gitrdone

That young man is lucky to have you in his life! You need to know if his reading delay is simple lack of parental interest or if he has something going on [such as dyslexia]. Then as Jenn suggested find out what he loves and let him read aloud to you anything on that subject. You might also try having him use an index card under each line he's reading, it will help him stay on track.

Gosh Jen that is so AWESOME! Congratulations on your hard work and success.

I'm sorry you guys are going through this, but BOY does it help to know I'm not alone :thumbdown:. I was banded 7/16 and don't get my first fill til 9/10. Unfortunately I have almost no restriction anymore. I'm making the right choices and trying to keep the portions small, but it's a struggle. So far I'm maintaining my weight but none is coming off right now . I'll be SO thankful when I get that first couple fills under my [soon to be shrinking again] belt! At least now I understand 'bandster hell'.

Not sure where your at clothes size wise but you can find spandex workout clothes at Target, Wallyworld. I've found even using undies that actually FIT :thumbdown: helps to keep the belly less bouncy.

Protein first. Good carbs after. Starch only if you've a bit of room left. Small bites, chew like crazy, follow portion control. Stick to 3 meals a day, drink all your water, and add exercise when and where you can. Star Kist Seasations are good. I make one of those and put it over a cup and a half of mixed salad add a bit of oil and vinegar. Fish is about your best protein choice, chicken and turkey after that. Other meats only some of the time, and avoid 'lunchmeats'. There are tons of suggestions in the nutrition forum. You'll do great!

Ok, being here with you guys is a huge boost for me! I've spent the last 4 years vegging and avoiding humans as much as possible. You guys have a great community here and I'll get the hang of it. Today though I'm catching up on 2 days posts . Apples- your cucumber recipe sounds great, and a good way to sneak veggies past my DH and DS :thumbdown:. Janet- I'm so sorry your last couple of days were s*ckie. Men-can't work for em....can't kill em :eek:. Great-your name works for me! You have been elevated to hero in my book. Your lean and live in the Rockies :eek:. IYSOY-oh YUM!! Will have to make that this weekend for the boys and I. The link for your blog didn't work, could you resend it? Or send to walkonsis@aol.com for me, thanks! Meredith-your not the only one without cable, my DH watches from the time he walks in the door til he turns out the light....what does he possibly need with a couple hundred channels? I too have a cell phone....but don't use it except for incoming calls, and I do give it out to Dr's so I know anyone calling it I actually WANT to talk to. Eva-hold on gf...we can commiserate with each other. I don't get my first fill til 9/10...and I'm hungrey NOW. Janet-hope your feeling WAY better today. ljv52-wow GRATS! That's just awesome, can hardly wait. Laura-what a CUTIE, hope Nelson had a great day at school.

dbaby6, sounds like your pre-band? Don't kick yourself, you've already made some major adjustments in your previous diet, that's AWESOME! Don't sweat seeing the nutritionist, you can relate all the changes you've succeeded in, and also show you realize your still a work in progress! As far as not always making perfect choices, I'm guessing non of us do 100 percent of the time. It is VERY important to follow your pre and post op directions from your surgeon. Post-op most import so your body can heal properly. As far as the gum-chewing is concerned I believe it's because it could cause a block to your stoma once you have restriction if you were to swallow it by accident. I still chew sf gum but only while sitting at my computer [since I KNOW I can't walk and chew gum at the same time ]. Good luck to you on your appt. your doing great!

Grats BillOh to you and your wife! Awesome that you both did a personal best. I'm on week 1 of C25k for the second week :thumbup:. I think perhaps I started a bit too soon. I was practically a couch potato [ok, a WoW potato] for the last 4 years, and have only been working out since July 27th. I can do the walk/jog within my heartrate range but am having trouble with the balls of my feet bothering me. I know the shoes fit right, just thinking perhaps the body hasn't caught up with the circulatory system. I'm going to stick with the program this week and see what's what. The days I don't run I walk 1/2-1 hour on the treadmill and lift weights for about 20 min. Not sure if I'm just being too enthusiastic here or what.

I had a herniated disk many years ago, and STILL remember how painful it was. While your back is healing it's true that there's not a lot you can do, but perhaps you could look up isometric exercises and add some to your day. Talk to your Dr also, perhaps there's some water theraphy [dang I can't spell :tt1:] in your area that he would let you try. If you can't exercise your body right now, exercise your mind! Do some research to see what may be available to you. When you get the urge to eat.....have a raw carrot . I find they take FOREVER to eat, and I tend to be full after one. If that doesn't appeal...when you get a craving, brush your teeth. NOTHING tastes good after you've just brushed :w00t:. I'm sorry your going through a rough patch right now, but you WILL succeed and come out stronger!:thumbup:

Denise, I've no idea how much you weigh now, but I just started the 'Couch to 5K' program a week ago. I weigh 227 at the moment and NEVER ran before this lol [still not pretty, but hey ]. The afore mentioned program is great for getting started, there's a thread here in the exercise section on it, and there's TONS of helpful, cheerleading people to give you all the support you need to get started and keep going! :thumbup:

Golly pete, your a busy crew :w00t:. Being new to the mix going to deff. take me a while to catch on. Any chance of making a 'cheatsheet' for the noobs? One with screenname/real name mine is Gitrdone/Frances [though online I've grown most comfortable with Gitr]. Julie, your Bandaversiry, 101 pds. that amazing! I don't know how you do all the cooking for all those partys and control the urge to 'graze'. Linda, sound like you had a wonderful vacation. Great job on maintaining while you were gone. Meredith, grats on school! From one 'beaterupper' to another....forgive yourself, and on to the next day! Glad the fill went well, I'm looking forward to my first. Eva- yay you on the fill! I have to wait til Sept. 10th, and right now I'm going on willpower [not my strong suit] and exercise to maintain at least til then. Doodles- lol....men! Best laugh I've had in days about the ceiling fan. So sorry about the shingles...OUCH! Lori- CO mountains, if I were there don't think I'd EVER come down [my favorite place on earth is Tetons in WY] :tt1: Size 8, golly I doubt I've been a size 8 since...well 8 :thumbup:. Janet-shopping as fun...hmmmm, interesting concept I look forward to trying that out! Well, off to the gym for me soon, running program on MWF, so walking and weight lifting today.

Slpcat, though the question wasn't aimed at me....I'll take a shot at answering. Sounds like what's called a 'hard' stop. Your body saying WHOA. I understand there's something called a 'soft' stop also, which can be anything from a sneeze, a cough, your nose running, which is your band's way of saying 'good time to stop'. Don't know from personal experience yet, just some info I've picked up here on the boards.

Laura, I'm SO very sorry about your Dad! Sending healing wishes through you to him. Indi, the C25K is a running program [Couch to 5K]. What I'm currently doing can only loosely [VERY loosely] be called running, but I'm on the treadmill trying :wink2:. As far as the calories. I only count my total, I just enjoy looking at what my exercise contributes to my journey. I did fall off the wagon BIG time on the 18th [my birthday]. With no real restriction and old b-day habits rearing their ugly heads. I didn't lose any weight this week, but am back where I started the week :cursing:. I gave myself a good mental 'whoppin' and got back on track with a vengence! Thanks for the welcome .

Erin, C25K is a running program, perhaps not your cuppa tea :-). I certainly didn't think it was mine....who knew. Do exercise's that you enjoy. I tend to throw myself at every new thing 100 miles per hour [til I hit whatever wall pops up in front of me]. Though I'm very blessed to have an excellent county run sports/exercise program close to home. So for now I enjoy the gym, playing with the C25K, looking into yoga classes, and perhaps a few weeks with a personal trainer [as a 'way to go' gift to me :-P]. Since you enjoy horses, please look into the program close to your home. I know it's not the same as spending time in the saddle yourself, but it's a great way to get exercise, time with those big warm non-judgmental four legged equine's, and an opportunity to give back to someone with more challenges in life than yourself. Truly a win/win for all of you :-). I'm sure you'll find the right mix for yourself !

Hi folks. Nice to find a place here to just 'talk'. I was banded July 16th, and have [mostly] replaced my computer addiction with an exercise addiction :-P. I don't get my first fill til September 10th...feels like forever! I just finished my first week of C25K...wasn't pretty but got it done. I'm guessing I'll be on this first week for a couple MORE weeks. This 9 week course is going to look more like an 18 week course for me, but considering I've spent most of the last 4 years in front of my computer playing WoW I really can't complain. I find I have TONS more energy than in the past, but I also find I'm incredibly impatient with myself. I want it ALL and I want it NOW:blushing:. I'm guessing that perhaps this isn't a new feeling? I'm a little frustrated that I get hungry again [was SO nice right after surgery to not WANT food]. I'm trying to keep my calories around 1,000 with my net at least 450 under that. Anyway, more than you wanted to know at this point, but thanks for letting me talk .

I also have discomfort over my ribs on left side. It feels like a pulled muscle, and the first time it happened was at about 3 weeks out. I asked my surgeon about it and she said it's because the port is sewn to muscle. As this heals it causes this 'pulling'. I found an ice pack helped when I layed down at night. I've also discovered if I eat a bit too much it gets uncomfortable again. As for the nurse with 'exercise'...hooey! I work out six days a week and it hasen't made this area hurt less...but time seems to be working :-)

Sounds like 6 to 8 wks is pretty average. I had surgery 7/16 and won't have my first fill til 9/10 sigh, but that's because my surgeon is going to be on vacation :-(. So for now, I just control how much I eat. Stick with the right types of foods, and exercise. I'm guessing by the 10th of September I'm going to be MORE than ready for that fill lol.

Sounds like solid advise. Also, don't forget to drink all your water daily, and make sure your first bite is small enough, and chew it long enough.

Erin, is there a handicapped riding program in your area? If so it's a great place to volunteer and get your 'horse' fix :-P. I am 5 weeks post-op, started at the gym one week after surgery, and did my first week of C25K this week :-). The only restriction I have from my surgeon is I have to wait 6 weeks for abdominals and getting back in my kayak. For those interested in Couch to 5K there's a great thread right here in the exercise section about it, with super nice, super supportive people in it!

WOOT! Way to knock it outta the park girl!! Congratulations, I'll be joining you [eventually].

Mim, What an AWESOME problem to have :-). Enjoy the shopping, it'll just get better! I put on a pair of shorts the other day that last time I tried had a good 4inch gap. They fit perfect :-)....and they're non-elastic also lol.

Woot WOW grats! I feel like I've got forever, but know I'll be there eventually :-)

My 3 favorite 'afters' were, Gas-x strips [soon as I felt any gas pain], a cold pack for the port incision [used it a couple times a day for first 3-4 days] and Beneful fiber [helps get 'things' moving :-P]. I totally agree with the sugar-free popcicles, and normally I don't even like popcicles.

Even though you've already lost 18 pds be sure and take your measurements before you start cardio! I didn't unfortunatly, but since I just wore a pair of [no stretch] shorts that had a GOOD 4 inch gap the last time I tried to button them..... I know I'm losing inches, gaining muscle [since I'd been SUCH a computer potato for the last 4 years], and losing weight also. I have WAY more energy, and I like me for the first time in a LOOOOONNNNNGGGGGG time. All this on just 3 weeks of cardio/strength training of an hour a day :-)

Suzanne, sound like you have a VERY smart Dr! Grats on the run, and hope there's many many more in your future! I started [sorta] my first 'real' C25K week today. When I say sorta' it's because I can't quite do the full 20 min. jog/walk....my walk outdoes my jog :-P. But I'm sure each day I try will get better. Thanks to advise from BillOh and Kristen I went to a good shoe store Sunday and ended up with a pair of Brooks road running shoes. I couldn't believe the difference today compared to the trail shoes I'd been trying to jog in! The softening was a HUGE help. I did a 30 min interval training 3mph 0/3 incline before i did the walk/jog today. I was planning to continue with an hour on the treadmill on the 'between' days. Does that sound about right? Also was going to do leg Nautilus on non-jog days and do arm Nautilus and free-weights on jog days. Also, I see mention of podcasts for the C25k program, where would I find those? Would sure be a ton easier than trying to watch the clock at the gym lol. Thanks for your advise, I'm a running virgin....but seem to be on the way to conversion!