JulieNYC

Well, I met the challenge last night. As you know, I wanted to get the mandatory exercise out of the way early this month because I'm traveling as of Thursday and won't be in control of my schedule. Yesterday was also my first run with my new heart rate monitor. I really liked it! First, I liked it because the regular sized lady's model indeed fit around my chest. I was worried that I might have to take it back and get the men's, but I didn't. More importantly, it helped to reassure me that I wasn't running too hard for my body. I felt athletic! Lastly, I was hoping to discuss January's challenge. I know it's very early, but I thought thinking about it might help us to get through the holidays with the least damage. I think that we need to up the time requirement more than the number requirement. I'm thinking 40 minutes, 17 times. What do you all think?

Dawn, 199 is just my mini-goal. I can't think of things in too big of a chunk or it gets me depressed, so I focus on getting to the next mini-goal. I'm only 5'2. I don't actually know what my real goal is. The lowest I've been as an adult was 175. I thought I looked great there (compared to the 250 that my body was used to), but I could still have lost a lot. I'm my head I guess I'm thinking about 150 for a true goal, but who knows. For now, I'm focused on getting to Onederland, then to 180 -- at which point I'm told I'm eligible for a much needed tummy tuck.

DeltaDawn, can you BELIEVE you're only 35 lbs from goal??!! That's so incredible! Your snowshoeing sounds wonderful as well. I'm so glad you had such a nice day with it. Boo, whatever your crunch goal is it's great. For me, I need to do 250 because I do 50 of 5 different kinds of crunches (50 normal, 50 left, 50 right, 50 leg raises for the lower abs and 50 alternating left right center). If I don't do that many, I don't feel a thing. It only takes about 12 minutes to do, when I remember to do it. If I do them at the gym on the ab machines, I probably only do 100 (90 actually -- there are 3 machines and I do 2 reps of 15 on each). I'd rather do them on my floor at home though, watching TV.... Roberta, thank you for your sweet words. Woohoo! We all rock this holiday season! Betty, is everything OK with your home after the weather last week? I ran outside this weekend for the first time, as opposed to on the treadmill. It wasn't too bad, though I know my time wasn't as good (hills are to blame). I also got a heart rate monitor and I'm looking forward to seeing how it works with my workout tonight. I love gadgets.

Bluehill, I just noticed you're -94 with 94 to go. One more pound and you're over the hump! That's so exciting!! Thank you for your sweet words about me reaching my holiday goal. I'm honored to be an inspiration to you, and believe me, you are to me too. As for holiday "will power" tips, I have two things to offer. First, any time you're going somewhere where there's holiday food around, make sure you eat a high Protein meal before you go. It's so much easier to stay away when you've used your band to turn your hunger off. I did this this weekend. I was in NC visiting friends and there was TONS of holiday food in the house (they have small kids and my friend bakes). I can't say I was a perfect bandster (my best friend's plumb cake is a holiday tradition for me and it's SO YUMMY) but I did pretty well. Pretty well is all I can ask for in this season. Next, Bluehill, could you say to yourself -- "gee, I've lost 94 lbs in a few short months. I really want to start the New Year down 100 lbs and I'm going to commit to that goal." Then every time you are faced with a yummy treat, you can remember that it's going to be really hard to lose 6 lbs in 2 weeks this time of year. It would take really working out and eating small, protein rich meals. But you can do it if you decide you want to go for it! (Of course, reaching that goal in Jan is fine too if you don't want the stress -- it's just the kind of thing I find motivational, though I recognize some people don't). Susan, Cheetos are the devil's starchy fingers. (That's a line from a sitcom I watch where one of the character's ultra-religious mother imposes a very strict diet on her teenage daughter and several times she refers to varous cheeto shaped/french fry shaped foods as the "devil's starchy fingers" -- I literally roll on the floor laughing at that comment. I hope the humor translates in email talk...) Seriously though, no food is evil, but I understand the problem. Cheetos taste so good. Alas, I'm glad you're past your time with them and you must feel great that your workouts and your band helped you to keep your weight stable in a time when you thought it might not be. Congratulations! Come on, Onederland! You are on the way there. As for Peanut Butter substitutes, have you tried the DaVinci sugar free syrups? They have a peanut butter flavor that I put in yogurt and it does the trick for me most of the time when peanut butter is calling my name. You could even freeze some.... Boo, are you up for a mini-challenge, just between you and me (and whomever has tummy issues and wants to join)? My Dad said I need to be doing crunches every day so that I don't need much muscle repair when I have my tummy tuck in April. I may have children one day and he'd rather not cut the muscles, if it's not necessary. Thus, I'm supposed to be doing major ab workout. Here's the thing -- I flat out FORGET most days. It's not that I'm too tired or lazy, I just forget to do them. Maybe if I had a LBT crunch goal that I reported in on, I'd remember. So, Boo, I'm going to do 250 crunches a day from now to Jan 1, and I'm going to report in on them here. By Jan, it should be a habit. Want to do the same? My other "solution" is a product called Lipo in a Box (I think I read about it here, actually, but now I'm a real fan). It's a light weight support garment that comes up almost to your bra (at least one model does). If I'm wearing low rise pants (but where the top still covers all skin -- yuck on me otherwise!) I wear that and it eliminates "muffin top" above the waist, even on me at 235, so I know it will on you. If the idea of wearing lycra doesn't make you cringe, you might check it out....I found that it ran SLIGHTLY big if you order. If you're between sizes, go for the smaller one. I wear this one (link below), but there are several that would work -- just make sure it's a model that comes up high on the torso or it'll make it worse, not better. http://www.lipoinabox.com/46851.htm

Christmas Goals A1ikou...............240...............XX Aza....................299...............XX BPM..................230...............37 candy444...........299.................09 Elisabeth.............275.................16 Ericsmom...........250................7.6 Indianlight...........280.................-1 WOOHOO!! Josette................340.................25 JulieNYC............235...................0 (woohoo! Joy to the World!) Koala.................275..................24 Ladydi................270 .................33 LapBandit...........250..................0 (Ho Ho Ho-Merry Christmas!) Libra...................270................0 (woohoo!) Mariguita.............290.................XX NatesMommy.....275.................XX Waterlily1072.....275..................23

DeltaDawn, you rock! Way to go for starting the running program offiially. Awesome. I met my Christmas goal today. My new goal is Onederland. I can't BELIEVE it's only 35 lbs away....

Betty, You are the BOMB for going to the gym after a morning like that! WOW! That's utterly amazing. You rock the house!! I'm headed to NC for the weekend to visit friends for the holidays. Looking forward to it. I might leave my seatbelt extender on the plane this time. Maybe. Nite, Julie

Pull me across the line, Libra!

Amourette, This is the one I bought and love. http://www.brooksrunning.com/prod.php?k=26486&p=BSIWB543 I'm going to miss working out today. I just can't fit it in. I've got a holiday party in the early evening then am going to the theater tonight. I guess one day off won't kill me and tomorrow I work out with my trainer, so I'm sure to get a double whammy.

Fluid ounces (measuring cup) and solid ounces (scale) aren't the same thing. They're a completely different unit of measure. I think (pulling from high school science, so I could definitely be off) that the only thing that has the exact same fluid and solid measure is Water -- i.e. 8 fluid ounces of water does indeed weigh 8 ounces on a scale. But if the thing you're measuring is denser than water, 8 solid ounces is going to take up less space than 1 cup (imagine meat). Likewise it the item is less dense than water, 8 solid ounces will take up much more than a cup (imagine coolwhip). When diet references say eat "3 oz" of Protein, for example, they're talking about solid (scale) ounces because solids are measured in solid ounces not in fluid ounces. That said, my pouch can't handle more than about 1 or 1.5 cups of any food at a given time (i.e. 8 or 12 fluid ounces, even if we're measuring solids). Contrary to what some do, I do measure a lot of my food. Not everything, but a lot. For example, this morning I ate cottage cheese for Breakfast. If I spooned it out without measuring it, I'd probably eat a cup. A serving is 1/2 cup and I'm satisfied on 1/2 cup, so I measure it out. if I want more, I get more, but that way I'm accountable to myself. I find weighing and measuring things to really help my weight loss because for me, my body is almost perfectly "calories in calories out." If I track my calories, I lose weight. Find what works for you with measuring or not.

Christmas Goals A1ikou...............240...............XX Aza....................299...............XX BPM..................230...............37 candy444...........299.................09 Elisabeth.............275.................16 Ericsmom...........250................7.6 Indianlight...........280.................-1 WOOHOO!! Josette................340.................25 JulieNYC............235...................1 Koala.................275..................24 Ladydi................270 .................33 LapBandit...........250..................0 (Ho Ho Ho-Merry Christmas!) Libra...................270................0 (woohoo!) Mariguita.............290.................XX NatesMommy.....275.................XX Waterlily1072.....275..................23 One more pound to go for my Christmas goal!! Woohoo!

Amourette, you have to tell us more about the dating! Who, what, when, where, how? I can't wait to start dating. I'm thinking I'll make an effort when I get to Onederland. Well, I had a GREAT run last night. I ate pizza for lunch, which wasn't planned but the office ordered in and I can never say no to that. Anyway, carbs help with the running. Plus, I found the world's best jog bra, which has made the biggest difference in my comfort. So, I ran, didn't eat dinner (had pizza late and just wasn't that hungry) and woke up to a 3 lb loss! Woohoo! I was overdue, but I'm still happy. One more lb and I'll meet my Christmas goal.

Bluehill! Congratulations!! WOW no longer morbidly obese, can you believe it! I'm jumping for joy for you! Dancing bananas are called for! They're so excited they turned purple! :) :D Bluehill, we weigh the same thing now. We have to work to keep each other focused as we continue the journey to Onederland. Maybe Kat and Roberta will pull us there since they're so close.... DeltaDawn, I know you're going to make your goal of 215 by Christmas. I bet you can make 212. You're a superstar!

I got up this morning and hit the gym for an easy workout. I ran last night and went up a level on my "couch to runner" program, so I didn't want to overdo it this morning. I've got dinner plans tonight and I knew I couldn't workout then, so off to the gym I went at 7 a.m. I want to meet the challenge before I leave for home next Friday morning, which is why I'm pushing through the sessions rapid fire this month. I've got to say, I'm looking forward to January. I have holiday fatigue. I also need a break from my job, but that's a whole other story. I'm taking 10 days off over the holidays, so I'm sure that'll get me the break I need. I guess what I'm really annoyed about is that I want to lose weight FASTER. I know everyone goes through that, but I'm really in the middle of that emotion right now. I feel like I make such an effort at this -- eating just the right things and working out with all of your support. When I go 7 or 10 days without losing anything, I just get ANGRY and feel like I DESERVE to lose. This morning, I really thought it was my morning. I thought the stars had aligned because it's a good point in my cycle for weight loss, I ate very well, I worked out, I drank a ton of Water. But no. Now, I know, that it's not fair in the other direction when, sometimes, I lose 3 or 4 lbs over night. I'm really just venting. I know it'll come off when it comes off. I also know this isn't a quick fix and that I've been fortunate in my relatively easy losses to date. I'm just of foul temperment today. Grrr.

Way to goralheit and kat! Losingjusme, you'll be surprised how quickly time will fly and you'll be asking for booths in no time. My new NSV's are that I can sit on the inside seat on the bus without being uncomfortable or inconveniencing the person who sits on the outside. Also, yesterday marked the 6th flight in a row that I haven't needed a seatbelt extender, so I think I'll turn mine in soon! Lastly, for the first time in YEARS, I don't hate the pictures of myself that were taken on my mini vacation this weekend. My face is starting to look like the old me!

You will all be very proud of me. I worked out (real workouts too -- not "just getting by" ones, wink) BOTH days while I was in Chicago this weekend! The friend I was visiting belongs to a gorgeous gym and I was able to get a weekend pass. She's very weight conscious too and even though she couldn't go with me both days, she was supportive of me carving out the time to do what I needed to do. I really enjoyed her gym too. So, Betty, I'm with you on the 6 days a week mini challenge. So far I'm 10 for 10! I'm just itching to drop weight. I'm so in the groove right now and I want to keep it going as long as possible. Hopefully all the way to Onederland! Kat, feeling any better yet? Coughing is just the pits. I had a mild cough (nothing like what you're going through) for about 18 months when I first moved to NYC. At the time, I thought I was allergic to something in my building. In hindsight, I wonder if I didn't have reflux from the extra weight that was fixed by my hiatal hernia repair when I got the band. Anyway, take care and feel better. Fit George, We're so glad you're joining us! I love your enthusiasm. I'm with Bluehill -- please tell us more about your workout routine. We've been doing this challenge for 3 or 4 months and I think we all really enjoy checking in with each other about exercise, the band and life in general. George, we don't know each other at all yet, but in reading your post, I thought "this guy needs a fill." Do you think that could be the case? The reason I say that is that I had a lot of the head hunger issues you describe in your post before I got to my sweet spot. Once I got there, though I occasionally think about having a piece of chocolate, or I might have 2 or 3 days where my eating isn't where I want it to be, in general, I don't struggle a lot with head hunger. The band makes it easier to make the right food choices, which, in turn, makes it so umch easier to meet my exercise goals. I feel like exercising burns so few calories (meaning it takes hours of exercise to burn enough to drop even a single pound) that when I eat poorly, I lose my motivation to exercise. Anyway, that's my two unsolicited cents! Again, we're glad to have you and tell us more about you when you have a chance. Congratulations on losing 44 lbs. and getting off your CPAP. That's wonderful and I know you're feeling great. Betty, I'm crushed that I can't join you for the Seattle bash! First, I'd love to meet you, second, I've never been to Seattle and third, I've never been to a bandster bash. "Unfortunately," I'll be in St. Barts for Mardi Gras that week. Poor me, I know. Perhaps we can have our own April Bandsters mini bash another time and you'll open Hotel Betty for 2 or 3 of us? I'd LOVE to come to Portland/Seattle for the weekend. Maybe when Roberta, Susan, Bluehill and the rest of us on the road make it to Onederland, we can plan a weekend as a group reward. On another note, you're GORGEOUS! Wow, you look amazing. I have to say, you carried your weight really well, even in your heavier pictures but now you're a smokin' goddess! I don't care if you weight 3 lbs more than your husband or not (and you won't for long). And Amourette, aren't you just the daintiest little thing! Look how tiny your shoulders are! I'm with Betty -- you look like a teenager. I don't know how you fly so much though. I'm petrified of flying. The whole flight back from Chicago last night I was convinced were were losing altitude. I'm not logical when it comes to flying. Julie's thoughts on the so called "starvation mode." In another life, I'm going to be a medical researcher and the first research I'm undertaking is whether starvation mode is scientifically supportable or not. I've never seen any quantifiable study on the issue. The nutritionist at my surgeon's office doesn't believe it exists, though I know many medical professionals do. I think it exists for some people and doesn't for others. Maybe it's tied to over metabolic issues (PCOS, insulin resistence, etc.) and if you have any tendency for those issues, you have a higher set point for hitting starvation mode. Radical thought! What I do know is that if it exists for me, it's at a very, very low number -- well under 1200 cals/day. I eat about 800 cals/day on average in my banded weight loss phase. Some days I eat 1500 (yesterday -- cheesecake at the Walnut Room of Marshall Fields in Chicago!), some days I eat 600, but most days it's about 800 or 900. I keep a spreadsheet of my WL and I don't lose "best" at a particular caloric intake. My body basically works on a calories in/calories out basis. I recognize and believe that other peoples' bodies work differently and that their "starvation mode" may indeed be at 1200 cals, or some other number. Susan, throw it down, girlfriend! Challenge accepted! Race you to the 220s. If I can be there by the New Year, I'll jump for joy. I know that's asking a lot though. I'm going to check out your pics on the other thread…. DeltaDawn, I think 2.2K is exactly one mile. Way to go on the running! There's a runners thread in the exercise forum that has a great "walk to run" program that lasts about 8 weeks. I'm in week 5 and am really enjoying it. You might check it out. In the meantime, would you mind telling me more about your eating program? You're losing so quickly that I wonder if there's something I could tweak in my own program to join you (not that I'm in any way complaining about my loss -- just looking to improve if I can).

Betty, I'm so happy for your brother! I hope he gets a surgery date soon and joins us here on LBT. I worked out with my trainer today and she didn't let me stop for an hour and fifty-two minutes!! Insane. She didn't see me last week and I guess she was making up for it. Anyway, I'm beat. I'm headed to Chicago in the morning to see friends for the holidays. Don't know why I'd head somewhere COLDER than New York, but I am. I'm hoping the seatbelt fits on the plane. I still carry an extender just in case, but I haven't needed it on the last 4 or so flights. This is a small plane and their belts are usually shorter, so if it fits, I might just turn my extender in! Anyway, I'm headed to bed early as my flight is at the crack of dawn....I hope to work out while I'm away, but if I can't, that's why I worked out 8 days in a row -- to get a head start on December because I've got a lot of travel this month. Happy weekend and thanks to all for your sweet comments about my new weight decade. Take care,

(update for Ericsmom) Christmas Goals A1ikou...............240...............XX Aza....................299...............XX BPM..................230...............37 candy444...........299.................09 Elisabeth.............275.................16 Ericsmom...........250................7.6 Indianlight...........280.................-1 WOOHOO!! Josette................340.................25 JulieNYC............235...................4 Koala.................275..................24 Ladydi................270 .................33 LapBandit...........250..................7 Libra...................270................0 (woohoo!) Mariguita.............290.................XX NatesMommy.....275.................XX Waterlily1072.....275..................23

My nutritionist says 0.7 to 1 gram per kilo of "ideal" body weight. I've read that recommendation numerous other places as well. For tiny framed me, that means 40-45 grams. For a taller woman, that would be in the 50-60 g range.

My doc said the head of an eraser, though in practice, 7 months out, I probably eat a bite 2-3 times that size and do what Wheetsin said.

Christmas Goals A1ikou...............240...............XX Aza....................299...............XX BPM..................230...............37 candy444...........299.................09 Elisabeth.............275.................16 Ericsmom...........250................12 Indianlight...........280.................-1 WOOHOO!! Josette................340.................25 JulieNYC............235...................4 Koala.................275..................24 Ladydi................270 .................33 LapBandit...........250..................7 Libra...................270................0 (woohoo!) Mariguita.............290.................XX NatesMommy.....275.................XX Waterlily1072.....275..................23

I broke into the 230s this morning. Woohoo! Dancing holiday bananas for me! :) Funny. Now I'm obsessed about the 220s. Maybe they'll be my Christmas (or New Year) present.

Kat, I'm sorry you're feeling under the weather. You'll be back up and at 'em in no time, but keep us posted. Bluehill, I'm definitely that way too -- if I eat off my diet, I have bad cravings for 3 or 4 days until I get straightened out again. Thankfully, about Wednesday of last week, I got back with the program and I haven't been tempted (at least not more than what I go through every day normally) since. It's been pretty easy, actually. I'm so focused on exercise right now (I really like this walk to run program I'm doing) that it seems wasteful to eat too much -- like it defeats the point of putting myself through the torture of exercise, if that makes any sense. How are you feeling, Bluehill? I'm sure it changes day to day (or, if you're like me, hour to hour), but I hope you're doing better and that you know we're all thinking of you. Take care all,

Woohoo! Way to go Mariquita! The 200s are so much fun -- we're glad to have you here! You're close to the century mark too -- so exciting. Keep up the good work.

I took a home day too, Susan. My stomach was bothering me this morning and I had a slow day at work, so I just worked from home. I did make it to the gym this evening and did a cardio circuit, per Boo's suggestion. Boo, I even did the bike for 12 minutes and it didn't kill me after all. I also did 12 on the elliptical and 12 on a sharp incline on the treadmill. Gotta say, I enjoyed breaking it up like that. Betty! Look at you, you dainty little thing! I can't wait to hear the news from the mountain tops that you weigh less than your husband! So exciting.