Hey all.

So there's a bunch of us in this group, all split up into our different banding days. I was thinking that it might be a good idea to have one master thread as we move through the month, in which all of us could post as we go, from the pioneers going on March 1st to the finalists on March 31st.

I'd love to talk about our anticipation and any worries as we approach our banding date, for people to talk about exactly what happened from the moment they walked into the hospital door until the second they walked out, about how recovery is going, about weight loss and plateaus, about non-scale victories and challenges.

I was thinking that if we all contribute to one thread, it'll form a more substantial channel for information and support. At the moment, I was thinking that we might be too spread out into individual date, and that a central thread would be a really good backbone for the group, in addition to the date-specific threads.

What do you think?

Fenton

Harley you look great!

I have a question I figure with my weight of now 225 i should be able to eat 2500 calories just to maintain my weight. I never eat that much and most days I'm less than 1200. I might go over that once a week. But I gained 4 pounds this past week. I just dont understand that.

I have had 3 fills so far and it seems after a fill I will lose a lot of weight real fast but then as soon as I am back to eating solid foods again and back up to the 1000-1200 calories I gain.

I really want to be under 200 by my birthday in sept and I really thought it was possible but now that i gained 5 back i just don't see that happening

Wow Annie, the hair looks fab! It looks so natural... Is it real hair? Congrats girl, you must feel like a million bucks:)

Thanks k-pod! It's actually synthetic. I wanted real hair, but after talking with my hairdresser and a few friends who've had to wear wigs after chemo, I decided on synthetic. Real hair wigs need to be washed MUCH more often, wilt in the heat, go frizzy when it's humid and need to be blowdried into shape every time you wash them. This one is just two minutes to put on, and ready to go!

I wore it to work today, wasn't quite sure what to expect... I was a bit nervous, thinking that people would think I was vain or just laugh and me and think I looked stupid. But EVERY woman I worked with commented on how great my hair looked, and said "oh did you get it cut on the weekend?" I was just like "yep, got it cut. Thanks".

Only one (a very close friend) pulled me aside and said "your hair certainly looks amazing.... but it's not YOUR hair, is it?" After I explained to her, she was like "good on you for doing something to make yourself feel better instead of just complaining like most people would!"

So yes, relatively painless! I'll continue to report reactions, if any, over the next while...

Thankyou for all the positive comments! Self-esteem boost to the max! :thumbs_up:

By the way (er, "bi the way"?), happy Pride Day to any Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgendered shamrocks out there! It's always a fun day in NYC - the parade is a hoot, one of the best. I understand the Sydney one is pretty huge, too, right, A-Dub?

Of course, this year it's so hot and muggy that I'm probably going to Celebrate Your Special Day by seeing KUNG FU PANDA or WANTED.

(When I say "happy Pride Day to any GLBT shamrocks out there!", I don't mean, specifically *out* out. I meant out there in cyberspace. Consider yourself included!)

(IF you're GLBT, I mean.)

Indeed, the Sydney one is amazing!

It's generally televised as well, which is great! I hope that sometime i'll be in Sydney when it's happening to go along and support, but so far I haven't been that lucky.

Here's a few pictures from our vacation.....it was a good time!

Flickr: pbans' Photostream

Woohoo! Looks like a great trip!

And you are looking FABULOUS!

:thumbs_up: :biggrin: :eek:

Ruh-roh - I slacked a bit this weekend, and lost 1 pound as of this morning. This means I'm down 90 lbs, with 19 days to lose 10 pounds. I THINK it's doable, but I'm going to have to try a wee bit harder...

Damn you, delicious duck dish at the Gotham Bar and Grill! How you savage me with your siren call and absurd tastiness!

A-dub, I love the hair!

I had a fill last Monday. I am now at 2.4 ccs in a 4 cc band. So far I have no restriction. I can eat Pasta, bread and rice with no problem. Still, I'm losing approximately 1 lb a week which is better than nothing. I just wish that when I have those days, like this weekend when I wanted everything in sight, the band would put a stop to some of it going down. Every time I go for a fill I just KNOW that this will it and I'll start dropping 2 or 3 lbs a week without having to struggle so much for it. I'm disappointed.

Ach, TGirl! You're doing well - the banding literature talks about aiming for a weight loss of 1 - 2 pounds per week.

That next fill may help ease your satiety issues, but in the meantime, you should be proud of what you've accomplished through willpower and determination!

Thanks for the reminder Fenton. I'm such a damn yo-yo! I think that no matter what my size I will have those "fat" days. I think my problem is that I've slacked on my exercise this past week. I've always got a blister on my feet and now my hamstring feels kind of funny. I've purchased 3 new pair of tennis shoes and nothing seems to help the blisters issue. I think it's from all the years of wearing shoes I could just slip my feet into. Most of the time I know that I'm eating right and exercising so no matter how slow the lbs come off, I know they are coming off and I'm ok with that. About once every 2 weeks I'll have a day where I'm just disappointed in myself.

Rhonda

I can feel the frustration in your post.

I'd go back to the basics:

Are you logging your foods? That is the first place I would look. Recheck the calorie values of what you are eating. Portion your meals by weight or measure. Sometimes we eyeball stuff and its not quite correct. Perhaps you will need to reduce your calories if the other stuff does not pan out.

How are you doing with exercise? If you are getting some in everyday maybe you need to shake it up a bit with a new routine. Interval training is great. Go for a "wog". Thats walking and jogging. Walk for 1min then jog for a min. Walk for 1min jog for 2min. walk 1.5min jog 3min. walk 1min jog 2min. It gets the heart rate up and really burns calories. My trainer says that doing interval training for 20 min is equal to about twice that just walking.

Also I think our bodies prefer to lose at a steady rate and if you are losing alot after each fill maybe your body needs to settle a bit and gains some back. How is your over all loss? Does it average out to 1-2lbs a week?

Keep your chin up. You are doing the right thing trying to tweak your program to get the maximum. Keep up the good work!!

Texgirl- sometimes it is not the shoes but the socks. Try a different pair made for running or cross-training. One that wicks moisture away, is cushioning and does not slip.

Also I think you would be glad not having a problem with foods. Some folks have to stop having stuff they love cause it won't go down. Remember the band is a tool and just having it makes you think twice about putting more Pasta, bread or rice in and that is good. So it might not be working just the way you want it to but it is still working.

Good luck.

Edited June 30, 200818 yr by ajoneen

as with everything your rate of weight loss will be different from others. I use the Daily Plate and log everything I eat. you can also figuer out the calorie intake based on your height and weight, I enter it to lose 3 # per week. and now am alloted just over 1100 calories per day. Of course logging my exercise also helps let me know how many calories I am burning each day. You can log the simplest activity and see how you are doing..

Lynn, I'm curious. Are you losing 3 lbs a week? I have my daily plate set up for 2.5 lbs a week. I'm logging everything and I may go over a little about twice a week. I exercise but only log about 1/2 my exercise time because I think the exercise calories are a little over-estimated. I'm only losing about a lb a week.

Oh, I can sympathize on the slow weight loss. I would be happy with the 1-pound-a -week-train right now. I probably averaged a bit over 3 pounds up to this point so I got used to that! But it seems to have been at a stand still for the past 2 weeks. I am about 20-25 pounds from my original goal and I think it might take more exercise than typing on the computer to get there. Plus I am pretty sure I will need to go further than that conservative first goal - not that I won't be happy to get there. I will certainly dance a jig with my girls (but not on stage with them).

I was reading somewhere about how the "healthy" cutoff for women's waist size is at 35". I tend to carry weight in the more un-heathy way - around the middle. I might have to change my goal away from weight and to waist size, but it seems so far away!

OK, off to chase my 2 little leprechans.

texgirl- i am losing about 2# per week, but not without a struggle. i am extremely careful of what i eat, and the make-up of it. my carbs i try to keep low, and watch my amount of exercise. i am overdue for a fill and will hope to get one on 7/10

exercise for me is limited this week, bursitus in my shlouder, so just walking and some leg machines at the Y

Jonathan you can do this! Look at this goal as a writing deadline. Set up a outline/course of action and get it done. Damn the darn duck!! And anything with white truffles. It's appetizer size portions for you.

Strap that BodyBugg a little tighter, buckle down and get the work done!!!!

YOU CAN DO THIS!!