puddin

First of all, congrats on your upcoming surgery! It's very exciting. If I could give one piece of advice it would be to count calories in and calories out with a fierce tenacity. I can probably eat a whole lot more food than most bandsters, but that's because I exercise like a mad woman, so I get to eat more. I like it better that way because I like to have the increased energy so I can play harder. On average, I'm eating about 1,200-1,500 calories each day. But I like to ride my road bike about 16 miles to and from work every day and then I work out about 45 minutes to an hour each day. In addition I play on a futsol team. So I like to have the energy to do these things by eating more. But you could have the same results just by cutting out more food and getting a tighter fill and exercising less. And I know you all have heard me preach this before and are probably sick of hearing it, but I wear a device on my arm called the Body Bugg that counts all the calories I burn on a daily basis and then have this online system that goes with it where I log all my food. I can predict exactly what I'm going to lose in a week. It's been a lifesaver. I believe the price just dropped to $400 (they have some new competition). I paid $500 for mine. I think some bandsters don't have the time or energy to count exactly what they're eating. And if they're losing weight, more power to them. I heard a quote once, however, that said "Whatever is measured and recorded, improves." I believe that. If you have a choice between a 500-calorie dessert and a 200-calorie dessert and you have to log it later, you'll probably pick the 200-calorie one, so you can hit your daily goal. On the other hand, if you've exercised a lot that day and haven't eaten much, maybe you CAN indulge in that 500-calorie dessert. It's all about crunching the numbers. Of course, you can eat more if you make healthier choices. Okay, that was WAY more than one piece of advice. Sorry about my long-windedness. Have fun with it and stay out of trouble.

I was reading an interesting article on some new developments in new implants to fight obesity. Here's the article: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05221/551001.stm To sum up the article there's some new devices that can either be implanted in the stomach (by going through the throat) or surgically placed under the rib cage. They are intended to stimulate the stomach and create a full feeling. Another device somehow electrically boosts your metabolism by stimulating the same part of the nervous system that is activated by exercise. It's just inteteresting to see some of the new developments in fighting obesity. As for me, for now, the band is exactly what I need. I'm so glad we all found it!

Audrey I had my surgery with Dr. Hansen a year ago. He's great and the staff is exceptional!

9/20 B: Egg on slice of whole wheat L: Spaghetti with meatballs S: Peach and string cheese D: Frozen dinner

I hit the 100 pound mark! Woooohooooo! It took me almost exactly one year from being banded, but the weight is continuing to come off, as long as I keep working at it. Here's my before/after (about a month ago):

I can eat anything, but some things are harder than others. I avoid corn.

Selena, I think you made the right choice with the band. Bypass patients might lose it faster, but if you maintain bad habits you'll just gain it back. You have to work with the bypass just like you have to work with the band. Keep going! Never give up! That's the beauty of the band. There's no "magic period" where you've lost your chance to lose the weight. You can keep right on going.

B: Raspberry tea scone L: Cream of potato soup, 1 slice homemade wheat bread D: Spaghetti with meatballs

I don't think I have self-esteem issues, but heck, I've been wrong before. I've never felt really attractive to men, but now I've got a wonderful, good-looking man. I just had to lose some weight to feel confident enough with the opposite sex. I kept saying, "I won't date until I look as good as I want my man to be." It's pretty superficial, really. My other problem is that I don't flirt. I think flirting is all about having the confidence to be REJECTED. As far as personality goes... let's not go there. Perhaps some personality types date more because they're more outgoing, but I don't think the test will help you in the dating world, but maybe you can shed some light on that. BTW, mine was ENTP.

Coconut, that's like the story of my life! I honestly never had a boyfriend until now. And it took a pile of bricks to make me realize that SOMEONE was interested. I never went to any school dances, never went on a 'real' date in high school, and hadn't even had my first kiss until I was 27 years old. Yeah, it's embarassing to admit that, but I think I'm not alone. I'm sure I have other issues because plenty of big girls date and get married. The question is, how do we address those issues?

Went to a women's conference today where they fed us and THEN to a Festival of Trees committee kickoff meeting where they fed us with badness and forced us to eat it (okay, maybe force is a strong word): B: 3 little chocolate chip tea scones & some hot chocolate L: 1/2 turkey sandwich w/ avacado, tiny little square of 7-layer bar, some fruit D: Wendy's 5 pc chicken nuggets & sm chili SD (second dinner): Chicken salad sandwich roll, sm eclaire, mint truffle S: 5 bite-sized reeces peanut butter cup thingy's I'm sure I broke even today, given there was no exercise of any sort because the day was packed. I need to plan better for these things so I don't give in.

Damn, girl, you look GREAT! Your before/after pictures are jawdropping. I was so stunned by your transformation. Just picture that next beach bikini shot, you know, the one where all the men on the beach are lusting after you. Make sure someone gets that shot, and then post it here for us!

That is a tremendous NSV! I remember the first day I realized that I could just slip right into a booth. It was like, "I'm a regular person." Sounds silly, but it really was huge for me. Congrats to your wife!

Okay, slowly getting back on track! B: Apex breakfast square (yuck): 210 calories, 15g protein L: Schezwan chicken - ~310 calories, 14.2g protein S: Pumpkin dessert for co-worker's birthday - ~262 calories, 2.5g protein D: Chicken Spaghetti - 248 calories, 20.9g protein S: Planning on protein shake - 210 calories, 20g protein Total: 1,240 calories, 72.6g protein

Thank you everyone! It really has been a lot of work this year, but the band has been a tool that allowed me to keep my motivation, whereas before I would have given up long ago. Now I have a wonderful guy in my life - a year ago I'd been on maybe 5 dates in my whole life (it's embarassing to admit that). We went on an awesome cruise in May (about 35 pounds ago) and I was able to bike and hike at every port - it helps to have an active man! Here are some of our vacation pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/puddinpie/. I know I'll make it to goal this year, and I know that ALL of us can! Just keep on keepin' on!

We're soul sisters, Liberty. I can eat a lot but not binge. If I eat too many calories in a day I work it off. I'm a big believer in being able to eat more and being more active. Of course, if I had that mentality a year ago I wouldn't need the band, right?

My nurse explained that some of us lose restriction little by little because we are losing weight. There's less pressure on our pouch because there's less fat surrounding it. I think she was guessing, but it sounds plausible.

You certainly ARE hot! Just accept it. When the weather changes I'm afraid. I can't ride my bike in the snow so I've got to find some winter obsession, I guess. Today: B: Rest of peach tart ~180 calories? L: Smart Ones Turkey w/ green beans - 200 calories S: Peach & string cheese- 100 calories (I got peaches from my tree coming out my ears!) D: Taste of Utah thing - bbq beef on a roll, fried rice ball, dixie cup of ice cream, caramel corn, fresh fruit, few chips with mango salsa - Guessing 500-600 calories??? S: Toast with chicken salad & fresh tomato - 190 calories Guesstimate Total: 1170-1270 calories

That website is for gastric bypass. I think for those of us that have little restriction the food flows out faster than it would for a GB patient. Nonetheless, it's probably generally an accurate test. I'm going to try it! Of course, cottage cheese sort of makes me gag, but I'll try it anyway.

I can eat a whole chicken salad sandwich with a fresh tomato (my favorite), and sometimes a little piece of fruit with it! I'm also a year out (next week). If you're not losing, go get a fill, but if you're happy with your loss then why get one? I'm at 2.8 cc's in a 4cc band and can eat as much as my 12-year-old brother. But the weight seems to come off so I'm sticking it out.

I wish! Maybe I'll shape up and try to meet that goal by my 1-year band anniversary. Oh, wait, that's in 5 days. I don't think I'll make it! The exercise is going well, I'm just in school now so I don't have the time that I had before to exercise every waking minute. I do ride my bike to work and back every day (it's about 15 miles roundtrip), and on the days I don't I'll get my butt to the gym for about 50 minutes. It's still not hacking it, though. My average calorie burn is about 2,200 calories/day. On a very active day it's 2,800, on a non exercising day it's about 1,800. My metabolism has slowed down! Anyhow, here's today (so far): B: 1/2 Apex fit protein shake - 10g protein, 110 calories L: Smart Ones Grilled Chicken in Garlic Herb Sauce - 180 calories, 19g protein S: Planning on some lowfat, sugar-free yogurt - 40 calories, 5g protein D: Chicken Enchilada - No idea on calorie content. Guessing ~600? S: Peach tart - ~300 calories? Totals: ~1,230 calories Okay, Teresa, had to add an addendum because I just saw your pic. You are lookin HOT!

Too much salt doesn't slow your metabolism, it just makes you retain water, which makes you look fatter, plus it can cause cause high blood pressure. Actually, a lack of salt (actually salt with iodine) can slow your metabolism because your thyroid requires it for normal function.

Okay, I've been at a two-week plateau. It's my own stinkin fault because I eat well for 4 days out of the week and the other 3 I blow it! B: Peach yogurt w/ granola, a few grapes, 2 crumb donut holes L: Arby's french dip sandwich w/ au jus S: Peach S: 1" sq fudge D: Lean Cuisine lasagna and chicken parmesan S: Planning on peaches in milk Total calories: 1160; protein: 66g

Krystal, call your doc. This doesn't sound normal to me.

How strange, yes, please give more explanation as to what kind of pain you're in. I get dizzy after a fill for about 8 hours, but never have pain.