Doing What Works

Well, as I said in my last post a ba-jillion years ago, I had put on 12 pounds. I did get it under control by holding steady at that weight and have maintained it. The problem is that I don't like the 12 extra pounds! It has taken a long time to get to enough 'dislike' though to actually want to put in some real effort. Plus - band or no band - when you are closer to your goal, it is damn hard to lose weight!

So, here's what I did...first, I was too tight. This is really hard to believe when you hear that I only had .4 in my band. Yep, that is NOT a typo - .4. (This was actually after 1 unfill since my last post in May.) I am now at .2. They wanted to just take it all out, but there is a mental aspect to it and I had to have something in my band.

I increased my activity (exercise) and have corrected my bad eating habits (CANDY!). I have been doing this for three weeks. I'm not sure if it is the shock to my body or what, but I have been gaining and losing the same pound for those three weeks. I am going to hang in there though and just keep doing what I'm doing. Why? Cause it is the 'right' thing to do. My body is in a battle to hold on to this weight - I think it likes to be this weight - but it is going to LOSE!

I was reviewing my blog to remind myself of all the rules and all the things that I was doing that worked along the way. Funny - but there is quite a bit of good stuff here. If you happen to stumble across my blog and are newly banded or thinking about it, I'd encourage you to look at my early posts. You might find some useful information.

One of my observations was that I was blogging. I have been keeping a food journal, etc., but I figure I should pull out all the stops and do this as well. Accountability is very important for me. If I am throwing it out here too, it will only add to that. Here's the scoop on what I'm doing...

• Water: goal - 1 gallon a day (128 ozs). Maybe you are thinking that is a lot? Believe it or not, you get used to it and most days it is easy.
  
• Exercise: goal - 60 mins a day; Sunday (or alternate day) rest. 1 day a week.
• Food: Only good healthy stuff. NO CANDY. Follow 'the rules'
• Journal: Fill out my daily food journal. Blog a minimum of once a week. I am a huge believer that tracking your food and exercise is paramount for success. It keeps you aware of what you are eating (yes, bandsters do 'forget' too) and accountable to both what you eat and how much you are exercising.
• Weigh in: ONCE a week only. Drives me nuts otherwise!

I'm on vacation today. I've been sitting here in my gym clothes, so it's time for me to hit it. In fact, there is no reason I can't do a longer workout, but I'll get the 60 mins in and will see how I feel. As long as I do that, I'm on target. In the next couple of days, I'll get out a Q&A post. I find those interesting on other blogs and might be here as well...