TerriDoodle

Something that I've been wanting to post about is this perception thing. I am now weighing at the same as my previous high weight. Back in 2002 when I weighed this much I felt like a total fat PIG, went on Atkins and lost 25#. Now I feel like I could be happy at this weight if I had to (but i don't!). When I was 24 and weighed 150 I felt like a pig. When I was 20 and weighed 130 I felt like I could lose another 5. When I lost the other 5 I felt emaciated and gained it back. Apparently I am never happy. Odd isn't it? Never quite comfortable in my own skin. I gotta work on that.

Oh, Tracy....BTW....I am feeling soooo much better since my unfill. Only problem now is that I'm having a bit more hunger. After Vegas I may go in for 0.1cc....but only ONE!!! It is so amazing to me that .3-.4 cc's can make such a huge difference. Going from not eating anything to eating just about everything! What a wild ride. Thanks for asking!

Tracy - I also have 'issues' in that area. And now the Chantix I am taking makes me even more constipated!! Good lawd!! then with the fill problems I was having I sure as heck wasn't getting any fiber from my diet. Yesterday I used a laxative, which I don't mind doing once a month or so. Fiber is essential for good digestive health so you should always strive to get more. But for 'emergencies' I've always heard that prunes or prune juice is the best there is. I don't know why I don't keep some in my pantry!! (Going to put it on my list right now!) Laura - Mornings really are my toughest hunger-wise, and I absolutely cannot have a carby breakfast or I pay for it all day long. Yuck. Here are a few things for you to consider: 1) About the cottage cheese -- get the 4% full fat version, not the fat free. The difference in taste and satiety is sooooo worth the 4 grams of fat. Well, to me anyway. And don't forget to add splenda! Yum! I have eaten this almost every day for 4 years. Be careful about the kind of fruit you use as well. pineapple has a lot more sugar than say, strawberries. Berries are your best bet and they are full of antioxidants. Blueberries are the best. VERY good for you. 2) 2 TBSP Peanut Butter and 1/2 banana 3) cheese and whole grain crackers, like WASA multi grain or fiber rye, with a glass of milk 4) Breakfast taco -- throw away the tortilla!!! 5) make a crustless quiche like Jenn suggested, then you can put whatever you want in there 6) slices of deli meat rolled up with a bit of cheese in the middle...nuke if desired 7) I like South Beach Meal Replacement bars...and they are the ONLY ones I like...and I've tried lots! Peanut butter or PB and chocolate. I keep these in my car for 'emergencies'. You can buy them individually at most drug stores, or by the box at Walmart or the grocery store. 8) oatmeal made with milk, butter, vanilla and cinnamon....and about a tbsp of unflavored Protein Snacks?....about 10:00a I am almost always ready for a snack. I either fight it until lunchtime and load up on Water or cave in and have just a LITTlE bit of cheese, peanut butter or 6 almonds. That usually does the trick.

I tend to think it is a matter of metabolism. I have been rather sluggish and non-athletic all of my life. My children's father is lean and very active. I have two children. My son is like me...tends to be overweight, sluggish and non-athletic. My daughter is lean, active and more athletic! So I believe it is more about how you are hard wired.... if you have a sluggish metabolism, you will tend to gain weight and not be very energetic. I am still a slug at heart, but I make myself go to the gym and I enjoy it because it does give me more energy than I would have otherwise.

Interesting post to say the least, Elaine! Woke me up on this Sunday morning! I don't agree with the concept of 'revenge' at all. It keeps you stuck in the situation when you really should be working on how to move on. My mother always taught me to take the high road in bad situations and so far it has worked for me pretty well. At least I find that I am a forgiving person and don't harbor many resentments, which makes me feel lighter. And I have endured quite a bit in my life. One thing you said did prompt me to write today...and that was that the other woman has been tagged as "the whore". That really has stuck in my craw ever since this thread began....like nails on a blackboard. Why? Because it seems to throw the full responsibility for this situation onto her when it is clearly a 50/50 deal. As if he is some kind of victim and she is the devil personified. We are all just himan beings and we "grow" by trial and error. It's very simple. If the DH were as mature as Zannie his boundaries would have been much stronger. But the DH and 'other woman' were probably destined to find each other and get ensnared in this mess....and everyone involved should be learning very valuable lessons indeed. Everyone in this drama has choices to make and the ones who make the loving choice will be the ones to grow and flourish. If the 'other woman' truly loved the DH then she would let him go. But she is immature and selfish (maybe even mentally ill) and she is learning the hard way. Zannie is being forgiving and trustful (?) because she is more mature and has more at stake ...it is in her family's best interest for her to endure pain, uncertainty and hardship for the sake of others. DH is trying to get there....he is being manipulated not by the other woman but by his own primitive ego (i.e., the Freudian ego). He is no victim.

I am confessing to falling off the exercise wagon. I quit smoking 7 days ago and that first week I was pretty depressed. I just didn't CARE about going to the gym. Not at all. I was just giving myself lots of permission to do anything I wanted....except smoke. Ok...so that worked. I'm still smoke free. Well, now it's time to get back at it. Enough rest. EXCEPT that Saturday I had a massage and the masseuse was doing some wierd quad stretches on me and has apparently hurt my lower back quite badly. I have a weak back anyway. It WAS getting so much better with exercise and now, today, I can barely walk. It's gonna take another 2-3 days before I can get to the gym. Somebody tell me that it's OK...that I am a new person...that I haven't fallen into my old trap ....and that I"ll be back at the gym in no time. I need a drill sargeant to come kick my ass by Thursday if my back is better. Any volunteers?

Thanks Marjorie... I am trying to be patient with myself and focus on the good things that are happening without letting fear take over. So far, i must say, that it has been easier than I expected AND the weight is still coming off. I don't seem to be having too many oral pacification issues.

Oh, you will LOVE the book!! .... or I hope you do. Let me know! Thanks for the kind words...as usual. XOXO!

Ah, September! The renewal of hope is in the air as kids go back to school with the promise of straight A's and I with my promise of exercise!! I didn't like the pressure I felt last month with the 'specific' goals I outlined and it made me feel bad when I didn't measure up exactly. So I'm going to relax them just a little bit and break it down into Cardio sessions and Weights sessions, like many of the other Violets do. 8 - Full Body Strength Training Sessions 10 - Cardio Sessions of at least 45 mins. -------------------------------------------------------------------- This book is so awesome! This Year I Will.....How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution, or Make a Dream Come True by MJ Ryan. I plan to buy several for Christmas gifts this year. I'm almost finished with it and when I am, I'll start it over again. Awesome. 8/30 - Got back to the gym today after my little sebbatical and it felt good. I actually had a hard time getting my heart rate UP! Could the quitting cigarettes only 11 days ago improved my performance that much already?? I did quit hacking and couging by day 3. Hmmmmm. Cool. :eek: 9/1 - Tried the rowing machine today! I like it!!! I especially like the idea of a total body workout on one machine and in less time. Was getting soooo bored with the other cardio machines. time to play racquetball!! 9/2 - Rowed again today for about 15 minutes and then the elliptical for 10 mins. I feel like I've lost something...can't seem to get a good workout in. Maybe I need to build up to it. 9/8 - Just had one of the most stressful weeks of my life and it was HARD to get thru it without cigarettes, food or booze. I think this Chantix is messing with my moods too....I can't wait to get off of it, but I'm not nearly ready. Exercise went by the wayside again this week. I think I got 3 workouts in. Pitiful. Discovered a 'fitness test' on the stationary bike computer and it said that I have low-very low O2 volume. I should have never taken that test. Here I felt like I was getting into pretty good shape and this computer tells me I suck. Well, whatever....I'm fast approaching 30# gone and that feels great!! 9/20 - Got back from a week in Vegas and California - ate anything I desired while there and gained 2#. Lost it all by Thursday. Yea! Got back to the gym last night by doing 30 mins on the stationary bike and reading. that worked out nicely - the time flew by! Scale at 186.6 Day 31 of not smoking!

Hi ya'll! You are 100% perfectly normal to have these fears! 99% of everyone here at LBT had them too! After surgery, then you get the 'what the hell have I done' syndrome! LOL! Be prepared for that too All of that goes away as you learn this new way of life. Everything gets easier with each passing day and after about 3-4 months life is really just about back to normal, except that you are eating much less (and hopefully exercising more). It actually gets back to normal sooner than that, but going in for fills periodically and then readjusting to new restriction causes a few bumps in the road...but then you get to your sweet spot and it's smoothe sailing after that. The way I got over the preop jitters is just hanging around LBT and reading as much as I possibly could, getting to know people, both peers and mentors, and staying the hell away from the complications board! When my surgery day neared I just kept putting one foot in front of the other until I got there. I just trusted ALL the people here who kept telling me to just do it!! I'll be so happy I did, etc. And, of course, they were 100% correct. I love my band and would be VERY upset if I ever had to give it up. I was self pay and it was worth every penny and more. And, yes, I also have kept it a secret. It's not so hard to do. Let us know how we can help. That's why we're here!

I dream about smoking....not so much eating. Addictions...new behaviors...all the same thing, I guess. Brain trying to process WTF is going on! Laura - I try my hardest to eat before 7:00p because I go to bed about 10. I almost always wish I could have a snack at about 9:00 or 9:30 because my 'dinner' is usually very light. And on top of that I used to do most of my smoking in the evening! So the evenings are pretty tough for me and when it starts getting to me I just go to bed. LOL. But hey! I'm getting more sleep now too!! I'm just gonna be so healthy nobody will be able to stand being around me. Speaking of which I just got thru ordering magnesium and fish oil supplements. I remember feeling sooooo good when I took that before. As an added bonus fish oil makes my skin so much more supple and right now it's horrible. Menopause is cruel. Well, off to get DD from the bowling alley. DS is playiing paintball and DH is playing golf. I'm sitting on my butt. I went to the gym this morning and tried the rowing machine! That was fun!....well, it was different, anyway. Good workout!

I VOW to stay on plan today because I promised myself I would. Doing anything less is self-destructive. I'm not into self-destruction anymore.

That's how I think I'd behave, too. And would probably have the same feelings about feeling yucky, etc. Thanks for an interesting post!!

I lived on broccolli cheese soup, cottage cheese-berries-and-splenda, peanut butter-and-bananas, hummus, and scrambled eggs-cheese-and-salsa. Don't worry too much that your weight loss has slowed down. That's perfectly normal. It will pick up again after you get proper restriction. Best of luck to you!

Ditto here about the exercising as well. I've had a 10 day 'sabbatical' from exercise and I'm really starting to feel tired and lazy. I go back on my regular schedule tomorrow and I can't wait! I miss my pizzaz!!

It sure couldn't hurt, right?? Do you have a bariatric surgeon yet? If so, ask him for a referral...I'll bet he knows a few good ones. Best of luck to you!

Oh, that is so comforting!! I couldn't imagine how in the world I was losing muscle and gaining fat!! I'm working too hard for that!!!! LOL Thanks, Cherry... BTW...love the quote!

Hey, Haydee -- we were in Bentwater last weekend!! Would have been fun if we'd have thought this out a little better! I hope it's nice for you guys! Does Juan play golf?

Well, if you're really serious that you think it could cause big problems you can certainly go for some biofeedback or behavioral modification therapy. Maybe check into that? Several bandsters have gone to therapy for their food issues. You wouldn't be alone!

MANDATORY? Never heard of THAT! That doesn't even make sense! Glad you stuck to your guns.

GREAT!! Whew!! Glad that's done! Now remember to take it easy on that band for a couple of days. Liquids and mushies only. Did they tell you that?

It varies for me. I still like to eat the things I like to eat...y'know? I guess I don't worry tooooo much about the calories because the quantity is miniscule compared to what I used to eat. BUT that can get away from you, too. I really DO need to watch my calories and nutrition, but I still eat the foods that I enjoy. It's kinda worked out that I'm much more careful during the week and relax a bit more on the weekend. I don't feel deprived very often. Make sense?

Ditto, Cherea! When I ask the gratitude question those are the first things that pop into my mind, too. Then I have to scrounge around for some new ones...LOL

Do you think not smoking has had an impact on your weight loss?? Last time I quit I gained 50#!! I am praying so hard that I can still lose weight. I would be so sad if I couldn't get to goal.

WOW, Jenn.... 18 pounds in ONE month? Good lawd!!! Everyone is doing great....including YOU, Pammy!! You'll do so much better after your fill...dontcha worry. As for the kickoff thing...your health comes first and your school should support that. So don't you feel bad about being gone. As for me, I only lost 3.2# this month...and that was all in this last week! LOL I think I know the trick...no eating and no exercise. Kat - I know the feeling you are talking about. I get that when my DH flashes a certain kind of smile at me....when he's really tickled about something...I just melt. Rick really does sound SO special, but then again so are you!! No doubt you are soulmates. I've got a crazy day here at the office...but I"m sure I'll be taking a break later. See you then!