healthy and happy

Checking in today... My weight today is 177 which is 2 pounds down from last week, however since I was up 3 on the first week after my trip, I still am up a pound from my Jan 1 weigh in. With 2 more weeks left for this challenge it is pretty hard to believe I will make my original goal of 169 but I am not going to give up on it yet. I will work hard to get as close as I can get. Good luck Everyone. I will be checking in next Sunday.

You could always get some unflavored protein powder. I use Unjury brand. Then add it to some of the foods you eat now. For example I mix in a half a scoop to a sugar free pudding cup or to a glass of Crystal light lemonade for an extra 10 grams of protein. I find myself coming up short on my protein intake too if I dont do a a little supplementing.

Thank you all for your replies!!! As I said you all inspire me when I read your posts and comments on here. I drank lots of Water yesterday and I stuck to my plan. I am already feeling better. I got on the scale this morning and low and behold- down to 177. I guess Cocoabean was right-it must have been a lot of Fluid retention for the most part because that was down 3 pounds since yesterday morning. That puts me at only one pound away from where I was before I went on the trip. I will drop that and then some this week. Thanks for all your inspiration. I feel like I am on top of the game again!!!

I use the unjury unflavored protein powder a lot. I mix sugar free chocolate pudding cup with a little fat free cool whip and a half a scoop of protein powder and is makes a wonderful chocolate mousse. Its also good mixed with lemonade or other flavored waters. Its a great way to supplement your protein intake.

Sorry I am late checking in this week. I went on a ski trip and just got back yesterday. And unfortunately I guess my eating was off while I was on the trip because I weighed in at 179 when I got back which is up 3 pounds. Ouch!!!!!! Oh well I will get that off this week and be right back on track! Had a great time skiing this year though. Being 75 pounds lighter sure does make a difference in the physical abilities on the slope.

I use the Unjury powder also. I like to get the unflavored and mix it with sugar free pudding an fat free cool whip or I mix a half a scoop of extra protein into my Carnation Instant Breakfast for added protein. It is flavorless and dissolves well. Great way to supplement your protein intake if you need it.

Name, real or screen~ Agnes (Healthy and Happy) Age~44 Goal weight for January 29th~169 Weight on January 1st~176 Dietary goal for January~pack nutritious snacks each week for my traveling with work Exercize Goal for January~workout more when I am out of town for work. Personal goal for January~Get organized at work and home. Date banded~August 11, 2011 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~77 What is your goal weight for the coming year~140

B-52 I always love your posts. I so agree with you. I spend a lot of time in the gym working out on both cardio and strength training.Believe it or not, ppl are always asking me how much I weigh. When I tell them, they are always amazed. They think I weigh less. Toned muscle sure looks a lot better than fluffy fat. Not that I dont still have some "fluffy fat" to get rid of, because I do. I also learned a long time ago that you cant look at someone and necessarily tell what their fitness level is. I have seen some young, thin people that cant run 2 feet without being out of breath when I outweighed them by 100 pounds and could run 10 times as far as they could. I didnt just want to lose the weight to look better, I wanted to feel better and be healthy. I spend a lot of time researching healthy living. Your comments are always spot on. I enjoy reading what you have to say. Its definitely not just about the number on the scale.

Well I cant speak for everyone but I can tell you how I feel about it- GOOD!. I have heard of ppl still seeing themselves as fat even after they lose weight and others not being happy after losing, but I can tell you now I am one happy camper. I wouldnt consider myself "thin" yet, but I am smaller than I have ever been in my adult life and it sure does feel good. The energy level, the appearance, the ability to do things I really couldnt before are all a part of that happiness. Just keep your attitude in check and be happy with every pound you lose. Have realistic expectations. Happy New Year!

Let me make you all feel better!! I had banding with plication done on August 11. I felt the way you guys felt for about a week, then one day I woke up and it was all better. The more you walk the better it will feel. Do not worry about it feeling that way forever. Trust me- I feel better than I have ever felt in my life and I am extremely active. I am going snow skiing this week, I work out everyday- you will feel like doing it all. The week after surgery will be a healing week but in the long run you will feel fantastic. I am certainly happy I did it. As you can see from my ticker things are working out great. In fact I have not had one problem with any sickness or throwing up. Only had one stuck incident and that lasted 60 seconds and by the way it was my fault. I can eat pretty much anything. I havent tried steak yet but everything else goes. Be patient! You gotta get over the surgery and get rid of all that gas that they gave you to knock you out.

Congratulations to all of you! What a great way to start the new year. I know my life has changed because of this band. Stay focused! You can do this. There will be good days and bad days, but you will be so happy if you just work with it. Happy New Years to you all!

I know that beans do have carbs, but I say "All carbs are not created equal". The bad carbs are the sugars and white breads. Beans are loaded with protein and fiber. I do watch how many I eat because I love them so I tend to want to eat too many. But I will say I eat them quite often and my weight is dropping at a good rate, so I say go for it. They are good for you, just watch the quantity.

mzz I dont really think it is the band surgery. It is the weight loss in general. I say this because before I was banded a couple of years ago I lost weight on my own and was losing pretty rapidly and the same thing happened.

Wow I know all docs are different, but mine told me liquids only for 2 weeks after surgery. I was happy to comply with that as I would rather suffer through a little more liquid diet time to make sure everything was healed up and the swelling from the surgery gone rather than having a stuck incident so quickly. I would follow Arlenes advice and go liquids only for a few days more. As for the meatball that is stuck now, my doc and ppl in support told me to always keep some papaya enzyme handy in case something gets stuck. It is sold in GNC or other health food stores.

GG, I am praying for you. You are right, 2012 will be our year of good health! We all made good progress since August and I for one am very excited about the new year and all of the wonderful things I will be doing with this new body. I am starting out with a ski trip next week and already have a trip to NYC planned in April. By then, I should be getting pretty close to my final goal. I would love to be there to allow me to do some serious clothes shopping. Let us know as soon as you are up to it how your test goes tomorrow.

I too am having the issue with the hair loss. Thankfully it was very thick to begin with, so it doesnt look bad YET, but I am worried that if it continues to fall out it will start looking thin. I am taking biotin too but so far have not seen any improvement. I keep hoping that it will stop. Please let me know what your doc recommends. Also how many grams of biotin are you taking. I noticed at GNC they had everything from 600 mg to 5000 mg. I just got the 600 mg but am thinking I should have gotten the stronger dosage.

I agree with Cake girl. The first three days of the pre-op liquid diet will make you second guess your decision, but hang tight. It will get better. I too had awful headaches, even threw up on the night of day 3. After that though it got better. Its just like withdrawals from alcohol or drugs I suppose, But you will live through it, I promise. After day 3 it became much easier.

I considered them all but like most other people on here, I really wanted the least invasive surgery. I got banded with plication. As you can see from my ticker, it is working very nicely for me. (I was banded on Aug. 11) Not only is the weight dropping off at a very consistent rate, but I have not had one problem.(knock on wood!!) NO sickness what so ever, recovered quickly from surgery and I feel absolutely wonderful. Scars are hardly noticable. For me the difference of which one to get comes down to what your eating issues are. I am not a big sugar addict - I simply like to overeat!! Dont know when to stop. The band is helpful in setting limitations on how much you can eat but you can still pretty much eat anything you want to eat. So if you are a big sweets addict or love ice cream and milk shakes it might not be the right choice for you. Talk your eating habits over with your doctor to decide which options he or she suggests for your situation. Good luck!

OK Today is final judjment day! I think I did pretty darned good for this challenge especially considering we had the holidays to contend with. I made my weight goal with an extra bonus pound. I weighed in this morning at 177! Yeah me! I did take in more protein and I think I am ready for my ski trip. The hair thing still doesnt seem to be under control but I am not sure what else to do about it. I would like to give a big thanks to Larry for keeping the spreadsheet up for the challenge. I enjoyed looking at it each week to see how everyone was doing. I am looking forward to starting the New Year off with continued success and hope to reach my final weight loss goal byend of May. I want to drop 37 more pounds so that should be doable, Happy New Year Everyone! Weight on December 1st~ 185.5 Goal weight for December 29th~ 178 Dietary goal for December~ more protein/ less snacking Exercise goal for December~get in shape for January ski trip Personal goal for December~ get hair thinning under control Date banded~ August 11, 2011 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 67.5 punds One thing that has improved with your health since banding~ cardio endurance, knee pain, and blood pressure

I will tell you that I have only gotten stuck one time and it only lasted for a minute or two.. I was actually glad because it taught me a lesson. When it happened I was mindlessy snacking. But I have a friend that it has happened to several times. I will give you a piece of advice. Buy a bottle of Papaya enzyme and keep it with you at all times. If you get stuck chew one to help digest the food that is stuck. My friend and several ppl in my support group say that it really helps the food go down faster. It is a very unpleasant experience but hey it does teach you a lesson.

B-52 I am right there with you. The whole time I was working out this morning, I was thinking that last year I would have spent the day at my mom's house eating more pie, ham, and the other leftovers saying to myself that I would start a new diet on New Years. Wow what a transformation of attitude for me. I woke up this morning thinking yesterday was a great holiday. I enjoyed it but today I am gonna enjoy my workout (and I really do meant that-I truly did enjoy it). I am loving my new life!! And you are so right, every year for as long as I can remember my New years resolution was this darned weight loss thing and I never succeeded in really making it a permanent change.

Ok Everybody! Christmas is officially over. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I ate what I wanted today, just not as much as I would have in the past. I hope you all indulged a little too if you really wanted to. But now, lets get it back on track tomorrow. Dont do what we have in the past. Dont say "Well I'll just wait till the end of the year and start fresh." Get back on track tomorrow! Get to the gym or get on whatever exercize routine you generally do. Get back to the healthy eating too! Last year I would have been making every excuse in the world not to get back on track but not now! I am determined that this process is a life change not just a temporary diet. I feel very motivated and empowered to make the right decisions to keep this weight off. So tomorrow get off that couch and get moving. It will be so much easier than waiting. Sittling around eating wrong and not exercizing for another week waiting for the New Year will only make it that much harder to get back on track! So what will you do??? Will you change your life forever? Keep your goals in mind? Or will you put it off and make yet another unkept New Years resolution this year??? Lets do this once and for all!!

Wow that is absolutely fantastic! The great news is that you saw the light when you were young and can now enjoy life to the fullest. There are so many things that you will be able to do with your son now that never would have been possible if you hadnt gotten your weight under control. Keep up the great work!!!

I pretty much ate whatever I wanted today and believe me they werent healthy choices (choc. pie, mac n cheese, sweet potato casserole, gravy and stuffing, etc.) but I didnt eat a whole lot of it. I will hit the gym early tomorrow morning and again tomorrow evening. I wont feel guilty about today because that is what i would have done in the past and then I would have woken up in the morning and said "Oh well, Ive blown it now, I might as well eat." Not anymore, Its ok to enjoy a day here or there with the food and then get back on track. I hit the weight goal I had set for Christmas and made it through the holidays still losing weight. I am so happy. I think I am figuring this mess all out now! Cindy, I hope you enjoyed Christmas with the decision you made to have an unfill. Now just get back to that healthy lifestyle that you have inspired me with. Love all my bandster support friends! Hope you all enjoyed the holiday. Lets start the New Year off reaching our goals and continuing to live healthy, happy lives. I am gonna start mine off with a ski trip to enjoy this smaller body!! Love you all!

Very Good advice from everyone! I too have eaten a little differently this week. We had a Christmas dinner with some friends, my work team party, and several people have brought me Christmas goodies as a gift (which I cant figure out since everyone knows I am trying to lose weight). But I have done really well with it all. I eat a little bit of the special Christmas stuff that I really want but do not eat the quantity that I normally would have eaten. I gave the goodies to my hubby and daughter with the condition that they dont leave them laying around in my line of sight. If I was eating badly, I made myself workout more. As far as having time to work out, I have learned to make myself a priority. No more excuses for not working out is my motto. I make time for it. It has been tough from Thanksgiving till now but I have managed to enjoy some holiday goodies and still have lost 10 pounds since Thanksgiving. Good luck and as everyone else said, "Forgive yourself. Tomorrow is a new day, Well maybe not tomorrow (Christmas) but after that get right back on track. Dont fall into that trap of saying "Well now I might as well wait till after the New Year".