HealthyNewMe

The first few weeks/months of exercising caused my ankles and legs to look like elephant legs. That sure has stopped now.... I've been exercising 9 months now, six days a week.... So, it does get better. About the scale...., it has taken me 53 years to do this, but I honest to God, quit weighing. I ONLY WEIGH AT MY DOCTOR'S OFFICE, once a month. Every single month since I had the surgery, I have lost weight. I don't deal with daily fluctuations any more. I just see a steady trend of losing. Now, whenever I get to maintenance, I will weigh once a week. But for now, giving up the scale was one of the best things I've done for MY weight loss journey!

You've motivated this bander! Good for you! Now when your doc counsels patients on WLS choices, she can say that patients with the band CAN lose any amount of weight, as long as they WORK IT!!!!!

I don't ever think I am asked about calories.... But i am asked a lot of questions about portion sizes. I will share with you what I do, but it's just computed in my own simple mind. This is how I set a calorie goal (keep in mind that I really want to get to the point that I eat w/out paying soooo much attention to details like counting calories ---- you know, just let the band do its job---- but I'm not there yet). Every time I go to the doctor, I'm given a "Body Compisition Analysis." At my current weight, it says that my BMR is 1688 calories. If I want to lose 1.5 pounds a week, I subtract 750 calories a day from this. (A pound is 3500 calories / 7 days = 500 calories a day to cut, so 1 1/2 pounds would be to cut 750 calories a day.). 1688-750 = 938 calories a day goal. So that's what I set for MyFitnessPal. Now, I exercise, and burn over 650 calories a day, so I really eat 938+ some of those calories burned. Hope this helps.... Again, not told by doc or nutritionist, just how I see it!

Yes, they should have. That was the only pain I had. Mine stopped hurting me by the end of the second day. Good Luck!

I was allowed cardio right away. I did stationary bike for a couple of weeks and then moved back to elliptical. I wasn't cleared for weights until 6 weeks out.

Wow.... Wow.... And more WOW!!!!

My doctor says count all pounds lost bc w/out the WLS, you would in most likelihood be gaining those back. You lost them.....you count them!

It sure is nice to have someone say such a nice thing to you about you...... Whether you're 30, 40, or 50!!!!! I'm about 28-30 pounds away from the weight I was when I got married. I mean I weighed a lot (190), but looking back on my wedding pictures, I think I looked just fine!!!! LOL It will be interesting to see if I can get back to that weight.....I'm six months with the band. Dropped about 55-56 before surgery and 50 or so since surgery, so we'll see..... A day at a time, RIGHT????

I was going to say the same thing..... SHAKE IT UP A LITTLE.... In both exercise routine and food choices!!!!

I'm going to pursue my dream/goal of becoming a runner too. I am also waiting to take more weight off (aka---- get under 200) before I give it my all out effort. For now, I am up to 7.3 miles a day (60 mins) on elliptical six days a week. I feel that my heart will be handle jogging/running.... Just need a little more weight off of the joints! Good luck to you!

Worse than natural labor and child birth..... And no precious angel to look forward to afterward!!!! Hope your on some major doses of pain meds. Is lithotripsy in your near future?

DON'T BRING THE STUFF YOU'RE CRAVING INTO YOUR HOUSE. Don't have it easily available...... My daughter and I had this conversation last night. I don't crave sweets any more bc I've not been eating them for a very long time. Yet, if I brought a box of Girl Scout cookies into the house, that's all I would be thinking about. Same thing about my favorite bakery's cake. I went to a party last week, and my best friend had a cake from there. I ate two bites and then threw the piece into the garbage. In the past, I would have wrapped three or four pieces to bring home( saying I was bringing it home for my kids----- LOL), and then I would have fought the battle for the next day or two, until I would have given in and eaten them all. But, now I REFUSE to bring my trigger foods into my house. Honestly, I don't really crave it anymore. Do I still have head hunger? Heck yes. But I can't act upon it!!!!! BTW, every now and then when my head hunger hits me..... I must GET UP AND DO SOMETHING.... ANYTHING!!!!!

As I posted before.... The fear is legit .... We are all DIET EXPERTS, but we've never been MAINTENANCE EXPERTS. But, then again, we didn't have our bands. I'll be following this thread closely. I'm not near there, but I love to read and become INFORMED. You all have become important to me!!!!

I wish this forum would reactivate, and all of us "late baby boomers" could socialize. I had my surgery done on Aug 22, 2013. At my highest weight that I know of (Jan of '12), I was 327. When I had surgery last August, I was 271. I'm now at about 219. I don't really know my actual weight bc I only get on the scale at the doctor's office (I have scale issues.... LOL). I'm 53 (going to be 54 at the end of next week). My husband is 54. We joined a gym in June of 2013, and we are there SIX DAYS A WEEK. He's lost 50+pounds by working out and making better food choices, we are both in better shape NOW than when we were in our 30's and 40's.... Seriously! Keep posting, LET'S TRY TO GET THIS "FIFTIES" THREAD GOING AGAIN!!!!

Like most married (or single) women (or men) with children, my husband and I spent the first 25 years of our marriage focused on our four children...... Their health, their education, their schedules. We, like most, put ourselves on the back burner. In August of 2013, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and we celebrated my WLS. We have decided to spend the next 25 years focused on ourselves. What does that include???? TRAVEL, TRAVEL, and more TRAVEL. New clothes to go on all of those trips. Spontaneous nights out to the theatre, to dinner, to local festivals. We want to put in a swimming pool. We have plans----- concrete, doable, fun, and relaxing plans. PS.... My youngest son, who is 14, says he's getting "ripped off" from all of the time we put the kids FIRST!!!!! If we want to go out and he asks, "What's for dinner?" .... My husband and I both laugh and say---- "make a sandwich, kid!" Our new mantra that we repeat often..... "THE FIRST 25 WERE ALL ABOUT Y'ALL..... THE NEXT 25 ARE ALL ABOUT US!"

How awesome .... YOU DID IT!!!!!!

I always have to remember my coffee addiction calories of cream, creamer, etc. I start off my morning with 70+ calories w/out biting the first morsel of good ! But, I'm not giving up the coffee !!!!!!

Of course it's possible. We all eventually started solids, and we all have lost/are losing weight. I wouldn't, however, expect that sort of weight loss every week or even every month. Some people do experience a "plateau" and some even experience a small gain until they get adjustments/fills. Others never needed a fill. WE ARE ALL SO DIFFERENT!!!!! Congrats on the loss and a successful surgery. Remember: a good weight loss is considered to be 1-2 pounds/week!

Nicki---- how awesome! I have actually been on my HEALTHYNEWME journey for two years now, even though I have been banded six months ago. The most liberating thing I've ever done ( and it's only taken me 53 years to figure this out) is that I quit weighing, except once a month at my docror's visits. Noire down 1.3, up 0.8, up 0.4, down 1.1....... Every month so far at the visits, I have lost( from as little as three pounds to as much as eleven pounds. My road has definite ups and down..... It is not a straight path. I even drew a sign to post near my desk that shows the exact same thing!!!!!

I was wondering where all the August 2013 banders were? Welcome. We should start an August 2013 thread.....

I started on a stationary bike for cardio. I found it helpful to start there bc the seat carried my body weight, not my knees, ankles, and legs. I did that for two months and then crossed over to the elliptical ( half time on bike/ half the time on the elliptical). I now do one hour a day in the elliptical, and I'm trying to cross over to running/ jogging now. I'm twenty years older than you, do maybe you don't have to worry about your knees snd ankles hurting like I did when I first started out. I also do every other day a weight circuit for arms followed by he next day a weight circuit for legs.... Don't really know if I'm doing that "The right way," but I seen improvements! Good luck and GET MOVING!!!

I want to cross over , so to speak, from the elliptical to running. I, too, need to get to the running shoe store. I've brought my daughter there for years (she has run every day of her life for the past 10+ years), so I know they will find the right shoe for me. I, too, have an awful running "form." I think I can handle the whole cardio aspect of running (I currently can do 7 miles on the elliptical in an hour EVERY DAY.... Yeah me!!!!) BUT, I still think I may have too much extra weight to transition to running. I will NOT give up this dream..... I WILL take off another 30 pounds and try this the right way. PS..... I did find it easier to run/jog/walk outdoors on a track than on the treadmill for some reason!

That's a nice chunk of weight you've taken off.... Keep it up!

I'm just curious to see if any other WLS person has had their spouse change his/her eating/exercising habits along with you, and benefitted by becoming healthy along with you? My husband has lost 50 pounds over the last nine months. He exercises 6 days a week now (we work out together on the weekends) and he eats a whole lot less food..... doesn't rat second helpings, never snacks anymore, and making great food choices. He has been my rock throughout this past year and as happy as he is for me..... I am as happy for him and proud of him!!!!

Did you ever think you would utter those words, "I can't wait to start eating MUSHY FOOD?" Congrats on gifting yourself with your new tool !!!!