Fenton

Scrappy, I'm sure that by now you'll have come through the other side, and are resting. Probably not wildly comfortable, but it's a HUGE step forward! Harley - sometimes you have to take a cold, hard look at where you are, and make a difficult decision; I'm sure it wasn't made lightly. Hang in there! Things'll get better. The world is a different place, when viewed from size 8 jeans...

Hey all. The prodigal blah blah blah! I'm back. I think. I've had a crazy last few months, hyper-stressful, constant deadlines, the reverberations of my excellent but disastrous winter relationship, travel etc. I've been eating very badly, not just overeating but bingey, as if making up for all the "privation" I'd endured over the last year. It's pretty absurd, really. I'm embarassed, but, hey, I still have the band. I don't have much restriction - if any, really - I can eat whatever I want. But the biggest problem hasn't been the nature of the food - the things I've been going nuts on have been all the high carb foods that slip effortlessly past a band. I've just kicked my chocolate malt addiction. This has been a lazy, emotionally-driven fall. I don't know how much I've put on, but it's certainly a good bit, judging from the belt notch index. So I'm here. I'll try to check in regularly; if I fall silent, feel free to nudge me, those of you who are my Facefriends! For there is no escaping the reach of Facebook... I hope you're all well, and powering forward with the weight loss. Scrappy, as always, you continue to amaze and inspire. Christine: you must have been very naughty indeed in a past life to have incurred such endless complication. I hope you can figure out a regimen that works well for you. I've only skimmed the posts from my Dark Interval, but I look forward to catching up with everyone, and hearing how thigns are going... Later this week - after the Water weight goes! - I'll face the grim task of updating my sig file.

Indeed, Potatie has been another star! I think we've all done a pretty rockin' job, so pats on the back all. And now we have to start GoalWatch.

I'd start with Tylenol, gentle stretching, and bath-soaking, if you can find the time.

AS IF SUMMONED FROM THE MISTS OF TIME - I reappear! Hey all. I'm back. I see that a few of us have had rough months, but the important thing is we're still in the game. I did really badly in March, I completely let myself go. Ate TERRIBLY, blah blah blah. It's been super high stress here, eased a bit now. And I enjoyed eating badly, or, at least, parts of it, but I've had enough of that, and want to get back up on the horse. So I'm just back from getting a fill, and now, I suspect, I'll have some real restriction. It's a good feeling, actually, getting back to what I know I should've been doing all along. And we have some great role models here - Scrappy and Andrew stand out, but I think we've all done pretty well for a year out. One thing that's hard is finding time for exercise (at least right now, when I have major time constraints). I'm working out at least twice a week with my trainer, who's great (after my last session, I told her that I felt like the town hooker after a particularly busy Fleet Week), but I've not been doing as much cardio since they re-arranged the machines - now it feels like you're getting on stage if you ever step onto a treadmill. Anyway, I'll get back to cardio. But I ain't weighing-in until next Friday! I don't think I could take the full-on hit of my weight gain tomorrow, and a week'll let me get rid of the Water weight and a little more... SO. Good to be back! Nice to see you all!

So this is our bandiversary month! Today's mine - I'm down 100 (uh, "100" at the moment) pounds, I feel good (not about the current eating pattern), I feel ambitious, I feel fit (actually, I know I'm fit). My blood pressure is down (I don't think it was ever really up). I have more energy. It's been an intense year. I broke up with a woman I've loved for over a decade, I hooked up with an old girlfriend who I've wanted to hook up with for over a decade, I started seeing someone new which was amazing and ultimately heart-breaking but totally worth it. I've done well at some things, badly at others. I'm exercising, and determined to continue. Like Amanda, I'd hoped to have gone a bit further by now, but, still, I've done alright. I have a long way to go, and will get there eventually. Just god help me manage my eating... We've all done well, we're all in a much better place - even if not all of us are Rhonda! I know we're all proud of what we've done, but I'll tell you one thing: we should all be PROUDER! I wish us all a big, gay, happy bandiversary! xoJ

Hey, all! The prodigal male returneth! Well, returneth-ish. I'm sad to say I'm not doing well. I'm in Hawaii at a resort for 10 days for work reasons, and I'm eating TERRIBLY. I'm under super high stress because of the deadline on my next book, and have been enduring some aftershocks from my last, exhilarating but really messed-up relationship which ended last month. I've been straight-up binge eating, and it's been as bad as it gets. I've been pretty good about sticking to my exercise, though. And when I get back home to NYC, i tell myself it'll be much easier to control my intake. But the gym is great. I totally heart my trainer. I'm on the treadmill for about 50 minutes a day, mostly at 3.6 to 3.8 mph, which nets me usually a good bit over 500 cals of burn. And when I work with my trainer, I feel so freaking GREAT afterwards! But mostly right now I'm stressed out, and disappointed with myself for the way I'm eating, and I know I've put on weight, so I've avoided the Friday weigh-ins - I tell you, if I ever catch up with the idiot who suggested that as a good idea, I'm going to pound the stuffing out of him!

It's been quiet in here... Nice to see Annie Dub! Glad to hear that everyone is doing well, and feeling their bones. I've been off in a bit of a fugue state - I did OK at first in Colorado, then kind of went off the wagon, and have been off for about 10 days. But I've been exercising, and pretty hard too, a good 500 cals a day worth on the treadmill, plus fairly punishing workouts with my trainer twice a week. I'll weigh in Monday - it'll be interesting to see how I did.

Everyone's doing great! I'm out of town and won't be posting until next week, but you're setting a high mark to hit!

Sweets are hard. I don't buy them for myself, but at work, which is sometimes very physically demanding, several people keep public stockpiles of mini chocolate bars and Hershey's Kisses and whatnot. I'm fine if I avoid them, but if I have one, then I just keep going back and raiding the store. There are some foods - mostly small, bite-sized things, like small chocolates, potato chips, french fries - which are like that, what the English call "more-ish" (you have some, and immediately want more). If potato chips come with my sandwich, I'll allow myself one or two, then crush the bag so I won't be tempted. With french fries, I'll have one or two, then oversalt the rest, or douse them with Tabasco sauce or something, anything to reduce their appeal. But I find these stores of chocolate very hard to resist. Sometimes I can hear them calling to me from down the hall...

Aww! I love that story!

Harley, those are GREAT! Thanks for sharing them. I won't be able to attend the NY bandster conference, but don't weep for me: I shall be in Hawaii.

You absolutely can, and you know it. Hmm. I wonder if we could develop some sort of exercise check-in log. Each day we could post what we did, if anything, in the way we post Friday weigh-ins. Well, slightly differently. Let's think how we could do that. I guess the best thing would be to post at the end of the day - I was in the gym at 5:45AM today (!), and before Breakfast had burned 500 calories. But I'm walking around a lot (this convention center is absurdly huge), so I'll probably end up with some solid mileage - particularly if I go back to the gym (which I probably won't). Anyone have any ideas? I'm thinking that, just as some of us log our food (and all of us should!), we could log our exercise.

Lisa! I want you to make me lunch every day!

Oh, Scrappy, I know you struggle - I was joking. Despite what seems to be an assumption that getting banded = automatic weight loss, we all know that it takes blood, sweat, tears and constant vigilance. And good on you, Potatie! That's the attitude that gets you past the Finish Line.

Also! You've lost 75 pounds, woman! That's 3/4 of the way to goal! That's fantastic!

I think most of us have struggled, gone up and down - I went up about 12, maybe more pounds - I can't remember, it seems so long ago. You can't let yourself succumb to self pity (not that you are!). Starting to tell yourself that it's SO hard for you to lose weight is the best way to hack apart your chances for success. If you're struggling, ask yourself why. There are two components to weight loss, diet and exercise. If your weight isn't going down, or is going up, either you're eating too much, or you're exercising too little. If you're eating too much, address that. Do you need a fill? Do you think you should be logging your food? Do you have some kind of temptation in the house which you can't withstand? (Get rid of it!) Are you eating emotionally, and if so is there anything you can do about THAT? If you're not exercising, or not exercising enough, START! Get a pedometer and start walking. Get a yoga DVD. Find a friend to exercise with. Weight loss is simple. All you have to do is burn up more energy than you eat. So do that. Remember that many people here started at far higher weights than you, and so it's easier for them to lose (at first!). We're all in the same boat, and we're all struggling from time to time. Except Scrappy. Hang in there! And do it!

Ach, I'm kind of cheating - I'm in Colorado at the moment, two hours out of whack with my body clock, so I woke at 4:30AM and gave up on trying to get back to sleep.

That does sound like you're a little tight. I'd treat that symptomatically - antacids, whatever. See how you settle into it. I've developed a new behaviour which kind of worries me. I have, I think, 3.5 cc in a 14 cc band. If I eat quickly, food gets a bit stuck, but it doesn't really get completely jammed. Still, if I have a stuck feeling, I just go to the bathroom and have a PB. The thing is, I'm wondering if I'm now using it as a weight loss technique. Instead of chewing better, I'm happily getting rid of half of what I just had... My overall intake is still fine, and I'm taking about maybe five times a week, but, still. It's a little fake bulimic, I think. (Although the notion of me as a bulimic is kind of hilarious.) IN other news: I was in the gym at 6AM this morning. I'm beginning to wonder just who the hell I am!

Is that what you were saying at the 1 hour and 40 minute mark, Harley?

No CLAW, no foul...

aJoneen.......................-2 75 pounds LOST! Bandana......................0 BrandNewLisa............0 75 pounds LOST forever!!! evelas5000.................0 Desdemona..................0 Fenton........................-1 100 POUNDS LOST !! HarleyGirl.................. -6 80 pounds LOST! Hopeinapril................0 Lynn1215.....................0 NurseNiki...................0 Nycm00.......................0 Potatie.........................0 100 POUNDS LOST!! Scrappy_Friend.....-1 150 POUNDS LOST!!!! SpecialK......................0 Sugarbean..................0 100 POUNDS LOST !! Sharona......................0 stellabella...............-.4 HALFWAY TO GOAL! Tess415......................0 Thin2bme...............+ .2 WestCoastMom........0 Wishin4......................0 Kpodski............0 BRATZ98363.......0

In other news, I have a new personal trainer. She's brutal, and ruinously expensive, but I think she'll be great for me. She's really, really good, and though she kind of makes mincemeat out of me, I feel really lucky to have her.

Good, Cathy. Back in the saddle, help the band to work...

Ha! I was just coming to post about your new ink here, having just seen it on Facebook. It's beautiful! And of course it stung a bit more because of the lack of padding! I was going to get another tat when I hit the 100 lb mark, but my then-gf suggested I wait until I'm closer to where I'm going - I've still got another 170 or so to go. Although now I'm thinking I'm going to go down by about another 150, and let the PS take care of the rest.