LilMissDiva Irene

Awesome! I think big dogs are the best! Have fun looking for a new buddy Glad to hear it about your BIL, and hope he continues to get healthier every day. Best wishes with the surgery, please let us know how you're doing. Good deal on the sweet spot! It's so hard to get to. :eek: Everyone else, I only went to the last page to reply. If I missed you I apologize. I think we can all agree this thread is almost impossible to catch up on, especially when you're only reading posts while at work and *supposed to be* lunch hour. Hope everyone has a splendid day, and if it's not so splendid, then I surely hope it gets better. I'm good, just hanging in there. I think I'm working out too much and not eating enough. I've been hungry all day and my body just simply doesn't want to workout anymore until it does some catch-up I think. LOL I'll be okay, but it's moments like this that I really have to behave. The first two weeks is always brutal. TTFN!!

Hi and welcome back! It's true, that is not enough food. It makes perfect sense on why you don't have any energy. I was once too tight, just like you and I did have a good amount removed. I won't lie, I gained 4 Lbs... however that's long gone and I am STILL losing weight. So, take it from an experienced one. Besides, remaining too tight will only lead you down a wrong path, possibly including losing your band indefinitely. I'm sure you wouldn't want that to happen. Weight Watchers is the most wonderful plan I think I have ever found. I have more energy on this plan than I think I've ever had. This is the best I've ever felt on a weight loss plan. I imagine I'll stick with this for life. After all it is all about weight management too. :thumbup:

Yay congratulations!!!!!!! What an awesome name too!! :confused:

Steph, thanks for all that great advice. The Body Bugg is also something I will consider in the future if WW starts to fail on me (or I on it! :confused:). Sometimes we crash and need something new. I've only heard good things about it. It might start being especially helpful when I get closer to my goal and it's harder during that time. Welcome china, and good luck! Let us know how you're doing with it! Another good thing about WW, if you have a pedometer, you can even gain a few extra points here and there for that too. :smile2: LOL sorry crzy, I really don't remember where it was. I wish I did! I want an extra pair now. One for work and one for home... :thumbup:

Woohoo Angie!! Great job!!! :-D Tap, 5'5 and 115? OMG. *faint* I hope you can talk some sense into your doc!

:scared2: Heehee!! Thanks! I'm so excited! I wish you the best, and please let us know how it's going!!!!

I guess I'm just old fashioned where I believe when you get MARRIED it's no longer all about me, me, me. May also be why I've been married to the same man for 14 years now. I was 21 and he was 31 when we married. Might be too the reason I know I'll never (that's right I said NEVER) get a Divorce. I also feel the same for people who have had children. But that isn't the discussion at hand. You become a team and a partnership when you get MARRIED. My husband and I have an awesome relationship and we discuss and air out anything and everything each of us as individuals may need to. We work it out as a team. We are sensitive to each other's needs and wants. MARRIAGE is a two way street. It's just my opinion that that thought doesn't come through much these days. Maybe I'm wrong? Whatever, it doesn't matter to me personally. It's all good.

Janet, thanks! I totally agree with you! I absolutely love weight watchers. I have only been doing the plan since Monday I believe, that along with my new elliptical and Shape-ups shoes I have posted a 4 Lb. loss today (from last Friday). The best part is it's TOM!! Wow!! :tt1: Next week will be just as good :-D Weight Watchers + Lap-Band = Holy Grail of weight loss/management. That is truly how I feel. It keeps me accountable to every little thing. Rule #3 states, "If you bite it, you write it"... LOL I thought that was so awesome! It is also a HUGE motivator for me to make sure I'm doing all my workouts as I should. You gain more eating points for all your workouts - and for me, every 10 minutes on my elliptical is worth 2 points!! Haha!! You better believe I'm pushing it. I'm only doing 20 minutes right now - but it would probably be 10-15 without that extra incentive. Also with my new crazy shoes I was only doing 1 mile instead of my 2. I push that 2 now! Anyway, I'm just totally jazzed. I'm also jazzed I can EAT! It's gravy!!

Beth, prayers from me for you, your Dad and your family. I'll be thinking about you! Please keep us informed!

I just wanted to point out that I have changed my weigh in day from Sunday to Saturday. I am using Friday as my off day because I also don't do any workouts on Fridays. That way beginning Saturday my earned workout points will begin again. I also am going to use the weight I am for Friday morning. However, I will only get to use up my points I gained for my workouts, so if I didn't get that in then I don't get any special treats for the week. I also must have posted at least a 1-2 lb. loss for the week (Friday to Friday). This way I'll keep myself accountable for my off day. I'll at least give this a try to see how it works out. If I find this is not working for me I'll have to do some adjustments. I would also like to mention that from this last Friday to this morning I have lost 4 Lbs. :wink2: That is so awesome!! But, the best thing I think is that its TOM right now too, so I'm going to post some really good numbers again next week!! WOOHOO!! How is everyone else doing?

POINTS® Tracker entries Thursday, August 06, 2009 Morning 1 cup(s) watermelon 1 1 item(s) Canadian bacon, egg white and cheese on a honey wheat muffin 5 2 slice(s) Cooked ham, Water added, 96% fat free 1.5 1/2 serving(s) Protein shake 1 Subtotal 8.5 Midday 1 package(s) Lemon Herb chicken Piccata 4 1 piece(s) Mint Patties 1 1 serving(s) Banana Small 1 Subtotal 6 Evening 1 serving(s) Roman Meal Wheat Bread Slice 1 1 tsp whipped salted butter .5 Italian Chicken salad 6 Subtotal 7.5 Anytime WW Mocha Fudge Sundae 7.5 Subtotal 7.5 food POINTS values total used 29.5 Food POINTS values remaining 1.5 Activity 45 min Walking (>3.0 mph [20 min mile] and <5.0 mph [12 min mile] on level surface) 4 35 min stationary bike, fast 7 10 min stationary bike, moderate 1 Activity POINTS values earned 12 Check off these important items daily: Liquids Milk & Milk Products Fruit & Vegetables Multivitamin/Mineral Healthy Oil Activity Lean Protein Whole Grains Notes I was well under my daily points for the day. Score again! However I still had two points left to use and realized I'd not been getting enough dairy (milk). I poured myself 8oz and it was so delicious. ... and did I mention the mocha fudge sundae with 5 yes FIVE pieces of Hershey's Kisses Caramel??? OMG, WW where have you been all my life? Lap-Band + Weight Watchers = Holy Grail of Weight Loss AND maintenance. © 2009 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2009 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WEIGHT WATCHERS and POINTS are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.

Great Scorpio, best of luck! I know you can do it! :biggrin: Lrt us know how you're doing! Shape-Ups are made by Skechers. I'm wearing them right now! They have a rocking horse tread on the bottom so you have to use more effort to simply walk. They are awesome and I can already tell they are working their magic. I bought mine at Macy's for 87 dollars. Someone here even found them around 68. They can go up over 100 bucks too, so it's best to do some shopping around before buying them. Great info, thanks!! I'm sure lots will find that useful! I think the thing with Weight Watchers is that it's based on trying not to substitute real food. You're right, those bars are very high in calories, and plainly lack substance. I'd much rather get my calories etc. through normal eating. It's easy to get burnt out and can crash easily. It happened to me in a major way - and I'm SO THANKFUL I've found a real and healthy program to follow! :Banane56:

Have you thought about Weight Watchers Online? I've been doing it for a couple days now, and I can't even express how wonderful this tool is. It's very user friendly and works in your activity schedule and just anything you can think of. Best wishes!!

Well, IMO he is your husband. There should never be anything like that you keep from him. Tell him. I'd also like to bring to light the fact you felt it okay to tell others you are close to before telling him. That is very bizarre... If not then, well to be perfectly honest you don't have a very good marriage. I agree it's best you work on your mental psyche and get some marriage counseling first before considering the lap-band. The Lap-Band carries much responsibility. Your first responsibility should first be your number one relationship. Your's and your husband.

(((Ezma))) Sometimes words just aren't enough. Hang in there. It's going to be tough, but you're a tough lady. You just need time. Tap, you definitely need a better motivator when it comes to the workouts. I LOVE to workout, but even *I* got burnt out on the same routine after awhile. I didn't even realize it. I felt no motivation whatsoever, but since I bought my new elliptical, shoes and WW Online to promotoe workouts (you gain extra eating points for busting your buns :sneaky:) I have a renewed energy. I'm really kicking it back into gear! TG I didn't think I'd ever get this back. I'm so happy! Lori, you've done so great to be in the 150's!! My goal is (well based on my BMI whatever) is 155. I doubt I'll ever breathe down the 150's though!! I think a more attainable goal for myself is 170. I just like the way I look heavier. I guess what I'm saying is... look how far you have come. From your pics I think you look totally awesome. As long as you are comfortable with yourself, don't be down on the fact your (as you say) only in the 150's. I'd dream to be there!! LOL As for myself, well I'm back at it again. New journaling system, a-la Weight Watchers Online. It's working fantastic for me. Today is day three. Day one I didn't even go over my points and into my "weekly points". In fact I used one less! How's that for willpower??? Day two (yesterday) I indulged some with ice cream. It was DELICIOUS! I used some of my weekly points for that, as I did have a pretty decent dinner. Not anything totally health conscious, but I expected it. The thing I need to get over mostly is my feelings of guilt. I mean, I stayed well within plan, and should not feel bad for wanting and eating that ice cream. I should remember that before, I would eat that whole 4 serving size of B&J before. Last night I only ate 1. YES ONE!! What an NSV for me. I'm stoked! Best wishes VV's!

POINTS® Tracker entries Wednesday, August 05, 2009 Morning 1 item(s) Turkey sausage, egg white and cheese on a muffin made with whole grain 5 1 slice(s) Reduced-Fat Pasteurized American Cheese food 1 1 serving(s) Protein shake 2 1 serving(s) banana Small 1 Subtotal 9 Midday 1 serving(s) LEAN CUISINE: Five Cheese Rigatoni 7 1/8 serving(s) Raley's Lowfat Grated Parmesan Cheese 0.5 Subtotal 7.5 Evening 3 small item(s) barbecued spareribs 6 1/3 cup(s) fried rice, with pork 2.5 1/3 cup(s) macaroni salad 4 1 medium corn on the cob 1 Subtotal 13.5 Anytime 1 small apple(s) 1 1 serving(s) Ben & Jerry's Choc Chip Cookie Dough Light Ice Cream 4 1/4 cup(s) strawberries 0 Subtotal 5 Food POINTS values total used 35 Food POINTS values remaining 0 Activity 30 min Calisthenics (moderate effort) 3 10 min strength training--free weights 1 45 min Walking (>3.0 mph [20 min mile] and <5.0 mph [12 min mile] on level surface) 4 Activity POINTS values earned 8 Check off these important items daily: liquids Milk & Milk Products Fruit & Vegetables Multivitamin/Mineral Healthy Oil Activity Lean Protein Whole Grains Notes Yesterday was such a success, and I just can't get over the excitement feeling I'm getting! I feel like I've finally gotten back what went missing last fall. I've been struggling so much, and the further out I got the harder it was for me to recover. I have so much to be thankful for, for my new work neighbor. She introduced me to this website, and for my new Shape-Ups shoes. I believe God brings every one person into our lives for a reason. It wasn't hard to figure out why He brought her into mine. :sneaky: ............ Tonight I am having a good dinner so I'm going a little over budget. Thank goodness for the Over Budget Weekly points!! You know if my "diet" lunch wasn't so high in points I would have been okay! I'm going to have to start really looking at the nutrition facts now. Lower in Cals and Fat and reasonable Fiber = good points. Stray from that even a little bit and you can step on your own toes. I still need to eat some fruits too, and can't forget the good dessert. Oh well, that's what the weekly points are for. © 2009 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2009 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WEIGHT WATCHERS and POINTS are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.

Oh absolutely you can! Please check in here, even if you have a bad day. I believe that's when we need support the most. You'll never get any flack from me for that. We are human after all. :sneaky: Now git ur booties to writing y'all!!

Ok, let me just consolidate this answer since they will all sound the same. For all who have joined in: Thanks so much! Support is SO important. I knew there was a reason I didn't tread in the WW boards. Thanks for the advice. No one else would know exactly what each of us are going through except us. I actually think it's unfortunate that WW folks would be against any kind of WLS. The Lap-Band was specifically designed for people who had the right ideas of health in mind. Smaller portions plus exercise = weight loss. I think WW will work absolutely perfectly with this idea. In fact, I'm already noticing my clothes are feeling bigger again!! Yippee and its only been 2 and a half days!!!! Great idea with the journaling. What I'm doing is doing the "print screen" funtion on the points page and it is listing out everything for me. I cut and paste, and edit a little bit so it's more readable to you. What I plan to do also is on my Sunday Weigh-In day, I'll do a printscreen of that too so you can see my progress that way too, along with the weekly summary of my points, etc. THIS WILL BE SO MUCH FUN!!! :sneaky: I always knew I need to do journaling. I just never knew how to do it on my own and found the other journaling sites quite cumbersome. This one fits me perfectly!! PS, they have a deal right now for 2 weeks free to join. The startup was 55 for the first three months. I understand though, it's tough even that much. I was pushing it doing that. I just had to though. I'm so SICK of being FAT!!!!!! I'm so excited guys! I just finally think I get it. Does that make any sense? LOL!

I have alot to read back on and reply to, but I noticed one question. I don't know how to calculate how many points each person should have per day - but here is a little calculation system I found that you can use to put it toward your food: Calculate the Point Value Yourself Step 1 Look at the food item's packaging or lable for nutrional values. Divide the calories by 50. Step 2 Divide the total fat grams by 12. Step 3 Add the values from Steps One and Two to get the value of "X." Step 4 Divide the dietary Fiber grams by 5 to equal "Y." Step 5 Take "X minus Y" to find the point value of the food item. Round up values higher than .5 and round down for values lower than .5. http://www.ehow.com/how_2058466_calculate-weight-watchers-points.html

Lilly, you probably have so many less points because you way signifantly less. Do the points go down as you weigh less? Does anyone know? I guess if so and at that point is when you need to bump up the workouts to gain extra points, or just eat much less... ?? Hang out in here, we'll get through it. :tongue2:

Fast & Furious (most recent): 3. It was pretty good, but was a bit slow in the middle. Not enough action.

Lilly, its very common for band patients to go up and down. We just don't go to the extreme as we did before the band. THANKS GOODNESS!! I see you mentioned Weight Watchers. Well I just started up a new thread for support for those of us following the points system. Please join us!! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f9/weight-watchers-online-support-thread-99685/

Woohoo!! Good job! Especially about the Skechers.. :tt2: This is how they make me feel:

What in the world?? First of all (((hugs))) Ebony. They are not treating you right, especially the reprimand in the open for all around to hear - even if no one did. That was great advice, along with that I will just add... keep your chin up and don't let them take anything else from you. You are a wonderfully intelligent woman. Don't even go down that road. Second, I think from now on it's best to get all work instructions in writing. They definitely have something against you. That I can't think of why.

Well yesterday was my very first day. I was allowed 31 and I ate 30. I did good! I didn't even use them all. I workout alot so I'll be racking up bonus points. I doubt I'll ever go over as long as I'm eating the right foods. I'm just so jazzed I found something that will track all this stuff for me in one easy spot without having to do much research. Even Water, dairy, grains etc. It's making sure I'm getting a balanced diet every day and I really needed that. I did this for my health, not just to get skinny and look good. My health is so important to me!! :tt2: