HealthyNewMe

Just remember...... If your husband "hides" the scale, you may never find it!!!!!! I'm living proof of that. BTW, I only weigh at the Doc's..... about every five to six weeks. I was one of the above mentioned people who let the scale dictate my feeling and mood for the day..... Thank God, I'm free of that addiction!

That HRM readout is so detailed.... I'm very interested in researching this more. Bought the FitBit for my husband for Christmas (secretly hoping he wouldn't use it or lose interest in it, and I would take it over ), but darn it.... He uses it!!!!! Hadn't heard about the HRM.... I'm going to look into that one! BTW..... Are you from Louisiana?

The elliptical readout for 1 hour for me is ..... Approximately 625-630 calories I'm 53 and current weight is 229 ( down from 327..... WooHoo!!!!!)

For me..... Helps me NOT retain fluid. Fills me when I'm a little hungry. Keeps me hydrated while sweating during my hour of cardio. Sometimes, I drink it plain, sometimes, I add lemon juice and Stevia, and sometimes I add flavor packets.

I drink a minimum of six 8 oz glasses a day....So many benefits, including:

Checking in on January challenge..... 1/13 weigh in at doctor's office..... Down 5.5 pounds Total since surgery on 8/22/13...... 42 pounds Total since highest weight...... 98 pounds Meeting all exercise goals Spending today and tomorrow on PAPERWORK GOALS!!!!!!

Reporting on Week Two of January Fitness Callenge: Gym: 5-6 days a week..... CHECK....Went 6 (Total for Jan. 12 out 14 days) Elliptical: 30-36 mi/wk...... CHECK..... 34.69mi (Total for Jan. 68.69 miles) Weights: 2-3 days a week...... NO CHECK.... Just once this week (Total for Jan. 4 days) MET MOST OF MY GOALS FOR JANUARY, WEEK ONE AND TWO

Happy One Year Anniversary ..... Same beautiful smile before and after! Much healthier person now!!!!!!!

Size of meal : small to medium portions Length of meal : 15-30 minutes Stop eating : when satisfied, not stuffed Times/day you eat : 2 to 3 Time in between meals : 4 to 5 hours Swallowing food : fine, if you take small bites and chew thoroughly regurgitate/vomit : rarely or never Night coughs or wheeze : never Mostly eating : proteins, and vegetables / fruits.... not sliders like ice cream Appetite : not always hungry...satisfied until it's time for your next meal

Are you from New Orleans???? KING CAKE????

I just walked in from my fourth fill..... Banded 8/22/13. No real appetite, no cravings, five or so hours in between meals......BUT, definitely eating more than a half to one cup of food when I do eat. Because of the meal portion size, the Doc and I both feel I'm not "green" yet. He told me that since I'm super close to getting there, from now on, fills will only be 1/2 cc from now on out. If you are still eating a larger portion than your doc suggests, then maybe you will be getting another fill too. Portion size and hours in between meals are the questions I'm asked when deciding on another fill.

Just got back from gym and I did ten minutes of a very steep incline on the treadmill ... And yes, I sang the song in my head!!!!

New life for you..... Awesome!

Sometimes changing my exercise routine helps too. I have always been told that once your body gets used to a routine, mix it up a bit. This week, for example, I'm not going to do my regular routine on the Eliptical...... I'm going to TRY ten mins of my cardio on a high incline on the treadmill (while singing "Climb Every Mountain" in my head -LOL).

I was banded the week before you... August 22. I have also had three fills and will be going back on Monday, 1/13. I'm not even sure as to my weight loss bc I only weigh at the doctor's office (So I guess I'll know on Monday). It's great that you're exercising on a regular basis, and it's great that you already lost 30 pounds (that's between 1 1/2 and 2 pounds a week). Personally, I think you're making great progress. I'm happy with my progress in how I feel and in how I look. This is a lifestyle and a marathon.... Not a gimmick and a sprint..... I'm so glad to finally post with someone who was banded around the same time as me!

I truly love reading everyone's stories and experiences..... So unique, yet so many common threads. For the first time in my adult life, I am a liberated woman. I freed myself from my love/hate relationship with my SCALE. For decades, I have allowed that scale to determine my self worth and set my mood on a daily basis. When I began this life changing transformation of having WLS, I made a decision to not weigh myself daily or even weekly ...... Very hard to do for this certified SCALE JUNKIE! (Believe me, I'm not even suggesting this for anyone.... Just sharing my personal experience). I only weigh at my doctor's visits, about every four to six weeks. No longer do I get angry with daily fluctuations. I see a trend of weight loss in bigger chunks over longer periods of time. Of course all of this was made easier by the fact that my scale has been HIDDEN and can't seem to be found anywhere in my garage or attic, but that was the best thing for ME..... Just wanted to share!!!!!!

I override MFP's calorie count with the readout on the elliptical, which I adjust each time to my current weight. Elliptical reading is always way less than MFP'S reading for calories burned.

I take off whenever the Saints have a football game! So, I won't be exercising tomorrow...... No, seriously, I take off one day a week and it is decided by my schedule of activities and work, so it's usually a Saturday or Sunday!

Butterthebean.... B52 needs to reply to your question, but what I got out of his post was that..... While losing his weight, he always ran on an empty stomach, but NOW that he's at the weight he is now, he drinks the protein shake before..... I could be wrong, but that's how I read his post. I go to gym on an empty stomach and have my protein shake when I get home. My band is tight in the morning anyway and I have no desire to eat breakfast. Of course I only do one hour of cardio a day, so I have not had the problem of fueling a several hour day filled with exercise. Hats off to all of you FIT PEOPLE!

Long story short..... I lived my life on a couch. Joined a gym in June. Couldn't walk on treadmill for more than ten minutes. Rode stationary bike to make up a few extra cardio minutes. Only DREAMED of elliptical. Stayed religious to five to six days a week....... Fast forward to Movember and December...... On elliptical ONE HOUR A DAY... Reaching a 10k + on a daily basis (about a 9:40 minute mile consistently throughout workout). Can't believe this 53 year old dog has learned new tricks!!!!!!

The color coded chart with the nine questions was the most helpful thing I have EVER read to help me understand the GREEN ZONE. I answered 8 out of 9 answers for GREEN, yet I've been thinking I wasn't quite there yet bc of the amount of food I can still consume..... Holy cow, I'm there!!!!!! I can eat just one to one and a half cups of food and reach SATIATION.... My dumb mind just wants me to reach FULL all the time! Between this chart and Jean posting about "satiation" vs Thanksgiving Dinner Full .... I just realized I may very well be in the GREEN!!!!

I had a two week liquid diet as part of an obesity study that led to my band surgery. Of course the two weeks fell during my son's graduation, the parties associated with that, and an annual crawfish boil we throw. My mantra (said many times to myself and said many times to me by my kids) was YOU CAN DO ANYTHING FOR TWO WEEKS..... YOU CAN DO ANYTHING FOR TWO WEEKS. And we ticked off the days. Those two weeks were going to go by whether I stayed on the liquid protein diet or not...... I CHOSE to make them go by sticking to the program. Best of luck to you as you make it through the next week...... Because YOU CAN DO ANYTHING FOR ONE WEEK!

Reporting on Week One of January Fitness Challenge.......... GOALS: Gym: 5-6 days a week...... CHECK .... Went 6 Elliptical: 30-36 mi/wk.... CHECK.... Went 34 Weights: 2-3 days a week.....CHECK.... 3 days MET GOALS FOR JANUARY, WEEK ONE !!!!!!!!

Good Luck to you, Suzanne! You are taking care of YOURSELF!

Bandista, My surgeon also does not tell me exactly how much saline he adds to my band..... He thinks it's just one more detail bandsters obsess over ( I have asked anyway, and he will tell me)... But I decided he's right.....just let the fill do what it's supposed to do. His protocol is: Day of fill---- liquids only. Day after fill----- mushies. The next day---- back to regular foods. My next fill (Fill #4) Monday, Jan 13. Hope I'll be that much closer to the GREEN !!!!! Good luck and STAY WARM !