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I had the lapband just a little over 11 months ago and have lost 58 lbs. Most within the 1st 6 months. I am glad I did it, it has change how I look at food and what I put in my mouth. I do feel healthier, just wish my weight loss was more. I have made no secret about my anxiety disorder on this site. While I don't really like telling people around me about my disorder, I want this place to be my safe zone where I can discuss it. I am currently taking Paxel, which has changed my life, in the fact that I hardly have any symptoms of my disorder now- which is AWESOME!! I also, have discussed my difficulty in having a child. Prior to getting banded I had 3 miscarriages. The doctors never figured out the cause. Now, I have been given the green light from my surgeon to try for a child, I have to stop my Paxel. This worries me, the last thing I needs is my anxiety returning during pregnancy. My OB/GYN has is trying to transition me for Paxil to a different SSRI that is ok during pregnancy. Once I have been ok on that for a month or two I can go ahead and try. This being said, the hubs and I have decided to try one more time. With all the med stuff, we can't try until July or Aug, but we are going to try. I am not sure if it will take this time around or not. Honestly, I some what fear getting pregnant, in that I know I will gain weight and I don't want to gain weight, but I must for a healthy baby. So to that end I must be very careful and take good care of myself to make sure I don't gain any more weight than I need to. None the less I am excited about trying again and I know that with support and help whatever weight I do gain I can get back off once the little one is here. So please send a prayer up for me!!

So today was my 2nd day back at work. I went back yesterday and to prepare I brought: one 14 oz. GNC Lean Shake bottle, one thermos of chicken broth (halfway full), and one bottle of water). I almost finished the entire shake but it took me until the end of the work day to do it. The water intake went better and I took a few sips of the broth at lunch. Today I took the same thing and wow! I finished the entire protein shake by 10:00 a.m. I drank all the chicken broth at lunch, and right now I'm drinking a mixture of light grape juice, water, and Isopure flavorless powder mixed in. I may just get in all my protein today! Speaking of, I got the tub in the mail today. Well, a package didn't just randomly show up and I opened it. I ordered it off amazon.com because Isopure Flavorless Protein Powder was on sale and I read all the reviews and went for it. I went ahead and mixed it up and wow - I'm almost done with the glass of juice I'm having! Each scoop has 26 grams of protein! Can't wait to try it in soups, coffee, etc. So every day it's getting better. I still get the anxiety in the mornings, the feeling of crying, but it's getting less and less frequent. BTW, I'm 6 days post-op and start thicker liquids Friday.

Ok, in the interest of full disclosure, the 1st part of the title isn't true about green beans - at least not in my case, they don't give me gas. But the good news is, they do make me "regular." Garden season has sprung in Texas and my dad's green beans are coming up like weeds. As usual, he planted waaaaaaay too many green bean plants and is complaining about having to get out there and pick them. And when I say waaaay too many, I mean just that. He has 3 rows of green bean plants - each row about 40 feet long. That's a lot for just my mom and dad. I know that he secretly loves the fact that he has too many. He enjoys giving away the extras. But is always complaining that no one wants to come and pick. I try to tell him, "Grow something that people want and they'll come. No one wants to come dig turnips!" Now a normal person would just pick what they could use and let the rest rot on the vine. Not my dad. He grew up at the end of the Depression and can't let anything go to waste - even if he never uses it. So they will pick and can fruit and vegetables until the garden dies. Then, a year later, he's throwing out the old canned and frozen stuff to make room for new. Mom, dad, and me picked about 5 gallons of green beans off one row, and that was AFTER they had already picked the row two times previously! So, they gotta lotta beans left to pick on the other rows. Now I have a freezer stocked with fresh green beans. Cooking them is simple: put in water, bring to a boil, add garlic, salt, and onion to taste. Boil for about 15 minutes. Poke with fork to test tenderness. Grab one with tongs for taste test. Blow on green bean to cool it off. Taste. Hold ice cube on burned tongue. Eat meal with green beans - not being able to taste anything because of burned tongue. I've eaten a cup or two every evening for the past 4 days and I've gone to the bathroom once a day since I started eating green beans. My normal schedule is once every 4 days, until now. So I'm crediting the fiber in the green beans. A cup of green beans has about 40 calories - 2 grams of fiber - 2 grams of carbs. All varieties of green beans are low in calories and contain healthy nutrients: dietary fiber, calcium and iron. One cup has 200 milligrams of potassium, plus beta carotene and vitamin A. Next month: One potato...two tomatoes Keep Pimpin that Sleeve!

Ahh, progress. We have a new supermarket in my neighborhood. It is beautiful, brightly lit, with almost anything you could want, from artisan bread to flat screen TVs. And as with all businesses, they are doing everything they can to make the shopping experience as awesome as possible. But they may have jumped the shark on this one: There is automatic water mister to keep the produce fresh and pretty. Just before it goes on, you hear distant thunder and smell fresh rain. When you pass the fruits, you smell fresh cut apples and peaches. When you pass the vegetables, you smell hot buttered corn on the cob. When you pass the milk cases, you hear cows mooing and you experience the scent of fresh mown hay. In the meat department there is the aroma of charcoal grilled steaks and sausages. When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle, and the air is filled with the pleasing aroma of bacon and eggs frying. The bread department features the tantalizing smell of fresh baked bread and cookies. I don't buy toilet paper there any more.

Prior to surgery I made a list of my non scale victories (NSV) on my iPhone but somehow erased them. So I decided to make a new list. I'll be adding to this as I come up with new ones. Buy clothes from a non-plus size store Purchase bra/panty from Victoria Secret Get a makeover Take boudior photos for my honey Maybe wear a pair of heels Ride a roller coaster Walk/run in a marathon Not be considered obese Not be afraid to wear a bathing suit Fit comfortably in a booth at a restaurant Own and ride a bike (especially long distance) Go zip-lining Always use the stairs Go cart racing Dance in public Sit at a regular desk (in school) Finish my degree Go to law school Volunteer work Plant a garden/landscape yard Attend Zumba regularly Incorporate clean eating in my new lifestyle Stand on my feet longer than 30 minutes

We spend a lot of our time focusing on eating the right foods, finding healthy recipes, and taking the right vitamins. These are very important parts of the weight loss process, but we also need to make sure we are incorporating the right exercise program into our lives. While some people already have an exercise program that works well for them, if you are one of those people who does not, hopefully this will provide some helpful information about starting a program or improving an existing exercise program. One of the questions that I am frequently asked is “what kind of exercises should I be doing?” In picking the right exercise routine it is important to remember that while the same exercise plan may not be appropriate for everyone, there are some fundamental principles that everyone should be working on in order to get the most out of their workouts. Principle 1: Set aside some dedicated time for exercise. Many of us do a lot of walking as part of our job or part of our daily routine. While being active is great, there is a difference between exercising and being active. In order to get the most out of your exercise time you need to set aside some sacred time designed just for your exercise. As a general rule of thumb this should be 30 minutes a day, 3 to 4 times a week. If you can do more than that, fantastic, but everyone should be aiming for at least 30 minutes every other day. You can choose to exercise alone, or with a group. Some people love to exercise with their family, some with a good friend, or some prefer to use their exercise time as personal time. Whatever your preference, make sure it is a regular routine that you can count on as part of your life. Principle 2: Mix it up Great athletes have repeatedly shown that the key to a successful exercise program is variety. The body adapts over time to the same exercises and routines. Over time muscle memory kicks in, and the body gets less out of a repeated exercise unless you mix up your workouts and introduce some new work outs as well. A good routine should incorporate some cardiovascular exercises, and some weight exercises. Make sure you work all your major muscle groups. Your cardiovascular exercises can be as simple as strenuous walking, jogging, running, elliptical training, swimming, dancing, or bicycling. The weight exercises can involve weight lifting, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups or crunches, or resistance bands. Find the combination that works for you. You can choose to do both cardio and weights in the same workout, or you can separate them to different days. If you are just starting out I recommend a day of cardio followed by a day of weights. When you do weights, don’t make the mistake of working every muscle group in the same work out. Do chest and shoulders one day, thighs and buttocks another. The one exception I recommend to this would be to incorporate a short abdominal routine with most of your workouts. The body’s core muscles which include the abs and back muscles are able to recover quicker than other muscle groups, and once you have gotten use to exercising them on a regular basis you will notice less back pain, and improved performance in your other exercises. Principle 3: Keep track of your progress As you get used to your exercise routine, you will notice it becomes easier, and may become too easy. That is the time to bump it up to the next level. That can involve increasing your time or distance if you are working on cardio, or increasing your weight if you are working on weights. Keeping a record of your progress will not only motivate you, but will also help you identify the workouts that work best for you. By keeping track of your progress you will be more likely to try to continually improve your workouts rather than fall into the rut of continuing an exercise that is not sufficiently challenging your body. Principle 4: Have fun Find a routine that you enjoy. Exercise does not have to be a painful or dreaded part of your day; on the contrary it should be a part of the day you look forward to. If you are not enjoying the exercise you are doing, look for a different one. It is very difficult to maintain a program long term if you do not enjoy it. We have a lot of resources available to help if you need suggestions or examples of routines. Come by the gym at Foundation and talk with the trainers to get some additional workout ideas. We can also help you arrange a fitness evaluation to help determine your ideal heart rate during your exercise. While this isn’t a comprehensive guide to fitness, I hope it helps if you are looking for some direction on getting started.