nightingale2u

WTG PENNI!!!! I remember the last time I lost a lot of weight... I would keep grabbing big clothes and taking them in to try on and was ALWAYS amazed the they were baggy!!! I just couldn't see that I was smaller! Waiting patiently for pictures of the HOT WORKOUT MAMMA! Darcy

WOO HOO CARMEN!!!!! It's easy to forget what's under there isn't it!!!! I am loving watching old body parts emerge! DArcy

Marie... I don't think I will be able to keep up with you in the good deed department...lol. I am a sucker for strays too... I was always dragging strays home when I was a kid and still do! You are kicking butt in the bike riding department...hmmm.... maybe you should slip into that spandex and ride up to Wisconsin for a little visit??? Penni... AWESOME girlfriend!!!! WTG on the weight-loss!!!! Oh... and I do think you were stretching it a bit in regards to the good deed guitar string run... BUT... since we love ya... we'll let ya get away with it! Teresa... huge (((((HUGS))))) ... You are handling so much in your life right now... damn... I'd be crying non-stop!!!! I remember feeling that way during nursing school... I was convinced they were trying to kill us! But... when it was over... it was over and the the pain was gone... just like childbirth! Kudos on being able to be honest with yourself about your food intake. That is something I am really trying to be this time around... honest with myself so that I can change what needs changing! Hang in there girl... you're going to make it... we are all right behind you cheering you on! GO... FIGHT... WIN... TERESA!!!!! Lisa... I want you to know that you kept ME from raiding the fridge lastnight! You are halarious girl... and I do feel just a wee bit sorry for Chris.... LMAO. By the way... Have you seen my remote???? I was a very good girl yesterday and have plans to be just as good today! I've got a lawn that needs mowing and a treadmill callin my name! I AM FIGHTING NOT GETTING ON THE scale... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! (((hugs))) Darcy

You are going to work wonderfully with your new band Maurice... Congratulations!!!!! That's the wonderful thing about the band... it helps you change your habits over time. I also had a very difficult time with low carb dieting before being banded... after... crave protein...protein... protein... go figure! Wishing you the best in your journey to Bandland! Darcy

Lisa... any battle fought and won is worth being proud of! I spit my Water all over my keyboard and monitor with the beer bong comment... LOL. Well... I guess I will have to resist the urge NOT to keep track of what I eat. I haven't been snacking... Had 3/4 cup of chili for Breakfast and a McDonalds cone and string cheese for lunch... LOLOL... what a funky daily diet. Anyhoo... imagine I will have chili for dinner cause I just love having MORE gas than usual! Exercise... did free weights... 10 different arm exercises with 20 reps each... 20 lunges... 60 ab crunches and the stair-stepper for a whole 2 minutes...LOLOL... I guess having the resistance set to 11 make it difficult to do it very long! Live and learn... have had the darn thing sitting in the basement for almost a year and have never been on it! I'm still going to be keeping my eye out for a used home gym. I am not keeping track of water intake... just know I am drinking tons of it all through the day. Good Deed for the Day- I stayed home and kept my chili farts to myself. Penni... thanks again for starting this... I really needed to be acountable as I was starting to slip back into old eating patterns. Darcy

Okay... I just downloaded AIM just cause I love ya Lisa... my identity is: AIM - nightingale2u67 Yahoo- nightingale2u_67 Penni... I added you to my Yahoo... but am still trying to figure out AIM. Darcy

Lisa... I don't have AIM... but I do have Yahoo Messenger and MSN messenger... do you have either of those???? If so... let me know and I'd be happy to share my handle.

Welcome Melissa! Glad you decided to join in... we'll look forward to getting to know you better! It sounds like you are doing a great job with your new band and if you are having difficulties this is a great place to find help. Darcy

There you go... that's exactly what I mean... change whatever you can and try to accept the things that you can't change or don't feel comfortable changing. It sounds like a second job that has a good rate of pay would be less stressful than the fear of financial ruin. You are a strong, lovable, caring and deserving woman Lisa... treat yourself as such. I'll save a spot in the yard for your snow angel after our first good snowfall! Darcy

Lisa... I don't know if this will help... but when I look at the portions everyone is eating... I think... holy crap... I must need a fill! One TBS of ANY food would not be NEARLY enough???? I'm sorry... but that wouldn't feel healthy to me and would definitely lead to overeating somewhere down the line in my case. I'm not sure I would ever want to be that restricted and it makes me worry about my fill next week???? Example... I ate an entire lean cuisine salsbury steak with Mac and cheese for lunch yesterday and was pleasantly full but not stuffed... for dinner... I ate probably a cup and a half of chili... pleasantly stuffed... I could have eaten more within a couple of hours but made myself go to bed instead. Lisa... you are under a lot of stress and I would guess just a tad more than depressed... something's gotta give and it sounds like the overeating is your temporary feel good fix. Are there things in your life that you can change to take some of the pressure off??? From the outside looking in it seems that you are carrying the full stress and worry load in your relationship... no wonder you seek the pleasure that can come from a handful of Doritos! Change is hard... but it really looks like something has got to change in your life... or perhaps counseling to help you deal with things the way that they are???? Sending (((hugs))) and if you ever need to make snow angels for stress relief... you are welcome to visit anytime!

WOO HOO Michelle!!!! COngratulations on the weight-loss! I bet the Water aerobics are building muscles everywhere and boosting the metabolism even more!!! WTG! Alex... I think this challenge could be about ANYTHING that you might want to do in your life. Shoot... it could be about finding something positive to say about yourself everyday???? Come on girl... ya know we love ya... and now that you posted... well... I'm afraid we can't let you leave. Chris... I'm sorry about the battle you are having with your band... I am newly banded so I may not be a huge help but I hope that with all of posting daily we can pass on a little group energy to help you out. Well... I am pretty fricking tickled with myself right now! I hauled my butt down to the basement... stretched... did 40 ab crunches (ouch) and 10 modified pushups and plopped my hiney on the treadmill for 32 minutes and 1.75 miles! YAY! I feel awesome and sweaty and stinky! I feel so wonderful after exercise... makes me wonder why I avoid it???? ANyhoo... my plan is to do free weights and floor exercises three times a week and alternate walking/cardio 3x a week. One day of rest???? We'll see! In the meantime am going to watch for a used home gym as I am just not very good at exercising in front of people. See ya'll tomorrow!

AMEN.

Alex... I have the same problem! I can't even say the D word without feeling an instant craving for naughty foods! When the dietician told me to continue journaling my food intake... I politely said... uh huh... and left knowing I would never write down a single morsel that entered my mouth. I am trying to shift the focus to living a more active and healthy lifestyle instead of having the focus be on FOOD. I do pay attention to the way that different foods leave me feeling... and I do make an effort to eat Protein first. I just can't measure... count... or otherwise obsess over food in any way... shape or form. I try to be honest with myself about what I eat without punishing or putting myself down. I ate a lot of carbs this week... and... I noticed that I was less statisfied and had more and more cravings. I ate bigger portions... and... I noticed that I was uncomfortable... bloated... and less energetic. So... overall... the choices I made left me hungry... tired... uncomfortable... without weight-loss and unsatisfied... lesson learned and moving on without punishing myself. I want to learn about my eating patterns and listen to what my body tells me instead of just reacting as I used to. I hope that the band will help me do that!

Audrey... You look absolutely awesome!!! WHen I am a one year bandster I want to be just like you! Darcy

Awesome that you guys were able to get together! I wish I lived closer... *pout* Nobody ever "passes" through Wisconsin...lol! Darcy

Great idea Penni! Journaling food has a bad affect on me... for some reason it brings back the old days of "dieting"... BUT... I really would like to be accountable for activity/exercise. I don't usually have a problem getting Water in now that I don't drink diet pop anymore... my major problem is exercise and portion control. Sooooo... I will post daily on exercise... starting with today. Hopefully that will get my butt moving! I won't measure or count calories... but I will keep track of good food choices and bad ones and will try to curb the carbs and evening snacking. I go in for my first fill August 27th... hopefully that will help me with hunger and portion control. Until then... I need to move it to lose it! Looking forward to kicking butt this week! Darcy

WHEW! Glad everyone made it though the storm! It's tough to be so far away in a situation like that! Darcy

Well... no loss this week... but honestly... I should have gained. I need a fill... I know it... I can shove WAY too much food in. Sooooo.... I think as I wait for my fill I will try and challenge myself to exercise more. I told myself before my surgery that I wouldn't beat myself up for overeating anymore and that I would remove the D word from my vocabulary. I simply wanted portion control... a stop to the binging. So... when I look back at my week... I say... "Darcy... you could have lost weight this week if you had been exercising." And this week... I shall test that hypothesis! It's funny.... I had one day that I ate more carbs than I have eaten since pre-op... I awoke the next morning with a literal hangover. I don't think I really realized how overeating carbs can affect my body. I had increased hunger that entire next day and horrible cravings for MORE carbs. Hope everyone had and has a wonderful week! Darcy

Hi Everyone... I have been having pain for the past 4 days... and was literally pain free prior to this. I have not had any vomiting other than immediately post-op. I am now having constant discomfort and tenderness in the area just above my belly button. Whenever I eat or drink anything... the pain an bloating increases... I wake up in the morning feeling the same discomfort/ sensation. I guess I am in the hopes that this is a normal post-op (almost 5 wks) problem??? Darcy

Well Marie... I have had a hard time motivating myself for exercise... but I have had moments of clarity and or insanity when I considered doing a half marathon (walking) in September. I don't think I will make it this year... but am planning on next year for sure! I think the Walk From Obesity is going to be all I am ready for this year. I can only imagine how good it would feel to finish ANY marathon and or race... must be awesome! Off to work on our cabin... we always throw in a ride in the wooded hills... there is one hill I just can't make all the way up but I am getting further each time I try... ONE DAY... I will make it all of the way up! Darcy

That is AWESOME Marie! Isn't it amazing the difference with the weight-loss???!!! I think we are actually very strong from the years of carrying the extra weight... and then... when we lose a chunk of that weight... WATCH OUT LANCE! WTG!!!!!! I love hearing about NSV's... it just makes my day! I was just happy to be able to ride my bike the last few weekends... I got it for Christmas and the beautiful thing had just been collecting dust as it was just too uncomfortable to ride at my previous weight. I am so glad that I am able to enjoy it now and know it will just get easier and easier! Darcy

Big (((hugs))) and lots of prayers... please update us once the storm passes! Darcy

Wow Carol... you have worked hard for your success!!!! Congratulations! Darcy

So sorry you have to go through another surgery but very glad your insurance is covering! Please update us when you are feeling up to it... sending healing vibes.... Darcy

Ryan... I have to say... it's a lot easier to watch others go through the process than it was going through it myself! Just make sure all of your personalities are in agreement about having WLS! Soon you will be in bandland with a bunch of crazy chicks at LBT! Keep us updated! Darcy