JaniceBlack

For anyone who's interested, I just created a weight watcher's point calculator in excel. Just reply or PM me w/ your email address and I'll send it on.

Here's the formula...

p= (c/50) + (f/12) - (min {r,4}/5)

p=points

c=calories

f=fat grams

r=fiber (max of 4)

Hi, thank you Janice.black2005@sbcglobal.net

OK so three miles this week thus far...tough week on my feet a lot..bet I did a lot of miles at work..but I am counting exercise miles...

I'm just updating my post with each day's run/walk so I can see my total.. I might have to add for the week down the road if it get's to long. I was suppose to do a 5k tomorrow but we are going to help the local school kids do a 5k. We help them pin on their bibs and will line the roads to cheer them on. It's going to be so much fun. The kids in the group (about 100 at the school) just received new shoes donated !! They are going to look so cute in them tomorrow!!! I CAN'T WAIT

I wondered if anyone has had this done with a bmi lower than 35 and how it went? I have about 60 pounds to lose and i really want to try this but i am scared. I read somewhere you cannot drink coffee for 3 months after the surgery is this true? I am addicted to coffee lol..Also do you have to pay every time you get the fills and go back to mexico? Or can you have it done somewhere near where you live and how much does this cost?

Hi,

I have about 60 to lose and was banded in Nov. 2009 my bmi was 37. I was not told that I would have to give up coffee. But I only drink 1 to 2 cups a day. Each person is different so I think you need to contact OCC and speak to them first. Yes, you pay for fills each time you go to OCC. I have heard of others having fills elsewhere but that would be up to you. I will always go back to OCC. I want to make sure that its done right since OCC uses a X-ray fluoroscope. It is your choice .....

Good Luck and please let me know if you go to OCC and become banded

Hi All,

I was banded last Monday. I still find myself getting very hungry, especially in the middle of the night. When I do eat I feel full. My question is I really don't feel much restriction. Do you really start feeling the restriction once you have your first fill? I know the first weeks is for the band to really heal.

Thanks,

Heidi

Hi,

Congrats on being banded. You are still on the liquid diet.. right?

I pushed it to feel full. If I felt hungry after yogurt I would drink more water. I felt a little restriction after my first fill and more on my second. Each person feels restriction. A few that have been banded have not received a fill and have lost weight. NOT pushing their band, eating the correct foods and amounts are the key. You will be told once you go to OCC that the band is a tool to help you not a magic band. Heidi please keep us posted and Congrats again !

Hi ya'll! I am going to be banded in mid-May and I know that I need to keep exercising in order to make the most of this tool and stay healthy. I read somewhere that there is to be no ab work until you are fully healed. Just how long does that take? My exercise is mainly yoga which I recently started doing 5 days a week. I really love it because it is really a good workout and makes me feel good. I'm worried about doing it post surgery though because there is a lot of bending and twisting and core stregthening work which I'm not sure if it will put too much strain on my stomach. Any advice? What types of exercising seems to be best for everyone besides walking?

Hello and welcome I can only tell you want they told me but you will need to talk to the doctors first!! Everyone is different and recovers at a different rate.

I was told no ab work for 6 to 8 weeks but that I could go back to walking as soon as I felt up to it. I do yoga and did not go back until 4 weeks after the surgery. I had a few problems with bending to the left and our instructor modified them for me. (she walks with us) I'd talk to the instructor and inform her what you have had done and she should give you modification to each. I walk/run/yoga and really want to start dong bike rides...

I wish you the best and please keep me posted on your new adventure of being banded

Janice

thanks for the advice, i am just scared to gain the weight i already lost. Just need to learn to make better choices.

Hello,

First... Congrats on being banded

Second... I was told not to eat popcorn but each person is different on what they can eat. I know that a few can eat bread without issues but I can not eat anything with bread or I will get stuck no matter how much I chew. I would first send a message to OCC to see what the think.

Good Luck

Calling all walkers and runners. I have a challenge for you...As a team, can we walk/run 1000 miles? Wonder how long it will take us? All you need to do is log in your mileage on this ticker. Pin: occforum

We might even surprise ourselves and double the challenge. Who's in?

Don't forget to post your mileage individually so we can encourage/brag/or even do a little good natured trash talking, as well.

NOTE: Hey guys, I'm not sure I posted this clearly...I'll try again. The ticker above is for all of us to use, the pin/password is for you to log in with. Just click on the ticker and it will take you to the edit ticker page where you will enter the pin/password: occforum and add in you miles (just like you would with your own personal weight ticker). No need to add another one to your personal signature.

MY ADDS

April total Miles walked 54.84 Miles

May total Miles walked 55.91 Miles

June total Miles walked 56.96 Miles

July 3 walked 6.10 Miles

July 6 Walked 18.0 Miles Yosemite Half Dome

July 8 Walked 3.84 Miles

July 10 Walked 5 Miles

4.11 Miles tonight ...

Hi Janice,

The site you are refering to is for thedailyplate.com, which is by livestrong.com, Lance Armstrong's orginization. I agree with you that this site is AWESOME for tracking, however, I have to warn everyone to watch out when tracking excercise on this site due to it being extremely liberal in terms of giving you calories burned. If you are going to track you excercise then cut it in half to be on the safe side. For example, if you jog for 60 minutes put in that you only jogged for 30 minutes instead. I have found that when I tracked the exact amount of exercise I did it was giving me too many calories burned and I was not loosing. i have a feeling it is due to the site only being able to generalize calories burned since we are all different.

Here is the direct link to mydailyplate: http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/

or

http://www.thedailyplate.com/

Then use this site... I have a garmin and its very good http://www.plus3network.com You can enter your walk by hand

Thank you Kristi,

I was wearing a 3x or 24-26 and now I can wear a size 10 pant and medium top. I am glad I can sew so I can take in my clothes intead of having to purchase all new. 20 lbs of weight came off in the last 3-4 months.

Besides being freezing all the time, stopped snoring, stopped urinating 3 times per night, not out of breath at all.

Sue

Congrats !!!! What an inspiration to all of us. I can't wait to be freezing all the time. Seems like I'm roasting day and night. (that might be my age too) I wished I knew how to sew to take up a few of my things so I don't have to buy things yet. I'm holding out until I lose more.

Thank you and let us know how OCC goes! Congrats again

Can you put a stop to these?

they're so freakin' annoying ... having a series 500x500 picture series of someone's weight loss ... they're just too BIG and really slow down the loading for each thread! (specifically RevyD)

I've never seen such massive signatures, in all of the forums I'm part of.

That's why there's a GALLERY section.

UGH.

I too do not see a problem with the signatures and love seeing them! It shows how proud everyone are of the progress. If it is causing issues with uploading a page then I understand. Maybe photos can be set to a max so everyone view our progress and not have problems opening the page.

Ok, this may seem a little....silly. It's the small things in life that carry's us through sometimes. Well, I sitting in church with my legs crossed and all of a sudden....I realized that...my legs were crossed. WoW, it's been a long time since I've been able to do that comfortably. I started to grin to myself and my friend was looking at me like I had lost my mind. After the service I shared with her my secret. Bahahahahaha, nothing like two middle aged women doing the happy dance at church. Just had to share. Can anyone relate?

Yea !!! Congrats HAPPY DANCE !!!

I crossed my legs the other day while sitting with our walking/running group and one of the girls slapped my leg down!!! I'm like what the heck!!

She screamed at me... "You are not suppose to cross your legs" LOL Everyone looked at her!!! I crossed them again and said "hey I finally can do it!! I had the whole group clapping for me LOL (I'm seeing a Chiropractor for back/leg issues you are not suppose to cross your legs)

Hello everyone,

I'm not sure what everyone uses to track your workouts but I use this site: http://www.plus3network.com

It is free and it supports great causes. You do not have to have a garmin...you can use a iphone or upload by hand. It shows a map of what you did.

I also use: http://www.livestrong.com to track my food intake. You do not have to pay to track your food intake/fitness.

I LOVE IT

Please let me know if you like it........ Also, if you sign up to plus3 add me as a friend!!!! Janice Black

i had my 2nd fill yesterday got 6.6 cc's by Dr. So and once i left the OCC i took a bite of my bf's sandwich (we packed.) and headed into the Comercial Mexicana to pick up some stuff THEN and got stuck terribly!! I thought i chewed enough and swallowed. Thank goodness it's a huge market... i walked around like a maniac until it passed... the good thing about all this... I don't think i'll be eating bread anymore. And that's one less addiction... has anyone gotten stuck on chocolate? haha..

Since my fill in March I have not been able to eat any type of bread...no matter how much I chew, chew, chew. I end up getting sick and hanging over the sink wanting to die. So I STAY AWAY from it all together. I have a few other things like any type of lunch meats, boca burger patties, turkey burger patties. Still trying different foods slowly to make sure I don't have issues.

Log Your Daily Miles/Work Outs

Time: 01:16:11

Distance: 4.49 Miles

Walking

I have been walking for over 2 years now and not getting anywhere. Banded 11/23/2009 My goal is to run/walk a 1/2 marathon. I have completed over 12 half marathons and walked each one. My first 1/2 marathon took me 4 hours to complete and my last one 3.26 hours. My next marathon is April 18th and might have to walk it due to hip/leg issues but hope to completed it in 3 hours.(hope) I am seeing a physical therapist 2 days a week right now so maybe he can get me back to walk/running.

Monday - Time: 01:00:00 Yoga Total

Monday - Total Time: 00:47:44 Distance: 3.45 Miles

Tuesday - Total Time: 01:14:45 Distance: 5.00 Miles- Morning

Tuesday - Total Time: 00:50:00 Distance: 3.06 Miles - Evening

Wednesday- Total Time: 00:59:26 Distance: 3.88 Miles

Thursday - Total Time: 01:14:45 Distance: 5.00 Miles

Hey ladies, would any of you who have a Nike sensor like to start logging in your mileage.

It might be fun to see how many miles we walk/run all together. I have a feeling it would blow our minds.

If you don't have one they are about $20. My son and I both have one and are constantly trying to out do the other. Of course, I'm old, over weight and he's 14 and healthy as a horse, but a great motivator none the less.

Let me know and we'll start logging in our miles.

I use a Garmin watch and love it!!!! Tells me how many miles I have gone, Calories burned and my pace.

So happy!!!! 50+ lbs down and having a baby!!! What more could I ask for?? OH, I know...I could ask for a low weight gain!! lol

I was way too tight for a while, but luckily the last month I seem to have found my sweet spot. I plan to keep my fill the entire time, so keeping my fingers crossed I don't get too tight.

If any of you have had a pregnancy since you were banded, I'd love to hear how things went.

Congratulations Cindy

Baaahahaahaa...girl that is funny. I guess we all have "OCC hernia" now. Love it!

Thanks I needed that!

It's contagious... I have one too hehehehehehe So so cute

Hi Everyone,

I pretty sure I am going to get a lap band from the OCC. Is everyone pretty happy with their experience? I live in San Diego, so it will be easy for

me to get to the OCC office. I've seen only positive experiences on this board so far. Does anyone else have anything else to say. I appreciate anything you could tell me.

Thanks!

Heidi

I have had a great experience from the time of surgery to each fill (2) The band is a tool not a magic weight loss surgery

I'm what you'd call a 'lurker' on the web....I read the boards often but don't contribute much. Anyway, I was banded 2/19. I lost 20 pounds so far. I am trying to stick to liquids except for the evenings. I run/walk 4.5 miles 4 days a week. I drink a bottle of wine every night (my only vice, lol, please don't try and stop me).

I have not had a fill yet. My loss so far is due to my will power. I only had a few issues where I was stupid and ate string cheese sticks, and they caused me to get 'stuck'. Holy shi%, that hurt!

I have noticed here that some people religiously track what they eat, but not their activities. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that most people do not have a thyroid or metabolic disorder. That being said, if u are not losing weight and u r counting calories, then I suspect u r not active enough.

I read somewhere that obese people trying to lose weight often expend more calories then the skinny people. Why still obese?because their appetites increased also. On the flip side, your mind will trick u into being more sedentary as u consume less. If u r walking 30 minutes and vegging out on facebook all day, your 1200 calorie diet ain't gona cut it.

Anyway, apologies to anyone offended by this. I have my own issues too.

I have to remind my wife not to follow my diet. I also have an overweight teen, not living with me, whom I don't know how to help with his weight. I am now eating healthy around him, which is only 2 days with me every other month. I don't wanna BS him and lie saying my weight loss is due solely to dieting. On the other hand, I really don't wanna share my banding with him because he will think that is the more 'convenient' fix over a healthy lifestyle.

Ok, enough rambling. Good luck to all.

VERY VERY GOOD !!!!!!

I was banded 12-29 at OCC with the SAGB-VC band. I have had 3 fills and am upt to 7cc and still have lost no weight. I am drinking my protein, have some restriction, but still not losing weight. I am worried something is not right. Anyone else have the same band (which holds 11ccs) If so, at what point did you find your sweet spot?? How many ccs do you have and at what point did you begin to lose weight????

I just got back from my 2nd fill on Monday. I have restriction now. My first fill it seem like it lasted one week. I am not pushing what I eat and mark down on www.livestrong.com EVERY thing I eat or drink and if you don't watch it really adds up. It is free ! and I love it! I also spoke to Dr. So and Dr. Miranda while I was there and they asked if I was following the guide lines of what to eat and the amount of food at meals. Eating slow, chewing my food. I have lost 19 lbs since November and said that this is not too slow that you don't want to lose too fast. Also reminded me that this is a TOOL not to think this is a magic weight loss surgery. Please try using the web site and see if you are not getting enough calories or too many...... Are you exercising ? I also have a 11 cc band and have had 2.6 cc's added at each fill.

Was anyone able to see Dr Miranda tonight. I tuned in but it just said that the moderator was not available.

Debbie

Not able to get in at all. Tried a few times but kept saying that it was waiting for organizer DARN !!

I finally got the pictures posted. Still cannot believe it is me. Only 33 pounds more to go.

Debbie

Debbie, you look awesome Congrats! What a inspiration you are to all of us.

So I've read about it and heard people swear by it. But I still have no idea what it actually is!! Anyone wanna fill me in??

It is wonderful.. My husband and I have it every morning as well. I also add spinach and mushroom. Thank you Debbie