HealthyNewMe

Funny how I don't drink anymore bc I'd rather eat my calories than drink them.

January goal: Gym 5 to 6 days/week 5 - 6 miles/day on elliptical for a total of 30-36 miles/week 30 minute workout 2 to 3 times/week OR weight resistance circuit 2 to 3 times/week

Finished the year off with my all time personnel best on a 10K elliptical today.... 56:57. Yeah me.... Now if I could only transfer this to running!

Good old Louisiana...... The home state motto of: "We don't eat to live..... We live to eat!" ... doesn't cover either. Figures!

My daughter is also hypoglycemic as well. She needs to eat every three hours or so. Her snacks include: nuts, almond butter or peanut butter on celery, apple slices, or bananas, raw vegetables with spinach/artichoke dip, egg white omelets with spinach, cheese, and mushrooms, a scoup of pre-made tuna or chicken salad, protein bars, pickled vegetables, deviled eggs, humus with Beanitos, fruit muffins Hope this can add to your snack list.

I use my IPhone to read the forums and comments. Can someone tell me how to post before/after pictures?

Hi Sherry, You ARE doing great. Very impressive weight loss. I was banded on Aug. 22, 2013. At my heaviest, I was 327. I was 271 at the doctor's visit before surgery, and I was 234 at my last doctor's visit four weeks ago. I won't weigh again till I go back for a visit/ fill on January 13. I can't weigh every day or even every week bc I let the scale dictate my mood..... Sick, huh?? Anyway.... I pretty much don't eat snacks anymore, but I still like snack food. So, I eat the snack food for lunch or dinner .... Example) I love homemade guacamole .... I eat it with chips called Beanitos (they are made of pinto beans or black beans). I also peel and freeze whole bananas. I'll take it out of the freezer and spread peanut butter on it....it's frozen deliciousness .... Again, I eat that as a meal, even though it's sort of a snack food. Keep up your great work. Keep exercising. I am 53 and was a certified COUCH POTATO. For the past seven months, I have become a full fledged exerciser.... I now do 6.25-6.3 miles on the elliptical five to six days a week. I do a thirty minute resistance workout three days a week as well. I sometimes can't wrap my brain around all the changes that I've gone through and am going through now.... Stay in touch! Tammie

I would be happy to, but I don't know how to.... LOl

I've decided to make a resolution after all..... I'm going to "MAKE PEACE WITH MY PAST".... So it won't disturb MY PRESENT!!!!! Especially my food, weight, and couch potato past.

I shop at Dress Barn too. Just recently found out the same thing.... 1X and XL are not the same. I walked out with a XL, and I was soooo proud of myself for fitting in just an EXTRA LARGE..... EXTRA LARGE seemed TINY after wearing a 3X for the past decade or two!!!!

I wish I could help you on this one... Perhaps GREEN ZONE people will read and respond. It's funny, but I have the opposite situation. I can go for HOURS in between meals and often eat only twice a day, but I can eat a larger volume of food before getting a "full" or "near full" sensation. So, I still have to be conscious of portion sizes. Can't wait to get in the GREEN ZONE. Perhaps my next doctor's visit on Jan. 13.

That's the gym my husband and I joined seven months ago. To be honest, I started on the stationary bikes ( got my cardio in, but didn't have to bare my weight.). After six weeks, I started the treadmill (still didn't do resistance weight machines). Now I'm doing an hour a day on the elliptical .... about 6.3 miles. I also do their 30 minute workout every other day. I HATED the first five weeks of going, but I HATED EVEN MORE the alternative of being a couch potato. About the fifth or sixth week in, I started looking forward to going. Now, I can't not go !!!!! I would encourage you to go.....there are more "regular" and "overweight " people at PF than there are "buff" bodybuilders...... Believe me when I tell you that no one will be staring at you or commenting about you bc they are all just trying to get their workout done ..... At least that's what I now realize . Please consider using that membership..... You will NOT regret it !

I never weighed and/or measured my food portions....never..... Why? I honestly thought I KNEW what 4oz looked like or what 1/2 cup looked like......, After reading this post, I now realize just how delusional I've been.

I do... Still go to the 1X and 2X in thr eomen's dept before I walk to the misses dept and get the XL..,., crazy, huh?

120 + miles on the elliptical this month!!!! Not only met my goal...... Surpassed it !!!!!! Feeling the best I have ever felt !!!!

I got my band (8/22/13) and all follow up doctor's visits and fills FREE by participating in a long term study (5 years) being done by LSU's biomedical research department. A comparison of the long term benefits and weight loss associated with lap band vs liquid protein diets, coupled with food and support counseling..... Hmmmm, I wonder what the results will be!!!!!

Didn't start the month off posting on the challenge (basically bc I couldn't remember my password), but wanted to say that I met this week's goal of 37.5 miles!!!!!

I, personally, can't handle plateaus. For years, that would be the trigger for me to throw in the towel. My solution now...... I don't weigh but once every five to six weeks ( only at my doctor's office when I go in for follow ups.) It was hard at first to give up the daily weigh-ins (I was becoming a scale junkie), but I'm much happier now knowing I will see progress over time and not having the frustrations surrounding plateaus.

My Healrhy New Me Journey began in January of 2012. I received in the mail a letter stating that all state employees could enter their name into a study that would compare long term weight loss resulting from bariatric surgery vs liquid protein diet coupled with counseling. Over 20,000 people registered for the study, and only 300 people would randomly be chosen (computer generated lottery) for each study. I figured that the odds were NOT in my favor. But having hit an all time rock bottom, I decided to give DIETING one more chance. Weighing now at 327 pounds, I figured I had nothing else to lose (pun intended). My name was NOT randomly selected, but I persevered and lost about 40 pounds last year. Little did I know at the time, but the study was renewed for 2013. In May, I received a call from the biomedical research facility that the computer randomly selected my name for the weight loss surgery aspect of the program......if I met certain qualifications. All pre-surgery screenings were done by the research facility. All of my medical info was passed on to a board of surgeons who selected the lap band surgery for me. Upon meeting my surgeon in August, he exclaimed, "I see here that you are a winner of the Golden Ticket." Yes, I am. Surgery and all follow up fill visits were FREE. I weighed 271 when I met my surgeon on August 15 and had my surgery on August 22. My last weigh in (3 weeks ago) was at 234.5 . I only weigh when I go in for a follow up every four to five weeks because I was becoming a scale junkie! Actually, I asked my husband to "hide" the scale and neither of us can now FIND it! I joined a health club in June, and I'm now consistently doing 60 minutes of cardio five or six times a week. I've been reading these forums daily since August, but could never post because I couldn't remember my password ! :/

So beautifully written. You're right..... a whole new house!