tonya66

Sounds like a blast! What a great gift!

BG - thanks! You know - even though life threw me some curve balls in 2008 (had knee surgery, Gma died, house flouded, etc), I gained some weight, but pre-band, when life threw me some curve balls, I would gain at least 30 lbs, sometimes even 50. So, I'm grateful for the band. I know that I will never weigh 200 lbs again!

.....because I am only 5 pounds away from being at a healthy BMI and only 15 lbs away from my goal!

Lisa, Did your doc say what causes the Dialated Esophagus? Just curious. I don't think its happened to me, but I haven't had a fill since last year. I was scheduled for one yesterday, but called and rescheduled it for June 29th. I am still not sure if I really need one or not. Some days I feel like I do, other days I feel like I don't. Not sure what I should do. Glad you were able to check in, we miss everyone checking in more often. Caryn - how are you doing? Juno - how life treating you - motherhood I'm sure has got you busy! Sula - how are you doing? Hows the exercising coming? I need to get my butt in gear with exercising myself. I am averaging only 3 days a week and need to get it to 5! On a good note, I've dropped 5% since joining Weight Watchers. I'm down to 160 lbs! Only 5 more pounds and I will be at a healthy weight, and only 15 pounds until I reach my goal of 145!

28 months ago I got the band. What a ride its been. Below are my stats - month by month - as you can see, the longer you have the band and the closer you get to goal, the harder its been for me. Some fly right to their goal, for me, its been hard work - and lots of it! Consultation with Doc 11/24/06 - 248.9 Surgery Date 1/18/07 - 226 1 mo post op (Feb 18)- 206.8 2 mo post op (March 18) - 198 3 mo post op (April 18th)- 193 4 mo post op (May 18th)- 184.2 5 mo post op (June 18th(- 178 6 mo post op (July 18th)– 174 7 mo post op (Aug 18th)- 178 - went on vacation and ate big (7 day cruise) 8 mo post op (Sept 18th)- 174 9 mo post op (Oct 18th)- 170 10 mo post op (Nov 18th) - 167 11 mo post op (Dec 18th) - 170 - haven’t even been trying 12 mo post op (Jan 18th 2008)- 174 - again, not trying. But finally refocused - exactly where I was at 6 mos post op – so basically no weight loss in the past 6 mos 13 mo post op (Feb 18th) - 183 - Ouch! started taking steroids and made my weight go up, along with not eating right and no exercise! 14 mo post op (March 18th)- 185 - grrrrr 15 mo post op (April 18th)- 180 - weight is finally going down, but inches are actually coming off faster since I've been exercising a lot. 16 mo post op (May 18th)- 178 17 mo post op (June 18th)- 175 18 mo post op (July 18th)- 179- still not focussed:sad: 19 mo post op -(Aug 18th) - 178 - focussed again - This time I am committed to getting to goal and will not stray! I do not ever want to see the 180's again! 20 mo post op (Sept. 18) - 171 - :cursing: 21 mo post op (Oct 18) - 168 22 mo post op (Nov 18) - 169 - I am focussed and doing good, but need to get back to exercising. I want to hit 160 by year end. 23 mo post op (Dec 18) - 166 - only 6 more pounds to get to my goal by year end. I don't think it will happen, but I will continue to try. 24 mo post op (Jan 18, 2009) - 168 - had hysterectomy and gained from all the fluid due to surgery 25 mo post op (Feb 18) - 168 - not losing, maintaining - joined Weight Watchers to give me some accountability and some structure. 26 mo post op (March 18) - 165 - WW going slow, but finally moving down again 27 mo post op (April 18) - 165 - grrrr - 28 mo post op (May 18) - 160 - FINALLY, almost out of the 160's. The lowest I have been in YEARS! 5 lbs away from being at a healthy weight, and 15 lbs away from my ultimate goal of 145!!! Had my Weight Watchers meeting last night, I hit my 5% goal of weight loss, so I was excited. I'm half way to my goal of 10% - which would put me to 17 lbs and at a healthy weight (with clothes on). WW scales last night read 163.2 - fully clothed, my scales read 160 - first thing in the am in my bday suit. I go by my scales since that is the way I've weighed all along. It feels so good to be so close to being HEALTHY. My BMI was at 25.89. I want to get it to around 23. Something below 25. I love my band, but its a tool that I have to work with, not let it do all the work. Today's menu Bfast - Iced Mocha - non fat milk Lunch grilled chicken tossed salad Snack Apple - peanut butter (1 TBS) Dinner soup

Juno - that sounds great! Bandana - glad you popped in! Sula - good job for exercising!

Yay! That is great!

I'm 2 years out, and all the agony I went thru pre-band, and the liquid diet afterwards, was so worth it. Hang in there.

Here are 11 ways to help break a plateau: 1. Keep a food Diary As you get comfortable with your diet, it's easy to stop paying attention and fall back into old habits. A nibble here, a slightly larger snack, an extra glass of wine… It's usually the little things that make all the difference. Starting a food diary will help you become more aware of what you're actually eating. Most people underestimate amounts by up to 20 percent. "I think journaling is a good idea," says Karen Sullivan, a health coach and AFPA Certified Personal Trainer. "It helps you stay honest with yourself […]. As long as you are in denial you will never reach your goals. Seeing it in black and white is the best way to break that plateau." To keep a food diary, start with a blank notebook and for a week, record everything you eat (down to a piece of gum or cup of coffee), when you ate it, how much, and how hungry you were before and after. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, a food diary must contain not only the food you ate, but also what were you doing and who you were with when you ate. "It will make you aware of any negative patterns," says Hudson. It's important to be truthful to yourself and not change your eating habits while keeping the diary. Also, remember to be specific --A baked potato is not the same as a baked potato with gravy and butter. 2. Break Up Your Meals If you're eating three times a day, eat five. If you're already eating five times, upgrade to six or seven. This doesn't necessarily mean you'll be eating more food; you'd just be breaking it into more meals. Eating frequently stabilizes your blood sugar, controls appetite, and keeps your energy up. Ideally, you shouldn't go more than three or four hours without eating something. Doing so slows down your metabolism and makes your body burn fat at a slower rate. Instead of going for a second serving, stick to one plate and then eat a small snack two hours later. Always eat before you're hungry. A feeling of hunger indicates your blood sugar is going down, which makes you prone to craving simple sugars. "Your body has no idea that there is plenty of food around, only what is coming in," says Susan Lee Ottevanger, a motivational speaker and the author of Running On Premium Fuel. "You need to reach a sense of well being for your body to feel free to burn up some storage." 3. Eat More A big mistake many people make is to cut down on calories so much that they starve their bodies. "When you eat too little, your metabolism goes down," says Ottevanger. "The body goes yikes, metabolism drops, frustration rises, moods drop, motivation dies. You start overeating and gain weight. Every time you go thru this cycle, the less success." If you're consuming less than 1,200 calories a day (1,500 for a man), your body may react by slowing down as a self-preservation measure. This means you'll be actually storing fat even if you're working out consistently. 4. Rely on a Friend If you're having a hard time finding the motivation to step up your program, find a like-minded buddy, either real or virtual. Join a support group, find an appropriate chat room, or sign up with a motivational website. A recent study by the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences of The University of Vermont found that web-based support programs are as effective as traditional face-to-face meetings when it comes to helping people maintain weight loss. The study followed 250 overweight adults through an initial six-month weight loss program, and then set them up with either in-person or internet support. Surprisingly, both groups did remarkably well. "The internet can be a very effective weight-loss tool if used well," says Hudson. "Many people can't or don't want to attend face-to-face meetings. Having access to virtual support, while no substitute for one-on-one counseling, it's still a step-up from going at it alone." 5. Watch Your Carbs You don't have to go on a low carb diet (in fact, low-carb and exercise don’t mix well), but do watch out for the extra refined carbohydrates that tend to slip into everybody's diet –Be mindful not only of white flour and sugars, but also look for hidden carbs in foods such as ketchup, salad dressings, dairy products, and even Soups. Read labels –Many low-fat products, including fruit juices and energy bars, are high in sugars. Avoid carbs at dinnertime, and opt for a larger salad as a side dish. When you do eat carbs, stick to whole grains. Plateaus are sometimes due to Water retention. Restricting salt intake and reducing carbs can give you the jumpstart and the motivation to keep going. 6. Move More Be more active outside the gym. The FDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week to maintain health, and at least 60 minutes to help manage body weight. If you're going to the gym four times a week, that leaves you with three days where you still need to be active. Walking is the best exercise for those "off" days. It's gentle enough to allow your body to recuperate from the heavy workouts at the gym, but still raises your metabolism to carry on the weight loss. Get a pedometer and aim for at least 8,000 steps a day. You'd be surprised to learn most people barely make 4,000. Office workers sometimes stay under 3,000. "Activity is the key," says Sullivan. "You can walk at a brisk pace, ride a bike (but be sure you are working at this little bike ride), swimming, tennis, even golf (forget the cart) are all ways to keep your body moving and increase the energy you are burning." 7. shake Up Your Workout It takes your body only four weeks to get used to a workout. Once something becomes a routine for your metabolism, plateaus are likely. Are you doing the treadmill for an hour every day? Give it up and enroll in a kickboxing class instead. Doing the stationary bike? Switch to the Stairmaster. Or try playing with the intensity of the workout. Add one minute intervals at a high speed or incline (not both) followed by three or four minutes at a lower intensity. If you've been working alone, it may be a good idea to enlist the help of a workout buddy or even pay for a few sessions with a personal trainer. "Whenever you change a workout routine your body will respond by dropping fat/weight," says Sullivan. Many people do not work hard enough. "You need to understand it isn't only the kind of activity you are doing but the frequency, the duration of each exercise session, and the intensity during your session," says Sullivan. "A little walk in the park is not exercise necessary to drop weight. People come to me and say, 'I ride my bike every night with my 4-year-old and I am not seeing any changes in my body.' They need to keep the 4-year-old home while they ride hard for an hour and then come back for a cool down with their child." If you need help planning an exercise routine but can't afford a personal trainer, try Free Trainers, an online program that offers pre-designed workouts to fit any goal and level. Learn exercise routines, track your progress, calculate your caloric intake, and interact with other members following the same program. 8. Pump It Up A common mistake women make is skipping weights because of the fear they would look "bulky." True is, women lack the testosterone needed to develop large muscles. Done appropriately, weight training can break a plateau faster than any other method. According to Wikipedia, "The body's basal metabolic rate increases with increases in muscle mass, which promotes long-term fat loss and helps dieters avoid yo-yo dieting. Moreover, intense workouts elevate the metabolism for several hours following the workout, which also promotes fat loss." The increase in metabolism rate is immediate and it can be as significant as 10 percent. "It takes more energy to maintain healthy muscle than fat," says Sullivan. "This way you are burning calories while you sleep! Also, if all you are doing is doing cardio and dieting you will be flabby. Skinny flab is just as unattractive as fat flab." If you've never tried weights before, start slow and light, mixing machines and free weights. Weights should be done three times a week, alternating muscle groups. 9. Drink Plenty of Water Thirst is often mistaken for hunger. Every time you feel the urge to snack, drink a glass of water first and see if the urge goes away. Decaf teas, calorie-free drinks, and seltzer water count towards your eight glasses of water a day, but add an extra glass for each cup of coffee you drink, as caffeine dehydrates. A recent study by the Franz-Volhard Clinical Research Center in Germany showed a basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories your body burns at rest) increase of up to 30 percent after participants drank 16 ounces of cold water. Researchers estimate that drinking an additional 16 ounces of water over the required 60 ounces (eight glasses) a day can result in an annual weight loss of almost two pounds. 10. Cut Down Your Alcohol Intake The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 stress the fact thatwhile alcoholic beverages supply excess calories, they do not supply any essential nutrients, making it difficult even for moderate drinkers to maintain a healthy weight. Alcohol is, in fact, very dense in calories. 7kcal/gram compared to only 4 for Proteins and carbs, and that's without taking into consideration that many alcoholic drinks (such as cocktails) are high in sugars and fat. Alcohol consumption slows down the fat burning capabilities of the body, as the body focuses on using the alcohol (a toxin) as fuel, rather than burning fat for energy. Alcohol also dehydrates, which, in turn, can make you hungry. 11. Keep Your Chin Up Finally, it's important to keep your eyes on the large picture. "Focus on health, not fat," says Ottevanger. "[Focus on] feeling good – looking good is just a side effect of feeling good. Forget the notion that some excess just got there by accident, that you are going to get it fixed, and go back to normal. You change your notions and thus your behavior today, for the rest of your longer, happier life. No six weeks of torture will get you anywhere you want to go."

Well, its been a bit since I've journaled. So, back to journeling...... Still doing weight watchers and I weigh in tonight - I'm hoping I have lost! Exercise lately has been hit or miss, mostly miss. But eating has been right on!

Well, its been a bit since I've journaled. So, back to journeling...... Still doing weight watchers and I weigh in tonight - I'm hoping I have lost! Exercise lately has been hit or miss, mostly miss. But eating has been right on!

Eating has been GREAT! Exercise, well, its been hit and miss lately. But I think about it all the time, does that count? lol. Still doing WW and its going slow, but I really think I'm about to have some movement on the scale. I feel skinnier, but the scale hasn't moved - weird.

juno - sure, do you want to start one?

It really discusses nutrition and how important it is to "master your matabolism". For me, its helping me lose these final 15 pounds. I seem to have stalled for a looooong time. I eat low cal, I exercise, and I don't lose. Well the book shows how calories are not equal. It discusses the dangers of processed food and what foods you should eat to rev up your matabolism. I learned to quit buying those frozen weight watchers meals and start preparing my own meals. I am about 3/4 way finished, but it has enlightened me on how beneficial organic is too. She is so much pro organic. I don't think its much of a "diet" book, but its more of a nutritional book. Something that I am interested in as I finish losing my final weight.

I have always despised Ron because of his whimpy attitude with challenges. However, last night I saw him in a new light. Its like something clicked within him, I have bad knees and I know he must have been in pain. But he finished! He walked it. I remember the 1/2 marathon they did, He barely did 3 miles. I remember him saying, I knew I wouldn't do it. Pissed me off. But this time he was saying that he was going to complete it. I was very proud of him. Yes, I loved it when Bob said "fresh meat" to Max. Last night was a tear jerker for me, I know Ron's kids must have been so proud of him. This should prove to Max that if his dad can do it, so can he!:cool2:

I'm not sure if she is or not, however, I bought her new book, "How to master you matabolism" and in it she mentions her ex boyfriend. But, she could have changed now and like women, not sure. Either way, she looks great!

Yes, lets do this! I am ready to go! Yesterday, ate very clean. I was actually proud of myself. I made it to the gym Monday night, but didn't yesterday. I plan on going tonight.

Glad you had fun, but I'm with you, I need my sleep!!! Snow - yuck. I need some sunshine very badley, I'm going crazy with all the rain we are having! I totally relate, I can wear a bathing suit for total strangers, but people I know, especially my work peers, that would be hard. I'm sure you will look great though...

Thank you! I ate out a lot last week myself and put on 4 lbs! EAting out will do it for me everytime! I'm back on plan this week and bringing my lunch to work. Yay! That is great! I need to get back to the gym myself. I've taken a few weeks off and its time to get it back in gear! Tonight, its the gym for me!

I have another fill scheduled for 5/18, however, I'm tight again, and been having acid reflux in the evening. I'm going to just see if I stay tight, or I could be loose by then. I hope I keep my restriction!

Snowed it? Wow! I thought I had reason to complain with all this rain we've gotten. It has rained every day since I got back, pouring this morning and not supposed to clear up until next week. arggggg. But snow? Wow - being snowed in in May! I'm sure you are ready for some beautiful weather as well. I need my sunshine! I can't take too much more of this horrible weather, I'm about to go crazy!

Close up of my face - even though I have only lost 10 to 15 pounds this past year, I can tell a big difference in my face.

The view from our room........

Hey guys - I'm back from Mexico and no Swine Flu as of yet. I sure hope I don't get it. Can't talk long, busy at work, but did want to pop in and say hello. Bellow is my resort and me in my new size 8 black dress!

I am staying on plan because I am 8 lbs from being at healthy BMI number.