Taz

I take 1 tablespoon of Liquid Centrum every morning, just before downing a half a glass of OJ to kill the taste. Works well Taz

I've been swamped in meetings all day, and plan to be at the office till 9pm. Currently only at 5397. Plan to go for a long walk late tonight when I get home. Taz

Of course you can! Get yourself a pedometer and let us know how you do. 13K is impressive. I am curious how many steps that would end up being. Taz

AWESOME! I am so happy for you. This is why I like the pedometer. You see how close you are to a goal.. and then you strive to beat it!! Way to go! Taz

I mixed a can of Campbell's Cheese Soup with a can of Creme of Celery Soup (and a can of milk), strained and enjoyed with my daughter. it kind of tasted like Celery and Cheesewiz. Taz

That is so awesome Jazzy. I am so happy to see you increase your steps. And even more pleased to see you take notice of your surroundings and "enjoy it". Walking doesn't have to be a chore. This afternoon I took a bit of time, loaded up so Chris Botti (my favorite smooth jazz player), turned it down low and walked by the train tracks just after a rain. The smells from the fallen leaves, combined with that "fresh rain smell" was just doing numbers in my head, flashbacking to my youth. It's amazing what your senses will do for you if you just let them. And... it pushed me over the 5000 steps before I knew it. Reaching 3200 is great news. Congratulations. Looking forward to your update when you return from your trip. Who knows... maybe you will come back with a 5000 day!! Heck.. maybe even a 10,000 day!

Hey ckiki, Yes, the port is how the fill/unfill your band. It is under the skin, and not visibly noticeable for most bandsters. However, if you feel around you can usually feel it. You will definitely have a foreign object in your body. When you are first banded, your body needs to heal and you will have some discomfort. Some have very little... others a bit more. For myself, I had lots of "sharp" pains from the port area if I stretched/moved the wrong way in the first week and a half after the band. Sleeping on my side wasn't so easy; getting up the first week was a bit harder. Now, I don't even notice it unless I do something dumb like an ab crunch. You will be able to do exercise, but won't be able to do any serious ab work for about 3 months. At least, that was what Dr. Ortiz instructed for me. Which is OK, I don't mind walking and getting up on the cardio right now. The ab work can wait. Of course, your abs stabalize your core, so you are going to feel it if you lift heavy things or need to stabalize yourself. So the space walking, mountain climbing and sky diving might be something to plan for in 6 months from now. :-) Taz

Holy cow. Remind me not to piss you off. (I say knowingly, shielding my nards just thinking of that pain) Taz

Well, don't let anyone tell you differently... you can walk now. And are doing awesome. Keep it up! Taz

Ok, you KNOW you gotta do that last 425 steps. 10,000 step milestone is just a few blocks around the corner. You go girl! Taz

Sure does. And WAY TO GO on the Breast Cancer walk. That is totally awesome! Taz

HAHAHA. Oh thats funny. Good thing is, you haven't lost the steps. Just kinda moved on ya. You'll get it worked out. Taz

Excellent quote. And right on. The band is a tool. Not a miracle cure. It is so easy to "cheat" the band. I actually heard of a bandster who recently was stressed out as she were gaining weight. When asked what her menu was, we found out they were having a Starbucks Ice Frapachino every morning, McDonalds salad with full dressing with a large diet coke at lunch, and a steak at dinner. Talk about self-sabatoge. Insightful post, with the right commitment. There is no doubt why you have been so sucessful. It was you. Not the band (alone). Great job. Taz

Your surgeon will be able to give you the info to follow. For me, I had to have two meal replacement shakes a day, and then a dinner of a lean cuisine and some greens. For Dr. Ortiz, he wants to see about 10% of your excess weight lost before the surgery. And for good reason. The loss of fat around the liver and heart make it easier to perform the surgery, making recovery faster, and requires less "under the knife" time... so to speak. I almost didn't get banded as I was borderline on the weight loss. Looking back, I wish I would have listened to his team earlier, so I could have not fretted from the stress of being allowed for surgery. So stay the course. Follow the prescribed plan your doctor gives you so you can have the most successful banding experience you can!! Taz

Hey Kim, Thanks for the insight. The popsicle is indeed high. I read the wrong box, and was reading my daughters fudgicles (which I have NOT eatten). So I have even less calories in a day. I can't figure out why I am NOT tired with so little calories. How weird. I expect to pick up a lot more protein starting this weekend when I am on solids. In my area I couldn't find the SpecialK protein water everyone was raving about, so had to focus on what I could do. As for the stepping, I am moving up the ladder. Have you seen the "Taz Step Challenge"? I am pushing to get to 10,000 on a regular basis. Hitting about 5000 right now. Thanks again for the info. Much appreciated. Taz

It's funny. As an executive, I have executive privileges that are not weight-loss friendly. My assigned parking spot is right by the door. The specialty coffee we have is way too calorie dense (I just drink Earl gray tea instead now) and the lunches... well lets just say I have changed that policy at work on that one :-) With the pedometer counting away, I am making concious decisions to get more steps. Like you, I park farther away at the store. I give myself little challenges like can I get to the next "1000" mark by walking around the block an extra time. In the mornings, as I get to work, I walk down the road to look at the surroundings. Living in British Columbia, I can see awesome views all around me of mountains, a lake, a river and amazing forest. Yesterday I decided to walk down this path where these maple trees draped over the path, shedding crimson and gold leaves as I walked down it. It was awesome. Without even realizing it, I picked up another 1500 steps. And had a very interesting experience that tingled many different sensations. I always hated walking. But now its not about that. It's about the experiences.... driven by wanting to see my little pedometer counter to go up, up, up! Hav a great day. This post has driven me to head to work early and walk down that path again! Taz

For Mexico, the hotel is great. It's not a Westin/Hyatt 5 star, but it is clean, safe and has great staff. They have an amazing set of restaurants. You gotta go to the outside patio and order the Duck Taco. *YUM* Sitting around the pool, I found the staff to be VERY accomodating. And the spa experience is apparently pretty good, although to be honest I didn't take advantage of that. And after banding, visit the restaurant in the hotel for good chicken broth. They evn brought me some jalapeno to give it a bit of kick! (Ya, I'm weird like that.. I want intense flavour) Taz

Yep. you are so right. I use Centrum Liquid. Tastes gross, but it works well. Taz

Welcome to the challenge Lori! Taz

Gotta love it! Numbers don't lie. And can be a real motivator! you hit 2400. Now you KNOW you can hit 3000. Its nothing. So tomorrow go for 3000. Tell us how you feel. This was exactly how I did it. Little by little each day. Now I won't settle for anything less than 5000 a day... and am working towards my 10,000 a day goal! Rock on. Turn that iPod up loud and walk proud! Taz

I'm excited for you! Way to go on getting the pedometer. Let us know how your first day is. Remember to put it on as soon as you get up, and track every step that you do! Taz

Hey Coreen, Welcome to the challenge!!! I will follow up shortly in an email to you. But I wanted to let you know I am happy to see you on the forum! Great bunch of people here... with many different experiences to learn from. You are gonna love it here. Let us know when you hit your first 10,000 day! Taz

You are MORE than welcome to join the challenge. With any luck it will help you in your pre-op diet! Let us know when you hit your first 10,000 step day!! Taz

Welcome to the challenge. 10,000 steps in a shift is impressive. Looking forward to hearing how you carry that on with your medical leave. Taz

Thanks for the insight! When you already in a job where you move a lot, blowing past 10,000 steps isn't difficult. For many of us who sit in front of a computer all day... it's a bit more difficult. The great thing is a pedometer helps to set, achieve and exceed goals. I am happy to hear you will be joining us. Feel free to post everytime you hit 10,000 steps. Might get some of us to work harder!!! :-) Taz