deckedout

Hey, Just thought I'd drop a little hello! School started back up, so I'm pretty busy again. Haven't losst much weight over the summer, I think I did a little more munching now and again than I'd like to admit. Anyway, I'm hoping that being back on my regular schedule will help to start taking the lbs off again, and I'm starting to seriously think about another fill. How is every one else doing?

Hi all, Well, I was hoping I'd have great news to report, like some of you; however, even though I have been exercising like crazy and logging my food, I am still not losing any more weight. I'm trying to stay positive but it is tough. My PT told me to WAY up my protein. She wants me to get 120 grams of protein A DAY. THat is double what I was even shooting for and not making it before. So, I've bought some protein powder. I also found some BBQ Pork at Costco that has 150 calories in 3 oz with 21 grams of protein. So, it is back to the drawing board for me. I'm gonna give this a try for a while, and see what happens. I still need to stay around 1400 calories a day, but get 120 grams of protein, I don't think it is going ot be very easy; however, today so far I'm at almost 600 calories with 57 grams of protein, so I guess maybe it is possible. Wish me luck, if this doesn't turn out to be the problem, I don't know wha the next step will be, probably I'll have to head to the doctor for a check up.

:confused::smilingface (52)::grouphug::nanahump::grouphug::Banane05::grouphug::Banane36::grouphug::Banane25: Julie: Way to go! Have a great time on your date and enjoy your new status!

Audree, I'm not sure what you can do to get yourself motivated. I'm faking motivation right now, just forcing myself to stick to my diet and exercise. I'm hoping I'll lose a few pounds and that will motivate me to continue, if it doesn't, I don't now what I'll do. I had pretty much given up for a little while, a month or so of eating and drinking what ever I wanted when ever I wanted. I know I don't need another fill, at least I'm pretty sure I don't because I'm pretty tight sometimes. But, I keep the thought in the back of my mind. I'm not really on any type of exercise program. I am signed up for one class at my club, it is called Personal Training Boot Camp. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 530 about 6 of us meet with a personal trainer and she takes us through circuit training for an hour. At the end and beginning of each month you can get your body measurements and fat % checked. I had it done at the beginning of the first month, and then I'll do it at the end of each month. She taught us how to use the weight room and which exercises we should do and much weight for each one. So, after that class, I go lift weights. On Mondays and Wednesdays at the same time, there is a step aerobics class for an hour that I go to. After that I lift weights as well. AFter weights, I go down to the pool and swim laps. I have been swimming since October, and stopped for a little while when I started the classes. However, I figured out that the classes alone where not burning enough calories to lose the weight, so I added the swimming back in, at least for the summer. When school starts back up, I won't be able to exercise as long in the mornings, so I'll have to figure out something else to do. I'm hoping that I will be pretty close to goal then (fingers crossed) and it won't be as hard on me to lose slowly. Either that, or I will have to find the energy to go for long walks after school. Anyway, I'm trying not to think that far ahead and just worry about the next 6 weeks. If I do well, I could lose 12 lbs before school starts, then I'll be really close to goal.

Hi Audree, Nice to hear from you again, I have not been on much lately either. I, too, have been plateaued for EVER. Like, since April. I am really pushing the workouts while I'm on summer break. I have been doing aerobics in the morning for about an hour, than lifting weights for 20 minutes, then swimming for about 45 minutes. It burns about 1200 calories, which allows me to eat 1200-1500 calories and still keep 1000 calorie deficit. It is my TOM right now, so I really haven't been able to tell if it is working, but I think so. I have my next fitness test next Tuesday, then I will know what my % fat is and all that. At the end of last month I was at 29.5, down from 31.6 at the beginning of that month, when I first started the program. I'm really hoping to being close to 25%, but we will see. It is really exciting to see the numbers change. Last month my weight went UP 2.8 lbs, but because I lost fat and gained muscle, my body fat % went down, which is what I was hoping for.

Becca, I never had any problems with PBing until I had my 3rd fill. The first one just slowed me down a little bit; however, everyone is a little bit different. I would go ahead and get the fill, just be aware as you are eating and take things very slowly. Make sure to wait about a minute in between bites of food. As hard as it is to believe, that is about how long it takes me to realize if something has gone down or is stuck. You might need to have some Protein shakes on hand in case you need to eat them instead of a regular lunch. Make sure you drink Water first thing in the morning, for me, that lets me know if I'm going to have a "tight" day or not. If water goes down slow, then I know I need to take it really easy all day long. If it goes down find I will be okay, usually. The only times I have PB'ed on coffee are when I tried to drink it AFTER being stuck on something else. liquids typically go down fine, unless you try to drink them right after eating, at least that is the way it works with me, everyone is a little different.

I, too, have started being very strict with both diet and exercise. I work out to the tune of about 1000 calories a day, which is about what it takes for me to have a deficit of 1000 calories each day if I eat 1200 calories. I keep thinking I need another fill, because I really feel like I am dieting. Getting hungry but using all those former "tricks" not to eat. But, last time I scheduled a fill I got extremely tight, and that lasted about a month, so I thought I wait through this month before I decide to get a fill. so, right now, it is being strict. I haven't changed any of my friends since losing weight, but I have found myself making new friends, talking to people that I might never have talked to before. Both heavy and skinny. I feel more confident, at times. Sometimes, it seems that all I can see are my flaws (hips and a big belly) and sometimes, it seems that I am really skinny. I guess I suffer from unrealistic body image. I never really believed I was very fat, after all, I could always find someone who was fatter than me. Then I saw myself on video, and some pictures of myself, and it did not at all look like my own mental image of myself. Now, I think, I see myself more realistically, and it STILL doesn't look like the way I have pictured myself for the last 20 years or so. Have a great evening.

I have had a couple of close calls with PBing in class, before I learned my lesson! All it took was a little cracker, and of course trying to eat just one more bite. I was back in class trying to "tough it out" but that didn't work. Luckily, I had an aide in my class and asked her to watch the kids and I RAN to the ladies room. It happened about 3 different times before I decided to just start drinking a Soup at hand and eating cottage cheese for lunch. Sometimes I'll have a Protein shake if I am feeling particularly tight. And I have also been known to skip a lunch here and there. I really like being able to talk with other adults during lunch so I usually at least try and pop in. the end of the year was really tough, we went out to eat a few times, and I felt compelled to order something. Of course I got stuck and had to excuse myself to the restroom. Few people know that I am banded, although I have started telling more and more as I am kind of past the point of feeling like I might fail and look stupid for having taken that step. Lunch time is far too short for a proper bandster lunch. but, having the opportunity to touch base with my peers is what keeps me going back to the lunch room. At the end of the year, I thought I'd check out the cafeteria, since I had not visited it all year, and the lunch ladies were all SHOCKED about how much weight I had lost, it was great. Anyhow, whenever I really think I'm gonna PB, I make sure to find a restroom. That is embarrassing enough, I can't even imagine having to use a trash can, yuck!

thanks Julie and Wasabubblebutt for the info on the SPANX, now I have a good reason to go to the outlet mall! Lisa, shopping is really hard for me. I have always, always been overweight. Of course, what I called overweight at 18 I would love to be now, but I never learned that all important fashion sense that some people, like my daughter, seem to be born with. I take my daughter shopping with me a lot. I buy her lunch and she helps me find clothes that look good on me. I get a lot of, "no way, Mom, you aren't wearing that!" and I usually get compliments when I wear what she picks for me. She's 22, so I do tend to wear clothes that may be a little young for me, but I look a bit younger than I am so hopefully, I pull it off without looking ridiculous. I didn't do very well with my exercise today. I had a headache this morning, so didn't finish my whole workout, and I was going to go hiking, but it rained all day. I really should head back to the gym tonight, but I really have those lazy rainy day blues. I did make banana bread for my family, however, I also ate some. I really don't seem to have the same will power that I had when I first had surgery. I don't know if I am just complient with the fact that I look okay, and my blood pressure is now normall or what. I want to be back to where I said, "No, I'm not eating anything. I am not hungry at all, so why eat." Rant, rant, rant. You all seem so wise. Julie, I really appreciate all you know. For one so young, you a very together and knowledgeable. Plus strong. I can't run at all! LOL. I tried once and my old lady knees gave out. I even have a special brace I have to wear just to go hiking:-)

This is a great thread. I am about 20 lbs from goal. I still hate my stomach and thighs and I REALLY don't understand why I am still wearing a 36D! I really want to be a C or a B! I have gone from a tight 16 to a lose 10. I am short, 5'2" and currently am 160 lbs. My scale has played many crazy games with me, for a while I thought I was 145! Then, overnight, I was up in the 155-165 range. Now I weigh myself at the gym. I have also joined a physical training boot camp class and have been doing circuit training and weights for 2 months. currently, I am on summer break, I'm a teacher, and have been working out about 2 hours a day. However, I was just gaining weight. Julie, I see that you have a bodybugg, I was seriously considering getting one just cause I wasn't losing. THen I did some research and I have just recently, okay, yesterday, gone back to logging everything on sparkpeople.com. so this is what I figured out (I have not lost anything for about 4 months). My Base Metibolic rate is between 1400 and 1600. In order to get a 1000 calorie deficit which would allow me to lose 2 lbs a week I have to burn an addition 800- 1000 calories a day. Of course, if I had the bodybugg it would do all this math for me, but, I don't so: Yesturday I burn 906 calories exercising. I ate 1200 calories so I got a deficit of 1100 calories. today I burned 1232 and ate 1579 for a deficit of 1053. Just WATCHING the bodybugg commerical helped me! I added swimming after my aerobics classes and weight training because I thought I was burning like 1000 calories and I was only burning 600 so that is why I was putting on extra weight! I have a question, what are SPANX and where do you get them? I saw some nylon looking things at target today, they said they were from the creator of SPANX, something called ACCESS or ACCENT or something like that, could it be the same thing? They looked like tights that stopped right above the knee and went right under the chest.

I go to Dr. Fitzpatrick in Oregon. She has 2 offices. One right near Portland and the other is near Salem ( I think) I was banded in TJ by Doctor Ortiz and he recommended her. She is fantastic, takes lots of time to talk with you. No flora but that has not been a problem for me at all. If you want a phone number you can PM me and I'll give it to you, or go to Home for her website. She is fantastic.

Hi all, Well, it has been ages since I posted. I have been exercising my little heart out, but apparently eating enough to make up for it. I have gained a bit, although I now have a personal trainer and according to her it is muscle and I have lost a lot of fat. I guess I should be happy with that, but I would really like to see the scale go down instead of up! I am seriously thinking about getting a bodybugg, but really don't want to spend the money As of today, I decided to go back and start logging on sparkpeople and being HONEST about everything I eat! I am still in a size 10, I want to be a 6 or the most an 8 when I buy clothes for next school year. Stephanie, you are doing fantastic! Keep up all the great work! I have to take my son to the dentist and I'll check back later.

Grrr, Ok, I'm teaching 6th grade English/language arts. I went in today to grade final project, only 55% of my kids have turned them in! Man, I am so frustrated! I feel like it is my fault. Do you think if I didnt take ANY late work, more students would turn it in on time? Anyway, 8 full days of teaching left, then it is on to summer I had my band placed last July, so I really can't anwser for those who are having theirs done then going back to work, except that when I was in a car accident and went back to work, I just had the kids do stuff that was too hard. Like, when I needed to write on the board, a student would do it. most of them really like to help. good luck, jane

Congrats DonnaMarie on the marriage! I have started a new exercise class that, I hope, will help me lose the last few pounds. IT is called personal training boot camp. I had the first class last Tuesday and got some really good news. The first time you go to this class they do a fitness profile on you. I have NevEr had this kind of thing done on me before, so it was quite eyeopening. Firts, I have been swimming for almost an hour every morning since the end of October, but lately I have been feeling like it really isn't doing anything, that is why I decided to try a different class. So, had my blood pressure and heart rate taken to start. My BP is in the "Fit" range and m resting heart rate is in the "Excellent" range. So far, so good. Then I had the caliper test and the weight test, yuck. now, my mother always called me "big boned" when I was a kid, but one time, ages ago, when I lost weight, I discovered that my "bones" are in the small to medium range, so I couldn't use that excuse anymore. Well, according tot he fitness profile I got, currently (and I weighed in at 159 on their scale!) I, naturally, need work, now that was totally unexpected, LOL. However, to get into the "fair"' range, I only need to lose 4 lbs of FAT. To get into the IDEAL range, I need to lose 14 lbs of fat! That means I really only need to lose another 20 lbs in order to be in the IDEAL category. WOW! that was exciting. According to my lean muscule factor, if I get below 125, which I really thought I wanted to be 110, I will be WAY too thin! Anyway, it was a very exciting day for me. Plus, I can already feel a big difference, all my muscules are really sore, and I feel like I am really doing something again.

Heather, where do you get the personalized Garfield posters? Those would be really cool to have. School ends for me on the 21st. Last projects are coming in right now. I have lots of grading to do this weekend, then it is the downhill slide. I'm looking forward to being able to work out in the morning for a longer amount of time, then go home and go back to sleep:)

hey all, thought I'd bring this up a few spaces! I am really excited, June is here! I am going to change my exercise routine this month. School is out on th 21st thanks to snow days. What is everyone else doing?

Best wishes Stephanie, I will be thinking about you and praying for a swift recovery! I am getting another fill on Saturday. I have gained about 3 lbs EVEN with swimming every morning. I am also changing my workout routine. I added a class called PT Boot camp for the next month. I might move to more land workouts as summer comes and I'm not having to go to work so early in the morning. But for at least the next week or so, it well be 3 days of swimming and 2 days of land workouts. I am hoping I can jumpstart my body into losing again!

Heather, I have to be at work at 7:30 so I am up at 5 AM swim from 5:30 til 6:25, then head off to work. Most mornings I love it, but lately I have been kind of tired and not enjoying it as much. I think it is because of allergies and not sleeping as well at night. I have been banded for a little over 10 months, since July 11th and have lost 45 lbs. I'm only 5'1" so that is a change from a size tight 16 to a really loose 10 or a kind of tight 8 depending on the pants. I still want to lose another 30 or so, but I've plateaued and it is hard lately to stick to the rules. So, I guess I'm kind of taking a little break from them. But, still exercising.

I teach 6th grade language arts and social studies. Lunch is only 30 minutes and that is really tough. I usually have a soup at hand and a cottage double. There is not time to slowly eat other stuff. I drink water in front of my kiddos all day and encourage them all to bring water bottles. The worst part is if I have to go potty in the middle of class. Then it can be rough trying to find someone to watch the kids while I go. The kids have really noticed me losing weight this year, I was banded in July. Some of last year's students actually told this year's students that I used to be fat. This year's kids told me that, thinking I'd be mad. I said, "you know what, they were right, I was fat!" The kids all know that I swim every morning before school, too. I hope I'm setting a good example for them. I work in a lower income school and many of my kids don't have great examples. When we were in the middle of our yearly testing (The WASL here, Washington Assessment of Student Learning) we took the kids out to the track to walk during our break. I raced a few of them. It was GREAT! Then, naturaly, they all wanted to race and I couldn't recover very quickly, but they were impressed. I couldn't have done that last year. Heck, I wouldn't have even THOUGHT of doing it last year!

I hae a question about the actitrainer. Can it be worn in the water? I swim each morning and log it into sparkpeople, but I would like to see how much I am really burning. I don't know if either bodybugg or actitrainer will work while swimming.

Hi all, I have been reading through all the recent posts, and I really think we are all about the same place, reguardless of how much weight has been lost! I am quite frustrated myself and have been rationalizing my overeating, I tell myself it is just a "little bite" but that turns into a whole serving. I don't think I need another fill because in the mornings my water still goes down VERY slowly. But I can eat way more than I want to or should at night, especially when I get into that snacking mode. YUCK. I have gained a little back, either that or my scale was messed up, it went through a strange phase where it told me I wasnt' loosing at all, then I weighted nothing, so I got a new battery, then over the next few days I lost 10 lbs, now I've put back on 5 of those ten. Anyway, I don't think I have really lost any weight in about weeks now. It is really hard not to snack, plus I haven't really been taking vitamins. Do you all take them? stephanie, so sorry about your day. Cancer is tough. My hubby had it a few years back, but doctors can do marvelous things these days! Jessica and Kstrehlow- Please, talk with us. None of us is perfect and we all struggle. That is why we come on here and talk with others. For the support. Maybe someone will have an idea that will help you out, maybe you will have an idea that helps one of us. Well, tomorrow is a new day. I plan to swim every morning next week, except Friday when I am flying to Spokane for my son's military ball. And I have decided to join a new class on Monday and Wednesday nights. It is Personal Training Boot Camp Fitness. We get a fitness profile at the beginning of the class and again at the end. I figure if I have to pay extra for the class, 61 dollars, than I will be sure to go since I'm a tight wad! We shall see how that goes. Some ladies I talk to in the mornings go and love it. I figure I'll still swim in the morning, cause I have pretty much made that part of my schedule, and maybe by adding an evening workout I will break this plateau. have a nice night and week you all!

Sherrie, Have you tried working out in the water? Many people with back trouble and knee pain find water aerobics to be just the thing. Also, yoga is very low impact but can do great things. I think many of us are hitting that 9 month slump. I know that I am. I'm frustrated too. I can't really explain why, I've lost 45 lbs and weigh less than I have for 16 years, but still, I want more. I also wonder if I'm going to have to work out 2 hours a day the rest of my life to maintain the weight I want to be. Right now I flucuate between gaining and maintaining at 151 and I'm swimming 45 minutes to an hour 5 days a week. I wonder what would happen if I just stopped? Bums me out. well, that wasn't helpful AT ALL was it :-) sorry.

I'm 5'2" and started at a very tight 16. I am currently wearing a loose 10 not quite into an 8 yet. I want to see what a 4 looks like, but would probably settle for a 6, if just my belly was flat and firm like those little girls in the belly shirts; alas, I have always had a poofy belly.

Well, hello to all. I have been gone quiet a while myself and have updated my ticker to prove it. Sadly, I had to update my ticker in the upper direction; however, I want to be totally honest so I did it. Spring break really hurt me, but I needed it so badly. Spent a week in Nevada, Las Vegas and Reno. Watched my nephew play baseball, gambled, went to buffets and drank. Wow! Did I do some damage. First week back, couldn't get myself to do what I needed to do. Didn't exercise but 2 days the whole week, still ate too much all of the bads I did. Last week was better, went for my swim 5 days but still not really watching what I ate, just doing what ever. This week, so far has been much better. Swam 45 minutes yesterday, kept track on Sparkpeople, at 1400 calories and walked 2 miles :-) Today, I skipped the coffee this morning, swam for 50 minutes, but no walking. About to eat dinner, but so far today I have had 2 pure protien bars at 180 calories each and a chicken salad that I couldnt eat much of, probably about 300 calories. so I'm doing well. I need to make sure to get back on track, need to check in and be accountable. Congrats to those who have stuck to the plan, boy it is tough to get back on once you bail.

Stephanie. Sorry about the PB! I teach and have decided ever since my last fill in Dec. that I will only eat soft foods at lunch, there is just not enough time plus it is WAY too fun to talk. So I drink or eat soup and then eat a cottage double. I have been doing this since January when we came back from winter break and have not PBed at lunch since. Before that, some for a while it was twice a week. I'm a slow learner. Congrats on the weight loss and keep it UP! I'm shooting for 53 lbs gone by April fool's day. 1 lb to go!