TexasBecky

Hey Whosya! Great job on the 5K. You've turned into a super athlete. I did another 35 minute walk this morning. I'm up to 3 mph! JULY EXERCISE CHALLENGE - 22 DAYS OF WALKING 5/22 COMPLETED

Good morning Salsa! I'm glad to read that you're doing so well. I hope you were able to get some rest last night. If not maybe you should ask the doctor for something to help with that. I didn't want much to eat the first few days either, but forced myself to drink Protein supplements at least. My doctor is fanatical about the importance of protein to proper healing. Still wishing you a speedy recovery, Becky

Salsa, sounds like you are doing great and your doctor does sound wonderful. How appropriate that this is Independence Day - your first day of freedom from Jabba! Keep resting and taking your meds on a regular schedule. Becky

Frangi, glad I've got my exercise buddy back! We'll both be back in full swing in no time. I walked for 35 minutes today and I'm continuing to pick up the pace. Gotta get started on potato salad now. We're having a big bash today. Happy 4th to everyone! JULY EXERCISE CHALLENGE - 22 DAYS OF WALKING 4/22 COMPLETED

Salsa, so glad you are on the recovery side of things now! Rest and enjoy the good drugs for a few days. We'll be thinking of you and watching for your progress reports. Becky

I'm three weeks post op today! I'm pretty happy with my progress so far and feeling good most of the time. I definitely have those weird twinges and aches that seem to come out of the blue. They feel like they are coming from my insides. I'm sure it is a natural part of the internal healing. Yesterday I not only walked for a little over 30 minutes but I actually spent about an hour in the garden. I just did some pruning and pulled a few weeds. All very slow and gentle, but it felt great! I was really very active yesterday and can't tell that it made things any worse. I was still swollen, but no worse than usual. Karey, I am still wearing a compression "device" about 22 hours a day because I feel better with the support. I have several that I wore before surgery and the doctor said they would be just fine at this stage. They are the "extra firm" support spanx-type garments. I still sleep in the thing from the hospital. Foofy, like Frangi exercise has been my "secret weapon". I started exercising regularly about a month before my lapband surgery and just kept increasing the intensity, but never close to as much as Frangi did. I have a good metabolism naturally, so I am lucky that way. I still love to eat and I know I would never have been this successful if I'd been on a terribly restricted diet. During my early weight loss stage I probably consumed 1200 to 1500 calories a day and as I became more active, I settled in around 1500 to 1600 per day. I make conscious decisions everyday to move my body because every little bit does help. I think that most of us who have lost over 100 pounds in less than a year have done a lot of exercising. If you've read some of Salsa's posts, you can see that she has also been very successful. Jody and Cori, thanks as always for checking in and offering your kind words of encouragement.

I did a 35 minute walk today. Slowly but surely I'm working my way back! JULY EXERCISE CHALLENGE - 22 DAYS OF WALKING 3/22 COMPLETED

Thanks BJean. I wish I had some secret trick. I am 5'9" and thankfully, have a naturally speedy metabolism, so exercising regularly just really kicks it up to high gear for me. I eat just about anything I want in small amounts, exercise at least five days a week, follow the band rules, and the weight has come off. I could stand to lose another five pounds or so to have that magic 25.0 BMI, but there will be another round of plastic surgery in my future, so I'm happy to stay where I am for now. My neck is bordering on being saggy already, so I fear losing too much more.

Wow, this is such a large, active group. I'm impressed with all of you. Today I added a couple of minutes to my walk and increased the speed a bit too. JULY EXERCISE CHALLENGE - 22 DAYS OF WALKING 2/22 COMPLETED

Good luck to all of you. Getting the last few pounds off is the hardest part. It sounds like you all are determined and have rededicated yourselves to the cause, so I know you'll do great. Karey, your plan sounds very interesting. I'll be anxious to hear how it works for you. Please share all the details. Becky

There is not much to report here. I am easing back in to formal, planned exercise this month. I went for my first 30 minute walk yesterday. It feels like starting all over again, but I hope by the end of the month I'll be back to my normal routine. I was able to sleep on my right side for several hours last night. That is huge for me. I don't feel like I've really slept well since surgery, so perhaps I'm about to turn that corner. Frangi, regarding fatigue, I was unusually tired for the first couple of weeks after surgery and did some napping during the day, which is almost unheard of for me. That seems to be passing now and I think the main reason I still feel some daytime tiredness is because the nights aren't great. BTW, I never tire of your posts. They are always fun to read and full of good info. Keep them coming. Of course, I tend to post novels most days, but I assume those people who aren't interested will just skip past my lengthy comments, lol. Karey, good luck on the final push for 20 more pounds. It is a great idea to start a thread specific to that goal. I'll see you there. Salsa, I'm confident that you are going to bounce back faster than any of us considering your age and athleticism. My fear for you is that you will try to do too much too soon. It sounds like your doctor has given you a very reasonable exercise plan. Follow it!! Good luck tomorrow. I'll be watching for a progress report.

Follow the rules. You will be much happier with your results. Good luck with your upcoming surgery.

Happy Birthday Salsa. Have fun today! Becky

Steph, I was happy to see your post and even happier to see how well you are doing. The swelling continues to be my main complaint as well. This too shall pass. Becky

I'm joining in this month! I am still recovering from the plastic surgery I had on June 12, so I have to ease back in to my exercise routine. I'm not allowed to lift weights yet so I'll commit to walking for 30 minutes at least five days a week. I did any easy 30 minute walk this morning. :Banane43:JULY EXERCISE CHALLENGE - 22 DAYS OF WALKING:Banane43: 1/22 COMPLETED

Jody, I too am very sorry to hear the heartbreaking news about your brother. His life has been a hard one and now this is just another cruel blow. It is a terrible shame. You and your family will be in my prayers. It sounds like you will need a break this summer. I hope a couple of days in Florida will be in your future. I saw the doctor this morning. He removed the stitches from my hip and said everything looks good. As for the swelling, he says gradually increasing my activity is the best thing in the long run. Although activity does increase the swelling in the short run, returning to my normal routine will actually speed the reabsorbtion of the excess fluids. It sounds counterproductive to me, but I was glad to hear it, because I feared he was going to say I was doing too much. He also said that ice is fine if it makes me feel better, but that at this stage it will not help the swelling. He promised me that the swelling will begin to lessen soon and that my old pants are going to be too big when it does. I think he knows what his patients want to hear! Foofy, no Stein Mart in Montana! That's probably a deal breaker for Frangi, lol.

:Banane01:Woo Hoo Salsa! This calls for dancing bananas.:thumbup: :crying::Banane01::Banane01::Banane01::Banane01::laugh::Banane01::w00t::Banane01: Congratulations on all your great success. You're another wonderful example of what can be done when we take control of our lives! Countless others will be inspired by you. Becky

Frangi, what are the dates that you'll be in Miami next? Maybe we can work something out. That would be so much fun. Why don't you PM me with the details. Jody, any chance you could get away too? Unfortunately, I think the ongoing aches and pains are normal. I'm really tiring of it though. Yesterday I felt really rotten for most of the day. It was a bad swelling day (guess I over did on Friday) and it just made everthing uncomfortable. I feel bad complaining because I did sign up for this and everything that goes with it. I'm just hoping for a better day today. More later.

Frangi, you look FABULOUS, and just think, it is going to get even better and better!! You and your doctor have done a wonderful job of changing your body to match your current weight and lifestyle. You are definitely doing away with all remnants of obesity. Bravo, Bravo, Bravo! Thanks for being so brave too. You make it easier for everyone to imagine what is possible for themselves.

Hi Everybody. It is a nice quiet Friday night at my house. No visitors this weekend. Yeah! Frangi, I use the ice several times a day for about 30 minutes at a time, with the skin protected of course. I have a large squishy gel pack that works great, but LJM suggested bags of frozen peas if you don't have the gel packs. It really does seem to make me more comfortable. I'm not sure that it makes a lot of difference in the swelling in the long run though. By this time of day, my pants are way too tight no matter what. My port scar is several inches lower than it was, just to the left and below my belly button. Not that noticeable at all. I am starting to feel like this was all worth it. I can see a nice shape developing when I look beyond the swelling and the scars. I am thrilled with my butt and thighs. They are not very swollen or scared so I can already really appreciate the improvement. I don't mind if the scars stay red for a long time, I'm just ready for them to be healed, glue, and "scab" free. Thanks for noticing my weight loss update. I guess my metabolism did kick into high gear after the surgery, because I sure haven't been exercising. I never thought I'd be saying this, but I miss it and getting back to formal exercise as soon as possible is a very high priority for me. Have a great weekend.

Wow! These are some remarkable totals. I'm updating too. Name: Frangipani Weight loss from day of surgery: 91 lbs Total weight loss: 97 lbs Name: Candle Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 lbs Total weight loss: 116 lbs Name: Salsa Weight loss from day of surgery: 100 lbs Total weight loss: 100 lbs Name: Pammycakes Weight loss from day of surgery: 94 lbs Total weight loss: 96 lbs Name: Ceradad Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 Total weight loss: 122 Name: KarenG. Weight loss from day of surgery: 85 Total weight loss: 85 Name: NanaRenan Weight loss from day of surgery: 52 Total weight loss: 72 Name: TexasBecky Weight loss from day of surgery: 111 Total weight loss: 121 Name: SPEBSQSAlady Weight loss from day of surgery: 57.8 Total weight loss: 57.8 Name: Brandottie01 Weight loss from day of surgery: 32 lbs Total weight loss: 32 lbs Name: Bergdorfblonde Weight loss from day of surgery: 32 lbs Total weight loss: 32 lbs Name: Gometros Weight loss from day of surgery: 52.9 lbs Total weight loss: 74.9 Name: Pizzicato66 Weight loss from day of surgery: 71.5 Total weight loss: 83.5 Name: Valstar Weight loss from day of surgery: 52 lbs Total weight loss: 57 lbs Name:Gweniper weight loss from day of surgery: 57 total weight loss: 91 Name: purplegirl1818 weightloss from day of surgery: 73.5lbs total weight loss: 90.5lbs Name: LessNLess weightloss from day of surgery: 63lbs total weight loss: 69lbs Name: JudiM weightloss from day of surgery: 62lbs total weight loss: ?? Name: hf2havefun Weight loss from day of surgery: 41 lbs Total weight loss: 56 lbs Name: Nikki S Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 Total weight loss: 102 __________________

Welcome Home Frangi. Thank goodness for on time flights. I hate that you had to mess with your luggage, but if you felt no discomfort I'm sure you are ok. You are a strong woman! I had to laugh about your house. I know my husband's standards are far lower than mine. You've been gone for two weeks and he probably devoted 15 minutes to cleaning right before he left the house this morning. That's what mine would have done. Good for you acting like he'd done a fine job. It wouldn't have changed a thing if you'd thrown a fit and you'd still have to clean it yourself. Great news on the scale. I know you must be looking fabulous and feeling so victorious. Kat, glad to see you checking in. I've been wondering about you. Are you feeling good as new now? I was out shopping and running errands for several hours this morning and I'm swollen big time again. My doctor told me that the swelling can last for months! I sure hope not. I see him on Monday for a checkup and to get out those stitches that he had to put in my left hip a few days after my surgery. My glue is slowly but surely coming off. The doc told me not to pick at it, but that as I spot loose pieces I can go ahead and pull them off. It kind of reminds me of the skin that peels off after a sunburn. Yuck. I wonder just how long before the scars start to look normal. I need to go get the cold packs and put my feet up now. I'll check in later.

BBK, looking good girl. You're so trim and fit! I hope everything continues to improve for you.

Steph, just checking on you. Any better today? Becky

Salsa, in case you didn't notice, your surgery is one week from today, lol! I'm starting to send the quick healing vibes your way. Good luck on the marathon too, Becky