MarySue33

...and there is actually a big difference (a good difference, actually) between it and the normal mini tramp that you can get at Dick's or Target or someplace else like that. There are more springs and the whole thing seems more 'heavy duty' than the average type. I compared mine side by side when I got the Urban Rebounder and there definitely is a difference. One of the other things I like about the Urban Rebounder is the fact that it comes with a handrail (it can be detached depending on which routines you are doing). I think it is actually designed for the senior workout, but it is great for anyone -- especially if you are a bit on the klutzy side like I am or if you are still pretty out of shape. I actually use it for a lot of the workouts and just modify them to compensate for the handrail, as needed. Last, but not least, it does come with a lot of different workouts on the CDs. I'm not fit enough to do some of them yet...but they are things that I can strive toward as I get more fit. I have horrible knees and have had knee surgery on one of them and I don't hurt when I use the Urban Rebounder. I bought mine from the infomercial and paid full price. It's expensive when compared with the department store variety of mini-tramp, so I would try to see if maybe you can find it on Amazon or at half.com or somewhere like that to see if you can get it a little cheaper.

I have been off the wagon for far too long and I need a kick in the pants to get back on track. This is a perfect way to start...thanks! Now I just need to start exercising again...

Hi Susan, I live in Harford County, but I opted to go up to Dr. Currie @ the Weight Loss Clinic in Harrisburg, PA for my surgery. I had my surgery a little over a year ago and, while I have not broken any speed records for rapid weight loss -- due to the fact that: 1) I have not done much exercise and 2) I rediscovered the Dairy Queen Blizzard over the summer -- I have still been very pleased with my results. Without the band I would have gained all of my weight back with my DQ runs and my lack of exercise. Instead, I am more than 50# lighter than I was a year ago and I fully expect to lose the next 50# in 2008 (now that I will be driving by DQ without stopping and because I have finally started to exercise religiously!) I selected Dr. Currie based on the fact that they had done a lot more lap bands than most of the local bariatric docs (the vast majority around here do a lot of gastric bypass, but very few bands) and the good things I had heard about how they were friendlier and had a better bedside manner than a lot of the docs closer to home. Every time I go up to the office I meet more Marylanders there...it has been a good experience for me. Good luck with whichever surgeon you choose. You're doing the right thing and doing your homework... MarySue

I only told my parents, my kids and a few very close friends when I was banded a year ago. Now that I have had some success (50# -- not breaking any speed records, but I'm 50# lighter than I was a year ago!), I have been very open about things. I guess I just needed to make sure I could make it work before giving them the chance to say, "Here she goes again...let's see how long THIS one lasts!" Well...now they can see for themselves. :rose:

I use slimscript (SlimScript Soy Protein shake | Whey Protein powder Meal Replacement: A Heart-Healthy Low Glycemic Index food) and have found them to be much tastier and higher in protein than just about anything else I have come across. If I remember correctly, they gave me not only free samples...but a shaker, too. If not free -- the samples didn't cost much. I have been using them for over a year and love them.

We are all so very proud of you, girlie!!! We can just hear you 'glowing' from here. Your energy, your enthusiasm, your happiness and contentment just bubble right off the screen! You have just come through an incredibly difficult chapter of your life with dignity and grace. Sure...there were a few little speed bumps along the way...but you and your kids made it. I know I always preach taking the high road, but was literally laughing out loud at your quick response to his 'getting laid' comment. Touche! It was a perfect response. This will be a year of positive new chapters for you -- both your new life at home and at work. Your son sounds like he is already coming around in his own way. It may take some time, but allow him those baby steps. While you are thrilled (and rightfully so)...it may take him a little more time to come around. What a great new name...this is, indeed, just the beginning of a great new life for you! Hugs and best wishes... MarySue

I swear, stomp my feet and wonder why I am such a slow learner and when I will ever learn to take smaller bites!

I attended a few OA meetings several years ago and it wasn't for me. Granted, I am not much of a group effort weight loss person, though, either. In fact, I have always done better on my own than going to WW or TOPS or any of those sorts of things, so maybe it was just me. The few times that I went, it seemed to me like people were 'blaming' their weight problems on family and other situations and not taking any personal responsibility for their own behaviors. I found it to be kind of depressing, actually.

This is great news...definitely a year of new beginnings for you...new job...new single mom life...good stuff, indeed! My only advice to you would be to take the dating thing slowly (sounds like you are already doing that). This has been a rough time for your kids and they still need time to heal before they start watching mom go out on dates. My best advice to any of my newly-divorced friends is to take a good long while to get used to the new 'single you' first...then to ease into the dating thing. Sounds like your ex has not changed one bit or learned from this. Sounds like he still wants to keep the drama and control thing going for as long as he can. Don't expect his antics to change much, but don't let that phase you in the least. Keep your chin up and just keep moving forward and be the best mom that you can be. Your daughter needs you now more than ever. Best wishes! MarySue

Up until yeterday, I had told just my kids, my parents, and two of my best friends who live in other states and who don't know any of my other friends or family. However, yesterday I was talking to a cousin of mine who is a prime candidate for the band and she was at the point of frustration that I was at before I had my surgery. I had told everyone that I had hiatal hernia surgery (which was true -- they did have to fix a hiatal hernia while they were in there -- just not the whole truth) and I told her last night that, while that was, indeed, true -- that they fixed my hernia because I was having a lap band put in. I then told her about how different my life has become in the past five months (she and I are absolute twins when it comes to eating habits and issues) because of the band. I am not going to nag at her about it, but I did just want to plant the seed. I have decided that I will not broadcast it to the world, but if I have a friend or family member who could benefit from it, I will not keep it a secret from them. I just don't want the whole world to think they need to be the food police.

I would not feel disappointed. I think that we have been slaves to the scale for so long that we sometimes can feel that it is the ultimate judge of our success or our failure. I am one of those people who has a pretty solid muscle mass under this flab. Even back in the days when I was 'normal sized', I had thighs like a figure skater -- big thighs, but very muscular, so they did not look bad. 25 years ago when I weighed 150, people thought I weighed about 135. When I hit 200, people thought that I was closer to 175. I think we have to be careful that we don't let the scale rule us. After all, I suspect that is why most of us are here. The scale is not the be-all, end-all. It is just ONE FORM of measurement. A much healthier form of measurement is to have your BMI professionally measured. You would be amazed. If you are shrinking that much in sizes, you are doing something right and should not be disappointed at all. We have become slaves to the scale because society has made weight such a big deal vs. what really should matter -- your health. I actually find it kind of empowering to know that I can be fit and "overweight" (whatever that actually means) without being "fat". I vaguely remember how that felt and I want to get back there again. Once I finally stopped being ruled by the scale, I found it to be absolutely awesome that I could weigh 30-40# more than my friends, fit into the same sizes and not have any of the health issues that they have (high BP, high cholesterol, etc.) One of the most freeing moments of my life was when I went to the exercise physiologist at my old weight loss doctor's office at JHU and she did a thorough body fat impedance measurement. Turns out, I'm within the healthy and acceptable range of body fat when I hit between 150-168# -- and I'm only 5'2". In fact, as I get closer to my goal, I plan to make another appointment with her to get an accurate measurement of my true BMI and, likely, I will adjust my goal weight up to reflect what is really healthy vs. what society deems to be an appropriate weight for a woman of 5'2" tall. I won't have any problem with being a 150# 'hottie' by the time I turn 50! In fact, I can tell you right now that my girlfriends will be envious that I can look that good, feel that good and 'get away with' carrying those extra pounds. So...the moral of the story is...listen to your body and stop being a slave to the scale. You will be absolutely AMAZED at what it does to your outlook on life and your mental health and well-being, in general!

Hi Deb, You are definitely among friends here. I ran into the same problems as you, as I live way out in the country and when I get home from work the last thing I want to do is to head back to town. I don't know if this would be an option for you, but I decided to take the $$ I had spent the previous year on my Curves membership (that I only used about 10 times in a year) and bought a treadmill. Until recently, I had been using it about as much as my Curves membership, but now I'm actually moving. I have decided that when I get down to 199# I will start adding weights, but for now, the baby steps of the treadmill are working. The other good thing is that with the days being longer and with the weather being nicer, once I lose a little more weight I plan to start walking outside. My dog is as fat as I am and we both can use the fresh air and the exercise!

Every once in a while I think I will be able to tolerate bread, but I am wrong. Two bites into it and I hurt like crazy -- even if chewed to mush -- so it isn't worth it to me. Probably a good thing here, too, as I was definitely a carboholic pre-band. The other things that give me great trouble are lettuce, green Beans (too stringy, I think), beef of any sort and chicken if it is too dry. I'm living on a diet that is primarily composed of fish and vegetables these days -- and loving it! I have never eaten so healthy in my entire life. Will I try bread again? Of course...I'm a slow learner and an eternal optimist. Will I get an awful pain when I do it? Probably...and after a bite or two I will remember why I don't eat it like I used to. Maybe one of these days I will learn!

Oops...my mistake. Sorry about that.

This reminds me of a conversation I had with the same friend I mentioned in my previous post. I was describing someone (a Caucasian woman) as being 'fair-skinned'. This did not register with my friend at all, as he had never heard white people being described by the color of their skin. I teased him and said..."So what you're telling me is that we all look alike, eh?"

I think you just hit the nail on the head, TOM. This is exactly the kind of thing that some of my friends shared with me. One said that he was 'conveniently' left off group emails for meeting times by particular team members and his secretary would come rushing into his office at the time of the meeting because they were calling to inquire where he was. He would walk into the meeting late and every head would turn. Sneaky is a good way to describe it. White people who say they are 'color blind' is another thing that several of my friends have commented on. If you have an honest, open conversation with a black friend, he or she will tell you that 'colorblindness' as it relates to racial and ethnic differences does not truly exist. They make a good point. If someone were to point me out to someone from across a somewhat crowded room, they would likely say "she's the short, heavyset woman over there in the blue dress". If they were to point my friend out, they might say, "he is the African-American man in the blue shirt". If there was a third friend with us, they might refer to her as the "Asian woman in the red dress." Did you notice the difference? I was the only one whose race was not noted as a descriptor. I now see their point. I teased him and said, "Just as long as you don't say...she's that short, FAT white woman...I'm ok with that."

If you look around this site you will find a huge range in the weight loss patterns and trends. Like everyone before me has stated, it all depends on how you work the band. If you want immediate gratification, you probably should have had gastric bypass. If you are looking for a steady, forward progression you are in the right place. I know that, for me, the 'getting it off' was never the issue. I have lost hundreds and hundreds of pounds in my lifetime. The 'keeping it off' is why I got the band. If it takes me a year or two to get to my goal - so be it. When I move and when I drink my Water and watch what I eat very closely, I lose more quickly than if I have a lazier, less structured eating day. If you look at the posts of folks like Telly and Puddin, they are exercising like crazy and getting great results. I am envious of them...but not willing to work quite so hard at this...so my pace is slower. Still, I have lost almost 35# in less than 6 months and I am making forward progress. That is all that matters to me. Best wishes on your journey!

I think you are overreacting. Quite honestly, the fact that you took such offense to this was amazing to me. First of all, I doubt that if he honestly believed you and your husband were racists he would have ever even extended the invitation. Nobody would want to put their child in an awkward situation like that. Secondly, while you were not there to hear the comment firsthand, maybe there is enough underlying racism at work that he felt the need to clarify. To be frank with you, (and this is now showing that we all do a little bit of stereotyping, whether we like to believe that we do or not) as soon as I saw that you were in the South, I could easily understand why he responded that way. My friends and professional colleagues who are black have shared with me some of the subtle and not so subtle things that have happened to them -- even now in the 21st century -- that we who have not been in their shoes could not even imagine would still be happening. While we like to think that we are more Enlightened than our ancestors were, racism is very much alive and well in 2007. It is just often veiled or under the surface. I asked a friend of mine not that long ago how different it is for him to be a successful, black professional man than it is for me to be a successful, white professional woman. Some of the things he has shared with me would amaze you. My advice would be not to confront. I think that when people try to 'over-explain' a situation, all it does is to make matters worse. In my opinion, the time to have made it clear that your husband was really asking about the denomination would have been at the time they first discussed the invitation. If you go back and push the issue, I know that if I were him, my thoughts would be: "Me thinketh the lady protesteth too much." I think it would only make things more awkard for everyone involved -- including your husband and your son. Let it go...

I am trying to do a modified version of the "From Couch to 5k Walk/Run Program". http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml They recommend starting with a 20 minute workout, but mine is not up to speed yet. I walk for several minutes and then try to pick up my pace for 30-40 seconds. It is hardly a 'sprint interval' -- but more like a little faster walk. I keep reminding myself that I did not get fat overnight, so I certainly won't be running marathons by June, either. I know several friends who have done this couch to 5k thing and they were in as bad of shape as I am when they started. Now they are actually RUNNERS! I figure that even if I can only do 10 or 15 min at a time that it is a start. These 'baby steps' will all pay off in the long run. It may take me 6 months instead of 2 months to get to the running part, but it will still be way more running than I have ever done in my life. (Heck, the little 30 second intervals are already more running than I have done in years!!)

I am trying to do a modified version of the "From Couch to 5k Walk/Run Program". http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml They recommend starting with a 20 minute workout, but mine is not up to speed yet. I walk for several minutes and then try to pick up my pace for 30-40 seconds. It is hardly a 'sprint interval' -- but more like a little faster walk. I keep reminding myself that I did not get fat overnight, so I certainly won't be running marathons by June, either. I know several friends who have done this couch to 5k thing and they were in as bad of shape as I am when they started. Now they are actually RUNNERS! I figure that even if I can only do 10 or 15 min at a time that it is a start. These 'baby steps' will all pay off in the long run.

Even though you feel beat after working out, exercising in the evening can actually have a stimulating effect and can keep you awake at night. I have been taking melatonin for the past few weeks and I am absolutely amazed at how much better and more deeply I have been sleeping. It is the only thing that I have been able to take for help sleeping that does not leave me groggy in the a.m.

Ok...I have had my band for a little over five months now, yet I cannot seem to 'figure out' that if I gulp my food down and don't chew enough, it gets stuck or hurts. I have not PB'd yet, but I have slimed on occasion. I probably do one of these boneheaded things each day. I will be eating away ever so nicely -- not a large amount -- just too big of a bite -- and WHAM-O! I end up wolfing a few big bites down. As soon as I do it, I know it is going to be tight. Why can't I remember to take those little bites BEFORE I gulp it down? If it's not that...about once a week I forget not to drink after I have eaten -- especially if it is something that is a little on the spicy side. As soon as I do, I start to feel like a cat must feel with a hairball. Is it just me? Or is this a learning process that most people go through? Or were the rest of you smart enough to figure this out after the first or second time you did this? Any tips would be great...thanks!!

Wow...this is interesting. I am making other positive changes in my life, too. I have been working really hard at getting to bed earlier so that I can get 8 hours of sleep, getting up earlier in the morning, getting to work earlier, being a better housekeeper and getting my finances in order.

Hi Julie- I am sort of in the same boat. I was banded five months ago and have maybe stepped on the treadmill twice since that time. I was losing great, but have recently plateaued. I knew that I needed to do something to get back on track and to get the weight loss moving again. I started back in the treadmill again this week and the weight has already started to come off again. I had been at a standstill for weeks, but have lost 2.5# since Monday. I could only do 10 minutes on the first day I started back this week, but tonight I am up to about 15 minutes. Even though it has only been 10-15 minutes, I feel so much better -- both physically, and about myself -- after my workout. We'll get back up to speed...one step at a time.

I have the card, but have not yet used it. Only a few people know about my lap band, so if I am out with others I just order a regular meal and take the rest home. It is amazing to me that what I used to polish off in one sitting -- and then have dessert, besides -- now lasts for a minimum of 4 extra meals. I'm starting to think that I might freeze the leftovers in the future, as by the 4th day of the same leftovers, my tastebuds are ready for a little change. I'm wondering if the 'novelty' of this will ever wear off (I hope not!) and if I will ever stop being amazed and surprised at the differences the band has brought to my life.