JustDoIt130

LOL, am I the only one who thought of Sherlock??? LOL

Hi everyone- ValAnn- good point, I am much thinner and happier than last year- happier with myself. I can't wait to get into size 12's! NJ2NC, don't not post because you're plateauing or whatever- it's still a process and we still need support! That is awesome about your 5 k! Good for you. Portion control is a b***h, isn't it, LOL. Slider foods I can eat just like before surgery. Horsegirl- wtg on progress!! I am hovering near Onederland- probably self-sabotaging if I'm honest. Meredith- it does take some time to settle into a new routine. As I said to NJ- it's hard when bad slider foods are easy to eat- cheese doodles, ice cream, whatever! I still feel hungry- and not sure if it's head hunger or real hunger. Ready- I'd check out that heartburn, that can cause problems! Ladybandido- you'll get there!!! 169 or bust! my motivation and determination is kind of waning. I'm just kinda losing it. I am exercising, but not as hard core- meaning if I skip a day I don't stress. I'm still exercising 5 days a week usually, though. It's just I lost 80 lbs pretty quickly but still have 70 to go and it's getting harder- more mentally harder if I'm honest. Like every diet, I'm getting tired. But this time I know I can keep off what I have lost, I am exercising and making it part of my life, and I know this is a blip and I am in it for the long haul. Just stressing, ya know? And I firmly believe it's 90% about the food. I go in to the doc tomorrow- not sure if I need a fill, it's the PA doing the appointment and she's really good to talk with. I'm pretty tight in the AM and do get stuck, but we'll see. Help me with motivation, girls, I need you!! Nicki

Amica- I do need to try some lower calorie options. As to restriction- i have pretty good restriction actually, but ice cream goes right down. I get full, but like with any trigger food that doesn't seem to matter, I eat more anyways. As they say, it was my stomach that was banded, not my head!! Still fighting that. Otaknam- what do you mean having trouble keeping food down? Are you too tight? That's not good. But otherwise, the scale is a fickle b***h, ya know. Loads of things could affect it- ttotm, too much salt, time of day, the planet's alignment...you know what I mean. So don't stress out about it, you're going in the right direction! Did good yesterday. I am beyond frustrated with DH (pretty sure today the D does not stand for dear) but did not eat over it even though I REALLY wanted to. Didn't. Yay me Nicki PS- Horsegirl? Mags? Meredith? More Kymie? Everyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Hi everyone! DD was in a car accident yesterday- everyone was all right, but it was her fault, so dealing with that a little today. She's 18 so she's handling most of it but we'll see what happens with our insurance premium. sigh. It's always something- of course they say these things come in 3's, and this would be the third car thing- every car we own has needed to be fixed in some way or another in the last month!!! Oh well, at least no one was hurt, for that I am so grateful! On the food front, doing well, disciplined the past few days and I'm down to 202 this morning! Yay!! That's the lowest so far. Amica- you're gorgeous! I always thought Velma was a secret hottie, LOL. It's fun to see in pictures the progress. You're doing awesome! Chrissy- size 12!!! I dream of that!! LOL. And you're an awesome shopper, btw! Yah, idk what's up with women's sizing, but honey, take those 12's and run! Ladybandido- I don't know what I'd do without myfitnesspal, I rely on it so much! I am diligent about logging as I know what happens when I don't- the calories creep- who am I kidding, they storm- in. Kymie- nice to see you! My doc says any non-soda sugar free stuff (Crystal Light, etc) count as water too. I still don't do too much of it, not sure about all the sugar substitutes.... Well, everyone have a great day and I'll check in later! Nicki

Another surgery is even more expensive- it sounds like maybe you aren't working the band as well as you should. Share here so we can help you be successful!

Whoo hoo! Awesome, fabulous! And feel better

I too get cravings- I have one day a week- Sunday- where I allow myself a treat (in my case that's ice cream). I definitely have to watch my portions, though. But letting myself have it on Sunday I don't do it on other days, I tell myself I can wait.

Biotin is great- I take 2 500 mg capsules a day- one in the morning and one at lunch. They're about the size of a tic-tac. It's really been helping me- I had my hair break off and be crazy too, never any hair issues ever, it freaked me out! I do know that anesthesia wreaks havoc sometimes. It has also really helped my nails as well!

Name, real or screen~ Justdoit130- Nicki Goal weight for October 29th~199 Weight on October 1st~205 Age~ 42 Dietary goal for October~ 1 bowl of ice cream on Sunday night, not ice cream all weekend Exercise goal for October~ implement strength training 2 x a week Personal goal for October~ Work on emotional eating!! Date banded~ 1/26/12 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 79 lbs What is your favorite Halloween Activity?~ Not a big Halloween fan, too tempting, LOL

Hi everyone! Every time I tried to log in over the weekend on my phone it just timed out...so here I am. Chrissy- I'm with you, falling into some bad habits I need to get over. I was thinking yesterday in the shower that the "newness" has worn off, and now it's time to really claim this as my lifestyle. I'm NOT doing a diet, I'm doing a way I eat for the rest of my life. Ladybandido- I thought that's what we were supposed to do with the band, keep in the green zone, which will change based on lost weight, as well as other factors. Hm. But glad you had a great doctor's visit!! Amica- LOL on the skinny jeans! I haven't had any altitude changes to speak of, but I did ask my doc about flying as I'm hoping to go to France next year- she said to treat flying and the day after like I would a fill day- liquids- as the pressure changes can affect the band. Hope you feel better. Ready!! Yay! You are so close! I'm self-sabotaging, so I'm not with you really anymore, but GOOD FOR YOU!!!!! How are things with DH? As for me- really, ice cream I think is going to have to go. I ate SO MUCH of it over the weekend. It's like, once I start I just can't stop. I am trying to convince myself that it's either one or none- as in one bowl or none at all. We'll see, if I can follow that rule maybe I'll keep it. I will try one last week and see- or I will just have to get rid of all the ice cream. I ate so much I'm still full this morning and feel just sick- physically and mentally, ya know? Like, what's up? I know it's just a HUGE trigger food for me, so maybe I just need to get it out of my life....any ideas? Like, I ate more than 3000 calories of ice cream yesterday. Yep. Nicki

Missy, me too! It's my only breakfast, really. Good yummy dose of protein!

I bought the generic tasteless fiber powder from Wal-Mart and do 2 tsp in my protein shake each morning- seems to really help!

Hi Ready- you only do protein shakes and a snack? That doesn't seem like you can sustain that- maybe have dinner at least. You have to be able to keep it up, girl!! And what the heck, your husband came home with a phone number of another woman????? What did you do about that???? I too had a hard time with the chewing little bites thing, but haven't been stuck in awhile, so I guess I'm learning too!! Everyone, post!!! What's up? Our "good" car broke yesterday, and DH does not deal well with these things. It's so frustrating, he just makes it so much worse. I swear I hate being an adult. Hate it. LOL

I LOVE unjury. I have several things I do- vanilla Unjury with 1 c Trop 50 orange juice and some ice, sometimes add some frozen strawberries. Yum! Or vanilla Unjury, 1 Tbsp s/f pistachio pudding mix and 1 c milk, delish! Or just the chocolate splendor with 1 c skim milk and a little ice to make it extra cold. I also think their chicken broth is great, reminds me of Lipton chicken Soup which is my fave- only thing is it can't get too hot or the Protein clumps, so it's lukewarm chicken soup, but tastes yummy!! I have the unflavored but haven't used it. Unjury sells a sample pack with two packet each of the chocolate splendor, vanilla, strawberry, chicken broth and unflavored, plus a little rubbermaid bottle and a thermometer. It was a great way to try it. I had gotten some protein from Wal-Mart and it was not good. I also use an immersion blender (stick blender) to mix my shakes up every morning, as I hate it if it's clumpy. Really quick and mixes them well. Good luck! Nicki

That's okay, you're starting now, no beating up yourself up! Take care of the baby and take care of you!!! You did it once, you can do it again!!

Good questions!! Yep, I think this is forever, but I don't know if it will have to be replaced. I have been able to vomit. Don't want to, but of course I never want to, LOL. Scarring- 3 small incisions, one bigger one for my port. All healing nicely, and it's not like anyone is going to see my tummy anyways, LOL. Can I feel my port? If I push hard, but you can't see it at all. Maybe if I get to goal, but again, no one is going to see my tummy. Complications- like Missy said, a slipped band is the most common I think. Again, as she said, some stuff can be avoided by diligently following directions. I am a lack of portion control person too. There is no way I could eat like I had the lapband without actually having it. With the lap band I do feel full longer. I still get hungry, but am satisfied with MUCH less than I used to be. I have so far lost 80 lbs, with about 80 lbs to go. I still fall with my nemesis, ice cream, which slips right past the band, but I'm a work in progress, and I'm progressing so much better than I ever have in the past! Do go to an information session and meet with a surgeon and ask all the questions- write them down- and be on this forum to see others experiences. Good luck!

Hi everyone! Had a good productive weekend. Went to zumba, had a walk, and did yard work (my arms are sore from the weed whacker!). Readyformy journey- I"m right there with you at 205!! I don't know if it's psychological or what, but I'm plateauing....grrrr. We can be Onederland buddies and power through to that goal, okay? I need some motivation Kymie- good for you! It is great to get moving again!! Glad those 5 lbs are gone, and 80 lbs is awesome!!!!! Ladybandido- I WISH I weren't hungry- but honestly I'm not nearly as hungry as I used to be. But I still do get hungry, and really have to watch my first bites when I eat so I don't get stuck. I think that "feeling" the band probably changes with weight loss, etc, why we need fills after we lose some weight. Let us know what your doc says. Amica- I count the halfs too!! That's 2 sticks of butter, girl!! I too have had some awful stuck episodes, but seem to have gotten the hang of eating with this fill, finally. Like you, the crunchy seems to be no problem. Weird! But I'm back to normal too, and can eat whatever as long as I chew and take small bites. Um, how long has it taken me to figure this out?? LOL. Husbands are funny- I think they take awhile to process change and worry about it. Just reassure him that you love him, and don't buy any junk and hopefully he'll follow your good example and eat more healthily. And don't get me started on women's clothing sizes! Whatever!! They are so whacked, don't let that number get to you!!!! Nicole- I do that, pack the same thing every day for lunch- I know the calorie count and know it will go down okay. For the night time munchies- I have started eating kettle corn- gives me the salty sweet fix I need, and goes down fine for me. If you can eat popcorn, that might be a low cal solution. I too have the pee all night problem if I drink too late!! Let us know the good finds you get at Goodwill, and you'll get into those goal pants soon! LOL on the winter coats- here in NC we hardly need them, and on the days we do I just suck it up, cause I'm not out in it for very long, and being from Iowa I feel like this NC winter is nothin, LOL. And yay for saggy underpants!! Meredith- you are so right- drug addicts can live without their drug, you can't live without food. I too was a fast food addict. Now I'm choosy, and boy I learned the hard way I can't eat and drive!!!! My habit I have a hard time breaking is eating while reading. As you say, a journey!! I had a good friend who was a body builder (she competed at 45! She's over 60 now) design me a strength workout to do 2 days a week, one day upper body, one day lower body. I'm going to do cardio 3 days a week and then 2 days strength training. I feel like I have the exercise down, pretty much, now just need to reign in my eating a little more. Usually I'm okay, but this plateau I think really isn't a plateau, it's me getting complacent and letting more calories creep in, as well as a little bit of eating around the band. It doesn't help that my new office has more junk around than my old one- everyone at the old office was doing low carb or dieting- not these folks!! So I have to be a bit more vigilant than I've been. I don't think I'll meet my goal of Onederland by the end of the month, but I'm still keeping on! Everyone have a great day!! Nicki

Weigh in at 205, still down overall..but the big loss didn't stick...

Hi everyone....where is everyone??? Kymie? Otaknam? Mags? Hopefully everyone is just living their lives and being successful! As for me- up 2.5 lbs, but I expected it because I showed such a huge loss last week, almost 5 lbs, I was pretty sure that wasn't going to stick. But still down a pound a week. Also, I think I"m pms-ing a bit too, hard to tell as I use the Mirena for b/c, but some months are worse than others. A lot of eating going on in the office this week, I will be diligent! Hope all is going well with everyone, have a great day! Nicki

It is fear of the unknown, but I'll tell ya, nothing to be scared of!!! It's great, I only wish I'd done it sooner. It's hard work, no lie, and that is something I like about it. I control it, I choose to do it or not. But before, when I chose to do it the results were long in coming, and I gained the weight back when I stopped. NOW, it's a lifetime thing. It's forever. And I'm being successful, and I can restart if I do happen to fall. In fact, that's something I found interesting- before, when I "fell off the wagon" I would pretty much just throw in the towel. Now, I just pick myself up, brush myself off and start over the next- MEAL- not day. It's so much easier and I am so glad I got this band! Nicki

Okay, let's get this out of the way- what you're feeling is TOTALLY NORMAL!! It's like you have 6 months (I did too) to prepare, then it happens and it's kind of a let down. BUT then, you start to lose weight! You start feeling better about things! But let me be totally clear- this surgery does not change who you are. It changes how much you weigh! But would you rather just not try? Or would you rather do the rest of the journey? Bandster hell, fills, getting to the green zone, and losing weight- and (hallelujah!) keeping it off! It's worth it. What you're feeling is fear of the unknown. This surgery- losing weight in general- isn't going to get you a date, or get you on a roller coaster or bungee jumping- you still have to do all that, you still have to make choices and decisions and it is WORK! This is no magic bullet that instantly makes you thin, right? But you know that, you've had 6 months to prepare- now it's time to execute and conquer! I'm glad you have that list- you'll be able to check off so many things!! As they say, a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step- which you've taken- so keep on going! It's worth it, I promise, and read here on this forum- it's inspirational and informational! Nicki PS- SouthAfricanLady- you can and will do it- why not you? Stop thinking of yourself as a failure and think of yourself as a work in progress, with ups and downs, and now an incredible tool to help you lose the weight and keep it off!!

My DH was worried about that- that I"d be mean and cranky and hungry all the time. But I'm not. Like the above person said, a couple bites and I'm done, I can keep a Fiber 1 bar in my purse in case I get hungry and that really holds me. I have lost about 80 lbs- start at 184, now 204ish. I am so so glad I did this, I feel like I can lose the weight and KEEP IT OFF and it won't be a hassle and a grouchy stressful thing like it always was before. Just my $.02. Nicki

checking in at 202.5!

Hi everyone! So, it's pasta that I just cannot do. No matter how much I chew it. Nope, not gonna happen. No loss, not a huge fan anyways. I had my ice cream cheat yesterday and it wasn't as BIG as last week, I don't feel sick still this morning from it, LOL. But I'll tell you what, I really look forward to it- perhaps too much, but for now it's okay. I am also really addicted to Moe's nachos- but I log them and own it, LOL. I'm not sure I"m going to hang onto the big loss from last week, I may bounce up a couple lbs, but that's okay, wasn't sure that was a "real" loss anyways. Had a rough week with exercising last week with my car in the shop but back in the saddle this week, though I have a client visit on Wednesday that will interfere. Oh well, life happens and if I can't be flexible then I won't be successful. We went to bugfest on Saturday, it's an annual event the natural history museum puts on. Lots of walking and looking at bug stuff. Kids loved it! Meredith- congratulations on surviving your first week back to work! It's an adjustment, for sure! You'll figure out the exercise thing. Good for you on the eating well- though I"m with Chrissy, I would have waited in line for seafood, I LOVE it! It just goes to show how much I wanted this surgery- I heard that a lot of people can't eat shrimp after they're at restriction, and shrimp are my most favorite food in the whole world, and I still had lbs!! LOL, luckily, I can still eat shrimp . Chrissy- I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Not sure what's going to happen, I think you're right about me standing up for myself more than he's used to! It's nice to be busy at work, for sure. Ladybandido- I like a busy thread too, I know it's not easy to just post here, not like life doesn't happen, LOL. But I sure count on others in this journey, so I appreciate your posts!! Everyone have a great day, and do the best you can today!! Nicki

Hi there- I was banded in January 2012 and just met my halfway goal, so 6-8 months may be possible to lose half- I lost 77 lbs, 77 to go! I have a 14 cc band and had 5 cc's put in at surgery. I've had several fills, and finally at what I consider good restriction, but have lost all the way along, even without perfect restriction. I do count calories- anywhere from 1000-1300, sometimes more (my Sunday cheat day is usually more). I use myfitnesspal also. I also exercise at least 5 days a week for at least 45 minutes- usually the elliptical or zumba. It's work, no lie, but it is SO worth it!! I have not lost this much weight in a short amount of time, and know I can KEEP it off! Nicki