Okay, guys, this it is!

No excuses, no whining, let's just make it happen!

We know how to make this band work for us and 2015 will be our year!

Glad you're here, @enjoythetime.

This is a marathon and not a sprint. I'm done with beating myself up. Each day brings its own level of challenge as well as motivation. I'm on a path to good health, and by consistently choosing well most days, I am healthier than I have been in decades.

Let's all cut ourselves a collective break, shall we? I don't mean toss out our personal meal and exercise goals or even stop checking in for accountability. That's all awesome and it's why I joined this thread. However, we are human, people!! Getting to hear about some of your lives here just makes it clear that we are dealing with so much more than our food plans and exercise plans. Any progress I make compared to my sedentary and fearful life I led before is pure frickin amazing to me and cause for pure celebration and gratitude.

You guys are dealing with some heavy stuff. So am I. We are doing all that while we are challenged DAILY to NOT reach for our old comforter, food, to make us feel better and help us cope. MOST days we win that challenge. Woo hoo!!!!

Those physical and emotional muscles get stronger the more they are used. So each time I make it through a day where I walk on my lunch break (eternally thankful to @@bacon for that) or walk my steps at work, or make a food plan and stick to it (thanks for your example every day, @s_suther) I am kicking ASS.

Some days I reach for my favorite carby food. Some days I reach for a glass or two of wine. But I do that way, way less often than I did before.

When I'm ready to kick it up a notch and exercise more and eat less, I'm sure the scale will move. Meanwhile, I'm not going to lose any ground. I added these two good habits and now I enjoy them and they are healthy for me. That's cause to Celebrate and furthermore, cause to learn that I. CAN. DO. THIS. I can change my whole darn life. And I will.

I challenge all of you: when you're tempted to smack yourself upside the head in this thread, stop yourself and imagine you're smacking one of us. Aha! Changes things, doesn't it? Speak to YOURSELF the way you would speak to a fellow WLS traveler. You would encourage, not berate. You would find the morsel of progress in that seemingly "fail-filled" day. You'd take the long view and you'd tell your friend to dust yourself off and Cut. Yourself. A. Break.

Now. Get off your butt and go walk some stairs, all of you!

@@JustWatchMe - step all up on my toes, why dontcha?!? What a thought to extend the same grace to ourselves as we would someone else. What perspective that we may not be perfect, but our choices are a heck of a lot better than they used to be. BAM, right between the eyes for me. Thank you for the reality check!!

@@JustWatchMe nothing but truth spoken!! You're so on point about how we speak to and about ourselves!

Yes, thanks for the reality check! This is EXACTLY why I was suppose to check-in today!

@@lisacaron I'm so getting this sign made and sticking it on my desk, in my car, in my purse, in my house, well I think you get the point:0

@s_suthers Seeing your tag last night is what reminded me I needed to get back on here. Thanks for that!

I hope the waters begin to calm for everyone!

Whew... this shingle thing has some firey pain! Doing ok.. not much appetite.

Brk.. milk

lunch tomato Soup with 1 oz muenster cheese

dinner pork bbq... 2 oz... 1/2 C fr. onion soup

Mom is having a nerve block in her back tomorrow.

Hoping she handles this procedure well.

No exercise for me due to the virus.... relaxing is good.

Well, change of plans this evening. My planned pork chop got stuck a few bites into dinner. It got ugly. I had to wait and just now had a Quest bar. My band is still super tight, so I'm done for the night. Today's totals: 695c, 89p, 29nc. I did have 72oz of Water & walked 3 miles tonight. Yeah me!

Sounds like we are all doing our thing. @@punkinvine - thinking of you and the shingles. Take it easy!

I'll check in tomorrow morning. Have a dandy evening! Take care of you.

Well, change of plans this evening. My planned pork chop got stuck a few bites into dinner. It got ugly. I had to wait and just now had a Quest bar. My band is still super tight, so I'm done for the night. Today's totals: 695c, 89p, 29nc. I did have 72oz of Water & walked 3 miles tonight. Yeah me!

Sounds like we are all doing our thing. @@punkinvine - thinking of you and the shingles. Take it easy!

I'll check in tomorrow morning. Have a dandy evening! Take care of you.

gentle hugs to @punkinvine.

@@s_suther, I can't do pork chops anymore. I miss them.

Wow some words of wisdom on here today! What a support group we have! Went to the store for my planned 2 days of liquids. Got some Protein drinks & Soups and yogurt

Tomorrows plan

B. Protein shake

S greek yogurt

L broccoli cheese soup

S Protein shake

D soup

S no sugar added fudge sicle

@@punkinvine so sorry about your shingles. Praying for some relief!

S_surher. Pork chops are pretty tricky for me too. I have to do small bites dipped in ketchup or something

Have a great evening everyone!

Pork chops are a now a thing of my past, like roast. Not worth it!

I'm going to liquids today. I am super tight from last night's episode, so I think that's best.

B-8 oz shake w/fiber

L-greek yogurt w/fiber

S-8 oz shake w/fiber

D-8 oz shake w/fiber

S-8 oz shake w/fiber

719c, 105p, 30nc

I think I'll make some egg drop soup today. I've got a great recipe that's low cal and low carb. It always helps with liquid days if I have that on hand too.

I'll have 72oz of Water & some form of exercise. If it's not raining, we'll walk outside again. It was great last night, 72 & sunny. I'll take it!!

So.....what's your plan for today?

@@s_suther can you share your egg drop soup recipe? Sounds yummy

@@s_suther can you share your egg drop soup recipe? Sounds yummy

You bet! I got it from: http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/45515/restaurant-style-egg-drop-soup/?page=0

The reviews on the recipe page give some great tips & variations.

The only thing I do differently is I do the cornstarch thing first and eggs last. I drizzle my egg through a slotted spoon so its stringy like I get in the restaurant. I'll also use dry chives if I don't have fresh. Green onion works too. Easy peasy and so good!!

Edited April 9, 201511 yr by s_suther

My band is real tight still. Yesterday I had one of the worst stuck episodes in the history of lap bands. I had to "bring er back up" I hate doing that as it usually leads to more over eating for me.I am sure I have swelling because I am tighter today than yesterday. I am going to get some juice my next stop and sip this day out.. please pray for me that I will get moving again.. moving as in getting off my dead keester..

All is going well so far today LOL! Mom was to take an extra pill this am. Hubby went to see her last evening with the instruction sheet for a procedure today. Well he somehow forgot he had any instructions. So this am I said did you lay out her extra pill. He says "what extra pill". OK.. so I got her on the phone and had her look at her bottles and find the extra pill. She thought I said it started with a "P" and I was spelling it with a "T" so of course she couldn't find it. Good thing I called her as she forgot she was not supposed to eat first. I cannot be around her till tomorrow as I am considered non contageous then. All is well and Hubby is driving her to the hospital.

b rice krispies with almond milk

l ham and bean soup

d chicken and broccoli

s... strawberry smoothy and pain drugs

New baby weighs 11 lb 11 0z at 5 weeks. I think he will be a big guy! Hope he is lean!

May God bless each of you today and nothing get stuck! Jog a few for me... I should get to do something pretty soon! Miss it!

Hope you all will allow me to share a struggle. I have only recently noticed that if I get stuck and find it hard to eat anything, when I do get to get stuff through, I tend to think that I have to "make up for it". It almost always ends with me in a binge. Does anyone else find this to be true?

Hope you all will allow me to share a struggle. I have only recently noticed that if I get stuck and find it hard to eat anything, when I do get to get stuff through, I tend to think that I have to "make up for it". It almost always ends with me in a binge. Does anyone else find this to be true?

I don't binge but I get very angry that my meal was shot because I'm still hungry. I have found myself turning to comfort (carby) food once my band lets me again which is usually the next meal. I'm scared of damage so i don't binge ever, but my food choices are high in fat and calories. It's not easy. I got stuck on stupid ground beef this week. Boring stupid ground beef crumbles. I was so mad. It wasn't even an interesting meal. And then I had to wait it out while hungry. Aargh.