horsegirl315

Oh! Forgot to add...zucchini is amazing on the grill, with some evoo, salt and pepper...I have almost every veggie like that in the summer!

I personally don't have a problem with English cukes, or salad, as long as I chew chew chew! I love salad and raw veggies, so its worth it to me! JDI, I had two nights this past week where I went out to dinner and over indulged...ice cream included...I have decided I won't look at the scale for a while, because I know that even though I went out nd had a good time, I still didn't eat as much as I would have in the past, and I still made better decisions than I would have (except thr ice cream part...) But I know that overall, I'm in a down wards trend, and this past fill, for me as well, has been the best one yet. My appetite is more controlled than ever before....more than every diet pill I have ever tried (a lot)...I'm having a tired lazy day today, but I'm about to start stripping my bed, cleaning up, etc...so. that should get me going! I have forgotten my fitbit at my boyfriends for the past days, and like Meredith said, I get mad when I don't wear it, cause I feel like I'm being cheated out of my steps! Oh well tomorrow is another day

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYMIE!!!!!!! I am short on my dial, wanted to be at 218, but I am at 221 today. CLOSE ENOUGH!!! The old .me would have gained weight. I see here that some of us made our goals, and some of us came up a little short....but you know what? We are awesome. We stuck together and worked for our results. How much in total did we lose this month, I wonder? What I love about our challenges is, although we may not make it every month, I know for me, its something I always have in mind. I am always thinking, if I do this, will that get me closer to my goal? If not, then I TRY to not do it! Why I couldn't do this on my.own is beyond me...but what I do know is, with our bands, ans each other, we can do anything!!!! So happy I have you ladies to keep me going! I'm excited to start a new goal, July 4 I want to have lost 50 lbs...which means I have to loose 9 lbs by then...I can do it! I will look so fab by the 4th!! It will be the first one in years where I will be smaller, instead of bigger! OH HAPPY DAY!

And might i add to our song...."I got saline in my band so when I eat I don't blow it....restricted and I know it" )

Erica, I feel your pain!!!!! Finally I am at or approaching restriction, and I'm frustrated that I can't eat more than a few bites. There have actually been times where i get stuck on the first bite and just wish, for a few minutes, i didnt have this damn thing so i could binge...hard habit to break for sure. But I snap back to reality and thank God I can't binge at that point in time, abd think about all the calories I am saving by not doing what i would have done in the past...which brings us to the question....then WHY are we not dropping more weight? I'm stuck at 32-35#s lost for quite some time now...then ill move down and hover between the next set of numbers. I guess that's the name of the game...as long as its a downwards trend, I'm good. I am going to amp it up and get back to religiously counting calories ti make the next bday challenge of weighing 218 by June 1. I have been slacking on the calorie counting lately bc I figured I could eat a whole lot, but we all know...IT ADDS UP!

Ok, I'm back! I've been keeping up with everyone through email, and now I'm here to say...I'm alive! Lol. But seriously, I have been through a few changes since I wrote last...quit a job that made me miserable, picked up more hours at my parents restaurant, and have been soooooooo happy! Got a fill last week, which the np called "agressive"...I like that word. Up to 5 cc now in my "standard" band...which I can only assume is 10cc...feeling a good amnt of restriction this time, now having a hard time with bread/crackers (not complaining!)...now to spend more time with my horses, more time riding, and waiting for my barn to be finished so I can move my horses home and start my next and final career of boarding horses and giving lessons. Life on the farm will be full of fat burning activities, so I can't wait! I love burning fat while I'm having fun, I'm so not a gym person, it feela too much like work to me! Lazy, maybe! I am now 2 lbs away from my 40# mark...weight loss has been slow, but steady...and I def notice I yoyo between 2-3 lbs fir a while before I finally.move down the ladder and yoyo between the next 2-3...as long as I'm gradually loosing, I'm cool with that! Glad to hear most of you are hitting 50#s lost, ill get there soon too!

Ladies!!!! I have been soooooooo busy this weeks.. lots of changes, can't wait to tell you all about it! Will catch up later, but just wanted to let you all know I AM ALIVE!!!! and I miss you all so much!! <333

Amica, first of all congrats on a huge NSV....that's awesome!!!! Second of all...I hear you on the green zone issue, as I am going through the same thing. My dietician always had me under the impression that when you're in the green, and you have eaten enough, you will be physically unable/uncomfortable if you eat any more....while I had a few sticks and a few PB issues the week after I had my last fill, I am by no means uncomfortable if I keep eating slow enough. It sometimes will vary by day, usually the first meal of the day I have to be extra careful...I don't eat breakfast, so that's usually lunch. I hear you on the candy...I work in an insurance office, with a candy bowl on my desk. I used to indulge in the candy, until I began counting calories after surgery and realized, each mini reeses, mini candy bar, etc is 40 calories or more...and who can have just one?? So forget it, that takes away way too much real food I could be eating.

JDI130--the fitbit keeps track of type of activity as well, so you will be able to see, if you do zumba from 7-8 pm, you will be able to see you were most active during that time. I can't remember if you can isolate the time, to see how many cals were burned for that particular hr....I used to be able to do that with my bodymedia armband, which is like a body bugg...that was better than the fitbit imo, but a pain to wear on my arm and over time, made a semi permanent indentation...which is gone now thank God.

Ok!! June 1st sounds great! I'm 228 right now, I would like to be...218 by then....to get there I am going to work on exercising more, getting my water, and eating more protein. If I meet that goal early, I would LOVE to be 214 by June 1st...which would mean I lost 14 lbs in may, and would need to lose 14 more for my goal of onederland for July 4th....too many goals wrapped into one?? Maybe! Short term is 10 lbs by June 1st!

TRUE!!!! this is why I love you ladies!!!!!! <333333

i dont know how to add friends, but you can all add me! my username is lillylexus

Also, can I just say, we are the only monthly group at the top of the introductions, we are a HOT topic, and we have over 500 replies! WE ROCK!!!

NJ2NC--congrats on the ring!! when i went in for surgery, i could not get my engagement ring off...i tried everything. they got it off in the OR, but i still dont know how, and they wouldnt tell me! im convinced they cut off my finger and sewed it back on!!!! now, i can take it on and off with no problem at all...yay for us! getting stuck is NOT fun, i hear you on that...def makes you think twice before consuming an offending food item! isnt it crazy how you totally lose appeal for food you were just eating bc it is stuck?! JustDoIt--i think its great that you have a goal to be a zumba instructor! i am going to get my riding instructors license, but like you, i will want to me a little more trim to actually give lessons...i am just starting to feel better about riding my horse, and i bet he feels better too! N2Animals and Meredith--glad you are both doing better after your unfills!! slow and steady wins the race! shonda--dont be discouraged, we have ALL been at a place where we feel like what we're doing isnt good enough, thats why we have each other...when I want to eatt bad or more than I know i need to or should, i think about my support system here, all my ladies that keep me going, through the good and the bad! ChrissyLu-- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I believe my goal for your bday was to be under 230, which at the time was 4 lbs for me....I am happy to report that this morning I weighed in at 228! I love the idea of birthday goals! Who's bday is next? Mine is in December...so at that point we will be approaching our one year bandiversaries!...and I can only imagine how long this thread will be! my 3 month bandiversary is next monday, 34 lbs in 3 months, not bad at all! my band has definitely "loosened" up since my fill 2 weeks ago...the NP had me make an appt for 4 weeks, but told me if i was doing ok at that point, maybe push it to 6 weeks....one of my biggest goals is to be in onederland by the 4th of july....which brings me to my location...im from a small town in the smallest state--Rhode Island! our town has the longest running 4th of july parade in the country, and its a HUGE deal around here....there is an entire 2 weeks of activities leading up to the parade, then at the parade you see everyone and their mother! thus, my reason for wanting to be in onderland! i really hope i can do it!

Not to have 3 posts in a row, but I just noticed, ChrissyLu, we had the same starting weight!

I'm thinking so too, full on stuck-ness. the only thing that had me doubting it was, the resulting pb was liquid? But both instances were not really something that is a solid mass, per se, like meat or chicken...not like I hacked up a chunk of something. Oh well. I got chinese on friday night, beef and broccoli with 1/2 cup white rice...for some reason my band did not agree with it. I can eat rice, I can eat beef, and I can eat broccoli. But not together, apparently! One thing I have noticed, I am always tight for my first meal of the day, no matter that time it is. I know most people are tight in the am, and usually have a shake bc of that, or hot tea to loosen things up...but for me, its whenever I eat for the first time. Weird. But cool, because I usually am not hungry until about 2 pm. I do think I need a little more restriction as far as the amount I am able to eat, but like I said I have had a few pbs since my last fill, and the tightness in the first half of the day, so I think more fill may push me into the territory of adapting to slider foods, which I don't want to do!

Meredith, one thing I am hoping for, is that I might stay on the bottom end of the sizing on the LB cacique bras...haven't found any better

After surgery, I was on liquids for 1 week, then puree for 2 weeks, then soft foods until week 5...i would be very careful with eating porkchops 1 week after surgery, you should eat soft foods until you heal, so your band heals in the right spot...thats wht my dr said anyway

Great job ladies, keep it up! Before you know it, you wont be thinking about your band every minute of every day...it will become second nature, just less hungry

ChrissyLu, hope your weekend activities went well, now you can relax!! Meredith, thanks for that website, I have added it to my favorites!...I am already in love with a few suits...the Carnival 1 piece is beautiful! Love the facts that the suits have underwire--an absolute MUST! I love lane bryant bras, in my opinion, they are made waaay better and wear waaay better than victorias secret, and i dont have to worry about a wardrobe malfunction! LOL! LadyBandito, glad you decided to join us! I always follow along by email notifications, but am at work all day and sometimes at night too--working 2 jobs sucks--so i dont always have a chance to reply, but i do look forward to the posts from everyone! We are a great group! I agree, a suntan can make anyone look better! I have been doing much better with hunger lately. In the morning I have an iced coffee, then for lunch at work I have been having a lean cuisine or smart one. The amount of food never satisfied me, but it does now! How wonderful! At night, it depends when I am doing...I usually cook some type of lean Protein, potato, and veggie. Sometimes a salad and homemade Soup. If I am working at the family restaurant, I will have something there...the food is sooooo good, my dad is an amazing chef I am also obsessed with drinking green smoothies. I was afraid of them at first, but they are amazing--here's how I make it--6 oz coconut almond milk (made by blue diamond), 6 oz plain fat free greek yogurt, 1 banana, 3/4 cup fresh pineapple (I get the precut, pre-cored kind in the produce section, cause I make the smoothie a few times a week and I hate cutting up pineapple!), 2 T shredded coconut, 1-2 servings lite tofu, 1 cup or more baby spinach....blend, add ice, blend again...OMG soooo creamy soooooo delish! I got the recipe from skinnytaste.com, a great website! So I don't know if I have officially had a pb experience, but this past week is the closest I have come to it. Sunday I was eating PB cheerios (oh, the irony)...got stuck-ish for a while. I felt the pressure, the pain, the panic. Then I noticed I had some extra saliva. Ew. Went for about 30 mins that way, didn't know if I was truly stuck, because I could feel little, tiny bubbles gurgle up every once in a while, but never any relief. Finally, I had to go to the sink and make myself gag. Not fun. Then, a few burps into it, and a noticeably bigger BURP! Then, liquid cheerios emerged. Instant relief. The same thing happened on Thursday night while waitressing at work. Sorry if that was TMI, but had to share! LOL!

Helloooooo everyone!!! I have beeen keeping up with all of you through email notifications, and can't wait to catch up later! Your posts brighten my day!!! ))

OH! i almost forgot, for those who love pasta, i don't have a problem with shirataki noodles, 40 cals for 8 oz...the are in the same section as the tofu in the produce section!

i literally did this last night! went out for dinner with the family, 200 cals for 2 oz pasta doesnt appeal to me for the same reason, calorie counting, so i had salad, a few bites of eggplant parm, and at the meat sauce off the pasta!!