issues become clearer and there is a heightened spirituality and gratitude, there is also a physical benefit.

My usual today - NIA.

Alan is feeling great! I guess the added Beta Blocker did the trick with his atrial fib................hopefully he'll do the 3 months of that and the coumiden and he'll get to go off that stuff!

Nasty day today in the pretty NW.......we were going to walk to the movies, but it's too wet & cold out there - think I'll take my hot shower and get into early jammies and veg out watching the TV!

I hear ya Betty it was cold and rainy here on the peninsula (western wash) but despite that we did what we signed up for and helped clean the church campsite to get it ready for the camping season, I wanted to sit in the cabin by the fire but no such luck, hehe. We camped overnight in a cabin with a bunch of folks from church and had a campfire and watched the kids roast marshmallows (no I didn't have a single one!). This morning we got up at the crack of dawn to fix breakfast and then started cleaning, raking, sweeping, cleaning out the firepits etc. The camp site is huge and our little family did 2 of the long houses and surround area then we were done! Whew, my hands hurt from gripping the rake and broom for so long, lol. But I got in way more than an hour of excersise this morning so I am happy and I am sitting right at 270, just waiting for the next couple of days to drop me off into the 60's wahoo

Good for you Molly! Hope you get into the 60's soon. What city in Washington are you located? We're almost neighbors! We live in Lake Oswego, OR (just about 20 minutes south of downtown Portland). Do you ever get down this way? If so, I sure would love to meet you.

Hi Betty, we are in Gig Harbor, just west of Tacoma. We don't normally get down south of the city but maybe this summer we can plan a trip so we can go shopping or something. I think we are about an hours drive from Portland so that gives an idea that way too. I just met a lady who was banded 3 weeks ago, so the beginning of April, she is already registered on the site but is insure of how to navigate the forum so we are getting together soon so I can show her around. I already told her about all of you wonderful wise women and she is very excited. As soon as I told her I was waterlily she was like "I know you!" lol, she has been lurking and reading a bit

Got my time in today mowing the lawn. Rick said he was going to do it when he got home from work, but he has worked late every night this week, and we were to go to friends for dinner, so I decided to surprise him. It worked, he was shocked, and thankful!!! Now I'll spend the next week watering it just so I have something to mow again-----go figure!!!

From start to finish, with mowing, and disposing of the bagged clippings, it takes me close to 2 hours----it is a big lawn, full of trees, and plantings to mow around, an the back yard, has a fairly good slope to it. I was wiped out!!! But feel like I accomplished something!

Monday I am going to take an aquasize class with a friend. Not too sure about it, but she wants to go, so I figured why not.

Sounds like everyone is doing good!

I too end up doing a liquid day here and there. I might think about taking it to 2 days in a row or something. It wouldn't be too bad, if I could pick the timing. I don't think it could hurt anything. If you don't already have an issue with being dilated, then it seems like it would be, if nothing else a good reminder. If you are already showing signs, I don't know that 2-3 days is going to be enough to overcome an existing problem---but again, it cannot hurt it! Maybe it would get me past the plateau I am on.

In all honesty lots of things could likely get me off of the plateau, I just haven't done them!! So I am not complaining too badly!!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

Kat