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Hi All, I was wondering if you all had established an exercise routine yet? If so, what are you doing and how is it working for you? I heard from someone that the Greatest Loser contestants are able to loose 5 times as much weight in one week doing 2-1 hour intense workout exercise vs. just walking. I'm getting in my 10,000 steps a day now and will soon be ready to advance my routine. Anyone willing to share their workout routines, thanks in advance! CSB

Please come and Join us! We started this group a couple of months ago, and we love seeing new faces. Here are the notes from last sunday's meeting: Good Morning Beautiful Bandsters! It was amazing to meet so many fabulous people at the Banders meeting on Sunday. You all are looking amazing! I wanted to through out an objective for our group as an idea to discuss. *Objective: * *To gather together in support with other lap banders, to Celebrate our successes, and find solutions to our challenges. These meeting will be focused on our physical health, mental well-being, and continued fitness as we transform into our true selves.* ** Let us all know what you think of that as a group objective. We can refine it at the next meeting and post it as our affirmation. I have put together an email contact list I will be sending out seperately to each of you, so it's not on a public groups forum. It would be great if each of you could write out your answers to the question I posed for the meeting. As you know if you speak it you affirm it, if you write it it becomes a reality. I encourage each of you to at least write down your affirmation, and if you would like to share with this group, that would be great for us to be able to support you with. Next month, Connie has graciously offered her home for our meeting. The topic of this meeting will be "Book Reviews" Please bring a health focused, or inspirational book that has inspired your continued weight loss success and could help others in our group continue on their path to full health and fitness. You will each get a chance to talk about your book, and what you have gotten from it that is helping you as you loose weight after being banded. Speaking of fitness, several of us committed to trying the *Run/walk for the Zoo* this year. It is on Sunday, May 3rd with the course down along the river and around the zoo. They have: 1. 8:30 am a 5 k fitness run/walk 2. 9:30 am a 5 k fitness walk 3. 10:45 am a 1 mile fitness walk When you register you get a t-shirt and free admission to the zoo afterward for the day. Admission is $25.00. Here is the link http://www.bioparksociety.org/runforthezoo/ I encourage you all to think about participating this year, it is a great way to get a jump start on your 10,000 steps for the day. I would like to do either #1 or #2, so please let me know if any of you will be joining me. We can make it our first support group event! Until next month. Stay focused and get your 10,000 steps a day in! Please forward this message on to any one interested in joining our group. Thanks Cheryl

We have started a group here in Albuquerque. The latest update is below: Please join us! We are growing every month! Good Morning Beautiful Bandsters! It was amazing to meet so many fabulous people at the Banders meeting on Sunday. You all are looking amazing! I wanted to through out an objective for our group as an idea to discuss. *Objective: * *To gather together in support with other lap banders, to Celebrate our successes, and find solutions to our challenges. These meeting will be focused on our physical health, mental well-being, and continued fitness as we transform into our true selves.* ** Let us all know what you think of that as a group objective. We can refine it at the next meeting and post it as our affirmation. I have put together an email contact list I will be sending out seperately to each of you, so it's not on a public groups forum. It would be great if each of you could write out your answers to the question I posed for the meeting. As you know if you speak it you affirm it, if you write it it becomes a reality. I encourage each of you to at least write down your affirmation, and if you would like to share with this group, that would be great for us to be able to support you with. Next month, Connie has graciously offered her home for our meeting. The topic of this meeting will be "Book Reviews" Please bring a health focused, or inspirational book that has inspired your continued weight loss success and could help others in our group continue on their path to full health and fitness. You will each get a chance to talk about your book, and what you have gotten from it that is helping you as you loose weight after being banded. Speaking of fitness, several of us committed to trying the *Run/walk for the Zoo* this year. It is on Sunday, May 3rd with the course down along the river and around the zoo. They have: 1. 8:30 am a 5 k fitness run/walk 2. 9:30 am a 5 k fitness walk 3. 10:45 am a 1 mile fitness walk When you register you get a t-shirt and free admission to the zoo afterward for the day. Admission is $25.00. Here is the link http://www.bioparksociety.org/runforthezoo/ I encourage you all to think about participating this year, it is a great way to get a jump start on your 10,000 steps for the day. I would like to do either #1 or #2, so please let me know if any of you will be joining me. We can make it our first support group event! Until next month. Stay focused and get your 10,000 steps a day in! Please forward this message on to any one interested in joining our group. Thanks Cheryl

Hello All Buzy Bandsters, I am closing in on over 30 lbs lost, and two months banded YIPEEE (only 100 more to go!!) I have more energy and love the way the pounds are melting off. I am walking my 10,000 steps/day (equivalent to approximately 4.7 miles with my stride) and am looking for more energetic and exciting routines to add to my day. If anyone has any great routines that you can share that would be fab. If they are easy to adopt that's even better.

They are a killer, especially the classics, the thin mints and the plain sugar kind. I can't resist buying them from those cute little girls, but now have an outlet for eating them. I send them to the troops in Iraq or Afganistan. You wouldn't believe how well recieved the Cookies are by the troops AND the locals. It feels even better than eating them to give them away to a just cause!

Teri, Congrats on the size 16! I'm still afraid of trying on my jeans, of any size. It's great to hear peoples good news stories!!!! I went to the doc yesterday, and came away with no fill. I am happy about that, still struggle with the food challenges, but I'm getting the eating down. 1st rule: eat the sliders first. The dietian told me that if your meal has soft foods like yogurt, soft fruit, anything that will slide right on through, eat that before the chuncky Protein. That way the soft won't push the chunky through, thus making you hungry. WOW it works, I tried it today and no worries. I have an appt in 3 weeks, by then I will probably need a fill. CSB

Hi Mom, We are looking at Feb 8th at 3:00pm at the Flying Star in Corrales. So far there are three or four of us. Hope you can going in! Cheryl

Help! I've been at this a month now and still find myself eating to fast. It's a killer, and I have come close to frothing a couple times. I was hoping for some tips on how to eat more slowly. Anyone out there who has found something that works for you, please share!

Hey all, Any of you know any good exercises that help reduce the loose skin too. I'm finding that I have loose "flags" of skin on my upper arms and was wondering if there is a weight exercise that tones muscle AND gets rid of that ugly skin as our weightloss shrinks us. Is there any hope?

Oh yeah and mothers rule about chewing a bite 25 times is impossible! I don't know if any of you have tried it, but if it's not a really really tough piece of shoe leather, you can't make it to 25.

Thanks Heartfire, I appreciate your advice. Your right if I let myself get really hungry I do eat much faster. Is there a certain number of hours apart you eat? I have a band friend that says she eats every 4 hours on the clock. I can't do that. Great advice, and I'll try it. Always open for more suggestions from others

Yes the weight loss does seem slow, doesn't it? I was thinking it would go faster too. One way to keep myself from getting depressed about those 2 to 3 pound/week loses is I have charted my lose so far, and then plotted them with a target line so that I can physically see my progress. And I can look forward to where I hope to be in a few months. If your interested I can tell more. My first appt is next week, so we'll see what they say...

Hi All, I was banded Dec 18th, no problems, no complications. Two weeks after banding, I had to go off my BP meds....didn't need them anymore. How cool is that. Now looking at my first appointment 21 Jan. I'm down 23 pounds now hoping for another few before weigh in, still getting things stuck (especially chicken). But I have so much energy, I'm walking my 10,000 steps +! Couldn't be better. Hope everyone of you is doing well. This is the greatest thing we can do for ourselves! Can you imagine our Bandiversary stories????

Thanks Kellyer, And how is the weather in May? Sounds like great fun, I can't wait to get there. CSB

Hello Fellow Banders, After looking for many months for a Banders Support group in New Mexico, several of us have decided to start our own. We have a Google Groups web connection as well as a local thread on this website. Google groups is New Mexico Banders 2009 | Google Groups. Come join us here in Albuquerque every month the second Sunday at 3:00pm. We will be at the Flying Star on Corrales Road. If you want/need fellowship, support, have questions, etc. We will be there for you. We hope to inspire more to join, and incorporate walking activities in it when the weather is warmer. Hope to see you! Cheryl

Laura it was great to meet with you the other day. I have set up a google groups address at New Mexico Banders 2009 | Google Groups. We will be meeting monthly, every second Sunday at 3:00pm, at the Corrales Flying Star located off of Coors and Alameda. We hope to come up with some interesting topics, and when the weather gets better, maybe meet for a walk along the river. Tell all your lap band friends about us. We may be the only group in Albuquerque focused primarily on the lap banders. If anyone else out there is interested just select the group above and join the gang!

aut, Congrats! Sounds like your doing great! I to go in for the first appt on 21 jan. I'm hoping for no fill at all. I think I have just enough restriction, with a consistent weight loss, at 3 lbs a week. The next couple of weeks will tell. I spoke with someone yesterday, that said a bander she knew only had three fills in a year, and still lost 100 lbs. We'll see CSB

Happy New Year to you all from New Mexico USA. My family and I are planning a 2 week holiday to Ireland in May, and I wanted to ask all of you for any recommendations on what to stay or do. We are thinking of booking a tour with Paddywagon tours in dublin and doing the whole isle in 6 days, then spending the remaining time near Dublin. We have previously spent 2 weeks looking around the Dingle penninsula which was brilliant! Any advise is great! Oh by the way I was banded Dec 18th 08, just a few weeks ago and doing very well. Thanks in Advance, Cheryl

Misty, I'm still in the mushy stage for another couple of weeks. I found that if I stuck with the soft Proteins like cottage cheese, and Beans, I ate more. I am now eating small amounts of soft Protein meats (two legged animal kind) such as chicken, turkey, and fish. I have to concentrate on small dime size bites (I'm generally a fast eater, we'll see if I can change). I find that those proteins, a little vegies, and a little fruit (approx 1/8 to 1/4 cup each) are a challenge to get down, and make me full. I've been loosing consistently about 3 lbs a week. In a couple weeks I go in for my first monthly, I'm hoping for no fill (fingers crossed). I'm not sure if I want to go back on the regular foods yet, I may introduce them slowly after that. But I sure do miss my coffee and bread! Good Luck and I hope this helps. It would be great to keep in touch since we were banded near the same day. Cheryl

Way to go December Banders! I had my surgery on 12-18 and now coming up on four weeks, I can say that I have lost over 20 lbs! Plus I'm still not hungry, and the restriction is still very much there. I feel great, more energy to walk those 4 miles a day. After the second week I had to go off my blood pressure meds, as my bp was so low. Now I'm off all meds totally YIPEEE!

Congratulations to all you December 18th banders. I too was banded on this day in 2008. So far so good, pain is not to bad. I'v been walking every two hours. Eating my yummy Jello and broth. How are you all doing? Cheryl

I was banded two days ago, I think mine is gas. did you get any advice from your doctor?

Hello connie! We're in the. same boat. My surgery is dec 18th. No worries until last week,then pow! I am crazy nervous. Let me know how it goes. I will be thinking happy relaxed painless thoughts for you.

Hello! We're in the same boat. My surgery is dec 18th. No worries until last week,then pow! I am crazy nervous. Let me know how it goes. I will be thinking happy relaxed painless thoughts for you.

HEY ALL! Congrats on the banding thus far. I'm banded on Dec 18th in AZ. A little nervous. Hoping for great results