Hi everyone! Hope you are all doing well!

As for me, I need some help! :glare: I hate to admit what I'm about to say, but I need to be honest with myself and everyone else and say that I have strayed off course...

Since I had my follow up appt with my surgeon, (last Tuesday), and was given the go ahead to add a few things to my diet, I pretty much lost my mind. My body feels so good and healed, it doesn't even seem like I had surgery less than 2 weeks ago! I am only reminded of this when I see my incisions, bend over the wrong way or slouch, or have to ask hubby to lift the little one for me. I am happy to be feeling so good, but at the same time, I think I have gotten a little bit overconfident.

So, first I tried my new allowed items, cottage cheese, string cheese, eggs...yummy of course. Then, over the next few days, I got a little cocky and couldn't resist trying a little bit of the meat sauce I made for my family the other night, to go with their spaghetti. Then I tried some of the hotdogs I had made for the kids...and then a crescent roll...and then some skippy natural peanut butter...a piece of regular bread...then more peanut butter...(I think I am in love with peanut butter, btw). I did not have a problem with any of these foods, nothing stuck, nothing came back up. (I wish it would have to teach me a lesson!)

So it has kind of been a free-for-all the last few days. I haven't been focusing on getting my protein in, I have actually been AVOIDING my protein shakes because I am so tired of them, I just plain have not been following the rules. I do not feel any restriction at all and although I haven't really eaten anything TOO bad, such as fast food or sweets, I do NOT want to keep this up for the next 3 weeks until I get my first fill. I know that if I do keep this up, I will gain all of my pre op weight back and I DEFINITELY do not want that! And who knows if my first fill will even create restriction at all!

I was SO incredibly strict with the pre op diet, I never had a bite or taste of anything that was not on my list, so why am I doing this now???

Is anyone else having a similar problem? PLEASE kick my butt in gear! This is your invitation to tell it to me straight! :devil:

Hey Cyndi, I think we were banded on the same day and honestly for me I couldn't imagine eating food right now. I'm supposed to start mushie/pureed food on wednesday and I'm a bit paranoid about even doing that lol. The thing that sucks is that because we were both just banded, we have no restriction, it totally sucks, and I'm on the free fluids and I'm only supposed to have about 250ml of fluid but I've actually had more and now I'm paranoid I've done something. Maybe just try eating more cottage cheese, eggs etc and when you have to make your family dinner, go for a walk or something? Good luck =)

This is a journey- even though the band is our tool we really still need to work at it. It is not just an easy fix. ( once per month at that time I am really reminded of that!!!) Just try to focus on why you did it and make some small goals. After you reach one or two it will get much easier!! I can't get my ticker changed cause i forgot my password, but have lost 74 pounds now. Hang in there. Write down some encouraging things to help you. I put goals on the fridge to remind me. Good luck with your journey- we are all in the same boat. (maybe not everyone has a hard time, but I am in the same boat.)

..... I can't get my ticker changed cause i forgot my password, but have lost 74 pounds now. ....

Nice words of encouragement from you. I have found this board so helpful - as you said, many people in the same boat have gone down this road, so we can learn off of each other.

Onto the password comment though..

I was in the same position, so just created a new tickler.com account.

k

The most important thing is to not beat yourself up or look at this as failing, just like Tondavi719 said it is a journey and we are going to have some good and some bad days the key is you recognize that your eating has gone off track now it's important to get back on the road to finding that healthy balance between you and food. I was banded on April 21,2009, I had my first fill on May 21st and I've lost about 38 lbs but I'm still trying to find my way and one thing that has helped me is to not deprive myself but know my triggers. For example I really wanted ice cream last week so I went to the store and bought a box of 100 calorie low sugar ice cream sandwiches as I started eating one I started to feel the guilt so I ate half of the sandwich and threw the rest out along with the remaining box of sandwiches. I knew if they were in the freezer I would have eaten all of them by nights end. I'm trying really hard to approach this process as a life change and not a diet.

Good Luck and we are all in this together one way or another!