rharriet62

Hi, All good advice listed above. Very often, I still get a tired phase going when I have increased my distance, resistance, pace, etc., when upping my cardio and lifting. I think it's a normal response from your body. I can take 4-7 days to move past that, but remember that as you keep pushing your body, it will take recovery time! Just recently, I moved from running 2 to 4-5 miles and I have had my tired days! GOod job on the workouts!!!

Hi, Hang in there. Keep working on your exercise, drinking Water (but not while eating!), eating small portions 5-6 times a day. I have to say that it took me quite a few fills to really have LASTING restriction. I would get a fill and be OK for a while, but it would feel like it "went away." Time for another! I am now at 2.9 cc fill and am having steady restriction feelings. That has been over 2 years! Hang in there. It will all come together for you! The band is the best and you have NOT failed at ONE thing!!! In fact, you're a WINNER because you have the band!!! It WILL work for you. I'm the QUEEN of slow losers and I love my band. Good luck!

Hi, All those ideas above are great. Use a marker like the poles to run 1, walk 1 until you push it a bit and run 2, walk 1. Keep going like that. I started running with my trainer in June and that is how we started for a while. Then, I would walk up the trail,which was 1.5 miles and run all the way down. Then, it was 2 miles. I was at two miles for a while and yesterday, we were running on the treadmill because it was cold outside. I didn't look at mileage, just kept the option on pace. We were having an "easy run" day because my hips were feeling sore. I didn't keep looking at the distance and ran 3 miles without stopping at all! I kept an easy pace of 4.5 mph and actually, I could have run further! This is a HUGE NSV for me, always a non-runner before! I'm really proud of myself. I realized also that I was limiting myself thinking "I can run 2 miles." I think it really helped me break thru that mental set I had/have! It's addictive! Enjoy!!!

How inspiring! My trainer and I just set a goal for me to run a 5K in the spring. I've been running for a few months, but am still really slow. My goal is to have a "presentable" time before agreeing to do the race. SO, that's what we are working on now! It's challenging but I feel SO good about my fitness level when I can run those miles!!! Who would have ever thought I'd be running??? You are truly an inspiration! Good for you!!!

When I miss a morning workout for some reason, I always take my workout clothes to work, change there, and hit the gym before I ever get home. Getting home and thinking of having to cook dinner, do chores, etc., is the KISS OF DEATH for exercise! All these great ideas are ways to make our health the priority in our lives...YAHOO!!!!

YAHOO! That is WONDERFUL!!! There is nothing like moving down in sizes. I can't wait to get out of all 20s for good...I go back and forth between 18 and 20 depending on the brand. Good for you!!!

Well, I wish you all lived in Wyoming and we could all work out together (LOTS) and commiserate with each other! I work out 2 hours a day and the weight loss seems slower than ever. UG. But, like you, I am enjoying the new lifestyle of working out and and have met some great friends! Just think of all the good things happening INSIDE our bodies that we can't see! YAHOO!

Another visual: my doc says meat, esp, should be no bigger than the eraser on the end of a pencil. Smae as the M& M concept, really!

I've been a pretty slow loser...I lost pretty well at first and then went thru some major stalls while I readjusted my eating, etc. It has taken me 2 years to lose 100 lbs. But, I can say that before the band I would have lost 85, gained 140, and would have been on my next diet between bouts of hating myself for failing again! I'm SO glad I'm NOT there!!! I have to be honest and say I have had to be patient with myself and that has not been easy. I really thought I'd have all my weight off by now, but that is not the case!

Hi, Keep researching on your own. Maybe even find a different doc. As for the ongoing visits, I am five hours from my doc's office. At first, there were lots of trips following my surgery. However, now I only go about every 3 months. It has not been bad at all. It was for a good reason! I really like my band and am convinced that I would have been a bypass person who lost the weight quickly and gained it back! THe band has given me time to work on my HEAD and it has kept me losing or at least not gaining while I figure it all out. ALSO, it's interesting your doc said that about the band...my surgeon is moving to almost all lapbands instead of bypasses...and that is the trend in insurance, too. Just more to think about! Good luck! Rose

Hi, Strange, but I have had these same things happen to me. When I notice that I am losing, looking thinner, wearing smaller clothes, it is SO foreign to me that I noticed I was "hungry" or craved "bad" foods that seem to never get stuck in my band! I think it's the emotional reaction to the change and so you do what (used to) comfort you: EAT! I think it's all part of the change experience and getting your brain wrapped around your new body image. The fact that you recognized it is GREAT! The first step to healing it!!! R

Good for you for making this step with that family history! You are doing the most wonderful thing for your life!!! Congratulations!!!

Mine was for surgery in CO. First, I had to take three written tests. A personality profile and then two different ones on how I would handle pain while in the hospital (like, would I yell at the nurse, would I ask for help, etc.) It was ALL a no-brainer. Then, the psychologist interviewed me for about an hour. Chat about previous diets, why I want the surgery, what my expectations were. That sort of thing. It was nothing! It's ALL good! They are ruling out addiction to substances (other than food), bi-polar disorder/schizophrenia, etc. Even if you have those issues, they will just make sure you get the right treatment before surgery...it's all to help you be the most successful. Not to worry! Good luck. You will LOVE your band. Using it like a tool, which it is meant to be, you will be SO happy to have it!!!

What is your goal? To lose weight and live a new lifestyle? Yes, Thanksgiving is a great holiday, but it's just food. If you're like me, you probably ate enough at those meals in your lifetime to last you a lifetime. I'd go for the fill, since you need it! I got a fill the day before going on vacation for a week last year and I can say that I didn't regret if for a minute! I went on vacation to have fun, not just eat! It's a personal philosophy, but keep in mind what your longterm goal really is! Good luck to you!!!

So true! I have to still really be vigilant with eating because sometimes if I have a hard day eating "real food" I find myself eating crap with too much sugar in it. Seems a cookie NEVER gets stuck! ARRGH.

Where is your port located? Mine is on the upper ab wall on my right side. If I do lots of ab exercises, it used to hurt or feel sore because the muscle is sore. Now that I've lost more weight, I find it bothers me when I wear an underwire bra. If it keeps bugging you, bring it up with your doc!!

You have to decide for yourself, of course. I would like to share this insight I recently had, tho. A friend of mine got a bypass 6 months ago. He has done great and has lost 125 lbs so far. Two years ago, I got a band and I just hit -100. My point is that during the last two years, there were times I THOUGHT I wished I had gotten the bypass. After seeing my friend, I was SO glad I got the band. I realized that while is whipping me in lbs lost, I am MILES ahead in keeping my weight off (I think) because I've had time to work on the head issues that got me fat in the first place. I truly believe that without the time to do the head work, I would have lost a lot of weight and I would have been one of the bypass people who gain it back! I'm convinced of that! I have lost slowly and believe I will keep this weight off. I am changing my thoughts, behaviors, and working on why I eat what I do! I work out 1-2 hours every day; my friend plans to "start exercising" soon. Even his doc told him he would gain it back without changing behaviors. I am working slowly into the mindset of what I need to change for a healthy future, a future where I have kept the weight off for good this time. It took me 40 years to get fat; I am allowing myself a few years to reverse those thinking patterns. It's not been easy. At times, when I didn't lose, I was banging my head against the wall. However, I am seeing everything differently after seeing my friend! You might just think of this perspective as it applies to you. Good luck in your decision! I'm glad you're going to do one or the other!!! Rose:clap2:

Well today is the day!!! I hit -100!!! YAHOO!!! I still have a long way to go, but this was one of my first major goals, to lose one hundred pounds!!! Rose :biggrin1:

Hi, I'm a mental health counselor and Effexor is NOTORIOUS for causing weight gain and difficulty to lose. Normally it causes people to feel hungry. Talk to your physician about trying a different anti-depressant. I know I would! The important thing is that you keep up the great cardio work and diet while you transition (if that's what your doc decides for you). Good Luck!!!

Susan, YOU ROCK!!! I love the way you are struggling with a difficult situation (the kids) and still keep the focus on yourself and what you can do to be healthy and happy!!! What an inspiration you are!!! Way to go. I started out as a size 34/36 and am in size 20...size 18 jean if you buy Jones of New York...they seem to run a little larger! FUN, FUN to get into 18s and have them be a little baggy in the butt and legs!!! YAHOO!!!!

Once in a while, I will have a beer or two. Some times it goes down fine and other days, one drink is too much and I'm miserable and that's the end of that drink! I don't drink soda any more at all.

I love this topic! I love it because I struggle with it!! When I was at my heaviest, I didn't think I was as big as I really was...knew I was really fat, but pictures just shocked me! Now that I am almost 100 pounds lighter, I often think there is no difference in what I looked like before. Of course, I SOMETIMES can see it in pictures, but still see a fat girl. In fact, I just bought a new sweatshirt for running and bought a men's 2X, thinking it would be tight but I would shrink into it. I put it on and it was huge on me....I was dumbfounded! It's that whole image issue which makes me glad I have a band and can lose my weight more slowly than with a bypass. I don't think my brain could have handled a fast weight loss...I would have honestly been one who regained weight after a bypass. Loving my band! Rose:)

I did see this show on Oprah and have seen other programs about weight loss on her program. She is, in my opinion, anti-surgery for weight loss to begin with. However, I also think having a lapband, we have a great advantage to bypass patients who struggle with these issues. For example, I was losing VERY slowly for almost a full year. It was dealing with these very issues of eating too much or for the wrong reasons. It is taking me TIME to rewire my brain and to just FIGURE it all out! My bypass friends lost the weight SO quickly that I often wonder how hard it really is to get your brain wrapped around it. Of course, I have super successful bypass friends and some who are really struggling with keeping it off. Again, it's EACH PERSON having to figure out how to live with this new way of life. I have to say, FOR ME, the band was the BEST decision! I have had time to work out the head issues while it helps me with the food ingestion part. It's all a journey and I really feel for the people who swapped addictions. It does make me wonder if they had more time to lose with the band if they would have figured some of those issues out. Just a thought. Putch :cool:

Hi! I have been in the same boat several times. Make sure you have a good fill. Then, shake it up. Do several things differently. For example, I changed foods I was eating and ate more often early in the day, starting with a protein shake for breakfast before my workouts. I also found I was eating one of those "100 calorie snacks" everyday about 4 PM when I got hungry. I cut those out totally. I added more weight to my workouts, started running further and added 1-2 days of extra running per week, and I work out about 2 hours a day. It seemed that got me going again. I have to say, the running is like a magic bullet!! It gets the scale moving. I am even finding that I LIKE it and look forward to the challenge of how far I can go. Now, I walk 2 miles up a trail at a very brisk pace and run all the way down. I do that after a cardio-sculpt class...so I'm already all warmed up. AWESOME. I also do spinning, kickboxing, and all steep. long hills to my walk/run (thanks to my trainer!) HAHA. Good luck! Shake it up and it will start going down again. Rose:clap2:

Hi, It's great that you are starting running! I'm the slowest runner in the world and I still love it. I have a trainer I work out with twice a week and she started me running when I was on a plateau. I look forward to it now (did I REALLY say that?). HAHA. I started out on a two mile trail. I would run a tenth of a mile and then walk one. In a few weeks, I did two running and then walking. Then went up to 5 and walked 5. Now, I'm walking two miles up the trail and running two miles down without stopping. A big accomplishment for me!! On days I don't work out in a class an hour before running, I could easily run 3 miles. That's my next goal! I usually work out an hour first in a very intense Cardio-Sculpt class, so my legs and glutes are toast when I go out for a run. Keep going. Do what you can do. Get your heart rate up and then walk a bit, catch your breath, and then run again. You'll love it. Rose