Rambunctious

I not only eat lettuce, I also eat pasta, bread and cheese. Pasta and bread have to be eaten very carefully and cheese has to be eaten in small quantities. I stay away from dry meats (easy since I don't like dry meats or jerky). I have restriction, but I can eat pretty much any type of food provided the bites are small, chewed well and spaced out. Some foods are harder than others so I do limit those ones. Darn cake slides right through.

I too was hopeful to be losing 1lb per week at this stage. Oh well. At least I'm not gaining. The clothes fitting better is a great measurement of success. I'm also using mt level of fitness and ability to fit in seats better as another measure of success. I weighed myself this morning and I have finally hit 30lb loss since surgery. I want to lose another 5lb by the end of April when I go on a dive vacation because the next 5lbs marks halfway to goal. Danide - I hope you and your mom have a fabulous trip!

Maxi2010 - Boy do I know what you are going through. I was banded 9/17/10 and have lost 28 pounds since surgery. I have lost a whopping 2.8 pounds since Christmas. So basically 90% of my loss was in the first three months and 10% was in the second three months. I have to admit that I get frustrated and bummed out about the major slow down. I try to focus on the positive, such as that I'm not gaining, instead of dwelling on the negative. I can't say I always succeed with this philosophy. To make matters harder, my step-sister had the vertical sleeve procedure 12 days after me, started out 4 pounds heavier than me on surgery day, and has lost 30 pounds more than I have. The positive, I am healthy, am enjoying life, can ride my bike 30-miles and last week jogged a 5k for the first time ever; while my step-sister has no energy to do anything beyond a 15-minute stroll. The reason I had the surgery was because I had a voracious appetite that made it rediculously hard to keep weight off. I still have more hunger than I'm comfortable with, but it is way more manageable than before surgery. The last time I was at this weight, I was miserable and couldn't maintain it. This time, I am confident I will keep it off. This is the first time ever I have had that confidence. I still have hope that I can hit goal by the end of 2011, but I know there is a possibility it will not happen until 2012. As for the 1/2 cup portions, I don't understand how someone can be satisfied by that and still be able to function. A 3 oz. portion of chicken tenders is a 1/2 cup and 140 calories. So if you eat your 3 oz. of Protein first, you can eat no other food. And then there's the fact that 140 calories times 3-4 meals a day is only 420-560 calories a day. That is not enough to function for an extended time, at least not for me. I'd love if someone who claims to only eat 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day could let me know what he/she is eating, how many calories he/she is consuming in a day, and how he/she feels on an average day. Right now I'm trying to figure out the correct amount of calories to allow me to lose weight but also fuel my body as I train for one or two triathlons later this year. I have started losing a small amount so I think I may be honing in on a good balance. As for getting more fill if you are already having difficulty eating, you risk going into the red zone. You will need to have a detailed conversation with your doctor/PA/nurse to determine what will be best for you since we are all different. Just hang in there and savor what you have accomplished. LisaA - you must have big shiny pom poms because you are such a great cheerleader!

I have a couple friends that dive that are very overweight. One, a late-30s male, doesn't seem to have any issues with the extra weight. The other, a mid-40s female does have an issue whenever conditions are not perfectly ideal. Each person has different abilities and comfort levels and it is important to know your own. My abilities exceed my comfort level so I use comfort level as my guide. As a Southern California shore diver, physical condition is more important than for a tropical boat diver. A 7mm wetsuit with hood is for more restrictive that a 3mm wetsuit without a hood. Throw in beach entry and the bending to put on fins while floating just outside the surf zone...well, you get my point. My re-entry to shore diving will have a stair entry instead of beach entry and very litte surf/surge. I'm very excited about diving again, but not looking forward to the 55-58F water and a forecasted high air temp of 61F. Brrrr. I'll probably only do two dives instead of my usually three. I can totally relate to acting disinterested about an activity when really I had a fear about my size. I have often avoided water activities because I didn't want to be seen in a bathing suit, being the only one in t-shirt and shorts, or I feared there wouldn't be a life jacket that fit. I had to cancel a ski trip with friends last winter because I couldn't fit into my ski clothes. I tried them on a few weeks ago and I can wear them again. yeah! As for horse riding, I've feared hurting the horse! My recommendation for you when it comes to running, don't do it until you are positive your toe is healed. It would be so easy to reinjure it if you start running too soon. I have already done occassional intervals of jogging on the treadmill. Last night I did 7 intervals of 1 min at 6mph-jog and 4 min at 4mph-walk. That was after a 5min warm-up and followed by a 10-min cool-down. I have put a lot of miles on my treadmill and local trails to be able to comfortably walk 4mph. I can't walk that speed daily yet, but I can do 3.8mph daily. I love doing incline intervals. You might want to try that before doing running intervals. The incline and duration varies depending on how I'm feeling and what my workout the previous day was. I like the inclines because they get my heartrate up without the impact on my joints and feet. Keep posting your progress!! And good luck getting that toe better. It must have felt like an accomplishment to wear shoes and do more speed!!

Solids and saline are not compressible so there is no problem with scuba diving when being banded. Scuba diving has an impact on spaces filled with gas (such as air) that will compress and expand with pressure changes. My surgeon is aware that I scuba dive and he has no concerns. I will be in Catalina this weekend for scuba diving.

I would love to take you up on that someday! SoCal has so many great locations to ride. I'm in south OC near Trabuco and other canyons where there are many horses. I've been considering finding out if any of the facilities offer lessons. A friend of mine rides polo, but that doesn't seem to appeal to me as much as being out on trails. I'm an avid hiker. This weekend I will be doing one of my big hobbies for the first time in a long time. We're going to Catalina to scuba dive. I don't dive when my weight is above 200 because I'm not willing to buy a wetsuit in that size and I don't think it's safe because my mobility is very limited when I'm over 200, especially when wearing a 7mm wetsuit as required by our cold water. I'm at 188-189 so I can comfortably dive again. My reward for getting halfway to goal is a dive trip with friends to the Caribbean during the first week of May (also my 2nd wedding anniversary). I am 10 pounds from halfway and I'm so positive I'll make it by the trip that it's already booked and paid for. Next week I start Couch 2 5k to meet my goal of completing a 5k by 3/31. I've never been much of a runner, even when I was younger and thinner, so this is a big goal for me.

Hello everyone! Glad to see everyone seems to be doing well when looking at the big picture. Brenda, so sorry to read about your loss. I wish you well in your recovery. MissJoany, great that your infection finally cleared up after all this time. LisaA, I cracked up at your treadmill incident decsription. To everyone, Happy New Year!! December was a tough month for me because I was sick most of the time. I didn't lose any weight the past month. I've had way too many sweets and very little exercise. The bright side, I'm working at kicking the sweets, I'm able to exercise again, I'm down 26 pounds since surgery and 33 pounds since New Year Day a year ago. My goals for 2011: Get to goal weight of 144 and BMI of 24 by end of year. Complete a 5k by 3/31. Complete a super sprint triathlon by 4/30. Complete a sprint triathlon by 8/30. Complete a 10k by 10/31. Complete an Olympic/International triathlon by 12/31.

1. how many cc's you have in your band 6.3cc in 10cc band (4.5 at surgery + 1.0 + 0.5 + 0.3) My third fill did not seem to cause more “restriction”, but has taken the edge off my hunger. 2. do you feel you have restriction- what does that mean for you? Yes: if I eat too big a bite, too fast ,or too much, I feel pressure or like nothing more will go down or something is stuck on the way down. Eating slow and small is becoming habit so most of the time I feel I eat "normal" without any discomfort. 3. are your calories tending to stay below like 1600 (or what are your calories generally.) Yes: I typically range from 1,000-1,400 with a daily average of 1,200. I occasionally have a 1,600-1,800 day, but still average 1,150-1,250 for the week. I find I get woozy the next morning if I get below 800 for the day or below 1,000 for too many days (3-5). I measure my food, read labels, check restaurant websites, etc. and track in a program called DietPower. 4. what is your weight loss like. lost 12lb first two weeks, lost 13lb next 9 weeks My weight loss is very erratic; I gain some weeks, I lose very little some weeks, I lose a lot some weeks 5. are you hungry between meals. I get hungry almost every day between 2:00-2:30. I have learned to wait it out. If the hunger lasts, I eat something. Generally, I’m hungry 3-5 hours after a meal depending on how much I ate, what I ate, my recent activity level and how busy I am. Some days I’m hungrier than others. I consider my hunger level now to be normal considering I’m in a weight loss mode. I used to be starved. 6. are you exercising, and how much I exercise for 30-120 minutes 3-5 days per week. 7. how much water are you drinking? I drink 6-12 glasses a day between coffee, green tea and water. I only have one cup of coffee a day. I think I'm in the green zone for now. That may change as I lose more fat. I'll find out what the surgeon and nutritionist say when I meet with them on Thursday.

Old habits die hard!!

The other day I realized that since surgery I have not woken in the middle of the night feeling starved. The biggest change for me is that my hunger now feels what I think is "normal". Yes, I get hungry, very hungry at times, but I should get hungry considering I'm depriving my body of the calories it wants to maintain. The big change is that I no longer feel starved and deprived. Missjoany-that's great news that your port site seems to be healing. KittyKat56 - best wishes with your port. I'm curious how he's hitting metal. I thought the device was all plastic. I could be wrong.

I was wondering the same thing. Multiple trips to the bathroom. I suspect the lumpia (philipino small eggrolls) were part of the cause. The slice of black forest cake I had saved for later in the day may have also been the part of the cause. At least I waited to eat dessert so I didn't get too stuffed at lunch...lol. It's really interesting learning how to deal with this new way of eating. I was eating healthy before surgery, but the occasional splurge was not the same potential issue that the splurges can be now. Please keep us updated on how you are doing. Sounds like you have a good attitude and will not give up. You go girl!

Pooky - I hope your surgery goes well and your recovery is quick. Missjoany - Best wishes with your infection healing. I hope you don't end upneeding surgery. To all - I hope you all have survived Thanksgiving. I managed to survive Thanskgiving three days in a row (work, in-laws, my family). Work was a potluck and I ate too much. I paid for that in the middle of the night. The in-laws was the toughest because my mother-in-law does not listen when I tell her how little I can eat and I cannot eat tough foods like steak. She started by serving me a wedge salad that was a quarter of a head of iceberg lettuce. Fortunately, I was able to serve myself when it came to dinner. Then she was disappointed the next morning when I told her to fix no breakfast for me when I found out she was putting sausage in the eggs. And I didn't like sausage before surgery. My mom's was easy because she cooks healthy, especially with three of us having had WLS and several other with weight issues.

No weight loss this week for me, but my body fat percentage went down and I can wear a pair of jeans I couldn't wear a week or two ago. That makes me happy! I know my weight fluctuates a lot based on what foods I eat, what kind and how much exercise I get, how much sleep I do or don't get, etc. The day to day changes I have learned to deal with, although the sudden spikes to get to me sometimes, but overall I have a downward trend. As long as that downward trend continues, I'm happy. I'm 26% closer to my goal weight. Yea!! And in only two months. I figure it will take me 12-24 months from now to get to goal. I'm hoping for 12-18 months, but I want to be realistic and I know that last 25% is gonna be a lot of hard work.