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I was banded one year ago today and boy what a year it has been. One year ago I weighed 250 pounds. One year ago I wore a size 22. One year ago I was pre-diabetic. One year ago my blood pressure was out of control high ( I was taking 3 different meds trying to stabilize it). One year ago I couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without gasping for air. One year ago I hated myself. Today I weigh 171 pounds. (lost 79 pounds) Today I wear size 10. Today my blood sugar is normal. Today my blood pressure is stable with only 1 mild medication. Today I walk up the stairs to the eight floor of my office building. Today I love myself. I achieved this success by following my doctor’s orders, eating a 1200 calorie diet that is high protein (60-70g), and moving everyday one step at a time. Most important with a great support system; my family, friends, doctor, support group and LBT have all supported me every step of the way. I thank and love each and every one of you. Happy first birthday yellow rose!

For most of us that are banded our doctors told us to stay away from breads, rice and pasta and with the exception that they do get stuck but for most they really only do one thing. They turn in to sugar after consumption and sugar turns in to stored fat. Our bodies need carbs to function but good carbs such as fruit and vegetables. Who wants to make anything we eat turn to fat? I don't I have had enough of that. Before the band and my many failed attempts at dieting I/we ate low calorie bread, a baked potatoe, rice, pasta and every other flipping thing that we thought was good. But in all reality eating those kinds of carbs only makes you crave more of those kinds of carbs. I did an experiment with myself and a group I was teaching in two different sessions. I gave everyone including myself one quater of a buttermilk bisquit (yes we ate it slow but it went down) the next week I asked them to report what happened when they went home. All of them including myself wanted more starchy carbs and some caved in and went on a binge for the next entire week which the out come was weight gain. The next week we ate a small plate of vegetables and some fruit (because I can't expect people to just eat veggies at 9 in the morning and the following week I asked them to report what happened. The group that starchy carb binged the week before got back on track and lost the weight they had gained but everyone said they did not crave starchy carbs from eating the fruit and vegetables. Once you reach goal then its fine to eat these things and add them back in to your diet but for me to do it is a disaster. This is only my personal experience with carbs and may not be yours but it is true that starchy carbs do turn to sugar and then they turn to fat. If you can't control your craving for carbs, then eliminating these from your diet may help. They also make you crave sugar too. TTFN

I have done the steps, accepted that I am over weight, took the steps to see the doctor, asked some questions, had the blood test and went to the seminar. I am now in the process of seeing the cardiologist, pulmonologist, dietician, and therapist. I have to wait a month to see them, but I am willing to wait and do what I need to personally to get myself prepared for what is to come. I was also given a tentative month for surgery and it looks like April it is. So many emotions each day seem to catch me by surprise. Today I felt blue because I don't have many to turn to about my process. My husband is hard to talk to about it because he likes me just the way I am. He knows that I am depressed about it, and agrees with me to do something to make myself feel better, but sometimes I feel that is not enough. We have kept the news of my decision to go through this on the down low becuase I am still embarresed for the things I have to do to get what I want. The hospital that I am going through has a group that meets this Monday and I think I am going to check it out. I hope this helps with the blues that I get from time to time. Maybe even connect with someone and build friendships. I do know that God is on my side and going to take it one day at a time!

The symptoms got better for a short while, but flared up again, so I had an upper GI series. Could barely choke the barium down and ended up vomiting it up several hours later. Met with my surgeon's PA who reviewed the films. The band looks like it's in the right place, but there was an area of concern which might indicate the band has partially eroded. I was asked if I was "wedded" to my band - not if it's eroding my body parts! Now the surgeon wants to do an EGD. Guess this is usually done at the same time as they go in to effect any repairs or removal, but mine will be done as a "look see" as the surgeon doesn't think the problem is serious... *Reflux is back *Vomiting *Still can't eat with a bra on *Still takes an hour to get a meal down *Still have to more or less stand to eat ...but hey, none of that is serious...can't wait to do my next business lunch, where I whip off my bra and stand through the entire meal!

I know this sound.... vane... but i was thinking about getting a Belly Button Percing. What do you all think....? Be honest..I can handle.. the Truth...lol I know i'm 44 (45 in July)... i just think they are sexy.

ooooh, my stomach cramps everytime I drink. I just had the vertical sleeve procedure yesterday, Feb. 5th, so this is my 2nd day post-op. I am following the sleeve diet regimen: 1 ounce of liquid diet every 15 minutes x 12 hours/day. My starting weight was 212.4 lbs and I my goal is 150 lbs. After surgery, I had gas pain which went away soon after my nurse administereda dose of mylicon and pepcid. Other then this, I'm doing fine. As for the cramping, my new stomach has to heal.

I started this journey for a change. From the time learned about what a gastric sleeve was (on 10 Nov), within 16 days, I had read extensively about it, drilled a friend of mine who had the procedure and paid over $15,000 cash for my very own sleeve.... Why, because I was tired...tired of the struggle....

I read an interesting article on here yesterday that really made me stop to think - why was I overweight? Was I just going to blame my bad habits on my parents for the rest of my life? Or was there something more to it than that? Part of the reason I've avoided thinking about it before is because to do so would be admitting to myself that I had a problem. When someone talks about overeating or people with eating problems, I immediately conjure up in my mind people that snack on potato chips constantly, eat half a cake for a snack, and chug a 2 liter bottle of coke with each meal. And since I didn't eat like that, then I'm obviously not in the same category as those people, right? Well, it's only now that I'm beginning to see and accept that I *am* overweight, that I *do* look overweight to my peers, and that hardly anyone who is overweight eats an entire pizza in a single sitting. So I sat down and really thought about the painful things (yep, I cried) and tried to get to the bottom of what was behind my weight gain and poor eating habits. Why do I eat? Denial - If I didn't eat at all during the morning, then I must have some extra calories to spare in the evenings. If I didn't diet then I couldn't fail. If I didn't diet then that meant I didn't need to diet. Control - Eat what I want, no one can tell me not to. Not missing out on my favorite foods. Sadness - I earned or deserved it. Ability to relax or distract myself and not think too much. Boredom - Keeps me busy, something easy and enjoyable to do. Better than just sitting and doing nothing. Rewarding - I cooked it, accomplished that it turned out great. Some of my earliest memories of food as a child were that of my dad eating the last of my favorite food. Many times we'd have left overs and if I wanted to save something for myself for later, I'd have to choose between eating when I wasn't hungry or eating more than I needed. Often I would find myself in the situation where my dad would have a large dinner and eat the last of whatever I was saving for myself and I was forced to have something else that I didn't want or sometimes I just chose not to eat. I also remember very vividly this fear of eating something "ok" only to find out that my parents had decided to have pizza for dinner after my dad got home. So more times than I would like to remember I would have 2 dinners because I didn't want to "miss out" on the special food that was ordered or prepared later in the evening. My parents were also ALWAYS dieting. We did Atkins on and off for years. After I moved out I really began to resent them for this. I was obsessed with thinking about food and diet and my weight - eventually to the point that I swung to the other end of spectrum and avoided all diets and forms of calorie control. I wanted desperately to be accepting of my body and who was, I some how tricked myself into thinking that to love myself mean I wasn't suppose to care about what I ate. I tried a couple of diets after highschool, but I didn't want to turn into one of those compulsive dieters that spends most of their life yo-yo-ing and failing. I didn't want to fall for fads. I didn't want to turn into someone that hated my body. Now as an adult, I am beginning to realize and accept the fact that I have complete control over my body. That no one is going to run off and hide my favorite mashed potatoes. And if for some reason I run out of a certain meal before I am tired of it, I can always make more when I need to. Food is becoming more about "what I need to survive" and variety and less about what I am craving. And I'm getting better at saying no to cravings and impulses or limiting the extent to which I give in (having only 1 cupcake every couple days, as opposed to a huge slice of cake with dinner). The food isn't going anywhere and I don't need to eat it before it disappears. I am giving our family more structure so that our daughter doesn't have to have the same worries I did as a child - and I want more than anything, even if I can never save myself, to teach her positive attitudes about food and have her educated about the effects of foods on the body so that she can make healthy choices and live wisely. I don't want her scared of food or obsessed with food - I want her to learn to be normal. Or even if she has some of the same issues I do, to have the confidence and education to make wise choices.

Today I went to the doctors... & he told me I am now on my soft food diet & I only have to be on it for a week! YAYYYYY! so happy!!!

I'm on my last week of liquid diets... Then I move on to soft foods!! Please tell me this whole surgery thing gets better.... Because it sucks so far =/