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Weight Loss
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It comes down to a simple question: what do you want out of life, and what are you willing to do to get it? By: Barbara Banno Part One It was December 16, 2006 at 2:00am; I was watching T.V. in the dark with a bucket of buttered
Photo Right- Barbara in July, 2007- Before
My name is Barbara Banno; I decided I needed to do something that would allow me to live a healthier life. I have a Partner who loves me unconditionally and weight was never an issue for her and she lives a very active life, but I always felt so restrictive because of my weight. When that commercial spoke to me, I realized that not only was I holding myself back from so many different life experiences, but I was also holding back my partner, Jeanne. I am not sure she felt that way over a year ago, but looking back I think she does now.
Together we made a list of things we wanted to do after the weight loss..........
July 11, 2007 would be the first day of the next chapter of my life. This was the day I was scheduled for weight loss surgery (Lap - Band). I remember thinking after losing the weight......
It has been 13 months since I had the surgery and I am down 85 lbs so far and never felt
Photo Right- taken in December, 2007 after losing 50 lbs
Update on some of my accomplishments so far.....
Part Two I spent over six months going to Doctors Appointments, having tests done just to get insurance to cover the surgery. I was determined to have this surgery to change my life. I had the surgery and immediately started seeing results, but deep down I knew there was more I had to do them just cut back on the amount of food I was eating. That is right; I knew I had to EXERCISE. I started out slow, every evening walking my dogs for about 30 minutes, and it helped. I continued to lose weight at a healthy rate. Now, do not get me wrong, I still had the internal struggle of "I will walk tomorrow" I am a firm believer that once you set your mind to something you can do anything, and I was DETERMINED.
8 months into my weight loss journey I hit a plateau of 60 lbs. I struggled for weeks,
Photo Right- Barbara down 85 lbs.
Exercise -
A bad word so to many people, something we do not even like to think about. Well when you are overweight, you are to tired, hate going to the gym and keep saying "I WILL START TOMORROW"
I knew the time had come .... Yes I had to find a gym
Still about 80lbs overweight. I think "Gym's" have this stereotype reputation that the "Barbie & Ken's" of this world only go there. So for some people being overweight, walking into a gym could be intimidating. I wanted to find a gym with a neighborhood feel to it. My Partner Jeanne had been working out at Bodynamics for a few weeks and only had good things to say about it. I am not sure how much I trusted her at first, because she simply did not worry about things like that. After some inner struggles I decided I would give it a shot. She got me a 1 week pass and after my first visit to the gym, I loved it!
A few weeks into going to the gym, I was getting in 20 - 30 minutes of cardio and very little weight lifting. Remember my journey was not just about losing weight; I wanted to play golf, go kayaking, and be more active. I wanted to strengthen my body and knew that in order for me to do that it was going to take a lot more than what I was doing. I had not been to the gym in well over 5 years, so I knew very little about the any of the equipment. I started working out and everyone had an opinion about what I should be doing; do your cardio before your weight lifting, no you should do it after your weight lifting ECT.
With my strong inner determination, I wanted to make sure the 1 - 2 hours a day, I spent working out was effective. I found myself walking around in circles, because I just did not know what to do next. Then one day while working out I met Jane Carpenter, one of the personal trainers for Bodynamics. I think it was the look of "I do not know what I am doing here" that drew us together. We started talking and I told her a little about myself and my story, she was so engaged and I asked her if she thought she would be able to help me achieve my goals. Without any hesitation she said "Absolutely" I made my first appointment to workout with her and she asked me to put together a list my goals I wanted to achieve while working out with her.
My Goals....
Monday 8am my first appointment with Jane. I bought new workout clothes and I was ready to go. Well so I thought............
I started out using this THING called the BOSU ball and I know I had a look of terror on my face every time Jane wanted me stand on it. If you do not know what the BOSU ball is or you have never used it, I think everyone should try it. One hour later I knew I made the right decision, it was the best workout I have ever had. Jane challenged me, inspired me and believed in me. I knew I could do anything she asked me to do. Now as enjoyable as the workout sounds, please do note that I could not walk for a week without a muscle aching in my body.
Another story I would like to share with you is about spinning. The day before I started my weight lifting workouts with Jane I decided to be courageous and try a spinning class. One of my friends told me about it and I thought "I could do that" There was time where I would have to stand on the pedals and spin (they call that a run), I could not even stand for 10 seconds without my legs being tired. I did make it out of the spinning class, but I thought I could never do that again, it was a cardio workout I had never experienced. Three months later I decided to give it another try, this time Jane joined me in the class, helped set the bike correctly and I was ready to go. From the first "RUN" I immediately felt the strength in my legs from my workouts; I followed the instructor the entire 45 minutes. To this day I know spin 3 - 4 times a week.
Health Results
Prior to surgery, I was seeing a doctor regularly and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, border line Diabetic, High Cholesterol; including extremely high Triglycerides. Below I have charted some before and after results to share with you.
What are triglycerides? Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fat exists in food as well as in the body
What is a Sleep Apnea and a CPap? Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. You may have sleep apnea if you snore loudly and you feel tired even after a full night's sleep. CPAP is a common therapy devise called a continuous positive airway pressure machine. It delivers just enough air pressure to keep your upper airway passage open while you sleep, preventing apnea and snoring.
I share this definition about triglyceride's with you because a huge contributor to lowering your Triglyceride's is by EXERCISE. And I saw greater results once I began working out... And as you can see from the chart above, I am close the normal range for the HDL - Good Cholesterol, with a continual decrease in weight loss and consistent aerobic exercise, I will soon be within the Normal range.
I continue to workout with Jane 2 times a week, and each session she pushes more and more to a new level and just about every session I can feel myself getting stronger. As I continue to work towards my weight loss goal and then maintaining that goal, I know that working out will be an ongoing part of my life.
There have been many people that have been a part of this journey with me, from my Doctors, my partner Jeanne, my family & friends and know both Jane Carpenter and Bodynamics and all their members. I am glad I can share my story with people and I hope I am able to at least inspire 1 person to take the journey.
As I continue to reach new goals, of weight loss and personal triumph I would love to keep on sharing my story of this journey I am on.
Stay tuned for more follow up on Barbara as we continue to track her progress!
The opinions expressed in this article do not constitute any endorsement of WTCB for any type of weight loss program. The story is provided as an information only article based on one woman's experience in reaching her weight loss goals. If you desire a personal weight loss plan we suggest that you consult with your physician on the best program for you. |
popcorn. As I sat there enjoying the popcorn, a Lap - Band commercial came on, for 30 seconds I felt as if my life had stopped and they were speaking ONLY to me. I want to live a healthier life, I want to travel more, and I want to be more active. I was 36 years old, 150 lbs overweight and night after night eating popcorn and watching T.V. After listening to the commercial, I threw the rest of the popcorn in the garbage and went ONLINE and started researching the LAP - BAND, reading blogs and posting questions on message boards. Within 2 weeks I was attending a seminar about this weight loss surgery "Lap - Band" I knew after leaving that seminar this was going to be a life changing experience for me. 
better. I have had my challenges and at times still do; fighting what my mind tells me vs. what my body is telling me. The Lap Band is a tool, not the solution. My goal is to lose another 60 lbs and with my determination, love and inspiration I will reach that goal.
up 2 lbs down 2 lbs. There was no change in the way my clothes were fitting. I felt frustrated and every time I went to eat I would beat myself up, "did I eat too much", "I shouldn't have eaten that" and "I am never going to lose any more weight" Sometimes we are own worst enemy. I got so obsessed with my weight loss. I was getting on that scale everyday. At this point the only exercise I was doing was walking my dogs 4 -5 times a week. Oh and did I mention, I do have a variety of workout equipment at my house collecting dust.Copyright © WTCB- Women Taking Care of Business, Inc. ® All Rights Reserved See Terms of Use for this website |