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And I missed it! I may have a brand new band in but I still consider the 1st August 2008 to be the first day I became a bandster. And despite the ups and downs, it has been a game changer for me. It transformed my life in so many ways that I can't even begin to articulate. Not just in my weight, my health and my prognosis for my future health, but in my confidence, my view on life, my career and my value in myself. Happy bandiversary to me! It's been an amazing 5 years and here's to many many more to come.

My knees started bothering me in the mid 2009 time period. I had cortisone shots in both knees every 3 months as well as Euflexa series twice. I tore the meniscus in my left knee and had arthroscopic surgery January 2011.The Dr. said he repaired the meniscus and cleaned out some of the arthritic damage and felt it would buy me a couple of years. Then I did the same to the right knee and once again arthroscopic surgery July 2011.this time the Doctor said he saw major cartilage damage. Then MRI of right knee cause it just was not getting better so knee cap ( patella femoral replacement which is not a full or a partial but a knee cap only ) replacement November 2011. Oh and we can't forget the physical therapy for all 3. then low and behold my feet started hurting. I had bone spurs in both heels. Cortisone shots, orthotics for my shoes and exercises did zip. Here I went again to surgery. In February 2013 I had my Achilles tendon released and lived in a boot for 6 weeks. 2 weeks of sleeping in it then 4 more all waking hours. Physical therapy once again. Did I mention that my weight had gotten to an all time high of 240??? As I was contemplating more surgery to stop the bone spur pain in the right foot I happened upon a lecture locally on the topic of weight loss surgery for seniors ( 57 is senior ). My consult was May 6th and surgery was 6 weeks ago June 19th. I am so glad I had it done. I can already see and FEEL the difference. True I had a set back but diverticulitis was not surgery related. I am down to 205 from 232 on June 19th and already down 2 sizes. You will do great. Just getting the excess pressure off the knees and feet has helped already. Chin up and you will be kicking you heels up before you know it. !!

Happy Bandiversary!! Congratulations on your success, too!

I got the call this morning that will change my life forever - I'm approved for weight loss surgery. It's scheduled, in pen. I'm not turning back now. It's time. Time for me, time for change, time to get healthy. No more size 20 pants. No more hiding in cover ups when I'm in my humongous bathing suits. I'm done with the way things are and so happy to be on this new road.

To the weight loss surgery patient slider foods are the bane of good intentions and ignorance often causing dumping syndrome, weight loss plateaus, and eventually weight gain. Slider foods, to weight loss surgery patients, are soft simple processed carbohydrates of little or no nutritional value that slide right through the surgical stomach pouch without providing nutrition or satiation. The most innocent of slider foods are saltine crackers, often eaten with warm tea or other beverages, to soothe the stomach in illness or while recovering from surgery. Understanding Slider Foods The most commonly consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free cookies, cakes, and candy. You will notice these slider foods are often salty and cause dry mouth so they must be ingested with liquid to be palatable. This is how they become slider foods. They are also, most often, void of nutritional value. For weight loss surgery patients the process of digestion is different than those who have not undergone gastric surgery. When slider foods are consumed they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of protein so little metabolic energy is expended. In most cases patients in the phase of weight loss who eat slider foods will experience a weight loss plateau and possibly the setback of weight gain. And sadly, they will begin to believe their surgical stomach pouch is not functioning properly because they never feel fullness or restriction like they experience when eating protein. The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured, copious amounts of non-nutritional food without ever feeling uncomfortable. Many patients turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein without liquids. Yet it is this very restriction that is the desired result of the surgery. The discomfort is intended to signal the cessation of eating. Remembering the "Protein First" rule is crucial to weight management with bariatric surgery. Gastric bypass, gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve patients are instructed to follow a high protein diet to facilitate healing and promote weight loss. Bariatric centers advise what is commonly known among weight loss surgery patients as the "Four Rules" the most important of which is "Protein First." That means of all nutrients (protein, veggies, complex carbohydrates, then fat and alcohol) the patient is required to eat protein first. Protein is not always the most comfortable food choice for weight loss surgery patients who feel restriction after eating a very small amount of food. However, for the surgical tool to work correctly a diet rich in protein and low in simple carbohydrate slider foods must be observed. The high protein diet must be followed even after healthy body weight has been achieved in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight regain.

I am 7 months out and this is still my biggest struggle!!!!!

What a fantastic post!! I hope to be a week or two behind you. Will find out Wednesday. But your story is so similar to mine, it was like reading my thoughts. I HATE being the fat mom. And I don't even want to look at photos of myself. Keep us posted - I'm rooting for you!

Not sure how much you have to lose, but there is a blog 300poundsdown.com where the writer talks about how much pain she was in prior to surgery. It is a good read and will help you realize, you're not alone in having physial pain. Maybe her story will give you some encouragement on this hard day.

I totally understand. I am 2 weeks post op and must admit it's starting to get to me. After 30 years of eating what I wanted, eating it whenever I wanted it and however much of it I wanted and now not being able to do that is definitely mentally draining....that's putting it mildly. I definitely agree with the "mind over matter" statements. Just try to stay positive. I think that doing little tricks like carrying around your "before" picture will be helpful....whatever it takes, I have been trying on clothes in my closet that I haven't been able to wear in over a year or clothes that were tight but are now fitting just right. I've been enjoying the hell outta of that. So whatever does the trick. I'm also trying not to beat myself up for my "failures" in the past. The fact that we have even made the decision is a sign of self love moving towards a better you. It will all be for the greater good. Feel better!

With any previous dieting prior to surgery once I went 3-4 days without sugar/candy/sweets etc... my cravings would go away. Just getting it out of my system really helped. Happy to say now I've not had those cravings having gone without for a while. Good luck with your journey.