windycitywids

Oh, I am so a fan of the Jay Robb protein powder. It's sweetened with Stevia and doesn't contain a lot of heavy metals that you need to be wary of. Take the chocolate add some almond milk and throw in a banana and some ice. Viola! A frozen chocolate banana. Delish!

Give yourself a break will you? Slips happen and you just get right back up on that horse and continue. Your mind plays tricks on you when you go on those liquid diets. Seriously you are going through a detox of sorts and it messes with your mind. You do deserve this so be gentle with yourself

Jim, it's complicated. Sometimes I do regret having the surgery but....that's usually when I want to emotional eat and I can't do it and it pisses me off. With that being said, no I don't regret it overall because with me, my biggest problem is with portion control. I needed to have built in willpower to avoid overeating because I couldn't do it by myself. I tried really hard the year before my surgery and gained all that I had lost back except a few lbs. I had to really soul search to come to the decision to have the surgery and came to the conclusion that I indeed needed medical intervention to lose weight. Do I have issues about needing to have the surgery in the first place? You bet, and that's where the soul searching came in. I have a lot of emotional issues with food. A good friend of mine had the band surgery a year before me and I was really pissed at her for taking the "easy way out" you know? I didn't think she even tried to do it on her own. A common misconception amongst folks who don't know. Having the band is harder than I ever thought it would be but also really beneficial as I am on the way to losing 40lbs soon and know that I would have given up if I didn't have the band. Yes, I struggle with it every day emotionally but yes, I would do it again in a heart beat.

You guys are going through quite a struggle right now. You know that shakey feeling you get when your blood sugar drops? I used to get it all the time and occasionally still do when I don't eat for long periods of time, but eating foods that have a low glycemic index do really really help. I would feel almost desperate; like if I didn't get some sugar my body would shut down or something. It was also sugar withdrawal as I am addicted to sugar. Whole grains and no white sugar or HFCS will go a long way. Try agave nectar, or turbinado or raw sugar or stevia for sweetening. Agave nectar is like honey in consistancy but doesn't have the strong taste like honey. Almost every grocery store carries it usually by the honey. It's a bit pricey but it's really delicious and good on everything from coffee to Cereal and yogurt. I've even put it on vanilla ice cream and it's yummy. Subie just as an objective observer if you have type II diabetes should you be having sweets? I don't have this disease and I'm not a MD and I'm not judging or anything and I mean no offense. But you're doc is correct I think to get that under control first.

My doc says everything in moderation. Unless he told be that the band would blow up or something if I drank coffee I would never give it up. Can't. Don't want to either. In fact I'm drinking coffee right now as I type. Love it love it loooooove it!

I also really enjoy(ed) eating. I love to go out to Breakfast with my husband on the weekend but it is a lot less enjoyable now as I can't eat what I really want to. The band for me has taken the joy out of eating which for me is a good thing. I can no longer eat for enjoyment - except occasionally when I eat ice cream or something, I have to eat to fuel my body. If I don't look at it that way I am miserable and feel really deprived. I am so wanting to take a big bite out of a homemade hamburger or a Chicago-style hot dog it's not funny but I don't do the bread and it's just not the same without the bun. I tried to eat some cheesecake yesterday and it got kind of stuck and I felt really bloated and miserable so I know that that's off the menu. Good luck to you! You will find a nice balance just give it some time.

Hey Peach I'm going thru kind of the same thing right now but a small blue pill does the trick almost every time. I find that my libido has increased but my poor husband is having the ED issue and is afraid of disappointing me so he doesn't even try sometimes. We have a great marriage and have always been compatible in the bedroom area so it can be a bit of a strain on us. Open communication is really the key and the more you talk about it the better.

At our Y they have the classes in the works and I can't wait sounds like fun. BTW I went to my deep Water class yesterday and worked my a$$ off. I am just a bit stiff but I feel great.

Life, Thanks for sharing your insides with us. You have no idea how much that actually helps me visualize (well duh, I just saw a picture) of what my insides must look like too. This helps me understand just how little the "pouch" area is and how to relate that to portion control and I'm almost a year banded! Every surgeon should give one of these to their patients right at the start. What a great tool! Thanks and good luck to you as you start your journey. C

Bama Don't be discouraged YOU CAN DO THIS. I know today your husband went in for his surgery so he'll need your support right now and perhaps that will take your mind off of your frustration if only for a little bit. Also you might, in the back of your mind, be a teeny bit envious but I think that is a perfectly normal emotion given you want this so very badly. Let that work for you! Get fired up and before you know it it will be your turn. One other thing I wanted to mention is that your doc is being cautious because he is concerned about how you will do during the surgery itself with the Anesthesia and all. The band will do you no good if you can't get thru the surgery. A larger person just has more risks involved during surgery, period. Any type of surgery so don't be too hard on him ok? Take care and we are all here for you!

What he should do is not guess as to why but do a scan and know for sure. Unfortunately or fortunately whichever way you look at it they hold all the cards here and we are at the mercy or the benefit of their expertise. I have been told that if you do liquids for a few days to a week that the dilation will subside. I also read it on one of the posts here as well. I'm sure someone will have a better answer for you.

Yay for you! I wish you good health and happiness along your journey. I'm pretty new here myself but these folks rock! You name it they've been through it. It's good you found this excellent resource early on! C

50 lbs is fantastic! Really good post Trish. I used to take the fish oil every day and stopped because of the band. I will just find some smaller ones and start them up again. I never realized the connection before. I will do some research of my own but you have given me a great jumping off place. C

Bummer, sometimes people can be cruel and not even know it. You are rockin the weight loss and we are all proud of you.

I am happy you liked the class, I love them. The best thing I think is that you can tailor the moves for whatever ails you. You can step it up or down depending on how you are doing/feeling that day. I also have arthritis (hips and feet) and I find I can do all the moves I just have to be careful on the landing parts and remember to come down lightly and correctly. My favorite classes are the deep Water classes, no impact and you work your a$$ off literally. Good luck and keep moving! C

NJ, I know exactly how you feel about wasting valuable time but be patient we didn't put it on overnight and it's best to lose slowly. I had to go 5 months after my surgery (July 28th) because I had a surgical site infection, followed by an appendectomy 5 weeks later and then had my gallbladder removed 6 weeks after that so after almost 6 months I had my first fill of 4 ccs. I am now at 9.5 ccs and have lost 35 lbs as of this morning. Good luck and all forward progress is a blessing.