♥LovetheNewMe♥

I think I lot of us are grazers if we are honest with our selves. Eating from the pots while cooking,(that doesn't count because it's not on the plate or a hand full of chips or cookies. And also if no ones sees you eat it, it doesn't count ,RIGHT! I sometimes find hardest part of the day is evening time. I do right everything down as I eat it all day long, I have an app on my phone so I can record if not at home with my computer and if I can't log on to my app I write it on a post it note. This may seem obsessive but we have to hold ourseveles accountable and that is hard. I have planned snacks during the day that I include in my daily food intake, they are always protein snacks. I do notice if my band is working right, I don't think about grazing as much it is when my band needs adjusted that I seem to have more issues with grazing. Remember, we are trying to change life long bad behavior with food and it is not going to happen over night. Write it down, no matter how small. Those bites add up. Good Luck!

Drinking wth Lapband can sneek up on you very quickly. I have a one drink rule and only after I have had some food. There is a reason for my rule. I had an experience last year around this time of the year. We were out with friends and I had eaten my usually small portion but had a large portion of wine. Thank goodness I was with my husband and good friends or it could have been a diasaster. I really never had thought about it before that night, I knew the potentional to become quickly intoxicated was there, but had no idea how fast it could sneek up on you. Just be careful and make sure you are with friends if you drink outside of your home.

In response to comment above. Yes I am tight, but please notice in my blog I do not have REFLUX. I can pass liquids without any problem. The fact that you are sleeping elevated on pillows and have reflux makes me think you are to tight. I think you should call your surgeon if this continues and at least discuss the issues. Good luck !

I have always loved the early morning hours of the day. The time before the sun comes up, the house is quiet, every one is still asleep. This is my time of the day to just ly quietly in bed and reflect about the day ahead and plan. This is also the time of day that I can relect on how blessed I have been in my life, thanking God for my wonderful family and friends and for giving me the strength to handle almost anything that falls in my path. Now.....back to the present! (For those of you who do not know me, I had surgery October 2010) I had a fill two weeks ago, my idea. I must admit the past 2 weeks have been pure HELL! I did my 48 hours of liquids like I was instructed but unlike every other fill I was not able to go right back to solids after the initial 48 hours. (Note: after my second fill in May of last year I was over filled and had to have an unfill. I was unable to drink liguids let alone eat.) I had to progress my self through full liguids, to soft and than to solids. I almost gave in several times and was tempted to go back and say, "Take some Damn fluid out I want to EAT." But I didn't, I drank my protein, which I do not love, every day I would take my breakfast, lunch and dinner, take a few bites push it away and drink a protein drink. I didn't have reflux, I didn't throw up, liquids passed without any difficulty and I had no desire to eat. I didn't feel hungry, Not sure I understand why but after my fill this time everything tastes different, things I loved before my fill, I don't like or want. The past 3 days have been good, I have been able to eat solids for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is still a little touchy, I do a couple of bites but than just decide to drink a protein drink. Sadly I have not even enjoyed my Starbucks! May weekday ritual is always a "Triple Tall, Skinny Carmel Machiatto" I have tried several different lattes this week and after about drinking a third i just toss it. Tossing a $5 cup of coffee is pretty expensive so I think I will give up on them for a while. They just don't seem to taste good! Sorry Starbucks, I will hold on to my Gold card but I guess you won't be getting rich of me for a while. My goal for the upcoming week is to increase my calories and find something that tastes really good and yummy. I have only be averaging about 600 cal a day for about 2 weeks, so I have been faithfully taking my vitamans and adding protein when ever I can to increase the calories and make sure my hair doesn't fall out. I have lost 10 lbs since my fill, the 4 lbs I had gained and 6 additional lbs. So this morning I way in at a "skinny 165" Hope everyone has a Great Sunday. Adding a new pic, of me and the family at Christmas.

OK, I have been posting on this blog for a year now and those of you who know me have come to realize I am a bit of a nerd and spend a lot of time surfing the INTERNET looking for and asking questions. I try hard to read all the posts and make comments when I can but one theme that keeps popping up for many is their frustration with not losing the amount of weight they wanted to or fast enough. I like many of you probably did not ask all the right questions. I am a nurse and I know I did not ask everything and have found out a lot of my answers on this blog, on the INTERNET and from my own dumb mistakes. I am no expert but I am a true believer that we can all learn from each others life experiences. I am not your typical lap band patient. I have lost greater than my 50% of my total weight in my first year and believe me I feel very fortunate but I have worked the program. But if you really knew me you would learn to know that when I set my mind at something, I can be very OCD. I use this blog as my new addiction, I checking it religiously to see how others are doing, it is free and it does not add any inches to my hips or numbers to my scales. So you ask, what is Diane trying to tell us??? Well tonight I was doing my usual INTERNET surfing. My question was, How much weight can a lap band patient expect to lose?Wow, imagine, I found some answers and all were pretty consistent with what my doctor had told me. Hmmm, I also found this calculator on gottolose.org How much can I expect to lose? So I plugged in my height and starting weight and this is what it said.... I was 116 lbs over weight when I started, My ideal body weight should be 132 and I could expect to lose between 29 to 63 LBS. Well friends do the math that is about 50% give or take a few pounds of what I need to lose. 50% of my weight would be 58 lbs. To date I have lost 80 lbs, and by their numbers I have another 36 lbs to lose. It also showed me how much I could have lost if I had the gastric sleeve or the bypass and guess what I have pretty much exceeded all their numbers. My point is, no matter what surgery we have ladies and gentleman, WE have to work the program, not 50% or 75% of the time but ALL the time. We have to continue to work to change our behavior and develop healthy habits. This is more than just losing weight, this is gaining life and a better quality of life so like the article says, focus on how you feel not how much you are losing. Focus on all the positive and not the negative. Also everyone, stop beating yourself up, we are all worth the effort and we are all our worst critque. No one ever needs to tell us we did something wrong, we are all to busy say, yes I did it that was me Guilty as Charged. So you ask, if you have lost what they statistically expected are your going to settle, the answer is NO, not only NO but Hell NO! I am going to prove their statistics wrong, invalid, and I challange each of you to do the same. Here ya go! Your Most Burning Questions about Lap Band Surgery So you'rethinking about having Lap Band surgery for weight loss, you're bound to have alot of questions. How does it work? How will it affect my life? How much doesit cost? These and many other questions are important to ask, and Iencourage you to learn more. But for today's purposes let's get straight to thequestion that is foremost in everyone's minds: How muchweight can I expect to lose with the Lap Band? There are really twoanswers to that question. Let's take a look. ANSWER #1:Most people lose 50 to 60 percent of their excess weight with the Lap Band. Some people lose a little more. Somepeople lose a little less. But, on average, most patients who have the Lap Bandprocedure lose half to almost two-thirds of their excess weight in the first 1to 3 years. So what does that translate into in terms of howmany pounds you'll lose? That all depends on where you're starting from. Theheavier you are, the more pounds you will lose. For example, take someone whoweighs 600 pounds with excess weight of 450 pounds. If they lose 50 percent oftheir excess weight, they'll see 225 pounds go away. In contrast, consideranother person who starts at 220 pounds with 65 pounds of excess weight. Fiftypercent of their weight would be 33 pounds or more. So the pounds lost will vary greatly per person,but the ultimate goal is the same: to lose a significant chunk of the extraweight you're carrying around. We strive to work with each patient to reach aweight loss of two-thirds of their excess body weight. What that means for youwill be based on your personal needs. How much you'll lose will also depend on how muchyou adapt to the guidelines for eating andexercise after you get the Lap Band. The good news is you're notalone on this part. We have a whole aftercarestaff whose job is to help you to adapt and maintain and healthier lifestyle.Plus, your Lap Band will be the best reminder of all, helping you to feel fullafter eating theright amount offood for weight loss. You also might be wondering how fast you'll lose the weight. The answeris that you should see a nice, steady weight loss over 18 months to 3 years.Honestly, this is not about speed, because rapid weight loss is not going to bea healthy weight loss. This is one of the great things about the Lap Band.Because it's adjustable, we can keep modifying the restriction level you'regetting to make sure you're achieving a successful rate of weight loss, allwhile also avoiding the rapid weight loss that you may not be able to maintain.Depending on your starting BMI, a good rate of weight loss will probably beanywhere from two to eight pounds per month. All this said, there is another answer to thequestion of "how much weight will I lose." ANSWER #2: Don't focus on the pounds.Focus on how you feel. Don't focus too much on exactly how many poundsyou're losing per month and comparing what you're losing to others you meet,say, in your support group. You're going to know ifyou're making good progress toward your weight loss goal even if you never stepon a scale. Because you're going to feel better. Losing weight is the main purpose for getting theLap Band. But that's really just a means to an even more important end:improving your health. As you lose the weight, you're going to startfeeling better. You're going to have more energy. You'll be able to do thingsyou couldn't do before – from touching your toes and fitting into clothes youfeel great in to playing on the floor with your kids and going for a brisk walkwith a friend. For many Lap Band patients, losing weight even means improving orputting an end to troubling medical conditions from diabetes and high bloodpressure to sleep apnea and acid reflux. So, while I can't tell you exactly how many poundsyou personally will lose, I can tell you this. Thanks to weight loss with theLap Band, you should be physically and mentally healthier. You'll have a betterquality of life. You'll feel more confident. And, you can expect to live longer. Repostfrom: by Nives Champion Aftercare Manager at True Results January 27, 2011

Jennifer, Do not be discouraged. Onederland will come, I have been yoyoing(not sure that is a word) for months. My band has been fickle since it was put in, that is why I have not had many fills. You are correct you do need to stop obsessing over the scales, I finally had to stop weighing my self for a while and went and bought a "goal" skirt. I bougt a size 10 pencil skirt at the end of the summer. Now, in the dressing room I was able to squeeze my self into the skirt and zip it up. Now imagine, I was wearing mostly 12's still some 14's depending on the cut. Now that's a visual, I looked like an over stuffed sausage. . I took it home tried it on, and wore it into the family room and asked my husband, "How does this fit" He took one look at me and said, You are not wearing that out of the house.! I had to laugh but the look on his face was all I needed. I tried that skirt on every Sunday, every week. Last week I wore that skirt to work. The scales fluctuate so much, I weigh my self once a month, when I get out of the shower. Do you go periodically and see your surgeon? Have you compared your eating to the zones on the lap band site, I knew I needed a fill for months before I got one but as long as I was not gaining I was ok. It was when I gained that I went back and had my fill. If you fill like your too full, than diffiently go and talk to your surgeon. Good luck and you look amazing!

You look amazing! Congratulations on your weight loss. I continue to look back at my pre-pictures and think wow was I really that big. I am sure you do the same. I knew I was over weight but I don't think I really realized how big I was. You should be proud of your progress, keep up the good work.

Good luck Dee. I am also a nurse and have been for 30 years. My heaviest weight was 252 and I am now at 167. I love my band and wish I had done it sooner. Good luck on your journey.

Pictures?? I also use an app on my phone, "myfitnesspal.com" to update my food for the day. I have been doing this for about 6 months. I stay pretty good at it for weeks on end than take a break for a day. I did use the app to help me find out why I got stalled a few months ago in my weight loss. I learned I was eating to many fat grams. I was well within my carbs and protein but always over in fat. I love technology, anything to keep me on the move and away from writing it down on paper. As far as exercising, I guess I wing it. Joined curves last year, tore my lateral miniscus, had to have surgery, work out on treadmill now. Really would like to have a trainer, I need to tone up and work on problem areas. I know what I need to do but I need some one to help me focus. What I have found that works for me is logging my food, exercise and blogging. I am down a little over 80lbs with about 20 lbs to go.Also I did take pictures along my journey no matter how hard they were to look at they are a good way to really see your progress. Check out my fat pants picture. Good Luck!

Great progress!

Stress can really force us bandsters to dig deep into our emotional behaviors and develop new coping stratagies. Sorry for you troubles at work, being a nurse myself and having dealt with passive agressive behavior of superiors over the years I feel your pain. Unfortunatly in our business not always the best people are placed or promoted to the correct postions. A good nurse does not always make a good manager, managing people takes listening and realizing that as a manager you do not always have all the answers and sometimes you have to back up and look at what your doing that is adding to the stress of your staff. I have been in management for more than half of my career and I can tell you that I have been challanged by my staff before and in an open meeting. Yes it made me mad but maybe if I had been listening to my staff they would not have had to take such drastic measures to get my attention. Hopefully your boss is a big enough person to realize that her behavior may be leading to the behavior or frustration of her staff. I wish you luck, the last think our profession needs is to lose good nurses who have compassion and caring and are trying to do the right thing for their patients. After all it is really about the patients not us! Good luck on your journey with WLS and do not let the stress of your job effect your success.

Thanks Bridget I will check you out. Glad your doing well.

Well I hope all my friends are doing well. I have spent the morning reading and trying to catch up on how everyone is progressing. I noticed I had not posted since November of last year: why, not sure. The holidays came and went with no major issues, I got a GI bug before Christmas and learned I could truly vomit after being banded and it was not a pleasant experience. I learned that even with a band Thanksgiving and Christmas can be very challanging holidays. Who does not enjoy the smell of fresh baked cookies and pies and lets not forget about that wonderful dinner with all the sides. My family was a little disappointed because I chose not to bake, but why tempt a former fat person. I may have learned alot over the past year but I still love food and I love the wonderful traditions that I have enjoyed since I was a child so I decided to let my daughter do the baking for the family, they live 4 and half hours away so they were not in my easy reach. Early in January I started to notice that I was not staying as satisfied between meals, I would eat my portions but I could usually down my portion in about 10 minutes. I knew this was not good but hated the idea of getting a fill. Any of you that have followed my blog know that I have not had but a few fills but my last one resulted in an overfill and an unfill before they got it right. Multiple sticks later I was back in the green zone again. Well I went to see my surgeon the second week of Jan and had my 3rd fill on Jan 30th. What an event, I had an esphogeal spasm when he pulled the fluid out of my band," it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest." But I survived and the past week has been as fun as I remember, that is where Wow, it;s like starting over comes in. My first thought after this fill was, "Why can I not just learn to control my hunger so I don't have to go through this." 48 hours of clear liquids, than advance to soft than to solids. It has taken me 7 days to advance back to solids and it is really small amounts, about 2 ozs every 2-3 hours. I had to go back to the protein drinks to get all my protein in for a few days. I thought I might be too full, but I can pass liquids easily and solids if I chew them well. I think I had been a little more unrestricted than I thought for quite sometime and had become comfortable with managing my portions on my own. I lost 7 lbs last week but have finally leveled off maintained for the past few days, I am gradually adding solids back into my diet and cutting back on the protein drinks. So I guess this past week I have learned that this truly is a life long journey! Never give up and stay true to your self and you will be successful.....................

Lovelee, there is life in bandster land. When your band is new it does seem like you will never be able to enjoy food again. I remember those days all too well. During the first weeks after being banded I remember thinking the very same things that you are, will I ever be able to eat and enjoy food again. The answer to that question is yes, I have been banded since Oct 2010 and have learned again to enjoy food but in small portions. I do occassionally treat myself to dessert or a small portion of bread or pizza. I have learned through trial and error what foods go down and what foods don't. The main thing I have learned is to slow down and enjoy my food. So as both bloggers above said, give it time, you will get over this initial phase and start to enjoy food again. But the best part of this is while your enjoying food you will begin to lose weight and see the true realization of your band. Remember no one said this was going to be easy, we all knew going into this we had tried everything else and we had failed. hang in there it will get better.

Good Luck Lee!

Congratulations Glenda! I am cooking dinner for my family tomorrow, turkey with all the trimings including dessert. I have been so tight for the past few days i hope I am able to at least enjoy a few bites of my labor. Keep up the good work. Happy Thanksgiving!

No your not being mean just honest. It is critical that our family and spouse support us, it makes it difficult if our own families are causing the stress in our lives. Once you calm down you need to sit down with your spouse and family and develop some ground rules. Yes we have the surgery and yes we are the ones who are changing our behavior but our changes do effect our families just as much as us. We are going to be moody, difficult to live with and we also need someone to hold ourselves accountable not sabatoge us offering a muffin. There is a high incidence of divorce in weight loss patients. That is one reason why it is important to do the pre counciling and also some of us continue to seek support post surgery. Losing weight is not just a physical journey but a very emotional journey. We have a lot to overcome besides dropping pounds. We all carry a lot of baggage with us along the journey and it takes years to undo behaviors we have lived with all our lives. I know your mad but once you have calmed down, talk to him, tell him how this makes you feel and how frustrated it makes you. Make him part of your journey, take him to a support group so he has a better understanding of what you are going through. Don't assume he knows or understands because honestly he has no clue. Good luck to you, and know we all go through this and you can make this change.

Glenda, so glad to hear your doing better. We all go thorugh these frustrations from time to time and just need to help each other through the ruff spots. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with family and friends.

This is the question of the day. I have been reading the blogs this week and it is so distressing to see so many of my Lap band bloggers struggling with this very topic. I wish there was a magic wand we could all wave or a crystal ball that we could all look into and see if we were going to be successful. Personally the biggest fear we all have if we are willing to admit is FAILURE. We all ended up here not because we were just wanting to lose weight but because we needed to lose weight, it had impacted our lives in some way and we wanted out. But sometimes what we all do not realize is how much work this is honestly going to be. This is a life long journey and I'm not sure all of us realized that when we signed on. I walked into this with my eyes wide open and I realize that this will be a journey that I will work and live my entire life. I had a incident this past week that made me realize just how easy it would be to screw up. I have done exceptionally well with my lap band and have lost weight well. Maybe almost to well. It has almost given me a since of false security. This past week has been hard, I went back to work after surgery and everyday I threw up. I ask why did I throw up, because I did not follow the rules. I threw up daily and sometimes several times a day for 3 days in a row. On Friday evening my husband and I went to dinner, he wanted Mexican. I didn't feel well but I went. I decided to not order and just share some of his dinner, good move I thought. Where did I go wrong, I allowed my self to eat the one thing I know I have no control over. CHIPS! Well ladies and gentleman I paid for it and I paid dearly. No I did not throw up but oh God I wish I could have. I had the most horrific pain I have ever had in my life. I hurt myself with my self destructive behavior. To be honest I don't care if I ever see another tortilla chip for the rest of my life. I surfed the INTERNET looking for how much damage I had done to my self and my band. So fearful that I had stretched my pouch with my stupidity. In my search a came across this article for some tips for long term success from a lap band patient. I like everyone of us wants long term success and I know I will not find it at the bottom of a tortilla chip bowl. Good Luck to all my new friends and I know we can all learn to lIVIT instead of dIET! Below is just a small part of the article if you want to read the article in it;s entirety go to http://ezinearticles.com/?Long-Term-Success-With-Lap-Band-Weight-Loss-Surgery---10-Lessons-Learned-by-Successful-Patients&id=3892363, I also posted a link to her blog. My doctor, my head coach on this banded living journey reminds me over and over again, that it's a tool, and I need to work it. I shouldn't expect "it" to do anything. (A screwdriver can't remove a screw unless you turn it.) I have to work it to get the results I want - and for me that was more than the average 5o% Excess Weight Loss. My band helps me with portion control, controls my hunger, and leaves me with a feeling of satiety when I work it. Here are the 10 things I learned about how to use my tool: I stay close to my surgeon and his staff. I have a whole team of people to help me on my journey. It starts with my surgeon who is my head coach. I also surround myself with other successful members of the Banded Living community. I don't drink with meals. It defeats the band. I make sure I get enough protein everyday. I eat good quality meals and I don't graze. I do best when I eat for 20 -30 minutes and leave the table. I don't drink my calories - my properly adjusted band helps with portion control but only if I am eating solid foods. (It doesn't restrict ice cream or a high calorie frappuccino, or Long Island Iced Tea). I've learned to take small bites and chew, chew, chew. I also use small plates. I've learned what foods are difficult for me, and I stay away from those choices. I have lots of great choices. I've learned to dine and enjoy food again. I always have a plan or a least a plan B, each and every day for how I am going to use my tool. NO EXCUSES. I'm not afraid to carry food with me (Ziploc bags are my friends), or ask a hotel to open the gym at 5:00 am because I'm traveling and have an early meeting. I journal when I need to. I journaled consistently during my first year of Banded Living. When I wander off track, or gain a few pounds, I go back to basics and journal for a while. It helps me stay in my target weight range by keeping me accountable to myself. I make myself a priority. I take care of my health, I eat right, I exercise, I take my vitamins...and live my life to the fullest! Now I'm not saying that I use my tool perfectly all of the time. What I am saying is that I've learned how to use my Lap-Band to get great results and keep myself in the same (small) pair of jeans for over 2 years. When I don't use my tool correctly, I gain a few pounds, but I know how to go back to basics, and keep my weight within a normal, healthy range. If you or someone you care about has a lap band or is struggling with significant weight issues learn more about Banded Living by visiting http://www.bandedliving.com, a community for lap band patients, by lap band patients. To learn more about how Gloria Samuels uses her lap band to maintain her 90 lb weight loss, visit http://www.gloriasbandedliving.com. © 2010 Banded Living, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3892363

Debbie, Good luck. WLS is a personal journey for each of us and I have seen many fail at lap band, sleeve and bypass. The key to success is like you said keeping up with it. You have to change your way of thinking, eating and your entire relationship with food. Have LB surgery has been the best thing I have everydone for myself, wish I had done it sooner. I finally fill like I am getting my life back. good luck and please let us know how we can support you.

Good luck, hope the fill works well for you. I have only had 2 fills since surgery and I am a year out. Everyone reacts differently to each fill and honestly we should never compare ourselves to each other because each of us is so unique when it comes to the fills and amount in our bands. I have a friend who never had any fluid in her band and felt restriction and control. good luck, your doing great.

Sara, can I just say high 5's. Not for breaking up with your boyfriend but for realizing you need to put your self first. Too many of us struggle with pleasing others and not taking care of ourselves and that is how we end up overweight. You are so right, this journey has to be about you. Let us know what we can do to support you. and venting is exceptable, what happens in our personal life so effects our emotional mode and how we react to food. Good luck and keep believeing in your self.

Awesome Matt, make sure you get plenty of liquids to stay hydrated. I had a lot of gas in the beginning, I lived on Gas-x surprised I did't OD on it I was always popping those little strips in my mouth. I also had a lot of nausea, my doc gave me some meds for that and I think I used it the first 2 weeks off and on. Honestly, I never thought I would ever be able to get all the protein in, I wish I had know about the ISopure drinks back in the beginning, I did not find them until much later in my journey. They are yummy and packed with protein. I struggled with the milk based drinks but drank them anyway. Give yourself time to get your strength back, I oddly thought I would go back to work after 4 days and I did but it was tough, I was still on liquids and did not have much energy. So good luck to you on your journey, blogging helps and also reading the blogs helped me a lot. Were all here for you, fellow bandster. Diane

Ann, so sorry it has been a bad week. I think the holidays are the single hardest for us WLS patients. Expecially since we are such people pleasiers. I read your blog and it made me sad, I hope your family is supportive, it is so improtant that we have support and understanding. My first year being banded I did not cook thanksgiving dinner, we went to a friends house, I knew I could not do all that cooking. if you are going to cook this year, you need to set the menu, if your kids want something special, let them cook it and bring it to the dinner. Honestly it is unreasonable for the person who eats the least to do all the cooking. I know I may sound harsh but honestly, this WL journey is about me, if I would have continued the path my family was leading I would be dead by the time I was 65 or unable to walk due to my knees. As far as your husband wanting snacks, Subway makes some great footlongs and he can buy his own chips and keep them out of site. Some may say I have been a bit of a bi*** since I had surgery but I consider I have taken control of my life and if Diane doesn't eat it they can buy it them selves. Hope u have a great thanksgiving and enjoy the day and don't work to hard. Good Luck!

Hey Emmy, How many days post op are you? In the beginning it is normal for your stomach to growl. No one ever told me why but my logo was it was my lower stomach adjusting to my pouch. Once I started eating solid food that pretty much stopped unless I get real hungry and forget to eat and than I think it is telling me to feed myself. Make sure you stay hydrated, always good to keep some liquids in your hand all day long. The exercise will come. Keep up the good work.