tonya66

53 more days until my cruise! Yay! Menu today Bfast liquid calories (coffee drink) Lunch chicken - roasted Dinner- chicken/salsa spinach exercise - 20 min on elliptical circuit training - 1 hour doing upper body with cardio - keep heart rate up wt - 179.9 - I hate this bouncing crap - up and down, up and down....grrrrrrrrr (TONYA - STAY OFF THE SCALES - MY INNER VOICE IS YELLING AT ME TO STAY OFF THE SCALES!)

53 more days until my cruise! Yay! Menu today Bfast liquid calories (coffee drink) Lunch chicken - roasted Dinner- chicken/salsa spinach exercise - 20 min on elliptical circuit training - 1 hour doing upper body with cardio - keep heart rate up wt - 179.9 - I hate this bouncing crap - up and down, up and down....grrrrrrrrr (TONYA - STAY OFF THE SCALES - MY INNER VOICE IS YELLING AT ME TO STAY OFF THE SCALES!)

Sula - it took me FOREVER to get back into the exercise program. I would do good for a day or two, then back to nothing for weeks, it was a vicious cycle. I'm finally back in the groove of things, exercising 5 to 6 days per week. But it took me months and months of trying to get back to it. Don't be hard on yourself, it takes some time. Lynn - I used to take neurotin - I still have bottles of it - It actually was developed for patients with seizures, but they found it helped on numerous things. I took it for my muscle spasms in my arms and the pain in my nerves in my arms. I eventually had to have surgery, so I didn't take it anylonger. However, no one ever told me it made you gain weight - no wonder I put on weight! Wow. I'm averaging 1 pound a week loss these days, seems to take everything I have to even lose 1 pound. sucks! I would be totally thrilled to lose 2 lbs a week at this point, but as long as I keep losing a pound, I guess I should just be happy. (I'm putting my happy face on now) I have faced the fact that this is a life long change, I will always have to exercise, its not a diet, and I will never be fat again - as long as I use my band as a tool. My cruise is in 50 something days, I was hoping to be at 160 by then, at the 1 pound per week rate I'm going - it won't happen.....:angry_smile: - I am really not that upset as I may sound, I was just hoping you know what I mean. I will still weigh less when the cruise comes around, and I will still have a great time - I can't wait for some R&R. Dh & I were talking about it this moring as we were trying to make ourselves get up and get ready for work we both said at the exact sime time "I can't wait for the cruise so we can get some rest". We both started laughing - we were thinking the exact same thing and the exact same time. 20 years of marriage does that I guess. lol. Well, signing off for today - heading over to my blog to update it and back to work I go.....talk to everyone later Cindi - how are you? Hows it going? Miss ya!

I am re-updating mine, somehow, mine didn't make it on the list that is going around now. Name................Current....Goal......Lost...Still to Lose BigBandFan..........296........270.......0......26 Epm316..............235........200.......0......35 (by 7/4) faithmd.............309.4......300.......0......9.4(by 6/21) Hastings............253........228.......0......25 KarenG..............174........160.......0......14 (by 7/4) kathystrick.........318........288.......0......30 legster.............197........180.......0......17 Leslie2Lose.........231........208.......2......23 (by 7/4) LessNLess...........149........140.......2.......9 Luu2008.............215........185.......0......30 (by 7/4) luvinke.............217........190.......4......23 Marissa's Mom.......388........358.......0......30 (by 7/4) MollyMolly..........201........188.......3......13 nancy52.............197........170.......0......27 Nettie..............193........170.......0......23 Newhope4me..........177........160.......0......17 NukeChik............237........222.......5......15 nurse7263...........244........150.......0......24 (by 7/4) renewedhope.........195........170.......2......25 Sades...............197........185.......0......12 Sunshine2...........179........160.......1......18 (by 6/29) Tess415.............327........299.......2......30 TexasFire67.........170........145.......0......25 Wombat712...........135.8......120.......0......15.8 Lenore1890..........267.7......247.......0......20

I'm staying on plan today because I feel so horrible when I don't!

Angyl, its a blessing, you didn't like this doc anyhow and he hasnt given you the time of day - what a jerk. And shame on that person for going back to him and telling him! lynn - I think your probably still swollen too, I've heard it can take a good 6 months. Hopefully once you get the right fill, you can lose any weight you have gained. Sula - so sorry to hear about your sickness - sounds like a bad case of something and sorry to hear your hubby is down with it. As for me, just swinging by to check in. I am just plugging along, nothing new happening. talk to everyone later

Short weekend, busy weekend, but finally able to post to my blog. Went to see Kenny Chesney, ate at Toby Keith's restraunt (I Love this Bar & Grill). I got the ribs & chicken, ate the ribs and 1 bite of chicken - full. I did have a drink, strawberry margrita - liquid calories, I know, but hey, I was having a good time :rolleyes2: Bought another drink at the concert - $12.00 for basically sugar. :biggrin: Won't ever do that again! My daughter had a great time, it was her first concert. The Friday night festivals threw me off the weekend, Didn't exercise at all all weekend! Sunday night my son was playing in a concert for family & friends, we had a cookout, I ate pretty healthy, made me chicken, but did have a little macaroni salad - yum. Yesterday, my band was WIDE OPEN, I could eat anything and everything and basically did. Very hungry yesterday, not sure what the heck was going on. This morning, back to restriction again. So glad of that :blushing: I am going to be so dead in a few hours, first of all, didn't get to bed until around 12:30 last night, got out of bed at 4:00 am this morning. My son had to be at the airport by 5:30 this morning. He is flying to Reno with his school. He won first place in the State competition on his Business Essay, now he is competing in the Nationals. He'll be gone for 6 whole days! I'm so proud of my boy! He's such a good kid, an all american boy. If I can just keep those darned girls away from him. lol. Anyhow, didn't get much sleep, so I'm sure it will catch up with me soon! Menu today Bfast blueberry yogurt/granola Lunch salad Dinner roasted chicken wt 180.7 - YUCK - TOM IS DUE exercise -

Short weekend, busy weekend, but finally able to post to my blog. Went to see Kenny Chesney, ate at Toby Keith's restraunt (I Love this Bar & Grill). I got the ribs & chicken, ate the ribs and 1 bite of chicken - full. I did have a drink, strawberry margrita - liquid calories, I know, but hey, I was having a good time :thumbdown: Bought another drink at the concert - $12.00 for basically sugar. Won't ever do that again! My daughter had a great time, it was her first concert. The Friday night festivals threw me off the weekend, Didn't exercise at all all weekend! Sunday night my son was playing in a concert for family & friends, we had a cookout, I ate pretty healthy, made me chicken, but did have a little macaroni salad - yum. Yesterday, my band was WIDE OPEN, I could eat anything and everything and basically did. Very hungry yesterday, not sure what the heck was going on. This morning, back to restriction again. So glad of that :bored: I am going to be so dead in a few hours, first of all, didn't get to bed until around 12:30 last night, got out of bed at 4:00 am this morning. My son had to be at the airport by 5:30 this morning. He is flying to Reno with his school. He won first place in the State competition on his Business Essay, now he is competing in the Nationals. He'll be gone for 6 whole days! I'm so proud of my boy! He's such a good kid, an all american boy. If I can just keep those darned girls away from him. lol. Anyhow, didn't get much sleep, so I'm sure it will catch up with me soon! Menu today Bfast blueberry yogurt/granola Lunch salad Dinner roasted chicken wt 180.7 - YUCK - TOM IS DUE exercise -

58 more days until my cruise and 18 pounds to go! I am a little frustrated this morning - I have been tracking my calories burned at the gym, I'm burning anywhere from 350 to 600 calories - and still the scale is not moving very much at all! I think it hates me, I really do. Last night had a great workout - did about 35 min on elliptical (burned around 300 calories, also did 15 min earlier in the day yesterday, which I burned 145 calories - then did about 40 min of strength training - another 150 calories = 595 calories) I ate about 1100 calories - I'm hoping something gives real soon, I can't take the scale not moving much longer! :cursing:Please scale, give me a 2 pound loss - I would love 3 next week. Won't you please? wt - 178.3 (last friday it was 179 - .70 loss):crying: Menu - Bfast 1/4 of a colorado omlet from Ihop Lunch 1/2 hamburger (no bread) Dinner not sure yet? Exercise - will try and make it to the elliptical for 20 - 30 min today. However, leaving to go out of town this afternoon to see Kenny Chesney with my daughter :thumbup: PS - I think TOM might come pretty soon, so hopefully thats the reason for the scale being so mean to me:cool:

58 more days until my cruise and 18 pounds to go! I am a little frustrated this morning - I have been tracking my calories burned at the gym, I'm burning anywhere from 350 to 600 calories - and still the scale is not moving very much at all! I think it hates me, I really do. Last night had a great workout - did about 35 min on elliptical (burned around 300 calories, also did 15 min earlier in the day yesterday, which I burned 145 calories - then did about 40 min of strength training - another 150 calories = 595 calories) I ate about 1100 calories - I'm hoping something gives real soon, I can't take the scale not moving much longer! :cursing:Please scale, give me a 2 pound loss - I would love 3 next week. Won't you please? wt - 178.3 (last friday it was 179 - .70 loss):rolleyes2: Menu - Bfast 1/4 of a colorado omlet from Ihop Lunch 1/2 hamburger (no bread) Dinner not sure yet? Exercise - will try and make it to the elliptical for 20 - 30 min today. However, leaving to go out of town this afternoon to see Kenny Chesney with my daughter :blushing: PS - I think TOM might come pretty soon, so hopefully thats the reason for the scale being so mean to me:cool:

I have been working my butt off at the gym, eating right, and burning at least 500 calories a day - what did it get me? 1 freaken pound loss. I am so frustrated! I'm not giving up, I'm going to keep plugging away, and hopefully it will start to come off faster! I dropped from 179 to 178 - exercising 6 days per week - eating 1000 calories a day, sometimes 1200, and only a 1 pound loss. grrrrrrrr Name................Current....Goal......Lost...Still to Lose BigBandFan..........296........270.......0......26 Hastings............253........228.......0......25 KarenG..............174........160.......0......14 (by 7/4) kathystrick.........318........288.......0......30 Leslie2Lose.........233........208.......0......25 (by 7/4) LessNLess...........149........140.......2......09 Luu2008.............215........185.......0......30 (by 7/4) luvinke.............217........190.......2......25 Marissa's Mom.......388........358.......0......30 (by 7/4) MollyMolly..........204........188.......0......16 nancy52.............197........170.......0......27 Nettie..............193........170.......0......23 Newhope4me..........177........160.......0......17 NukeChik............238........222.......4......16 nurse7263...........244........150.......0......24 (by 7/4) renewedhope.........197........170.......0......27 Sunshine2...........179........160.......1......18 (by 6/29) Tess415.............329........299.......0......30 TexasFire67.........170........145.......0......25 Wombat712...........135.8......120.......0......15.8 Epm316..............235........200.......0......35 (by 7/4)

Checking in - The scale is slowly moving downward, but tomorrow is my official weigh in day, so will hold off changing my stats until then. I think I might have lost a whole 2 lbs! I can't believe how hard it is coming off, sucks. Did any of you guys ever watch "The Biggest Loser", well the winner lost 112 lbs, she looks GREAT. I was reading an article in a magazine, she states she hasn't gained any weight since the season finale, however here is how she keeps her weight at 122 lbs. She eats 1200 calories a day - no problem, I can do that - but here is the kicker, guess how much she exercises? 2 1/2 hours per day! Dang! She states she works a few muscle groups for an hour doing strength training - every day she works a different body part. Then, she spends 1 1/2 hours doing cardio. Dang! 1 1/2 hours, sweating? I can do 30 to 45 min, maybe even an hour on a good day, but everyday 1.5 hours and plus another hour for training? All I can say is Wow. First of all, I don't have the time to spend 2 1/2 hours at the gym, no way. Second, I don't have the endurance to make it 1.5 hours on cardio. I am finally at 30-35 min, and that is tuff for me. I'm hoping to get to 45 min soon, but it will take some time. Just when I think I'm doing good at exercise, I read this story and it puts me back in reality check, I'm not doing anything compared to this girl. Makes me realize I need to kick up my exercise a bit. Tomorrow I'm taking my daughter to see Kenny Chesney (she loves him) and we are eating at Toby Keith's new restraunt in OKC, so I'm going to be good (although I've heard the dessert there is to die for). I will make sure to pass on the dessert menu! Talk to everyone later.

That is great! Congratulations! I also will take your advice on the Bodybugg - I'm trying to find a new one vs a used one.

There have been times I lost weight really fast, then other times I don't. I find that when I really take a look at my plan, when I'm not losing, I find that I'm not following the rules. When I'm losing weight, I am following the rules to a T - even the exercise part. I am on my 10th fill and at 3.9cc in a 4cc band and finally have some good restriciton, not sure if I am at my sweet spot or not, but it seems to keep me satisfied. I don't PB - I don't take small bites of food (don't have too), and I don't have to overly chew my food. However, I do get full on a small amount of food - or should I say, I am no longer hungry, then I stop eating. I eat about 2 to 3 oz of food per meal. I wanted to share with you a post that find helpful below, when I follow these rules, the band seems to work for me: Rules of the Road What you need to know about living with the band By Robin McCoy When you begin the decision-making process to have Weight Loss Surgery (WLS), and specifically Lap Band® Surgery, it is vital that you fully understand the changes you must make in your lifestyle. WLS is not a magic pill. Weight loss is something that you must work at to be successful. There are several rules and circumstances that someone who has undergone LapBand® Surgery, a “Bandster,” must follow and understand to see success and have a high quality banded life. Drinking Before and After Meals Not drinking during meals is, by far, one of the most important things to learn and is vital to your weight loss success. It is also one of the most challenging. Stop drinking all liquids at least 30 minutes before your meal. This allows all that is in your pouch to drain through to the lower stomach. Therefore your pouch is empty when you eat allowing the food to fill you up properly. Forgo all beverages during your meals. Drinking during a meal flushes the food through your band and the band is unable to function properly. Most people will have 2, 3 or even 4 glasses of liquid with meals. Servers in restaurants, trained to keep customers happy, will keep beverage glasses full throughout the meal. This is unhealthy for bandsters and sabotages their success. State firmly and clearly that you do not want a beverage. From personal experience, I know the often bewildered looks that follow the statement: “nothing to drink for me,” but diligence is the key. Like most changes required after the Lap Band® procedure, not drinking with meals gets much easier with time. Having now lost over 100 pounds, I no longer have difficulty asking my server not to bring me a beverage! Do not drink for an hour after a meal.The main reason is the same as drinking during your meal. Liquids wash the food through the band defeating its purpose. Another reason not to drink after a meal is if your pouch is full the beverage might not have anywhere to go…except backwards resulting in a spit-up. Suffice it to say that food and liquids making a return visit is not satisfying. By starting this practice immediately, at the next meal, you will be well on your way to a successful banding experience. Smaller Bites. More Chewing. Slower Eating. Begin to recognize and understand what a Bandster Bite is. At your next meal look at your bite size. Look at the amount of food on your fork and remember it. Now, cut that bite in half. This is the Bandster bite size after surgery. Now, cut that bite in half. This is the size of a Bandster bite after the first fill or adjustment. After each fill the bite size will get smaller until the bandster is eating toddler-sized bites. The reason for this is so the bite can be chewed completely to a liquid before swallowing. The next point is chewing. It is very important that food is completely chewed. Before swallowing ensure the food is a liquid. As the weight loss progresses the opening from the pouch to the lower stomach will be getting smaller. Therefore the food needs to be chewed more thoroughly. If a piece of food is too big to go through the stoma, or opening, it will get "stuck". This can be very painful. Slower eating becomes inevitable. Eating too fast encourages bigger bites. The bigger bite means the food isn’t chewed properly and it can get stuck. As a Bandster with over 18 months in, I still find myself falling into this trap. I get excited, chatting with friends and just forget to pay attention. A Bandster’s Eating Order Lap Band patients have a specific order in which to eat their food. It is important that there is enough Protein in the diet to keep the bodies moving properly. Therefore, the protein should be eaten first. WLS patients need 40-60 grams of protein every day. This can come in a variety of ways. Protein shakes, cheese, fish, beef, chicken, soy. The challenge comes when only certain foods can be tolerated. Also, it is important that the protein is a “hard” protein (chicken, beef, and fish) if possible. It shouldn’t all come from protein shakes and cheese. The vegetables should be eaten second, and carbohydrates/starches last (if there is room). Proteins last longer in the pouch and take longer to process through the band allowing you to feel full sooner and maintain satiety longer. Hard proteins are the most difficult for a Bandster to consume. The hard proteins need to be more moist, more tender and chewed more completely than any other type of food. Generally speaking, proteins are the foods that get “stuck” most often and cause spit ups. This happens because the bite isn’t small enough and/or, because the protein hasn’t been chewed sufficiently before swallowing. For the record, beef is generally the most difficult food for Bandsters to eat. Beef is one of the most difficult foods for humans to digest. It can take several days for a piece of steak to actually work its way through the digestive track. And that’s on an un-banded person! So, if you eat a piece of steak and it isn’t chewed it up completely, it can sit in the pouch for an extended amount of time. Further, the stomach acids that help an un-banded person process beef are not present in the pouch and therefore are not there to help the body break the beef down. Remember each and every person is different so you will have to test your own waters. Some Bandsters have no trouble with beef whatsoever; others won’t go near it. From personal experience I know that each Bandster will figure out what he or she can or cannot tolerate through trial and error. Trust me when I say that tolerances change; one day ground beef is fine and the next you realize it isn’t any longer. You must be willing and able to adapt to sudden changes in your body’s ability to process certain foods. The Constant Quest for Restriction; Not enough vs. too much Restriction.No one can really describe it but everyone wants it. You have restriction when your band is adjusted to the point where you can eat 3-5 bites of well-chewed food and you are full. When this happens you have what is called good restriction. You are too loose, or open, if you don’t feel full after just a few bites.You are able to eat more on a consistent basis than before. Maybe your weight loss has slowed or stopped. This is when it is time for a fill, or adjustment, in your band. You are too tight when you can eat very little solid food or worse—none at all. If you are so tight that only liquids go through your band or you are spitting up too often this is too tight. If you can’t keep liquids down this is a medical issue and you must get some removed. You run the risk of becoming dehydrated. Being too tight is not a good thing! Not only are you not getting the nutrition your body needs to function properly but it can also bring on a slippage in your band. If this happens you will require minor surgery to repair it. Now that you know a little about what restriction is, let’s get a little deeper. There are three points to learn: 1. The first thing to understand is that every banded person feels restriction differently. So to compare yourself to others is difficult. 2. Also the amount of Fluid in the band and the stomach’s reaction, or restriction, to it is a varied as the Bandsters reading this now. Everyone’s stomach is a different size and reacts to the band differently. It is fine to compare fluid levels but don’t get too caught up in “I have this and they have that”. 3. Finally, your level of restriction can change day to day. It can change meal to meal in some cases. You are now asking, “How in the heck do I deal with that?” My answer is trial and error and learning about your band. Let us go back to the beginning. Immediately after surgery you will feel restriction. The surgeon usually doesn’t put any fluid in your band during the surgery. The restriction you feel is the swelling of your stomach and it’s adjustment to the band that has suddenly been wrapped around it. You won’t get your first fill until 4-6 weeks after surgery. You will be on Clear Liquids and they will fill you up quickly for the first few days. Then they will stop filling you up you will begin to feel hungry. About this time you will be allowed to eat mushy foods like mashed potatoes, creamy Soups, etc. You will find that you eat just a few bites and you are full. This is great! Who knew a ¼ can of Soup would be enough? This is going to be a piece of cake. It isn’t going to last. Shortly this won’t satisfy and you will be moving on to solid food. That feeling of restriction comes back. A slice of turkey and you are stuffed! This doesn’t last either. At about 4 weeks, sometimes earlier, you will start to feel hunger again. You feel like you are eating everything. Your weight loss has slowed or stopped. You start to freak out. “Where is my restriction?!” you cry. This is a difficult time but one that every Bandster gets through.Just be patient and let yourself finish the healing process. Watch what you eat and know that you are not eating anywhere near what you were pre-band. The unfilled band supplies a certain amount of restriction and you won’t hurt your progress. Your first fill will bring you back to the restriction point right after surgery. You will eat a few bites and feel full. You will start losing weight pretty quickly. You want to make sure you are eating your protein first, vegetables second and any starches last. This will ensure satiety. This fill will usually last several weeks. Then it starts to loosen up. Your second fill is the one that usually kicks a Bandster in the butt. This is where they learn what not chewing thoroughly and taking bites that are too large can do. And so it goes. Some Bandsters need one fill others need more. I had 4 over the course of the first year. I heard of one woman that lost 80 pounds on her first fill. This is why I stress not comparing yourself to your banded friends. It brings on frustration and we have spent enough time in our lives comparing ourselves to others. Now is the time to stop. One of the largest environmental factors that make our band feel tighter is stress. I never truly understood what Bandsters were talking about when they said stress was tightening their band. That is until I started the process of buying a house. The stress of the pending inspection and what they might find had my band so tight I was barely eating. My band was so tight I cancelled my fill appointment. Let me say right now that I learned from this experience and you need to make sure you are getting the right Vitamins in to ensure your health. I wasn’t in any danger but I was very tired and was bruising like crazy! Well, the inspection went well. I got my house and my band opened back up. Food started going through more smoothly and I started eating better. Other environmental factors can be tiredness, excitement, sadness, or just the fact that it is morning. Many Bandsters find they can’t eat until after 11 AM every day. I don’t know if this satisfies your curiosity of what restriction is or what you are to do with it. I do hope you understand that everyone is different and it is a learning process. You will learn what it feels like for you to have good restriction and when your band is talking to you. Being “stuck” and “spitting up” As WLS patients we have a few fun words we use. Some are nice and some are not. You will hear “PB” which means “Productive Burp”. I prefer the simple term “spit up”. What does “stuck” mean?Stuck means that what you have eaten won’t go through the opening between your pouch and lower stomach. This is called your “stoma”. The bite is too big to go through (meaning you didn’t chew it enough), it isn’t something that moves smoothly through the band (lettuce), or you just ate too darn much. When a bite of food goes through your esophagus and hits your pouch it has one of two places to go…through the band or back. If all is well it will go through with no problem either now or later. If it can’t make it to the pouch or through the stoma it will result in a spit up. Understand that this is something that will happen to you and to every bandster out there. Call it a side-effect or whatever you like but it will happen. The questions are what causes a spit-up, what it feels like, what to do when it happens, and how to avoid them. Remember, things can change day-to-day, heck even meal to meal. This is the nature of the beast. Frustrating? Yes. Small price to pay? I think so. What causes a spit up is easy.The bite it too big, you took one or two too many bites, you didn’t chew properly, or it is simply a food that you can’t tolerate right now. It is up to you to determine which of the above it true. Trust me… you will learn to determine this. What does if feel like?You will know. The best way I can find to describe the feeling is when you drink a big gulp of Water and it goes down with air. You get this pain in your chest that makes you feel like something is going to bust out. That is what it feels like when something is stuck. It can be minor or it can hurt like a son-of-a-gun. Some bandsters say their bodies tell them when they are finished eating and need to stop. Some Bandsters start to salivate which is their body’s way of washing the food through. Some, me included, get a heavy sigh or exhale; this tells us we are full. Don’t worry; you too will learn to read what your body is telling you…even if you don’t now. What should you do when it happens? Stop eating is the first thing. It doesn’t matter if it is your first bite or your fifth. A spit up is your body’s way of telling you that you are full. This is your band in full-alert. It is telling you that you are done and to put the fork down. Many times you can stop eating and just wait it out. Until you are used to it you might get the “deer in the headlight” look. Soon you will just adjust. If it doesn’t go away then you need to deal with it. Dealing with it means excusing yourself and heading to the bathroom. A spit up is just that. I compare it to a baby spit up. It should never be what you classify as vomiting. This is hazardous for a Bandster and should be avoided as it can cause slippage. There is a very large difference in spit ups and vomiting. How to avoid them?Well, that comes with experience and a willingness to acknowledge when your “food police” tells you to stop. Very quickly you should learn when your band tells you to stop. I found that after my 2nd fill my band was at attention and told me when I was full. This is when I experienced my first spit ups and found foods that I could no longer tolerate. One of the most difficult things to get your mind around is just how little you will be eating. Your band tells you that you are full but your brain engages and says, “You haven’t eaten nearly enough!” So you take that extra bite or two. Then there it is…the feeling in your chest…your eyes get big…and saliva fills your mouth. The biggest point I want to get across to you is that, while normal, spitting up is not necessarily a good thing. You don’t want to be doing it every day and certainly not every meal. If this is happening you need to take a good look at what you are eating, how big your bites are, how much you are eating and to what level you are chewing. Be aware at the beginning and it will become more of a habit soon enough. Surgery Is Not a Magic Pill Surgery is not the magic pill we have all been waiting for. You will not wake up thin. You must be willing to meet the band half way. You will lose weight at a different pace than your friends. You must change your behavior for this to work. It is a tool—and nothing more. An electric mixer is easier than mixing by hand but you still have to follow the recipe for the cake to taste good. Right now you should be asking yourself one question—“Am I ready to go the distance?” It can be a joyful journey with the highest of highs. Moments that are so thrilling and uplifting that you don’t think you will ever come down. It is also a frightening journey as we venture into unfamiliar territory of who we are and where we are going. You are not going down this path alone. There are many Bandsters ahead of you on this path that are ready to help you along the way and take you with them to the next level. So I ask, “Are you ready to go the distance?”

I'll be weiging tomorrow morning and reporting back - I know that I've lost 1 pound, but hoping for at least 2 this week, so tomorrow we will see. You ladies have got me foaming out the mouth now over the bodybugg! I want one!!!!!! I'm going to get one!

I'm watching a few of them on Ebay right now! I'm hoping to win one!

I will try the Mexican fish tonight! I just made some homemade salsa last night, and have plenty of cilantro - I am always looking for good fish recipes that are low fat. Sounds yummy!

59 more days until my cruise - yippeee. Last month, I made a goal to really focus on my exercises, and I did. I feel like I've accomplished that. I'm making it to the gym at least 5 days per week. And I'm also doing something while at work, taking breaks and jumping on the elliptical machine in our gym at work. I planned on doing a lot of strength training last night, but was not able to - but did do 35 min on the elliptical. Managed to burn about 450 calories yesterday between the exercise I did at work, and the elliptical I did last night. Since its the beginning of the month - here are some things I want to focuss on - 1) my late night eating! I barely eat anything for dinner, if I even eat, but at about 11:00 pm - I'm starving! So, we will need to work on that! 2) Continue to focuss on exercise - need to really up my strength training. 3) Work on my cruise challenge (60 day challenge goals) Wt - 178.9 - I know I said I wasn't going to weigh, but by golly, I just can't help it. Its like the scale has a magnet on it drawing me to it every morning. I was pleased to see it went down a little. I'm hoping it continues!:rolleyes2: Menu - Bfast 1 egg scrambler with meat & veggies topped with salsa snack handful of asion nuts Lunch leftover from lunch yesterday - smoked turkey and green beans snack freshstrawberries (3 small, and about 10 grapes) Dinner talapia - 2 oz, grilled, topped with homemade salsa and cilantro (new recipe I'm trying) and fresh steamed spinach, plan on making brown rice as well, might have a spoonful of that! Exercise 10:00 am - just got back from 16 min on elliptical (burned 145 calories) 3:00 pm - plan on doing another 15 min of elliptical Evening at the gym - 6:15-6:25 attending the abs, abs, abs class at the gym 6:30 - 7:00 - elliptical 9:30 - upper/lower body workout. Are we having fun yet?

59 more days until my cruise - yippeee. Last month, I made a goal to really focus on my exercises, and I did. I feel like I've accomplished that. I'm making it to the gym at least 5 days per week. And I'm also doing something while at work, taking breaks and jumping on the elliptical machine in our gym at work. I planned on doing a lot of strength training last night, but was not able to - but did do 35 min on the elliptical. Managed to burn about 450 calories yesterday between the exercise I did at work, and the elliptical I did last night. Since its the beginning of the month - here are some things I want to focuss on - 1) my late night eating! I barely eat anything for dinner, if I even eat, but at about 11:00 pm - I'm starving! So, we will need to work on that! 2) Continue to focuss on exercise - need to really up my strength training. 3) Work on my cruise challenge (60 day challenge goals) Wt - 178.9 - I know I said I wasn't going to weigh, but by golly, I just can't help it. Its like the scale has a magnet on it drawing me to it every morning. I was pleased to see it went down a little. I'm hoping it continues!:crying: Menu - Bfast 1 egg scrambler with meat & veggies topped with salsa snack handful of asion nuts Lunch leftover from lunch yesterday - smoked turkey and green beans snack freshstrawberries (3 small, and about 10 grapes) Dinner talapia - 2 oz, grilled, topped with homemade salsa and cilantro (new recipe I'm trying) and fresh steamed spinach, plan on making brown rice as well, might have a spoonful of that! Exercise 10:00 am - just got back from 16 min on elliptical (burned 145 calories) 3:00 pm - plan on doing another 15 min of elliptical Evening at the gym - 6:15-6:25 attending the abs, abs, abs class at the gym 6:30 - 7:00 - elliptical 9:30 - upper/lower body workout. Are we having fun yet?

I'm staying on plan today because tomorrow is weigh-in day for me, I want to be a loser!

Oh man, I want a bodybugg sooooo bad, I've been watching them on Ebay. One girl on here bought hers off Craigslist, still in package, for 1/2 price - isn't that cool. Evidently the lady purchased it because her personal trainer pushed her into it, but she never even opened it, she just didn't want to mess with it, so she sold it for 1/2 price. Do you mind me asking what you paid for yours? I'm seriously thinking about getting one, I'm expecting our stipp or whatever its called from the IRS next week, and I'm getting back $1800, so I might be able to splurge a little :smile2:

That is awesome! Can't wait to hear all about it, you will do great I'm sure of it! You rock!

I'm staying on plan because I'm on my 60 day countdown until my cruise! 60 days until a new me challenge!

I ended up in the ER and had severe dehydration, so please don't wait for an unfill. The more you get sick the more swollen you will become, the the doc will more than likely have to unfill you. Take it from me, it is not fun when they have to do that, it has taken me 5 months now to get back to some restriction. Best wishes!

60 days baby, 60 days until I'm sailing across the ocean, with an umbrella drink in my hand! Oh I can't wait! Todays menu Bfast 1 scrambled egg with sausage/ham/veggies in it Lunch out to lunch with friends, going to go to a bar-b-que joint, planning on getting the smoked chicken with green beans - no potatoes. Dinner - hmmm - not sure yet, we will have leftovers tonight since we have our bible/book study tonight at our house - don't want to stink up the house with cooking - I probably will just drink a protein shake with added strawberries & maybe a little oatmeal. yum. Exercise 10 am - 20 min elliptical 3:00 pm - 15 min elliptical Planning on hitting the gym tonight after the book study and working my upper and lower body, also going to do 30 min of elliptical- I plan on being at the gym for a good 1 1/2 hours tonight. Wt - 180.6 - grrrrrrrr - Tom will be here next week, not sure if that is why the scale is bouncing, but I'm staying focused. Will not weigh again until Monday. Well, at least I'm going to try not to weigh until then. :rolleyes2: