DivaStyleCoach

OMG...why are they all so broken up? This is a chance to shake up your workout, to learn a different methodology, and get yourself out of a rut - to learn something new about yourself and push your limits. Donna - I'm with you...GET OVER IT ALREADY! And is Bob really trying to make us believe that he is crying because he doesn't want to lose his 'friends'...yeah, right - he wants to keep the guys because they drop major pounds each week and they will probably keep doing so...the guys lose it faster than gals, and he doesn't want to lose his edge. If it was me, I'd be cheering like Brown son - Jillian has had the winners for the past TWO seasons - hello!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Why would I NOT want to train with her? Obviously, what she is doing works! Ok...rant over!

Banded at 45, now 46 (recent birthday). I wish this had been available (and I had known about it) easily 20 years ago. I've been fighting my weight since my early teens and if this had been available when I was much more active than now, I think I would not have gained so much weight and be much healthier than I am now. That said, I'm thrilled to have my band and looking forward to being healthier for the rest of my 40's and beyond! :smile:

PJTP...Slim, this is really hard, I understand, and I wish you didn't have to go through it, but... :thumbup: Since you do, but on your best bi*ch-on-wheels attitude and set a deadline - and not several weeks from now, but a couple of DAYS from now. Either HE handles it by x date, or YOU will...if you leave it open-ended, it will never get handled properly. And define for him what HANDLE it means to you! :cool2: Get definate confirmation that he has indeed HANDLED it by being there when it happens. You need to know exactly what HE says and what SHE says. If he's not willing to stand up to his mother (and it sounds like he's had a problem with this before) then she's going to be in y'alls business and disrespecting you in your house for quite a while. You don't deserve that - you are better than that, and we're on your side on this one. :cursing: Beth and Luluc are right - nip it in the bud now, before it gets worse. And I agree with you - if HE doesn't like it, he can move in with HER!:smile:

Good afternoon Notorious Novembers! I definately have restriction now - the second fill, and I'm feeling it! :smile: Today has been great - ate half my usual amount of cereal for breakfast, and have had what seems like a lot of food, but it's much less (calorie-wise) than ever before: a fresh apple (no pb'ing), 1/2 cup of turkey-veg-rice soup for lunch with a few wheat thins (felt the restriction at the end), a few baby carrots and about a cucumber and a half (peeled, cut into strips). I'm pleasantly full but not stuffed, and no pb'ing today. I did have a few Ruffles, but restriction kicked in and I ate a lot less than I would have pre-band. If I can keep this up, I'll definately see a bigger loss on the scale - I'm targeting 1500 cal per day, and so far I'm still 600+ calories left and dinner won't be that many. I know I need to leave the chips alone - that's a struggle I continue to fight. I also walked at lunchtime (and this morning) and will get on the rower tonight before bedtime. It's funny, but the evening exercise has made a BIG difference in my blood sugar measurements - I am easily 40 points lower in the morning since starting the evening exercise. Wahoo! :cursing:

PJTP... Mob Wars is great fun...gets all my aggression out in the virtual world where I can't really hurt anyone...:cool2: SMS - be careful, girlfriend...try to let him down easy, but if he doesn't comply forthwith, document all the 'stalking' and report it to your employer if need be...damn those needy men! :smile: Slim-in-tn - you are right that this needs to be handled RIGHT AWAY...if your hubby won't set the limits, the you HAVE to, for your own sake and for your mental health. She might not like it, but you have to stand firm. I had a MIL-from-hell with my first marriage. She actually told my then-husband that he was too good for me and when we divorced, said I should pay HIM alimony because I was working at a steady, good job, and he wasn't! Now she's trying to make nice-nice with my son because of my grandbaby (he's all she has left of her son - unfortunately he passed away due to illness) and I encourage my son to keep in touch, but told him NOT to be manipulated by her. luluc - I would so KILL that child when I got home - he better have more than bruises for me to give him a stay of execution! :cursing::cursing::thumbup:

I would be creeped out too...it's pretty obvious that she's trying to make herself look as much like Angelina as possible... Too weird, and just more evidence for her detractors. Nadya must be the best scam artist in the world to be able to pull all of this off... She's going to make some psychologist's career if she ever seeks help...

Just watched the clip...if I was that disrespectful to my mother, she'd have belted me one - camera or no camera. She doesn't make any sense, and her whole arguement seemed to be - it's done, move on. Okay, YOU move on - with no help from the federal government or my tax dollars, you twit!:w00t:

PJTP... SnT - my prayers to you and your family...it is so difficult to lose someone in your family, let alone multiple losses at the same time. Be strong, be safe and take good care of yourself! SMS - glad you enjoyed yourself! You are not married, so you're free to see whoever you want, but be careful...protect your heart and your self! It is so nice to be appreciated and treated like the precious and wonderful asset that you are...have fun, but be careful...

Mornin' CT Banders! Heather - something jumped out at me from your last message - you are only eating 800 calories and burning off 500 with exercise?!?!?!?!?!?!? Isn't that putting your body into 'starvation mode' and it will try to hang on to as much weight as it can? I think I saw on a recent episode of Biggest Loser that one of the contestants was not eating enough in trying to maximize their weight loss, and because of the extreme physical activity, they were basically in starvation mode. Now, I'm not a doctor or a certified trainer, but I'm definately concerned about you...check with your doctor, please - I'd hate for you to do yourself harm while trying to get healthier!

Mornin' Everyone! This case just gets weirder...why would the sperm donor come forward now? Because if he can have it proven that he is the donor, HIS book deal will be possible. If he gets ANY money from this, it should be placed into a trust for the children. On the other hand - doesn't a sperm donor through a "bank" sign something that says they are not responsible for the children produced? If he did this without going through normal "channels" then what is his legal responsibility? Does he want the babies? If I was his wife, I'd be furious - not just because he donated sperm to a MARRIED woman, but because he didn't tell me. You would think he would have given his wife the option of pulling back any remaining "deposits" so that she wouldn't have to worry about any future half-siblings! I really hope she fades from view soon - all the notoriety (sp?) won't continue...she does not deserve the fame she's seeking, and I sincerely hope she does not get a SINGLE, SOLITARY book deal, movie, made-for-tv-movie, or anything else unless the income goes into a trust for the children. She's just a disgrace, pure and simple...:w00t:

Mornin' Warriors! Rowed my butt off (literally) last night - couldn't stand up properly afterward :w00t: Getting better distance and feeling stronger every day. I don't know why I didn't figure this out sooner - my body LOVES exercise! I seem to get stronger every day, the second-day soreness is manageable and dare I say, even pleasureable (because I know I worked hard), and today I had to walk extra stairs at the train station because the track my train comes in on got changed, and I bounded up the stairs like a teenager! Wonderful NSV (TMI alert) - my 'back fat' is going away! Yep, it's not a pretty sight (yet) but it's definately less ugly than before I was banded...and I can't wait until I'm in shape to wear a low-cut or backless dress! The sun is shining, it's colder than you-know-what outside, but it's still a great morning!

Mornin' Notorious Novembers! My fill last week was rather uneventful (the actual appointment) but it's been interesting since then! I had a sense of tightness over the weekend, but nothing drastic. Today, I pb'ed on a slice of fresh pear!! I'm just not cool with that - it was yucky!!! I did have some hot cereal and that stayed down, and my first snack of the day was 5 or 6 cherry tomatoes. So far, so good - maybe I was just tight 'cause it was morning. I've heard some bandsters say they are tighter in the morning. I'm really hoping this is my 'sweet spot' cause I've got an event coming up in about 2 weeks and a new outfit that I am thisclose to fitting into! Exercise has been better lately - I now have a rowing machine at home and am doing that every day except Sunday (my day of rest). Heather - keep going forward, girlfriend...it's going to work out for you because YOU are working it! I've had some nice NSV's lately - smaller clothes, even smaller shoes - they are really nice to have and help keep me going. :hurray:

Mornin' CT Banders! Sil - good to see you here! I'm so glad your surgery went well and that your recovery is going well also. Would love to see you at an upcoming support group meeting... Got my second fill last week, had an 'average' weekend, but pb'ed this morning on a slice of fresh pear! Yuk! Gotta chew, chew, chew! I'm trying to move to more fresh fruit and less canned - though canned fruit goes down easy, it doesn't keep me full for long, and that's not good when you're fighting roaring head hunger. Today I'm doing okay after the pear pb - had some hot Cereal and a few cherry tomatoes and they stayed down so far. Hoping to continue THAT trend... Looking forward to the next New Haven support group meeting on Wednesday, March 4th at 6 pm. If you're in the area, please come on by - we could use more people in the group. We're friendly - a couple of newbies like myself, a couple of veterans (like Chris on this board - Hi Chris!) and 'Patient Zero' - Lisa, who was the first person they banded at Yale-New Haven. See ya there!

Mornin LastOptionAtty, I do weigh myself at home - the at-home scale is about 10 lbs different from the doc's scale, though! :hurray: I tend to weigh myself every day - I probably shouldn't, but it's an old habit that's hard to break. I know when I eat something salty, I can gain 3 - 5 lbs overnight! :hurray: I'm doing okay so far...this weekend was a little weird. I'm definately tighter in the morning than before - in fact, I pb'ed on a slice of fresh pear this morning. Guess I wasn't chewing well enough. I had some hot Cereal and that's staying down well, plus I had some cherry tomatoes and they are staying down as well. I'm definately a 'grazer'...I could nibble all day every day, but I know that's not good for me. Especially when my food of choice would probably be potato chips! :hurray: I'm hanging in there...I think this fill is definately helping. What I am experiencing is definately 'head hunger' - my stomach is not growling from hunger and I know I've had enough to eat...I just WANT more! :hurray:

Mornin' Warriors! Had a good workout weekend - rowed on Saturday afternoon at the gym and actually "raced" someone. I hate when this happens - I'm not the smallest girl at the gym, but I'm not the biggest either. This "skinny minnie" gets on the rower next to me and makes a snide remark to her equally skinny friend walking by that she wishes she had a "fit person" to row next to so she would be "challenged" by trying to keep up with them... :hurray::cursing::hurray: I guess because I had my headphones in, she didn't think I could hear her...but then she wasn't exactly whispering either! This as she's setting the resistance to 1 and rowing like she's sitting in concrete (very slowly). I of course was mid-way through my routine and came to a 'speed' period just as she was getting herself set. I exploded out of the blocks, so to speak, and beat my previous split time by quite a bit. The program I'm doing has some intervals with 2 minutes of speed, 2 minutes of active rest...if we'd been in real boats, I would have swamped her with my wake. :hurray: She got off her rower before I did, saying something about the machine being set improperly...they are brand new, so if it was set wrong, she set it wrong! :thumbup: I was smiling all the way to the locker room...had my iPhone playing "When I grow up" from the Pussycat Dolls (after my workout was over) and was singing my head off...serves her right for making assumptions about someone she didn't know! OTOH...I got a bit of inspiration when I walked into the locker room. There is a lady who works out with a couple of guys there and they all have awesome physiques. I didn't ask her arm measurement, but if she's not sporting a pair of 16-inch guns, I'd be surprised. They come in, get right to business, lift heavy and go home. Not a lot of extraneous talking or playing arouhd, they hit it hard and leave. She's in awesome shape and I wish I had her arms.:hurray: I said hi and gave her a compliment - she responded with a wonderful smile and encouraged me to keep going. Said she'd noticed my workout and said I was laying a good base for future results - I've seen her off and on for about 6 months. Made me feel good that she noticed - and I left the gym on a real high. It's very cool when someone you respect gives you respect back...

PJTP... After my second fill, I didn't really notice any increased tightness, but figured I'd give it a while...this morning, I PB'ed after eating a slice of a PEAR! WTF? :hurray: Potato chips go down like a champ (snacks after church yesterday) but PEARS make me PB? :hurray::cursing::thumbup: Kat - so glad to hear your DD got a correct diagnosis and that it's serious, but not life-threatening. That must have been so good to hear! SMS - my hubby flies small planes (he has his pilot's license) - try not to worry, it's an awesome ride and very fun. We do "hamburger flights" where we fly somewhere, have lunch and then fly back. There's even a book called "the $100 hamburger" because that is what it used to cost to fly short flights. Be careful with the pilot friend - they tend to "latch on" to those who can understand / support their obsession with flying...LOL Though my DH developed it recently, I think if I said "It's me or the plane" he might think about it a while before answering :hurray: *just kidding* Susan - hope you are feeling better today! :hurray:

PJTP...I'm the tallest woman in my family at 5' 10". My darling mother was only 5'4" tall, my DD is a little taller than I, my DH is 6' 3" tall, and my sons are both 6' 4" (go figure). My height came from my paternal grandmother - I have a photo of her, and we are twins in body size from the neck down...funny how that happened. Glad my children are tall, but I keep hearing my mother's voice saying "I'm not going to be the shortest one in the house" :mad2: She was...and now I am! :sneaky:

IMHO, Tara has forgotten that she and Laura got to the point TOGETHER that they decided to try out for the show...no one on the show really has any justification for the 'holier than thou' attitude - or would that be 'fitter than thou'? Everyone there decided to try out because they were at a crossroads and decided to DO something rather than whine about it any longer. For that, I applaud them. Laura isn't my favorite, but I think that's because I can see some of my weaknesses in her...and I agree with other posters that if I had Jillian yelling at me for weeks on end, I'd be pushing too! ROFLMBO at the Jillian hip pose comment from alatina - now that you mention it, she DOES do that a lot! I love the show - it has made ME rethink some of my food choices and I relate to some aspect of most of the contestants' lives.

Wow...what a thread. Very simply - I agree with most of you. Nadya S. should NOT have had further IVF until she secured her CURRENT children's well being. That means a home that is not close to foreclosure, college funds, etc. Before you ask - yes, I did all of that for MY children (though I've only got 3 not 14). I have done without many times to make sure my children got what THEY needed. To have further IVF is irresponsible and I think criminal. She cannot provide for the children she HAS, yet she selfishly asked to be implanted with MORE. I cannot, in all good conscience, say that what she did was correct or even sane. Now that the babies are here, I fear for their safety if they stay with her. She has NOT shown that she has the good sense or fiscal responsibility to raise that many children. They should be adopted out with a provision that they can be kept in contact with each other. The babies should not suffer because their incubator (she is NOT a mother) made a bad decision. This is a sad situation, made even sadder because now it appears that she is going to try and PROFIT from the situation. If any money is given to the family, it should be held in an irrevocable trust and an administrator appointed so that Nadya cannot touch ANY of the money and the bills related to the children go straight to the administrator. Administrators should be changed every so often to avoid any appearance or actual impropriety. Excess funds should be invested for the children's care and / or education. I weep for the babies...Nadya does not get ANY sympathy from me. She KNEW exactly what she was doing, and she was WRONG. There is no honor or glory in what she has done - and I cannot believe any good force in this universe would back her on this situation.

Mornin' Warriors! Decided to test my limits last night and tried out a program I downloaded from ITrain for rowing. It's called "IRow" (doh) and I downloaded the trial workout and the 20 minute beginner workout. Did the 20 minute beginner work out and while I was tired at the end, I made it through! :thumbup: Never thought I'd do it, but I just kept going. So...that means I've been underestimating myself. I've done it before - and I'm not sure where the lack of confidence comes from, but I've crossed that hurdle and I'm not going back! Felt great - tired at the end, but no back pain, so my form was good. I'll be doing that workout for at least the next 2 - 3 weeks, and then I'll get the next one up (40 min I think). Thanks for all the good wishes and encouragement, y'all! Knowing you are all out there pushing through your own challenges keeps me going. My goal is to one day be able to keep up with Ceradad and Jachut!:tt2:

Mornin' Everyone! Mom2two - Please check with your doctor - and if solids are causing you trouble, stay on liquids until you can talk to them. It may be too soon - try protein shakes to help keep your strength up, and sip, sip, sip until you see them. It sounds scary - please take care of yourself. Kirsty49 - the Bodybugg is a device worn on the arm (they use them on the Biggest Loser) which tracks your activity and gives you and idea of how many calories you are burning. There are other features, I'm sure, but that's what is most mentioned. I just bought one gently used on EBay. 24Hour Fitness has them on it's website if you are looking for more info, and several forum members have them, I think... Razberry*kisses - you are doing awesomely well! I can't wait until I can say I've duplicated your weight loss. I know I'm losing inches (clothing sizes are dropping) but the pounds are slow to come off. Hopefully now that I've gotten my second fill, I'll be losing faster. If not, I see my doctor again in a month and I want to have good results to report!:tt2:

I recieved my first fill in early January, right after the holidays. I felt restriction for about 7 - 10 days, and then it loosened up and I was able to resume my formerly bad eating habits with a couple of exceptions. This is harder than I thought, but then, why am I surprised? If it was all about my willpower (and if I had any) then I wouldn't be in the position of NEEDING a band to help me lose the excess weight. That said, I am hopeful that this second fill will help me gain more control. I am hungry all the time, and crave carbs like nobody's business. It's tough - knowing that I am a type II diabetic means that I shouldn't be eating as many carbs as I am, but somehow I don't seem to be able to stop. It's something I think I'll have to work on for a while. The PA / Nurse yesterday gave me a great idea - eat more bulky veggies to help give me that "full" feeling that I'm so used to and craving...it will also help me stay on my calorie goal. Gaining 2 pounds from January to now (appt was yesterday) didn't make me happy at all - I had a worse reaction than my doctor, but still. :confused::cursing::frown: Gotta keep plugging away - walking is helping me to feel more energetic and stronger, and I just got a rowing machine in my house so that will enable me to work out longer. Had to give up the gym membership for economic reasons - everyone seems to be struggling nowadays. Following up with the doctor in a month - I plan to have MUCH better results this time. I'm going to fight the head hunger with everything I have, and I have to win - my life and my quality of life depend on it.

Hang in there, andjhd - I gotta tell you that your post gave me some additional inspiration today! It does help when we know we're not alone, doesn't it? Good luck to you on your journey - we just have to stay strong, we can do it!

LilMissDiva, I have to thank you for the ROFLMBO moment - I'm sitting here giggling at my computer (having just gotten up off the office floor)... You are too funny!

I recieved my first fill in early January, right after the holidays. I felt restriction for about 7 - 10 days, and then it loosened up and I was able to resume my formerly bad eating habits with a couple of exceptions. This is harder than I thought, but then, why am I surprised? If it was all about my willpower (and if I had any) then I wouldn't be in the position of NEEDING a band to help me lose the excess weight. That said, I am hopeful that this second fill will help me gain more control. I am hungry all the time, and crave carbs like nobody's business. It's tough - knowing that I am a type II diabetic means that I shouldn't be eating as many carbs as I am, but somehow I don't seem to be able to stop. It's something I think I'll have to work on for a while. The PA / Nurse yesterday gave me a great idea - eat more bulky veggies to help give me that "full" feeling that I'm so used to and craving...it will also help me stay on my calorie goal. Gaining 2 pounds from January to now (appt was yesterday) didn't make me happy at all - I had a worse reaction than my doctor, but still. :cursing: Gotta keep plugging away - walking is helping me to feel more energetic and stronger, and I just got a rowing machine in my house so that will enable me to work out longer. Had to give up the gym membership for economic reasons - everyone seems to be struggling nowadays. Following up with the doctor in a month - I plan to have MUCH better results this time. I'm going to fight the head hunger with everything I have, and I have to win - my life and my quality of life depend on it.