Zannie

Okay, August is upon us...it’s time for another exercise challenge! I’ve heard of a recent study that shows we need a minimum 30 minutes every day or 1 hour four days a week of aerobic exercise for successful, long-term weight loss. Now, I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but I’m not there yet! Building endurance does take time... It’s these monthly challenges BabyGrl1234 started for us Feb’07 Bandsters that keep me striving toward that goal. As our 6-month Band anniversaries are imminent, I hope everyone will join in for August’s challenge. Just select how often & how long you plan to exercise & then sign on here: Feb’07 August Exercise Challenge thread <O:p</O:p Feb’07 August Exercise Challenge: Level 1 ~ 3 days a week (14 days) Level 2 ~ 4 days a week (18 days) Level 3 ~ 5 days a week (23 days) Level 4 ~ 6 days a week (27 days) Level 5 ~ 7 days a week (31 days) Beginner ~ 20 minutes a day Moderate ~ 30 minutes a day Intermediate ~ 45 minutes a day Advanced ~ 60 minutes a day Elite ~ 60+ minutes a day

Wow! Welcome to all the new "faces" on this thread! :wave: I tend not to post much these days, but do read everything. We've all got a long road ahead, but at least we're on the right path now! As far as loosing faster than others because we've got more to loose...that has not been my experience. I'm keeping pace with many others banded in Feb'07, regardless of initial weight. 1 to 2-1/2 pounds a week is "safe" weight loss, no mater how much you have to loose -- or so my doctor tells me! And I'm averaging at just over 2# a week in my 24 weeks since surgery. Frankly, people who exercise more, loose more and faster, so walk-walk-walk or do some other form of cardio!! The advice my doc gives is strive for a minimum of 30-mins every day or 1-hour 4 days a week of cardio exercise for weight loss. Congrats on all the success so far, and best wishes to us all! :gluck:

I've never heard of this procedure, but it sounds smart -- a built-in shelf! Some (many) people are not able to breast-feed after breast surgery -- you may want to keep that in mind, too, when making your decision. If you'd consider a lift after kids (breast-feeding or not, your boobs change while PG & after!), I'd hold off on any breast work now.

Okay, so presuming you've been at this ROM thing for about a month now... What's the story, TravelGirl? And how, exactly, did you discover there was one local to you? Tell me you've found the miracle machine so I don't have to start back on the treadmill now that all our "vacation activities" are over! :biggrin1:

Um...I just ate two gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough. (Damn fund-raising neighbor kids!! Oh, uh..yeah, I didn't really mean that -- and when my kids are going door-to-door in years to come, don't go pleading "I had weight loss surgery" to ME either!!) I'm gonna have to bake these cookies up & bring them elsewhere -- and SOON, because apparently cookie dough is NOT one of the things that gets stuck.

Well, everybody's gone home...no more company until September. It's always such an oppressive silence when my crazy family departs. I know my kids are gonna be wild tomorrow with all the cousins gone & our old routine back. Thank goodness it's nearly Saturday & their Daddy will be home to make that transition easier. I really need to refocus on my exercise routine now that everyone is gone. And thanks for the support, skinnyjeans! I've been relying on "activity" for my 1/2 hour of exercise for much of the month... But the "activity" days are over now & it would be too too easy to just NOT get back on the treadmill!!! Routine plays a HUGE role in my getting any exercise at all, so I need to commit to getting back to mine TOMORROW!! Andrea, I know exactly what you mean about everyone waiting to see how you're doing... I felt this over the last month, too. We've had all these people visiting who haven't seen me since the Banding & they all know about my surgery, so it's come up quite a lot. I don't feel like I've made much physical progress despite having lost nearly 60#, but I didn't get any negative feedback along those lines. I'm sure you'll impress everyone back at school, too! Good to hear from you, Carole! You're doing great! How's it going Travelgirl, Mom2Sassy, Ready to Lose, and Elm65? Keep up the hard work, everybody! August is almost here!!!! Suzanne Feb'07 July Challenge: Level 3-Moderate 16 of 20 days exercising for 30 minutes

I'm still on track for July...must keep at it every day to make that goal! Swimming at our reunion this afternoon will count for today's workout! :clap2: Feb'07 July Challenge: Level 3-Moderate 14 of 20 days exercising for 30 minutes

Okay - so you're not in any miracle summer-weather location... Poop. I really would leave my extended family behind here in VA for some place with summer highs in the upper 80's and winter lows that allow for a handful of nice, sled-able snows storms! :biggrin1: Any suggestions? I say that dancing with the kiddies is the very best exercise there is!!! :dance: I always feel physically exhausted but mentally enlivened after twirling around with my own. But the treadmill leaves me exhausted and TIRED -- and I have to force myself to shower before falling in to bed. And it definitely counts toward your goals in the July Challenge! So tally up your dancin' days!

I saw how long ago your last fill was... Seems to me you'd be ready for another...it's been 3 months & we've only been banded 5!! But you've got FAR less to loose than my initial 200 lbs, so maybe I'm wrong. (It's been known to happen -- occasionally! :confused:) Maybe the advice I was given would help you to determine if it's time for another fill or not. Now, this is just what I was told... If you can eat more than 1/2 cup of food other than veggies, get a fill. The goal is 1/4 - 1/3 cup (or 2 oz - 2.6 oz, or 4 TBSP - 5-1/2 TBSP) of food per meal. My clinic's dietician says that salads aren't a problem because lettuce grinds right down to hardly anything IF you cut it fine & then chew it up. So have a salad with your meal and have 2 oz of protein and a .6 oz smidgen of carb, that's a perfect Bandster meal. If I regularly eat more than 8 TBSP - 1/2 cup - 4 oz at a meal before feeling "no longer hungry" (not necessarily FULL), then it's time for a fill. Every now & then I measure out exact portions & stop eating for 10 min after finishing that "perfect Bandster meal" and pay attention to my sensation of hunger. If I'm "done" -- GREAT, if not I'll serve up to that 1/2 cup and "pay attention" again. Usually I can't finish that 2nd helping, but if I can I call in for a fill. Personally, I LIKE having a guideline of what a meal should look like. It gives me something for comparison. So maybe it will help you determine if you're eating too much. I can't eat 2 tacos -- I can't finish one, or couldn't last week anyhow!! But that may be the shell more than the amount of food. With this last fill, I've got great restriction -- not too tight for protein, but now all sorts of different breads (like my mom's delectable blueberry muffins, as I found out yesterday:(), cakes (& brownies:straight), some chips (though not all kinds:o), and pasta feel just awful until they finally pass through my band. That's a good thing in my mind, because who wants to eat stuff they know won't feel good!?!

I've been slacking off with my routine exercise, but having a great time! Our reunion will last until Saturday, so hopefully I'll squeeze in exercise every day the rest of this week & still really get back into the swing of my routine once everyone heads out of town! If I don't miss a day, I can still hit my goal for July... How are y'all doing? 7 days left in July... The thread has been pretty quiet since BabyGrl headed off on her vacation. Where's everybody else?!? :guess Suzanne Feb'07 July Challenge: Level 3-Moderate 13 of 20 days exercising for 30 minutes

Congrats on the 14, skinnyjeans!!! :clap2: (I haven't been a 14 since high school! But I'm stoked to be wearing today shorts I haven't had on since before my 1st pregnancy! Guess it's time to head to the attic for some shopping! :biggrin1:) I use the protein shakes to balance out crappy diet choices. If I've got an event to go to, I'll "drink my meals" prior to the thing. Or if I've had a bad day of sweets I shouldn't have eaten, I'll try to curb the gain by sticking to protein shakes the following day. The only time I do an extended full liquid diet is post-fill though... The protocol my clinic has us follow then is 48 hours of liquids, 48 hours of mushies and then back to regular eating. If I were stalled out like you seem to be, I'd call for a fill rather than try to "diet away" the pounds as we all would have in the old days... When was your last fill? Don't forget to make use of your tool!!!

Ugh -- talk about your binges... :hungry: Yesterday I ate TWO saucer-sized oatmeal raisin Cookies (sent to us by my MIL)! To make up for it, my only other "food" was Protein shakes...until DH brought home a pack of king-sized Peanut Butter cups, which we split! Saturday was NOT a good one for eating. Today has been much better -- just Protein Shakes so far. dinner will be salmon with mashed potatoes and a salad at Day 2 of our week-long family reunion...but who knows what is on tap for dessert. :phanvan I am bringing over the rest of the cookies my in-laws sent. Even if I do eat more tonight, at least they'll no longer be in MY house for tomorrow!!!!! :heh:

Our fearless leader is abandoning us...?!? :ip: Well, have a great vacation! :wave::car: And sure, I'll start the August thread next week. (OMG. August...is in 10 days!! Egad!) Personally, I like the choose-your-own-adventure aspect of the last 2 months, but then I'm an "individual goals" kind of girl... So unless there are other ideas or suggestions from y'all or the main Feb thread, I'll set August up like the one for July. Suzanne Feb'07 July Challenge: Level 3-Moderate 12 of 20 days exercising for 30 minutes

Thanks, ARMKAM! :high5: And good for you, too!! :clap2::clap2: It does feel good to finally see some changes other than in my deflated, sagging boobs! :eek :straight I like your idea of hanging up in plain view something you want to fit in to... Think it'd be too disappointing to have a pair of skinny jeans in a size 8 on the back of my door?!? Single digit jeans is my real goal!! :bandit Maybe I'd better just start with something that doesn't have a W after the numbers! :roll: Um, where do YOU live that the weather is so perfect?!? And do you know of any well-paid computer tech positions open for DH?!? I hate the heat of summers here. It's 100 & humid in my part of Virginia. Ugh, ick, blah... I was actually feeling a bit guilty about NOT taking my kids (4-1/2 & 2) to our local water-park (because I am not swim-suiting in public just yet), but then neither of them swim, so... :car: I AM vowing that swimming lessons & the water park are on the agenda for NEXT summer. We ARE renting a house at the beach this September -- and I will be in a swimsuit then. But I'm much happier just living in denial about that!!! :biggrin1: :heh: Today is our only "day off" before more company, so I'd best head back to the my family before they think me neglectful! Hope everybody's having a great weekend! :biggrin1:

Ya know...I should have thought of that myself! Thanks for the reminder!

:help: Do you wear a medic-alert / medical ID to notify emergency personnel of your LapBand? What is inscribed on your tag? I thought about getting a bracelet or anklet when 1st banded, but didn’t know what info about my Band would actually be pertinent to EMS/ER if I were unable to speak for myself. “WLS: LapBand w/ port” and my clinic’s # Or is that not good enough in an actual emergency? I can’t imagine the EMS calling my doctor! :heh: Nor do I think they really ought to be doing that if I'm having a heart attack instead of requiring my stomach be pumped! But the ID tags can only hold so much info... My mom is diabetic & gets a catalog of beaded, interchangeable medical ID bracelets from Lauren’s Hope. It seems they’ve now got a design “just for us” WLS patients. Seeing the "skinny pants" style has me considering my own ID again, but I don't know what to put on it! Heck, maybe they’d have some advice as to the tag inscription! Gastric Bypass medical ID bracelet at Lauren’s Hope: http://www.laurenshope.com/product.aspx?id=684&cat_id=47

Still running around like a mad woman, but it's paying off... I've lost more than I'd thought since my fill! Down by 57.5 total -- 5.5 since the fill 2 weeks ago on July 5th! Now that's what I'm talkin' about!!! NSV for my affirmation: I wear a 26 now, for the most part, which is down from a tight 32 pre-Band. I tried on a pair of my mom's shorts that are a size 20 (from Silhouettes) -- just to beat myself up, really. AND THEY BUTTONED!!! I'd have needed that particular pair in a 22 to really wear, but they totally closed up!!!! Holy crap!!! I know I'm by no means a 22 in most stuff, BUT BUT BUT Mom's size 20 shorts actually zipped & buttoned, too!!! I wore a size 22 over 8 years ago!!! Suzanne Feb'07 July Challenge: Level 3-Moderate 12 of 20 days exercising for 30 minutes

I'm sorry I don't have time to really read or write at the moment, but had to touch base! (This is our month of COMPANY!) I've felt so adrift without y'all, but I have been getting in the exercise... up to 11 of 20 now! And I'm trying hard to watch what I eat, too! 3 birthday parties & 2 reunions down. Four more parties & one week-long reunion still to come! I love this kind of summer, filled with friends & family, but it can be hard on the waistline. Thank goodness for the LapBand or I know this would be a serious GAIN month... I have a nutrition consult on Thursday & will record my official 5-month weigh-in then! That's right, 5 months Banded! Wahoo!!! It doesn't feel like it's really been all that long!!! :whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo: How's everybody else doing?!?!?

Good for you, skinnyjeans! That's quite an accomplishment! As for me...um, I didn't eat ANY bad foods yesterday, and I did get plenty of Protein in, but I woke up this morning with 5 additional pounds on the scale for my efforts! FIVE POUNDS overnight!!! Egad. I'm expecting AF this weekend, so maybe I'll get to chalk it up to my period like TravelGirl, but I'm frickin' pissed right now! So far today I've had a glass of that new Juicy-juice with veggies mixed in -- not very good in my opinion, but DS (4yo) likes it a lot. He's the one we''re trying to trick anyhow!!! :biggrin1::biggrin1:

Awh, shucks...thanks guys! I've worn myself ragged & am off to bed... And, Babygrl, that extra Protein () on your ride is EXACTLY why I do my exercise inside! :biggrin1: Keep up the good work, everyone! Suzanne Feb'07 July Challenge: Level 3-Moderate 5 of 20 days exercising for 30 minutes

So far today I've had 2 mozzarella sticks and 2 teddy grahams... What I have not had is all of my morning Protein shake, any substantial food for lunch, (or dinner, come to think of it), nor have I had enough water! What is my problem today?!? I have no appetite at allllllll!! And I have just forgotten to eat my meals. This feels quite a bit like the old days -- when I wouldn't eat all day & then feel like I couldn't eat fast enough until getting FULL sometime around 9PM! I thought we'd broken this lil' pattern...but apparently it's still lurking under the surface somewhere! Interesting, very, very interesting! Let's see how dinner goes once the kids are in bed (DH giving baths right now :tired)... Company coming tomorrow, and so continues my summer of eating out. Lovely.

Still a long way to go before AFTER pictures for me, but this is DURING! Here's me before & again at 4 months post-op, down 50 pounds. Expect another set when (not if) I loose another 50!

I was pondering the whole can't-see-loss-in-pictures-or-in-person stuff I mentioned in my last post. And I got to thinking that maybe I was suffering from body-image disparity delusions. After all, FIFTY POUNDS must be apparent somehow! So, since I've been taking pictures regularly to track my progress, I decided to do a PhotoShop comparison. Here are the results:o: Funny ... I can see the change in my face in the mirror, but I don't see a slimmer face in the new picture! And while in the mirror I see no real difference to my body (except chest), in the overlay picture, I do notice A) that my boobs are now, as I suspected, flat & floppy like pancakes (yes, I have on a bra) & there is indeed some change right at the waist/spare tire area. (I should have worn leggings in my before pic -- oh well.) And there you have it -- Suzanne before & down 50# at 4-months after LapBand surgery. :phanvan :straight

How'd everybody do over the weekend? I got my workout in one of the 2 weekend days -- which was my goal. Now lets see if I can stick to EVERY DAY this week... You do look FANTASTIC, BabyGrl! You ought to be really proud of all your hard work! (And I'm jealous of your chair! Mine broke about a month ago, so I'm sitting on an old, wooden dinette chair -- very hard, obviously doesn't recline or swivel, and my still-yet-to-shrink thighs are being poked by the corners of the seat!) And I'm with you, TravelGirl... I still don't see a difference in my pictures! Even though the mirror does shows a slimmer face, and my wrists & fingers are a smaller jewelry size...oh and the whole deflated boob business, well, I just don't SEE any important changes!!!! I've recently asked DH point-blank if he sees a difference yet & he confirmed it's only in my face. I mean, the tape measure is hardly moving at my monthly checks, so I'm not just imagining it through my warped sense of body image. Nothing good is happening yet!!!!!! Argh! Okay...on a positive note. I am able to wear my favorite bangle bracelets again! They'd become too tight to wear comfortably but now they totally fit! :biggrin1: Way to go ME, weight loss in the wrists!!!!! :heh: Suzanne Feb'07 July Challenge: Level 3-Moderate 4 of 20 days exercising for 30 minutes

How's the weekend coming, y'all? :confused: Hope you had a good time at the wedding, BabyGrl! Just checking in for the night... Feb'07 July Challenge: Level 3-Moderate 4 of 20 days exercising for 30 minutes