sweethinkr

I would like to join in. I haven't weighed in a while, but I'd like to be under 300 by Valentines Day. And if you need help with a spreadsheet or whatever you'd like to use to keep track, I would be happy to help, I use Excel all day at work. I will update later with a starting weight and my plan, which is still to be determined.

Most of you will probably have no idea who I am. That's ok, I have never posted much here. I had my lap band surgery June of 2007. I was certain this was it, this was the tool that was going to help me find success in this life long battle against obesity. Well, it was for a while. I got to 100 pounds lost. Then something happened. Not sure what really, I just stopped doing anything right. I am currently down a little over 30 pounds, so I've gained back 70 pounds. I've seen a counselor, a pyschologist, they have put me on all kinds of strange meds to deal with my depression, etc. All for not. My lap band doc was at a loss for words the last time he saw me for a fill and didn't know what else he could do other than a revision, of which I couldn't do because my insurance doesn't cover it. I was a self pay from the start. I haven't been back to him since then. I didn't go to my 2 year follow up, and have stopped going to the support group. I got tired of hearing how great everyone was doing and them telling each other how great they looked as they said nothing to me since I was gaining. I felt like the biggest failure ever. My boss likes to talk about my weight. He found out I had lap band surgery from someone I told in confidence. I didn't want him to know. He is one of those people that says things without thinking and is very hurtful without knowing it. He recently decided to have a talk about how he noticed I had gained weight and then tried to motivate me by equating my losing and gaining weight to people who take the CPA exam over and over and not pass (I am a CPA and there is always someone who just takes the test over and over and never passes). He says they should just get it done, referring the same to me. Like it's black and white, and as easy as a test. So I dread coming to work everyday. I hide when I eat and hope no one sees me preparing my lunch in fear of some comment. I just want to curl up in bed and never come out. So now I'm looking to try to get back on track. My eating isn't awful as it once was for so long. I am ashamed, I hate the way I look and I am truely unhappy in life as a whole. I need to start working out and watching what I eat by logging again. I know this is what I must do to succeed, the science isn't that complicated. However, my dilema comes elsewhere. Tax season is approaching. I will be working 11 hour days and Saturdays and sometimes even Sunday for 3.5 months. I am awful at getting up early. I will have to get up early to come to work by 6am so I can get off by 5pm, as my mind wanders and I'm useless at work after 5. So now is trying to fit in working out and cooking meals, right? Well the only thing I do other than work is play a video game called World of Warcraft. Yep, I'm sure most of you have heard of it. I play in the end game portion where 25 people have to work together to defeat certain parts of the game. We play 5 nights a week from 630 to 930 my time. It's an all or nothing thign. You're either always there, or you don't have a spot in the lineup so to speak. I am thinking it's something I must give up in order to help myself succeed in weight loss, but it's hard for me, since it's the only fun thing I do. If I keep it, I will be coming home at 5, get home and done feeding animals by 530, and that gives me one hour to eat and workout. I just don't see how I can do it. This also makes it easy to talk myself out of working out, "oh, I don't have time". Looking for some sort of help as to how to give up something I really enjoy in order to succeed in weight loss. Or do I have to or should I? I could backfire, causing more depression and less motivation to workout. It's a deicision that once I make it, it is a done deal, so I'm trying to figure out if it is the best decision. Thanks for any help or words of wisdom anyone has and sorry this is so long!:eek:

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. It really does help to hear what other people see of my situation. I have already gotten rid of cable TV, that was my big eating downfall. So now I get three channels and don't watch much of it anymore. I understand that WoW is just another addiction. I can see that. But what happens when I have no tv and no computer game to occupy the down time I do have in between working, working out and meal planning and preparing (I prepare my meals for the week for lunch and dinner on Sunday). I am a compulsive shopper, which has gotten me into a lot of trouble, and I think I have that under control now, I used to drink and smoke a lot, but have thankfully given that up, and I used to watch a lot of tv and don't do that anymore. I'm afraid that if I quit WoW also, I'll be left with another void and I'll fall into another bad habit, which could be even worse for my health. I am thinking about cutting out the "required" wow playing, which is called raiding, but keeping the account open so that I can play on the weekends or on the rare occassion I do have down time during the week. It is a different game that way, and prehaps I'll lose interest entirely, eventually, but leaving myself with nothing much else to do, would probably be just as bad of an idea. I got up this morning at 6 (will work my way up to 4 before January 1) and I worked out. It was only 10 minutes, but I haven't worked out in months and I will ramp up as I go. Our next support meeting is the first Wed. in January, so I will resolve to go to that. And in the meantime, I will try to figure out what else I enjoy that I can do in my spare time, once wow is completely gone from my life. But I need to have a solid plan so I don't fall into something else more harmful. Thanks again for the support.

You're ok, your comment wasn't one I was referring to. This is a very small company and I live in a small town. I would have to move to find a new job and I couldn't sell my house if I gave it away right now. He is the owner of the business, so not really much I can do other than grin and bear it.

I have been working on my depression most of my life. I am on medication now which is working better than any of the others ever have. I go to the doctor once a month. He adjusts as needed. Counseling did not help at all, it made things worse. Those of us with chronic depression know that it comes and goes. I have good days and bad. Right now, I am feeling pretty well and I know working out helps a ton.

Perhaps he thinks I would do better with gastric bypass I guess, since I have obviously figured out how to eat around my band no matter how tight he makes it (he does all fills under fluro so he can get it just right every time). Most of his patients only ever need 1 or 2 fills, I've had close to 10 but we know there isn't anything wrong with my band. I know I need to quit wow, that is why I'm here. I'm looking for support, not a bashing because what I like to do is different from what others like to do. Guess I came to the wrong place.

Let's see how many of us are out there. Anyone?

Mine is on Wednesday. Working on trying to get a side by side photo made and having some troubles but got some tips here at work to try tonight. I hope I lose a few more pounds by then, but if not, I have plenty of time to keep going!

I started with over 200 pounds to lose too. Now I've lost 90 pounds and I feel great, but still so far to go, it's hard sometimes when so many others are so close to goal. But we can do it! Let's kick some butt and beat those statistics!

OK, so I have been good at making sure I get enough Protein in. I average between 80-100g a day. I had my annual blood work done a few weeks early and the docs office left me a message yesterday telling me up my protein intake. Anyone know what could come up on a blood test to show them this or how it could be that 80-100g is not enough? I'm confused, that's how much they told me to eat in my manual and I've been trying to follow it everyday!

Each of my three meals has protein, a turkey burger patty has 19g, my Protein shake has 22g, whatever meat I have always has around 20g of protein for a portion and then I always have a cottage cheese snack in the afternoon to get in the additional 20 give or take that I need. Some days are better than others though due to sometimes getting stuck, etc.

You just need a fill. Do not eat to the point of pain and you should be ok. You have probably lost fat around your stomach and that's why it's loosened up as you have lost weight. Hang in there, you'll be ok :thumbup:

I am already down this week so watching my calories is totally working. I have a feeling I'm ok where I'm at right now. I am using the numbers on the machines at the gym to know how many I've burned and from the research I have done, they are pretty accurate. I am going to stick to around 1200 a day and then adjust if I need to after a few weeks. That seems to be working for a local friend of mine that works out more than I do. I'm going to have to check out this carb cycle deal, never heard of it, thanks!

Good morning all! Had a great day yesterday. Kicked my butt working out last night at the gym, but hurt something in my shoulder, so didn't sleep well at all. So now all I want is a little nappier here at my desk, think the boss will mind? he he Janine - Thanks for the pep talk. I had a few days of weakness but am feeling much better today. I logged all my food yesterday and my workout. A question for you all. Do you worry about calories in a net sense? I ate around 1100 yesterday, but then it says I burned 600 on my workout, so I only netted 500 calories. Is that ok or should I be trying to eat more calories since I'm working out more? How do you all approach this? I will be asking my doc about it on my annual checkup coming up, but maybe some of you might already know how this should work? Thanks in advance!

Just wanted to get back onto this thread. You all seem like such a great support system for each other. I was banded in June 07 and have lost 85, but have been stalled since February. I recently started getting back into serious exercise the past two weeks and have starting logging all my food again even though I loathe doing it. It's been frustrating. Got an unfill in February and three weeks ago I got a fill three weeks ago after being too loose for too long. However, the fill, which is .1cc higher than before I got an unfill isn't making too much of a difference right now. So it's been a tough road. And not to see any loss after my fill has been discouraging. But I'm sure working out so much lately has caused my body to retain a lot of water, and I know I need my thyroid meds changed, so I have an appt with that doc next week to get that taken care of. Hopefully soon I will start seeing some progress again. Keep your fingers crossed!

Thanks for the information Missy. I have been to plentyoffish and haven't had much success. Maybe it's time to give it another go.

HI ya'll! Just found this thread, didn't know this site had one. I'm single and have been for far too long. I actually am meeting someone on Sunday, but I don't really think he's my type. However, meeting new people is something I have to get back into and stop being a hermit, so I'm going anyway. So where do ya'll find the single people in your area? I have had no luck lately finding dates. Years ago, I got them left and right online even though I was fat, and now, I'm still fat, but once they find out that I am, I never hear from them again. PFfft!

I am on pureed and I took some meatballs (pre-made turkey) and finely chopped them in the food processor and then added sauce and some cheese to it. I ate it for lunch but could eat the entire two cups. Is it just because it's sliding through? Should I be worried? The fill was tight, I saw it under fluro, could it just be a fluke week and it will kick in later? What do you all think?

Hi fellow June Bandsters! I haven't posted in a while. Just curious how you cope when you are craving everything, can eat anything and you have a fill that's still a few weeks away? I'm really stressing out! I had a protein shake this morning and less than two hours later I was starving. So I had some string cheese. Then at lunch, starving again, so had my chicken salad mixture that I always make. I just ate it half an hour ago and I'm already thinking of food again! This is making me nuts, any suggestions?

Thanks for the tips. What I'm going to do first, is ride the bike I have, and if I keep up with it consistently I am going to buy a road bike. But for now, I haven't road it enough to justify buying a new one yet. So once the weather gets back to spring, I am going to see how much I will stick with it before I buy a new one. I am kicking myself now though. I let my sister's husband talk me into a stupid mountain bike because that's what they do, and I haven't taken it offroad but one time on a trail they took me on and now they've moved, lol. So I am thinking I will probably trade it in for a road bike eventually. Thanks again!

question to all you bikers out there...I bought a mountain bike when a bike shop in town was going out of business. It's a fancy Diamondback with dual shocks and disc brakes, a very nice bike indeed. I had my sisters husband put road tires on it, since I mostly use it to ride on the pavement. With riding mostly on pavement right now, should I buy a hybrid bike, will it be easier to ride on the road? I have a psi gauge on my bike pump, so I always make sure I've got plenty of air in my tires, but I'm wondering if it's just not meant to be rode on the road like I do and that's why it's so hard to do? Once the weather warms up, I hope to ride it a lot more, but I just wonder if I'd be better off selling this one and getting one of those hybrid bikes people talk about. What do you all think?:Dancing_wub:

There are several things I have read in the news about after having surgery many people replace eating with someone like too much shopping, drinking, smoking, etc. I don't find a desire to drink anymore since surgery but shopping is very enjoyable for me right now. It's not such a good thing though as I'm on a very tight budget. Hopefully I can keep it under control and keep my web surfing and computer game playing hobbies at a maximum as those are free!

Hi SarahDaken! Congratulations on your decision to change your life forever for the better! My hardest challenge has been giving up foods that I used to love now that I have great restriction and also eating so much less since I loved to eat and used to eat a lot! There are days when I have gone nuts not being to eat as much as I want, but that's just becuase I have used food to medicate in any event. So learning how not to do that is interesting, but you just have to find something else to compensate for it and it forces you to actually deal with things we've all put way back in the corner of our lives. You're going to do great, just remember it's not a race and although it seems like a long journey, before you know it, you'll be at goal! Keep us posted!

Thank you michiganer! I am very excited about it. Makes it hard to have a bad day!

I love my band! I feel so much better than I ever have. I have more energy than I know what to do with and because of this I can finally say my house is clean on a daily basis. I am not hiding much anymore and don't mind going out and doing things. I have more stamina in everything I do. I have lost 65 pounds and am 4 days short of six months. I can't beleive this! I can say honestly that it isn't always easy, but it has been a fabulous journey and well worth it. Through it all, I have so much to be thankful for and the old me is dead! What are you thankful for?:clap2::whoo::bounce::cool::nervous:D