healthy and happy

Agnes here... Last check in for this challenge. Weighing in today at 168. I didnt meet my goal of 165 but I sure did redeem myself this week and even though I didnt meet my monthly goal I still lost so I am moving in the right direction. I started out rough this month but think I have got myself on the right track now. I am soooo ready for the March challenge. As for my personal goal, I got that FAFSA filled out for my daughters college and we have applied for tons of scholarships so I can check that one off as complete. I have somewhat gotten my snacking under control this last week also. Larry as usual thank you so much for managing these challenges. They really do keep me motivated!

I can vouch for the Biotin as well. My hair was very thick before I started losing all this weight. I started losing the hair and I mean a lot was coming out. I would take a shower and could get a handful of hair out of the drain everyday. I started taking the biotin and it has really slowed the hair loss down. I also see tons of new growth coming in as well. My hair never got too terribly thin. Thank goodness I had really thick hair to start with. I actually like it better now. The biotin comes in doses everything from 600 mg to 5000 mg. I bought the 600 mg simply because I didnt want to overdo it. I didnt know if you could take too much. I asked my doc and he said to take 2 of the 600 mg until I finish those and if I needed to get more after I finish this bottle I could buy a bigger dose. It really seems to be working well for me. Good luck!

Great post as usual B52. I am trying to decide if I want another small fill. I have only had one and I am only 19 pounds from my goal but boy is it difficult getting that last few pounds off. I definitely know that I wasnt eating right for a few weeks there, I was losing control for the first time being banded. I seem to be back on track now and am dropping weight, all be it slowly though. I have a couple of weeks before I go back to the doc so I will see how I feel during that time and try to decide if I want another fill or not. Again, great post, it is always helpful to read about your experiences.

My favorite snack is the Emerald brand almonds(cocoa flavored) mixed with some blueberries. I mix it with the blueberries so I wont eat too many of the almonds. They are a great source of Protein but could be a lot of calories if you eat too many of them. Another snack I eat almost every night i s sugar free choc pudding mixed with a couple teaspoons of fat free cool whip and a half scoop of unjury proteing powder. That is a great way of getting in some extra protein. If I have an urge for some chips, I will eat about 20 Special K chips. That is less than a hundred calories and they are actually quite good. My nutritionist says to stay away from snacking also, but I lose weight so much better if I eat small, low calorie meals and have a couple of low calorie high proteing Snacks in between. It also helps me to feel satisfied all the time and not eat a bunch of junk that I shouldnt eat because I always know that I am going to get something good to eat every couple of hours but I make good choices about what to eat.

I love Starbucks too. I love their hot chocolate. So now I just order the Skinny hot chocolate and they make it with sugart free mocha, sugar free vanilla and fat fee milk. I donsider it one of my snacks for the day when I get it. It tastes great! Dont cheat your self of all the things you love, just alter them to meet your new dietary needs.

Glad to see your post on here althought I wish for you that you would have had something a little more enjoyable to post about. I am glad that you are doing ok with your surgery. I am with you and the other poster on here. I have gotten my weight down to the low 170's. This morning is was 170.5, so it would tear my nerves up to see an 8 as that middle number. But you know it is only temporary so keep your chin up. That Fluid will dissapear quickly.Drink lots of water! Hope you do ok at work tomorrow.

Agnes checking in at 172 this morning. I am not the doing so hot this month. I started this thing at 171 and here I am one week away from the finish of the challenge up a pound. Well I have been awful with my eating this month, so it is no surprize, but the last couple of days I have been getting myself back on track so I will try my best to end the thing with at least being down a pound and not up. I hope everyone else is doing better than me. Well I will see yall at the finish line!!

I failed to check in last week. That was probably a sub conscious decision because I know I was not good. Oh well today i weighed in at 170 so 1 pound down from the beginning of the challenge. Oh well at least it was a loss and not a gain. I will try to do better this week. I really want to get this last 20 pounds off, but I know that it gets harder the smaller you get. I will keep on chipping away 1 pound at a time!

I love sandwich thins. I buy different brands, whatever is available (Pepperidge Farms, Arnolds, etc.. I usually use one half of it to toast and cover with scrambled egg in the morning sometimes. I also use them to make a little pizza. I put some Pizza Quick sauce, fat free cheese, and whatever toppings i want on it and stick it in the toaster oven. I love it just as good as regular pizza. I eat half of a slice with sloppy joe or sometimes spread a little pb or jelly on it. They are the best when you want a little bread- very low calorie and not too much carb count either. I usually buy the whole wheat or grain varieties.

Well I have to say that getting rid of my fat clothes was very therapeutic for me. I have held on to various sizes in my closet for years and I finally drew a line in the sand and declared that I would never need those clothes again. I spent a day going through everything and giving it all away. I had thousands of dollars worth of clothes but it felt absolutely wonderfull to give them all away. I am so enjoying shopping to re-stock the closet too. I am still not at my goal weight so I am trying not to go overboard but i must say it is hard. Shopping becomes addictive when you can finally buy anything you want because it all looks good on you now. Going from a tight size 20 to a 12 makes you want to give those old clothes away. Dont worry about the past, just forge ahead into a wonderful future.

I can tell you that my world revolved around food too. I used to eat from the moment I got up till the minute I went to bed. I lived to eat. I was banded in August and I will tell you that I still find myself at times thinking about nothing but what can I eat next, but the difference is that now I know it wont be comfortable to keep on eating the way I used to.But let me tell you the trade off is sooo worth it. I go shopping now and enjoy it so darned much. I go snow skiing, rock climbing, biking, you name it and enjoy myself so much. I cant wait for summer to get here so I can enjoy all my summer activities too- water skiing, theme parks, parasailing, etc. There is no amount of food in the world that is better than the high I get out of all that fun!! You will feel the same way when you start losing the weight. I just hate that I waited so long to make this change. And guess what I didnt give up the food altogether. I still enjoy food, especially on special occasions, but I just dont eat so darn much of it and it doesnt have to be the center of everything. Good Luck! You can do this. The first few weeks are the hardest but it will get better with time.

OMG. Did you see the show today?? He had women on there that weighed in excess of 400 pounds and some of them didnt see that that was unhealthy and they didnt want to lose the weight. They claimed they were totally happy and comfortable at that size. In fact one of them was more than 600 pounds and was trying to gain weight to be the world record holder for fattest woman. They had some serious denial issues!! I couldnt believe it. He was trying to help them but they didnt want the help

I know exactly what you mean. I started at 253 so didnt have as much total weight to lose but I was all gut so now that I have lost 84 pounds I have one heck of an ugly apron. I can hide it fairly well in clothes but when I am in some of my classes at the Y it sure is hard to hide. I go to a Kick and Punch boot camp class and the little tiny teacher always starts off with JUMPING JACKS. Oh how I despise jumping jacks. I feel like everything is just bouncing up and down (boobs, gut, etc) But I must say I am with the rest of the responders on here. I am so happy to have the energy and the lung capacity to do these classes I will overlook the bounciness. I get nothing but great compliments at the gym so I really dont think ppl really notice it as much as i think. No amount of exercize in the world will get rid of all that skin and flab so I told my husband that for my birthday I want a nice fat gift certificate for a plastic surgeon. He said Whoa girl that sure is step up from a pedicure gift certificate. lol. I will definitely be getting me a tummy tuck but until then I will just keep on putting on the tight undies and letting it bounce.

Terri, Why do you have to get fluid removed to go on a cruise????

Name, real or screen~Agnes Goal weight for Febuary 29th~165 Weight on Febuary 1st~171 Age~44 Dietary goal for Febuary~Stop snacking at nite so much Exercise goal for Febuary~Burn 1000 calories per day on cardio Personal goal for Febuary~Help Get my daughters scholarship applications completed and get that darned FAFSA form filled out. Also start saving for a tummy tuck. Woo hoo! Date banded~August 11, 2011 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~82 pounds including pre surgery diet Do you have any Valentines day plans (How do you plan to handle Valentines dinner)~I am going to the nursing home to eat lunch with one of the patients who doesnt have any family but have no idea what I will do for dinner.

I was banded with plication in August. My surgery too was covered by insurance. I have been extremely happy with the results. The weight loss has been very consistent and I am not hungry. I do believe that the success has been due to the plication. I have only had one fill since my surgery. I feel fantastic, I havent had a single issue (knock on wood). I havent thrown up one time and have only had one stuck experience and it lasted maybe 60 seconds. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have a friend who had the sleeve surgery and was sick constantly. He had so many issues that he finally had to go back for a revision surgery and they did the full bypass on him. But I am not knocking the sleeve surgery either. I think different people have success with all the different options, so if you follow all your docs instructions and do what you are supposed to do I think you can be a success at all of them. I will say though that with the plication as opposed to the sleeve, I dont think you are faced with the malabsorption problems. I like the fact that I only have to take a multivitamin a day and dont have to take all that other stuff. I get the nutritional value out of the foods that I eat. Good luck with your decision.

I too was an addict. I had a sundrop or a coke in my hands all the time. I stopped cold turkey in July of 2010 and havent had one since. Believe it or not, I dont even think about them now. Its like they dont even exist. When I go to a restaurant and they ask me what I want to drink, it doesnt even occur to me to order a coke. As much as I loved them before, they actually have been the easiest thing for me to let go. My plan is not to ever drink one again. If I tried one, I am afraid it would start the cravings for them again. I replaced the soda addiction with hot green tea. I love drinking hot tea-there are lots of different flavored teas and they say that green tea is helpful in losing weight. My advice is cut them out completely!!

OK final weigh in was at 171.5, so I didnt make my goal of 169 but still a loss neverthe less, so I will take it. I have to prepare myself that I wont continue to lose at the fast rate that I was losing at and be ok with that. The smaller you get the slower it is going to come off so I will deal with that and be happy with my loss this month. I really enjoy participating in these challenges though. They really give me something to push for!

Good Morning! Jan 22 weigh in 173 lbs. Going in the right direction now. One more week to go, I am gonna push hard. My goal was 169 and I will have to really work hard to make that happen. I sure do hope failing!! I hope everyone had good numbers this week!!

Ok Heres the deal. I was banded on August 11, 2011. I started out at 253-that is starting weight before pre-surgery diet and all. I have done great so far. I have been very motivated, eating right, and working out like crazy and actually enjoying it. As of Jan 1, I was down to 176. Loss of 77 pounds. Even the holidays didnt phase me-was still losing good. But then IT happened. I went on a ski trip the first weekend in January. I had a blast. My skills on the slopes sure were better than ever. Being 75 pounds made quite a difference!!! I was with a large group and we were having tons of fun. I ate a lot of stuff that I wouldnt normally eat (hot chocolate with whipped cream, chocolate covered cherries, chips and sausage dip) you get the picture. I also wasnt getting in my normal Water intake.. mainly because I spent 8 hours a day on the slopes and any of you who have ever been skiing know that stopping to go to the restroom can be a chore walking in those ski boots and getting out of all the layers of clothes. Therefore, I didnt drink much water all day. At any rate, I came back from my trip this past Sunday and my intent was to get right back on the wagon and everything would be back to normal. Easier said than done. All week I have struggled with my food choices- I have wanted to eat the house- been craving chocolate and fattly foods,etc. Yesterday was the worst! I dont know what in the heck was wrong with me. I ate all day long. I was bored and sat around watching tv and eating. I get full fast but I would wait and hour or two for that food to setlle and then eat some more. Got on the scales this morning and have gained 4 pounds. OUch!!! I do not want to go down that slippery slope (skiing pun intended!! lol) I refuse to get back into those old habits. So here is what I need from you. Have any of you been through these slip ups?? If so, what did you do to get yourself back on track? I have decided that my plan is going to be to do liquid Protein shakes for Breakfast and lunch and eat a very sensible dinner ( a lean meat and non starchy vegetable) for the next week. I also will be sure to workout twice a day(morning and evening) to reset my self.Then I will get back to the healthy eating plan that I was on before I went crazy! I know 4 pounds isnt huge in the grand scheme of things, but it feels like 20 pounds. I cant believe how much of a difference it feels like. I was at the gym yesterday on the ellyptical and I kept pulling my shirt down over my tummy because I felt like it was bulging out. Uggh!! I am going to get control of this thing right now. No more yo-yoing losing and then gaining it all back. Does my plan sound like the thing to do or do you guys (my lapband heroes) have some words of wisdom to share with a bandster baby? I really value all of your opinions and I enjoy reading all of the advice you give to ppl on this site. Help a sister out. And anyone else that has anything to offer is certainly welcome to chime in.

I read these things too, but so far I have not found anything that I cant eat. The only thing I havent tried is steak. I can eat anything else that I want, but that doesnt mean I do. I do eat some bread but I limit myself to what kind and how much. I have no problem whatsoever with chicken unless it is extremely dry. I am not a big rice eater any way but I dont think it is a problem. So nobody will be able to promise you what will be ok for you. it seems to be different for people.

Its normal to be nervous, but just remember it will be over before you know it. Then you will get to reap the benefits. I can honestly say I really wasnt nervous but more excited. I couldnt wait to have it done. I wish I had done it 20 years ago if it had been available. I was just banded in August by my weight loss has been phenomenol. You will be fine, just stay focused on the end result. Good luck. Keep up posted on how you do!

Jachut I agree with you the same thing doesnt work for everyone. I look at it not as a diet but almost like a detox. After eating bad things I have to do that for a couple of days to get myself back on track. Plus I firmly believe that you do have to shake up your metabolism every now and then. As B52 said in his post, I read all the advice everyone gives on here and see what wroks for me. I think everyone has different motivators.

That is fantastic!!!! Congratulations!

Ok Yall are not going to believe this!!! B52- you are psychic. You said this was a chance for a big loss. I am amazed. I got on the scale this morning it said 172.5!!! What in the world??? My body must have been holding onto fluid after my trip but it sure is relaeasing it now along with some fat. Maybe sometimes you need to give yourself a little cheat time to trick your metabolism. Friday I ate like a pig. Then Saturday and Sunday-protein shakes for breakfast and lunch and a very health dinner. Then yesterday I had protein shake for breakfast, 1/2 cup of chicken soup for lunch and then a light healthy dinner. I think I just may reach my goal. I am figuring this all out with the help of my lapbandtalk buddies. It felt pretty good to change my ticker this morning.