APRIL Bandits' Exercise Challenge!

[Boo 3]

Thanks for all of the advice on the Protein. I'll check what I get. I rarely eat meat.< /p>

Betty: "Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh, what a beautiful day. I've got a wonderful feeling, everythings going my way-"

:sing: :note2: :note2: :note2: :note2: :note2: :note2: :note2: :note2: :note2: :note2: :note2: :note2:

I just sang for you!

I dropped a pound, too! Finally, the weight is going down.

[waterlily1072 5]

Yay grats to Betty and Boo, the scales moved!:clap2: I hope my turn is next! I have to admit I have had a lazy week, I need to get moving! I spent my day keeping a lady from church company as she is home in bed with a bad case of gout. She was lonely and hurting so we watched a couple of movies and I ade sure she took her pain meds on time to help with her discomfort. I have to admit going to the gymm would have been better for me physically but there is nothing better for the spirits than to do something nice for someone else Betty you are on for your bash, I will be there with bells on and you can show me all your favorite places to walk! Well ladies, see you all here tomorrow

[NWJenny 0]

Yeah Betty! Yeah Boo! What a huge accomplishment! I think I will be set to start the May Exercise Challenge - I am feeling so much better now.

[Boo 3]

Jenny, that is awesome! Wow, you are almost a week into healing and you are looking forward to the challenge. Good girl!

Molly, you and Kat need to get better acquainted. You are our resident caregivers with hearts of gold.

Kat, how are you doing?

Did anyone ever talk to Bluehill?

[JulieNYC 4]

Betty!!!! Overweight!! You skinny little thing! You're in the 60s!! SOOOOO EXCITING. Dancing bananas for you! They're swimming because you look so great in your swimsuit!

;)

Boo, congratulations on the scale victory as well, WOOHOO!

As for me, I did you all wrong today. I had a HUGE court victory and the clients took me out to lunch. I ordered pretty healthily (lump crab salad -- Betty, I eat fish too, but it's a recent thing, as encouraged by my band doc) but I would have to really estimate my calories for the day -- not what I intended for my personal challenge. I have a feeling I'm under 1000, but not by much and maybe not at all.

So, I'll go to Monday instead of ending our mini-challenge on Sunday to make up for it.

May the scales be with you.

[waterlily1072 5]

Well I decided to be bad tonight and go out to mexican with dh. I wasn't really bad in the end cause I pb'd it all up the melted cheese got me big time. I came in just above the 1000 cal line, not by much but I did go over a little. As for being a caregiver, I was well trained by my mom, she took care of everyone, aunts as the died, her parents in the final months and years resectively, and I was right there by her side as her helper. I have big shoes to fill, compared to her I'm not even in it.

[JulieNYC 4]

WOOHOO, scale moved again. One more lb (actually, just 0.2) and I'll have lost half my body weight. I think my next goal will be my final goal. I set a lot of mini-goals throughout this process, but it's almost time for the final goal. I can't decide if the final goal is 158 or 149. I want to set a goal I can meet, but I don't want to under-shoot. 158 would be an even 200 lbs lost. 149 is arbitrary. 136 is what it would take to not be "overweight." I just don't know. Maybe I'll set it at 158 and if I want to go lower later, it's not like a ticker is binding....

[guysis 0]

Yea for you Julie (you're on my tail........hitting those 70's very, very soon - is it real for you?..........I still don't believe where I am - and by the way *********ALAN WEIGHS MORE THAN I DO**********) - that is exactly how I feel - about a goal weight.................I'll just know when I get there............I have set my goal (for now) to be a "normal" BMI, however I am not holding myself to it!!!!!

Yesterday came in at around the same as the day before 950ish calories........I did eat out tho and did a guesstimate (we had greek food and I had hummus and eggplant and a small glass of wine

- high calorie stuff - but just a little). We did do our walk to Breakfast in the morning (about 2.5 miles rt) and then our friends joined us in a walk to the movies (about 4 miles rt) - so I walked off some of those calories.

Off to the gym this morning for NIA and my Core class - going to skip the Group Power today so I can do some "damage" with my friend at Nordy's.

No Julie - I will never look great in a swim suit (sigh) - ah for young, pliant skin, - but I'll take the way I look in a medium red top (would have never done that before) and a size 12 jeans (soon to be 10's - my original goal).

Good for you Molly - being available to friends and family is the best of the best! Happy to hear you'll be available to join in our FallBashatBetty's.

[Kat817 19]

Hi everyone, sounds as if you are all doing well!!! Julie, your sounding back to yourself--ready to run!

Glad Alan is doing well. Rick sees his cardiologist today (for all the good it does us---they opted to to afilliate with our hospital anymore....) he is also having something go on, sitting at rest, his pulse will not go down below 125. I imagine he will be put back on the Toprol. Sure hope it is an easy fix.

We have had cows going AWOL on us...it has been chaos, the ditch company drained our ditch to do some repair work down from us, but now my cows are walking into the ditch, and under the cattle guard and off they go! I swear sometimes I HATE cows. Unlike some of you, right now what I really like about them is a ribeye steak...or a nice grilled hamburger! It has been a non stop efort with them, our field fronts a small but well used roadway on one end, so if they get out, and hit, I am in big trouble! We ran new electric line for the electric fence, hoping we can keep them in today. Will be gone all afternoon into evening, branding some of these escape artists, so we can sell them in 2 weeks. Rehabilitating the ones who try to get out is not worth it. They have 15 acres of fresh growing alfalfa, and are given grain morning and night----they have troughed Water at all times, and usually a running ditch (8 foot wide---6 foot deep). If they are stupid enough to think they can get it better elsewhere, I'm willing to let them go! So my exercise will be branding today!

I am not in on the calorie count----it just isn't for me. I guess I just lack the vision! I was thrilled to drop under 200, and am happy with the slow loss, it would be nice for it to just go as fast as the begining, but in the meantime, I am happy with life where it is. I am terrible at counting anything! Points, calories, none of it---I must be too lazy! Molly sorry you PB'd, but having a nice dinner with your DH is nothing to apologize for! That is the wonderful thing with this band, you get to enjoy life---and not go overboard! Oh! And for your frind with gout----get her some cherries---if you can't find fresh cherries, buy dried. They work wonders with my in laws. They now keep dried cherries on hand, and snack on about 10 little pieces a day, and have not had a gout attack in probably 2 years! Have her eat 10 or more cherries to start with---if she is like them, she will feel a difference in a day! Besides, it is not something that will hurt her! I grab them for my inlaws at Wild Oats, but have bought them in Safeway too. Both MIL & FIL are diabetic, non insulin dependent, but while the fresh cherries will sometimes cause a raise in their blood sugar, the dried, don't seem to affect it much, or they are medicating around it since it is a part of their daily diet now, but they would be in bed (or the recliner) for days, sometimes 2 weeks, and we were told to try the cherries, and have not had them down since. My best friends DH tried it, and while he doesn't do a daily does, he eats them when he flares up, with good results too. Something cheap, that can't hurt to try---and they tatse yummy!

We are headed to TX the first week of May----I am meeting with about 4 band buddies there---I am so excited!

Weather has been beautiful, and I have been trying to get my yard in shape. I am having a HUGE family gathering here the end of June. It will be for my parents 50th anniversary. Friday night, as all the family comes in, we are having a Luau in the back yard. Then Saturday morning we are all going to a local buffet breakfast place, then Saturday evening, they will be renewing their vows, and we will have a more formal type reception at the church. My folks think my brother and I are going to stand up with them at the church, so they won't be up there all alone, but in actuality, both couples who stood up with them on their original wedding day will be back to do it again---all 3 couples will be over 50 years together! My Mom and Dad met at one of the other couples weddings (my Dad was the grooms college roomate,and best man, and my Mom was the 1st cousin and maid of honor for the bride) they married a few months later!

I am looking for any and all ideas for either the luau, or the reception. I have my best friend helping me is about it. My brother is not able. I don't know if I told you or not, he was injured about 25 years ago in a car accident, it left him mentally, and physically disabled. He is on a level of an 11 to 13 year old. He lives on his own, after extensive rehab, but he still has that mentality. He would find the same things "cool" for the party that a 12 year old boy would!!! Not a lot of help in that manner, but he will be a lot of help doing the physical getting ready. He is a good man.

I need recipe ideas for the party----decorating ideas for the reception----HELP!!!!!

ALL ideas and advice appreciated!!!

TTYL----with the new layout, this will take up its own whole page!!!

Kat

[waterlily1072 5]

There is a magazine my mom used to get, I think it was calle Oriental trading? Anyway, they had all kinds of party decorations dirt cheap! We got a ton of stuff for a luau a few years ago from there and it was really fun stuff. You can't go wrong with grass skirts, lei's, and lots of color! Also if you can make a spit in the yard for a pig, that is always authentic fun As for escape artist cows, I know all about them. My family were mainly crop farmers but we raised a few beef cattle as well, and our neihgbors on both sides were dairy farmers. It was always one neihgbor in particular who'd have a cow get loose fairly often and trample our garden or flowers, fortunately they never did any real damage to a crop! Silly cows, all there good for is milk products and a good rump roast!

I go to the doctor today fro my one year check up. It's a couple of weeks late but oh well. I will let you all know how it goes, I want them to check my band under flouro to ease my mind. I still don't feel quite right after that pb last night, and day before yesterday I had some pain too and it's worrying me a little.

Happy Friday ladies

[waterlily1072 5]

OK so I'm doing back to back posts, hehe.

Just got back from my appointment. They did a barium swallow and my band is doing great, no pouch dialation, or esophageal(sp?) dialation. I was definitely too tight since my last fill. I told her I wanted to go back to the 9.5 and she agreed till we saw my barium pics. I was soo tight that while my pouch wasn't dialated my band appeared to be sitting a little low. She said that if it was sitting low a slight unfill for a little bit would fix it right up and that it was from being too tight. So instead of taking out .5cc we took out 1cc taking me back down to 9cc's total. So all is well and I get to be especially careful with calories now that I will have less than perfect restriction for a couple of weeks. I can go back to the 9.5 in a couple of weeks, but we won't be going any higher ever again without flouro. I don't ever want to be that tight again. I didn't realize how miserable I was till I had relief! I was able to eat a cup of clam chowder and fish for lunch! Without discomfort! I am just gonna have to be careful to make good choices or I could easily gain. Thank goodness for fitday and our challenge!

[Kat817 19]

Quick note to let you know we are having more problems. I left today to take Rick to his cardiologist appointment at 2, and am just now getting home from the hospital---alone. He is having problems due to 2 different issues, caused by them having to cut down the size of the heart, back during his original valve surgery. He had been backwashing for so long his heart was dangerously enlarged. They cut it down, and now it is causing the signals to misfire. It is sending the wrong signals, and is bouncing from an Atrial Flutter to an Atrial Fibrulation. Opposite problems, treated opposite ways----so the best solution is to thin his blood, and let the heart settle down without strain. But for his issues,with the resulting GI bleed, thinning his blood could be deadly. He is in the hospital until some time next week. After they anticoagulate the heart, then they will sedate him, and shock him, hoping to restore normal rythm, or that it will stay with one or the other problems so they can treat him with meds for that issue. Now he is bouncing in and out of each, each lasting seconds, sometimes minutes, once almost an hour......he is depressed beyond belief. Without meds his heart rate will not go below 130 now. I don't know what to do at this point except pray.....

Will take my laptop to the hospital, and hope they have a signal for me.....if not I'll check in when I can.

Hugs to all!

No personals---I am cut & pasting this to all of my daily threads---so if I chat with you on more than one, you'll get it both places---all of you take care!

Kat

[waterlily1072 5]

Kat if you are able to read this, my prayers are with you and Rick. I hope everything comes out ok.

[DeltaDawn 0]

Hi Everyone,

Kat... my prayers are really with you, you and Alan deserve so much. The world needs to have great people like you.

Betty, 169... congrats to you!!

Julie, I am with you. I need to look at a new goal, but am unsure about what it will be. I have been tinkering with 149.5 (since it will put me in the normal range), but I am not sure if it is really feasible. So, I think I will look at an interm goal for now and then see how it feels when I get there.

I have 2 pounds to get to my original goal, and can't really believe it... but I also know that I want to lose more. I think my interm will be something like 168... and then I will see how I feel.

My running is going really well. I am feeling strong and happy and my time is improving. For me the key has been to have a clear training plan set. I know which days I will run and how long or far I will run for. For me that helps a lot. This morning I am going out for 3 miles.

Have a good weekend!

Dwn

Banded Arpril 4th, 2006

Montreal

358/181/179

Exercise sesions this month = 18 ( I'll get there... but just!!)

[JulieNYC 4]

Oh Kat, I am sending you my strongest virtual hugs. Rick's depression is so understandable and there's probably nothing you can do other than love him and hold his hand until you both see how this stabilizes. Please keep us posted. The hospital is a scary place and my thoughts are prayers are with you for bringing him home soon. Big hug.

Molly, you're going to do great managing your new fill level. As you experience this unfill, would you share a lot of detail on the difference between 10 and 9? I'm considering backing off my fill just a little and my fear (obviously) is losing the dampening of the head hunger by just a tiny unfill. Keep me posted on how much more, if any (and I hope for you that it's not any!), you have to fight yourself with just a little bit less fill.

Dawn, I reached my goal of losing half my body weight this morning, which means it was time for the new goal. I decided to go for the honest-to-goodness goal, which would have to be a normal BMI. For me that's 136. If I get to a higher weight and it fits, there's no way I will feel like a failure. I will have still lost 200 lbs, right? So, 136 it is. It's just a number (I'm convincing myself). If I ever hit it, it'll probably be after my thighplasty (which I'm planning to do in December). Dad says he can take a FOOT of skin off each of my thighs. That's probably 15 lbs right there.