donali

Last summer I found that watermelon stuffed me without my ever getting stuck. It was my favorite food that season!

Congrats, Leo! Those darn plateaus... Of course they are more frequent and longer lasting, the closer we get to our goal. How unfair is that?!?! lol

Therapy really helped me. It was a program specifically geared to compulsive overeating, and the therapist was a licensed dietician and hypnotherapist, as well as having gone through the program herself and maintaining her loss of 40 pounds. For me the regain of my self-esteem and the revelations and tools I was helped to develop to manage my emotional eating were invaluable - probably even more important to my well-being than the band itself (which I got 7-8 months after my therapy program ended). You can read some more in depth stuff about the kinds of things I learned here: A Tool for Dealing with Emotional Hunger I probably have more self-help books/videos/tapes than most libraries/book stores, but I find it VERY difficult to effect changes alone (I'm embarassed to admit that most of these books/videos/tapes have never been opened/used - kind of like all my exercise equipment... lol). I personally needed the accountability to, commitment to, and interaction with another person who could lead me from where I was and take me to where I wanted to go with my full participation. If you decide therapy is for you, I would highly encourage you to seek someone who specializes specifically in weight related issues. Good luck!

Therapy really helped me. It was a program specifically geared to compulsive overeating, and the therapist was a licensed dietician and hypnotherapist, as well as having gone through the program herself and maintaining her loss of 40 pounds. For me the regain of my self-esteem and the revelations and tools I was helped to develop to manage my emotional eating were invaluable - probably even more important to my well-being than the band itself (which I got 7-8 months after my therapy program ended). You can read some more in depth stuff about the kinds of things I learned here: A Tool for Dealing with Emotional Hunger I probably have more self-help books/videos/tapes than most libraries/book stores, but I find it VERY difficult to effect changes alone (I'm embarassed to admit that most of these books/videos/tapes have never been opened/used - kind of like all my exercise equipment... lol). I personally needed the accountability to, commitment to, and interaction with another person who could lead me from where I was and take me to where I wanted to go with my full participation. If you decide therapy is for you, I would highly encourage you to seek someone who specializes specifically in weight related issues. Good luck!

I love all the advice on this topic, and agree with it wholeheartedly. I particularly think therapy would help you to disassociate your mothers comments/expectations from your personal feeling of well being. I also think it is of utmost importance to not allow your parents' financial help with the surgery buy them any power in your journey. This really is all about you, and what is best for YOU. Finding the inner strength to believe that, and enforce it, is your opportunity and responsibility. Wishing you all the best - many of us understand exactly what you are going through!

YAAAAY, Nancy!!! Congratulations! That's my next goal, as well. Whoo hoo!

OMG - I was down 90 pounds today!!! I thought I was going to hang around 214 for a while before moving down again, since I have only touched it a couple of times. But this morning I was a solid 213! Whoo hooo! I am wearing a size 18 outfit today. That is with the help of a very strong body-briefer, but I am squished into a size 18 regardless! lol Just 10 more to go to my century mark... Gotta keep drinking that Water and moving my body! For those of you who compare weight/size, I am 5'6", weigh 214 and fit (barely) into a women's 18. I am relatively evenly proportioned, although I do carry more weight throughout my hips and belly. My tops tend to fit bigger on me than the bottoms.

Hi Linda - I just started going to the gym three weeks ago. On the walls they have several "12 Week Challenge" results with photos, bodyfat and weight stats. Of the four or five they have on the wall, only ONE lost weight! But the body fat percentages went down dramatically for all, and ALL of them were OBVIOUSLY much smaller, compact people than they were before. We all know the scale lies. But it REALLY REALLY lies to people who have added significant exercise to their lives. I would be shocked if you told me that you are the same SIZE as you were in January, with all the exercise you are doing, and the restriction in your quantity of food that you have. I understand wanting the scale to move, but confining your feelings of success to that ONE measurement is doing yourself a disservice. Anyone who seriously relies on NUMBERS to determine their success HAVE to use ALL the numbers! Body fat percentage, measurements, and the scale. I would hate to see you become ever more restricted when you need those calories to support your exercise/muscle building routine. Remember, a pound of muscle takes up WAAAAY less room than a pound of fat. You are changing your body composition - do not jepordize that success by only looking to the scale for confirmation that you're progressing. Yes, I like to see my scale moving. But if someone gave me the choice between weighing 135 and being a size 18, or weighing 185 and being a size 10, guess which I'd choose?!?!?

Congratulations, Mary!! Your progress is fabulous!

What a wonderful update, Alexandra. I love your approach to your journey. Wishing you continuing peace and success!

Does this mean you have black eyes, now? Or did you skip your workout to be safe? lol Congrats, Bright!!! It's not often that something made of lycra ever just hangs! I am so proud of you!

This used to be "stickied"... Apparently the glue gave out on the tape. I posted some additional things from my therapy sessions on SmartBandsters, and thought I'd post them here as well. Some is a repeat of the tool above - I'm just going to combine it all together anyway. :eek: //But why does it still FEEL so much like dieting?// //How can I start making "wise food choices" the majority of the time without bringing back the dieter deprivation mentality? Any suggestions?// I had the same struggle when I went through compulsive overeating therapy - okay, nothing's off limits, but I'm still trying to eat healthy, so... how is this different from dieting?!?! I did finally figure it out - it is 100% about the mindset. If you are dieting, and you eat a cookie, you "broke your diet", and that equates in our minds that "we failed". Considering ourselves a failure puts in motion all the negative tapes we've developed over the years: "I have no willpower." "I'm such a loser." "I am worthless, I can't even do this right." "I can't do anything right." "Who would want someone who can't do anything right?" "I am unworthy of love and good things because I can't do anything right." "I am unworthy of love." "I am unworthy of life." "I am a useless waste of space." "Since no one cares anyway, why do I even try?" "I'm so fat now, what does it matter what I eat?" And then the bingeing would start. At least, that was how my tapes progressed, and the actions I took based on them. If you aren't dieting, and you have a cookie, that was just a choice, and there was no failure, because the focus ISN'T on NOT EATING Cookies (the diet mentality), but choosing more healthy foods MOST OF THE TIME. It is very difficult to let go of the "all or nothing" attitude that most of us have. Life is not about "all or nothing" - it is ALL about compromise and balance. Our value as human beings does not revolve around how "perfect" we are. We do not have to EARN love. People love us because they do - not because we meet all of their expectations. None of us are 100% anything. If we fail at our job, we are NOT failures, because there are things we do not fail at. The worst we can ever say about ourselves is that we fail sometimes and succeed sometimes. We are loveable sometimes and we are unloveable sometimes. We make good choices sometimes, and we make bad choices sometimes. NO ONE is EVER 100% anything. Life just is not that black and white. I know that in my previous attempts to lose weight, I felt that if I was not suffering in someway, if my attempt somehow did not have a "drastic" quality about it, then I wasn't trying hard enough. My therapy taught me how untrue that was, and how that sabotaged everything I did. I do not have to kill myself at the gym everyday to add exercise to my life! What a news flash!! I do not have to follow my "plan" everyday to be a success! What? If I'm not perfect, I can still be successful? My negative tapes started to get erased. Everytime that hateful voice started up, I said out loud, "STOP!" EVERYTIME. And then I replaced that negative voice with a positive affirmation. "I am actively working on becoming more healthy." "I believe with practice that I will become more healthy." "I am getting better everyday." "I love myself just the way I am, right now, today." "I am worthy." "I am exactly where I need to be right now." That negative voice finally got the message, and that self-debilitating tape no longer plays in my head, destroying my self-esteem and joy in life. The first thing I was required to do in therapy was to sign a contract with myself that I would "NEVER DIET AGAIN". This was very hard for me to do - dieting was all I knew. I also felt that if I signed that piece of paper, I really meant it - it was a promise to myself that I would never break. I did finally sign the paper, but it took me a week to do it. The next step was to evaluate whether at any given time I was eating in response to physical hunger, or for some other reason. This was surprisingly difficult to figure out - the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger - but the following exercise really helped me. It gave me a concrete, personalized tool to help me get in touch with my emotions, and gave me a pre-planned response to emotional hunger. I was tasked to create a chart of alternative activities for the various emotions I felt throughout my days. I am not a journaler by nature, so a lot of the counseling sessions were tedious for me - lol. But I thought that this particular exercise was so worthwhile, and gave me a concrete and self-tailored tool to help me deal with my emotions seperately from food. First, take one week and write down the time every time you eat. Do not change your eating habits - this is not a good/bad kind of thing. In addition to the time, write what you ate, and then write how you are feeling: bored, tired, physically hungry, sad, worried, anxious, resentful, mad, loney, angry, frustrated... whatever. Write down EVERY emotion you're feeling at the time you eat. Do this for an entire week. Second, review your week's journal. On a separate piece of paper, write down every emotion you noted. This in itself can be enlightening - you get to see the kind of foods you are drawn to when you're eating for a reason other than physical hunger. Third, for all the times you were not eating in response to physical hunger, think about all the things you could have done INSTEAD of eating that would have had the same effect on your mood that eating did. Some of the items on my list were: take a hot bath, give myself a facial, take a walk, play on the computer, curl up in front of the TV with a sugar-free hot chocolate, call a friend to chat, work in the yard. My food tendency is to eat to calm and relax myself, or to entertain myself. Fourth, make a grid. Down the left hand side write each of your emotions from your journal week. Across the top, write each of the alternate activities you thought up. Fifth, read each emotion, and mark an "X" under each activity that you think would help you deal with that emotion. For me, when I was feeling anxious or frustrated, I felt a more active response like working in the yard or taking a walk would be helpful. But for the times I was feeling neglected, or worried, or tired, a more nurturing activity like a hot bath, or reading sounded more soothing. Once your grid is completed, and you have your emotions matched up with activities, you have a valuable tool for when you want to eat but you know you are not physically hungry. Whip out that chart, find your emotion, and look at the things you want to try before turning to food. Sometimes you will still turn to food - that's okay! Be good to yourself. Remember that food has been an important coping mechanism in your life, and do NOT feel guilty or bad! However, the more you work with the tool, the more often you will end up substituting a different activity for eating in response to your emotions. The goals of this exercise: 1. become aware of WHY we are eating 2. eat only in response to physical hunger 3. substitute an alternative behavior to eating in response to emotional hunger 4. be kind and loving to ourselves throughout the process So although I sometimes choose to have a bag of Cheetos, my negative tapes have been erased, and I do not descend into "I am worthless" hell. I think about what I'm eating, and whether or not there is any more nutritious choice that would satisfy me, or any alternative activity that would satisfy me (if I'm eating for non-physical hunger reasons). I have permission to eat the whole bag, so I don't HAVE to do it because it's forbidden. And because it's not forbidden, I don't HAVE to eat the whole thing so it's not there to "tempt" me tomorrow. I am allowed to have them WHENEVER I want. Because I am allowed, and do not feel guilty, I can admit to myself that 98% of the time that eating a lean Protein and veggies instead of Cheetos is just as good. So not eating Cheetos at that meal (or AS that meal!) is not some kind of sacrifice. The truth is, I don't crave Cheetos everyday - I don't even crave them every month. So when I do, REALLY crave them, I have them (or whatever it is I'm craving). But MOST of the time, I don't really crave anything specific, in which case lean meats and veggies suffice. Additional ways to successfully eradicate the “diet mentality”: 1. Eat immediately in response to hunger. Don't wait! It doesn't have to be a huge meal if you need to have a "real" meal at a later time because you have dinner plans, or some such thing, but eat at least a little something to tide you over. It's the only way your body and subconscious will start to trust again that the diet mentality really is dead. Plus it helps keep us from getting too hungry and overeating when we finally do eat. 2. STOP eating when you are full. This is much easier to do if you ALWAYS eat immediately in response to physical hunger, and much easier if you start eating BEFORE you are starving! Being able to stop eating when you are full is dependent on the build-up of trust in the very core of your being that you WILL eat again when you are physically hungry. In the past it was dangerous to stop eating, because we never knew when our minds would start playing that game with our meals again – “Okay, no more pizza ever.” Or “No more pizza for 3 months.” Or “No more pizza until I reach “x” goal.” Or “I just ate so much, I need to skip dinner.” Or “I am so full, I’m doing liquids for two days to ‘make up for this’”. The diet mentality is behind all of these thoughts. Diet mentality = making up for, punishing for, compensating for. 3. While de-programming the negative tapes, just as important as saying "STOP!" as soon as that tape starts to play is to replace that negative tape with something positive. It has to be something you utterly believe, and the phrases can get stronger as your beliefs about yourself heal. The best I could start with to combat the negative tapes were, "I am actively working on becoming more healthy." "I believe with practice that I will become more healthy." I graduated to "I am getting better everyday." After three months, I was finally able to say (and MEAN), "I love myself just the way I am, right now, today." "I am worthy." "I am exactly where I need to be right now." 4. Treat yourself with love and understanding, like you would a best friend, beloved child, or adored pet. Talk to yourself like you would them. It seems silly, but I am able to comfort myself and feel better when I have these types of conversations in my head: "Oh, honey, you want cake? It does look good, doesn't it? Have you had a bad day, my sweet? You have? I'm so sorry. How horrible was it? So-and-so hurt your feelings? They were probably having a bad day, too. I'm so sorry your feelings were hurt. Do you think maybe you'd like some grilled meat instead? Does that sound good to you? No? You want something sweet? Okay. How about a sugar-free, fat-free yogurt? Does that sound good? Are you really hungry, precious, or are you just feeling bad? Just feeling bad? Let's look at our list of alternative activities. How about a hot bubble bath? Yes, that sounds good, doesn't it? Do you still want the cake? Maybe? Let's take the bath first, and if cake is still calling your name we'll get it. Okay?" Sometimes I settle for the bath, sometimes I settle for the cake. But I just feel much more nurtured when I have this kind of dialogue with myself, and the voice I use in my head is very sweet and loving. 5. Acknowledge EVERYTHING that you accomplished that day, no matter how small. It's amazing how many bizillion little things we do right EVERY single day, no matter what else goes wrong. Getting up when the alarm goes off, brushing your teeth, having clean clothes to wear, drinking your Water - every little thing that goes right counts. Getting credit from ourselves for everything we did right that day helps balance out the goals we may not have reached. Focus on what's right, and pick one thing you'd like to work on for tomorrow. 6. Make positive, achievable goals for yourself. Work up to where you want to be gradually - baby steps. Instead of saying, "I am going to work out every single day for at least an hour" when you've not had any kind of exercise routine in the past, say something like, "I am adding movement to my day today. I will take 20 more steps today than I did yesterday." Reinforce your positive actions with believable affirmations: "I love moving my body." "I enjoy how I feel when I am more active." "Walking a little each day makes me feel more in touch with myself, nurtured and loved." Each day is an opportunity to achieve realistic goals. Achieving realistic goals today is not dependent upon what did or did not happen yesterday, or what will or will not happen tomorrow. We are not required to repeat the mistakes of yesterday, nor do the mistakes of today have to carry into tomorrow. Each day is its own day, fresh and new, without burdens from yesterday or tomorrow. Ah, there was/is so much to work on with me... lol I still haven't mastered the concept that saying "No" is an acceptable response... Particularly without some sort of explanation. I totally failed the role playing portion of that exercise.

Michelle - You look absolutely amazing!!! Congrats, congrats, congrats!!

Hi Snowy Owl - I answered your email, but didn't include any fill info in that. Dr. Lopez is of the school that the patient knows when they need a fill. The criteria for a fill with him is: 1. You've stopped losing weight. 2. You're hungry between meals. 3. You no longer feel full on a smaller amount of food. Two of those three things have to be true. Most of Dr. Lopez's patients choose to have their fills done under flouroscope - this eliminates a lot of the "guess work" that doing blind fills creates. The Dr. can see how fast the barium flows out of the pouch, so has a pretty good idea of how tight you are before you leave the office. There is always the possibility of post-fill swelling, so he puts you on liquids for a certain amount of time - it varies by how tight he feels you are after the fill. I've had four fills - the last one was in October, and that still seems to be the right amount. I still can't chug ice Water like I like to, so I definitely don't want to be any tighter. Good luck!

Whooo hooo!! Congrats, girl! Our bodies are working even when the scale isn't moving.... Now you can experience the frustration of having waited too long to try on something old, and finding that you are now too small, and missed your window of opportunity of wearing that item again. Ah, the lovely, welcome frustration of it all!!!

WHoooooo hOoooooo! Congrats!

Originally Posted by: BandAid Here's a popular Plateau Busting plan: Dr. Fox's Plateau Busting Diet This is the plan that Dr. Fox gives to his RNY and AGB patients in order to get through a plateau in weight loss. #1 Do for 10 days to break plateau #2 Drink 2 quarts of Water a day #3 You must have 45 grams of Protein supplement and all your Vitamin & mineral supplements each day. #4 You may consume up to 3 oz. of the following high-protein foods, 5 times a day: a.. beef, b.. pork, c.. chicken, d.. turkey, e.. lamb, f.. fish, g.. eggs, h.. low-fat cheese, i.. cottage cheese, j.. plain yogurt (or artificially sweetened), k.. Peanut Butter, l.. beans/legumes. #5 You may also have: a.. sugar-free popsicles (avoid juice popsicles), b.. tea or coffee, c.. sugar-free sodas, d.. sugar-free Jello, e.. broths & bouillons, f.. Crystal Lite drinks. #6 IF IT IS NOT ON THE LIST YOU MAY NOT HAVE IT! #7 Keep a food diary and try to get 30 minutes of exercise daily.

Robert - Congratulations, and welcome!! What a marvelous accomplishment. I am guessing from the sizes you posted and your current stats (and the fact that you're male) that you did not make a mistake in typing your banding date as Alexandra inquires. Your results are pretty extraordinary, but people who have further to go lose faster in the beginning than people who start closer to goal. Plus, men almost always lose at a more accelerated rate than women because they generally have more muscle mass. I don't think there is anyone else on this board that can even come close to your personal results. You may find more people who've had a similar experience to yours on the Yahoo group "ExtraordinaryBandsters" - but we're happy that you're here!! Congrats, and best wishes for continuing success.

Yes, I am so yesterday... :think :think lol

Sue - please note I said "harmful excess." I suppose there ARE some who have found a way to have TOO much sex... Is that even POSSIBLE? lol I am so willing to find out!!! Enjoy.... :eek:

Erosion does not happen because something comes in contact with the band. I'm not sure what the reasons for all cases of erosion might be, but there does seem to be a consensus that consuming things that irritate the stomach can percipate erosion. NSAIDS, like aspirin, alcohol, and other stuff are stomach irritants. Whether this causes stomach swelling which encourages the stomach to absorb the surrounding band, or if they cause thinning of the stomach lining, making absorption of the band into the stomach easier, or a combination of both or something else entirely, I have no idea. I hear mostly "alcohol in moderation" on all sites I belong to. I personally would be cautious not to trade my eating addiction in for some other harmful excess.

This info is in the FAQ folder in the files section on the SmartBandster Yahoo group: The following explanation comes from Scientific American Magazine. Though stomach growling is commonly heard and associated with hunger and an absence of food in the stomach, it can occur at any time, on an empty or full stomach. Furthermore, growling doesn't only come from the stomach but, just as often, can be heard coming from the small intestines. Growling is more commonly associated with hunger because it is typically louder when the stomach and intestines are empty and so the organs' contents don't muffle the noise. This growling has been of interest for so many years that the ancient Greeks came up with the rather interesting name for it: borborygmi (the plural of borborygmus). The etymology of the term relies ononomatopoeia; it is an attempt to put the rumbling sound into words. Borborygmi actually translates as "rumbling." The physiological origin of this rumbling involves muscular activity in the stomach and small intestines. In general, the gastrointestinal tract is a hollow tube that runs from mouth to anus and its walls areprimarily composed of layers of smooth muscle. When the walls are activated and squeeze the tract's contents to mix and propel food,gas and fluids through the stomach and small intestines, it generatesa rumbling noise. This squeezing of the muscular walls is termed peristalsis and involves a ring of contraction moving aborally (away from the oral cavity) towards the anus a few inches at a time. The generation of these waves of peristalsis results from a rhythmic fluctuation of electrical potential in the smooth muscle cells, which, all other conditions being appropriate, will cause the muscle to contract. This fluctuation is called the basic electrical rhythm(BER) and is a result of inherent activity of the enteric nervous system, which is found in the walls of the gut. The BER causes the muscle cells of the stomach and small intestines to activate at a regular rhythm (three and 12 times per minute, respectively), in a manner similar to, but slower than, the rhythmicity of cardiac muscle in the heart. The autonomic nervous system and hormonal factors can modulate this BER. Though the rate and force of peristalsis typically increases in the presence of food, activity also increases after the stomach and small intestines have been empty for approximately two hours. In the latter case, receptors in the walls of the stomach sense the absence of food, causing a reflex generation of waves of electrical activity(migrating myoelectric complexes, or MMCs) in the enteric nervous system. These MMCs travel along the stomach and small intestines and lead to hunger contractions. Such hunger contractions start in the antrum, or lower region, of the stomach and propagate along the entire length of the gut, sweeping to the terminal ileum. They clear out any and all stomach contents—including mucus, remaining foodstuffs and bacteria—and keep them from accumulating at any one site. The contractions also produce vibrations and the rumbling noise associated with hunger. Hunger contractions may continue for 10 to 20 minutes once initiated, and then repeat every one to two hours until the next meal is ingested. These are not the same as hunger pangs, which start 12 to 24 hours after the last meal and may continue for a few days before gradually subsiding. (It is possible such pangs are important in the hunger sensation that drives animals to eat.) Low blood sugar enhances this activity, which can also be induced using an intravenous infusion of the hormone motilin. After feeding, the MMCs subside.

Whooo hoooo, Brandi!!! Good for you in learning to work with your tool!

Whoo hooo!!! Congrats, congrats! My next goal is size 18, then under 200. Just 14 more pounds... Ah, so close!!! So happy for you!

Hi Michelle - I have the same problem with Water since this last fill from October - I was drinking a gallon of water a day until then, and now I'm lucky to get in a quart or two. The weird thing is, food seems to go down easier than the water - almost like the pouch needs something solid to push through. I have no ideas about the water predicament, except possibly developing a taste for hot water (blech!!). Morning foods for that tight restriction - start with hot liquid (tea seems to work better than coffee, don't know why), then maybe try a yoghurt. I'm okay on cottage cheese if I chew well and go slowly. About one big bite well chewed seems to fill it up, and takes a few minutes before I can have another bite. I'm sure I would do better if I took teeny bites... :guess A challenge for me to work on. Anything cold though is pretty much a no-go for me in the mornings without my hot tea primer. I probably wouldn't have any problems with runny oatmeal, so I'm probably not quite as tight as you are. eggs are not easy to eat - they don't dissolve when you chew. It doesn't seem to matter that they're "soft" - I have to be super careful with eggs, as I tend to get stuck with them very easily - fried, scrambled, whatever. If you find the magic solution for getting your water in let me know, k?